Update no.1046

 Update from the Sunland

No.1046

24.1.22 – 30.1.22

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

 

            To all,

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- Beginning at 14:00 [R] EST (19:00 GMT), 24.January.2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) [1041] fired its onboard thrusters for about five minutes (297 seconds) to complete its orbital entry burn maneuver. The JWST is in its final stable halo orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L2, which in turn orbits the sun in synch with the earth. The deployment of the JWST is complete. The mission team now begins the process of calibration and certification of the telescope and its associated instruments, a task that is expected to take three to five months. We hope to see the first processed image around June of this year.

-- I stand with Ms. Stephanie Gregory Clifford (AKA Stormy Daniels) [879].

 

Associate Justice Stephen Gerald Breyer announced his decision to retire from the U.S. Supreme Court at the end of the present term. The speculation on who and by what process Breyer’s replacement will be confirmed began immediately. After the travesty of McConnell in 2016 and his redux in 2020, I feel the strong urge to say I do not care who it is, jam it down the throats of the fBICP just as they did to the rest of us. But, I must resist that human compulsion. With Breyer’s retirement, I am hearing quite a bit more about Sotomayor’s ideological anger rather than collegiality. Every time I hear the criticism, I ask, do you mean like Thomas’ and Alito’s ideological anger? The Supreme Court is yet one more example of how badly my generation has so grossly goobered up the stewardship of this once grand republic. And, to think, all of this failure may well stem from the political conservatives and social conservatives’ inability to comprehend the greater meaning of Roe v. Wade [410 U.S. 113 (1973)] [319]. This one Supreme Court case may best represent the forces at play that are pulling apart the very fabric of this once grand republic. If that is the case, then so be it; our fundamental right to privacy is too bloody important. Perhaps we are not worthy of the rights, privileges and freedoms entrusted to us.

 

An odd observation: the orange one held his latest non-political, political rally at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Conroe, Texas, 35 miles north of Houston. When I see and listen to the orange one, I see and hear Adolf Hitler. Why is that? My guess, like his apparent role model, he doubled down on the BIG LIE and his instigation of insurrection. He directly attacked and undermined the very heart of the American system of democratic governance. After that despicable performance, millions of American citizens who vote, actually still believe the man to such an extent that they will do anything he even hints at needing. Perhaps I answered my own query.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1045:

Comment to the Blog:

“I have long been unclear about Tulsi Gabbard. Thank you for the clarity.

“Biden marks a return to the broad pattern of the past 40 years, where the President is the tool of one of the parties. As with some of his predecessors, it’s hard to keep track of all the nonsense used to justify the positions.

“People have in fact suggested a return to the ‘stand-up’ filibuster, but their voices are drowned out by headline grabbers.

“The abortion debate will continue indefinitely because it turns on when a fetus becomes sentient separately from the mother, and that remains unknowable. Remember that outlawing the procedure doesn’t reduce the number of times it’s performed but does increase the risk to the pregnant person’s life five-fold per the National Institutes of Health’s discussion of results before and after Roe v Wade.

“Many prominent politicians are hypocrites, and that may be even more common among elitists like Boris Johnson. I have no clue why your UK correspondent is surprised.

“I’ll skip the vaccine debate except to differ about visiting a hospital. Hospitals are rife with infections, even more so right now. Stay away from there. I am.”

My response to the Blog:

Yep, she crossed the line for me on that one.

I do not think I can go that far. President Biden deserves criticism but being “the tool of one of the parties” is a bit too far for me. He is still monumentally better than what we had with his predecessor.

I was specifically pointing my filibuster comment at Manchin and Sinema, since they both voted for the voting rights bills but refused to break the filibuster deadlock to pass the needed law. I am also disappointed one of the moderate Republicans did not step up. The all or nothing stance is just wrong. And as a consequence, the state fBICP legislatures roll on with their draconian voter suppression laws—Jim Crow v2.0. Nonetheless, we shall overcome; it will just take more time.

We are in agreement on the abortion question. As I have long contended, prohibition is NEVER a successful approach for social change. I truly wish the medical procedure was never needed ever again, but until we can find a more informed and progressive means, we must make it safe. The reasoning in Roe v. Wade [410 U.S. 113 (1973)] [319] was careful, precise, logical and responsible. The justices tried very hard to balance the rights of the mother and protect the maturing fetus. Unfortunately, and regrettably, the social conservatives have gone high and right on the question. Now, it is just a social contest rather than reasoned law. Given the recent writings of the conservative justices, I am not particularly optimistic regarding the question before the Court.

Good point. Perhaps s/he will explain.

Hard to stay away from a hospital if you experience a life-threatening affliction like a heart attack, stroke, perforated ulcer, appendicitis, et cetera. Some necessary medical procedures must be performed in hospitals. Beyond that, I agree; I do not go unless there is some unavoidable requirement.

 

Another contribution

“Thanks Cap-my word what an excellent Blog, you’ve been busy.

“Our Downing Street saga continues with more and more accusations heaped at the front door. We shall see, what a mess.”

My reply:

A mess, indeed. There are many similarities between the fiasco of the PM, and our previous president; they apparently believe laws only apply to us riff-raff, and not to them. I dare say, the PM may feel the consequences long before [the person who shall no longer be named], such are the features of our similar but different forms of governance.

BTW, another reader asked why you were surprised by PM Johnson’s conduct?

 

A different contribution:

“Interesting discussion of how the honorable T-Party fell victim to the ultra-right (at least that seemed to be one 1045 topic among the continued stabs at the former POTUS. As a disappointed supporter of early TP efforts continuing to bitterly resent the GOP emasculation of its sympathizers in Congress, I shall attend the Mississippi Libertarian Party convention this weekend to seek hope in an alternative for the bad choices offered by the corrupt major parties.

“I have read and agree with the Libertarian Party platform in principle and intention and have only a few concerns with some wording, nothing to compare with my concerns about the clear socialistic direction of the Democrats or the suicidal actions of the confused Republicans. The last Libertarian candidates for POTUS and VP were impressive, but they are presently laying low. I have been impressed with the sincerity of the one MS LP candidate for Congress I have spoken with.

“I'll try next week to give you a summary of my reactions to our experience in Gulfport Saturday.”

My response:

Yes, it is an interesting topic that pops up in my writing from time to time.

I stab at the orange one because he will not go away. Full stop! If you were at all interested, you could go back and read my Updates from the months after his official candidacy announcement [16.6.2015]. I did not think the event was worthy of any words. I was gobsmacked that he gained any traction in the early Republican primaries, but he did. I knew he was a train wreck from long before he became a candidate. And yet, he not only became the Republican nominee, we elected him president by the constitutionally specified process. If he would disappear or go to prison where he belongs, I would not be stabbing at him. He is a virus that will not die.

As I have written, if I had to pick a political party that comes closest to my thinking, it would be the Libertarian Party. However, I have more than a few differences that separate me. We need a strong federal government, not an emasculated one. Case in point, the pandemic response. The Libertarians tend to be more laissez-faire and isolationist than I think is sustainable. To me, most importantly, the federal government is required to establish and defend our freedoms in liberal and conservative states—a common standard. Again, to me, it is our fundamental right to privacy (even though not mentioned in the Constitution) that is the heart of the matter. I want a strong federal government, but I also want strong state governments, properly balanced between federal & state’s rights. Lastly, I will say, I think the Libertarians are more likely to unravel the travesty and insult that is the Controlled Substances Act; prohibition is wrong; and that retains my attention.

I eagerly anticipate your report on your experience at the Mississippi Libertarian convention.

 

            My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1045

Update from the Sunland

No.1045

17.1.22 – 23.1.22

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

 

            To all,

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) [1041] completed the deployment of all 18 hexagonal primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror. The successful initialization was publicly announced by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at 13:30, Wednesday, 19.January.2022. The last step in the deployment is the orbital insertion burn into its planned halo orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L2. The burn is scheduled for Sunday, 23.January.2022 (L + 29). Once established in its proper orbit, the scientific and optical teams will begin the methodical processes of calibrating and certifying the full operation of the JWST.

 

From a separate network, a simple video link URL offers an interview with former presidential candidate and former member of Congress Tulsi Gabbard from the Fox News program The New Revolution with Steve Hilton on Sunday, 16.January.2022. 

Gabbard is of American Samoan descent and is also a serving lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii National Guard. She is an articulate, deliberate person, who is usually careful and measured with her words. Anyone interested can listen to or read the transcript of the interview, if you wish. After listening to the interview several times, I wrote the following response.

I am disappointed in Gabbard. She knows better. By her simple generalization, she has created the image that the USG is going to take action against anyone who speaks out against the USG. I am not in the inner circles of the USG, but I have seen no evidence whatsoever that her depiction is accurate or even real. The right-wing militias and groups (OathKeepers to KKK) have demonstrated their willingness to act violently under the aegis of [the person who shall no longer be named]. They have become no different from other terrorist groups. The USG would be remiss if they did not stand up a unit to preempt violent action by internal terrorist groups. I expect this kind of crap from FoxNews. I held a much higher opinion of Gabbard; not so much now.

As a postscript, I added:

There is a monumental difference between speaking out against the government in any form at any level while standing outside the Capitol building, and a violent attempt to stop the constitutional conduct of Congress—the very definition of an insurrection. With all due respect, Gabbard was wrong to portray the USG as some authoritarian regime intent upon imposing its will and suppressed dissent; in fact, it is quite the opposite. 

 

President Biden’s speech and lengthy presser on Wednesday afternoon to recognize his first year, as president, was good, and then not so much. First and foremost, I must say, what a refreshing and remarkable change from the antagonism, ridicule, nonsense, and belittling so common with his predecessor’s interaction with the Press. It took friendly and unfriendly queries from a wide variety of journalists with no rancor. After a brief statement, he spent nearly two hours fielding questions on a broad spectrum of questions. Just the tone and tenor of the presser was dramatically different and immensely more presidential than his predecessor ever gave.

 Yet, for all the positive I saw and heard, there are a couple major faux pas in this particular rendition. Most notable to me, in addressing a question with respect to the threatened invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces, the president said, “And so, I think what you’re going to see is that Russia will be held accountable if it invades.  And it depends on what it does.  It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do, et cetera.” [emphasis mine] In the light of the situation in Eastern Ukraine it was a terrible misstatement and instantly reminded me of another such misstatement in history. On 12.January.1950, then Secretary of State Dean Acheson, in a speech to the National Press Club, verbally drew a defensive perimeter around defeated and disarmed Japan. South Korea, only recently partitioned from the North [1945], was not within that defensive perimeter. Many historians have contended that Acheson’s omission green-lighted the North Korean invasion of the South, to unify Korea as Mao unified China, and the invasion came five months later [25.June.1950]. The Russians are long past the “minor incursion” stage after the annexation of Crimea [2014] and the de facto invasion of Eastern Ukraine [2014]. The president was flat wrong. I appreciate Biden’s reluctance to use military force, but there comes a time when the hegemonic ambitions of dictators must be confronted with force. That time for Neville Chamberlain came in 1938. This moment in history may well be Joe Biden’s moment.

The second faux pas from my perspective came with his answer to a query by Fox News journalist Allison Harris. She asked, “Speaking of voting rights legislation, if this isn’t passed, do you still believe the upcoming election will be fairly conducted and its results will be legitimate?” President Biden responded, “Well, it all depends on whether or not we’re able to make the case to the American people that some of this is being set up to try to alter the outcome of the election.  And it’s one thing — look, maybe I’m just being too much of an optimist.  Remember how we thought not that many people were going to show up to vote in the middle of a pandemic?  We had the highest voter turnout in the history of the United States of America.” The president’s statement was innocuous enough except when placed in the light of the BIG LIE and the concerted efforts of fBICP led state legislatures to suppress the vote of poor and less privileged citizens in this once grand republic. I think I understand what he was trying to say, but frankly, he did not come close to saying it. The president failed to differentiate between the bogus nonsense of [the person who shall no longer be named] and his BIG LIE and the legal voter suppression being executed by the former president’s true believers in state legislatures. I say legal because they are changing state laws by the legal use of the law, although I am convinced those laws are unconstitutional. Unfortunately, they cannot be invalidated except in court [I have seen no court challenges as yet] or by an act of Congress [which failed in the Senate this week]. As a consequence of the president’s woefully inadequate statement, I suspect we should brace for a highly contentious election this coming November. None of the fBICP election suppression laws that I am aware of will affect my ability to vote, and I will most certainly cast my vote. Some legislatures have enacted laws that inject the partisan political legislature into the vote counting process, which is a virtual invitation for malfeasance. However, millions of American citizens do not share my capacity to adapt to these voter suppression laws. Every citizen has a right to vote and have their vote properly counted regardless of their economic means or any of the social factors. The fBICP has chosen to ignore that fact.

Just a related FYI: for the life of me, I do not understand why some rational person in the Senate has not suggested a return to the old Senate filibuster rules—holding the floor instead of the current anonymous single blocking objection. I do appreciate the motives of Manchin and Sinema to preserve the filibuster as a means of compromise, but using the filibuster as a means of stagnation is absolutely wrong—the tyranny of a willful minority. I current filibuster rules are wrong and have been from the get-go—another opportunity lost.

 

The courts have been going back and forth regarding the USG’s vaccine mandate. The Supremes chose to impose stays in two companion cases—National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor [595 U. S. ____ (2022); Nos. 21A244 and 21A247]. In granting the stays, the Supremes want to see the judgment of the Sixth Circuit on the merits of the case. There are several aspects of the Court’s statement in this case and are yet another display of the graphic consequences of what happened from Senator McConnell’s unethical, if not outright unconstitutional action, in 2016 through the nominations of the last administration.  The conservative majority wrote a rather lame, narrowly justified rationale for their decision to issue the stays. They said, “We cannot agree. Although COVID–19 is a risk that occurs in many workplaces, it is not an occupational hazard in most. COVID–19 can and does spread at home, in schools, during sporting events, and everywhere else that people gather.” The dissent opinion is far more robust, developed and convincing. The dissent observed, “The majority, in overturning that action [the OSHA rule], substitutes judicial diktat for reasoned policymaking.” They concluded, “Without legal basis, the Court usurps a decision that rightfully belongs to others. It undercuts the capacity of the responsible federal officials, acting well within the scope of their authority, to protect American workers from grave danger.”

From my perspective, the National Federation decision stands in stark contrast to a similar but opposite decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson [594 U.S. 21A24 (2021)] [1025]. It seems the Court is afflicted with the same cancerous misinformation as American society in the main, and that reality is a tragic recognition of what lies ahead of us. I suppose the best we can hope is the majority of the Supremes come to their senses when it eventually comes to the final decision in these cases when fully ripened. Unfortunately and regrettably, it may well be too late for hundreds of thousands of American citizens in the current pandemic. To me, there is no humanity among the conservative justices.

As an irrelevant supplementary note, I understand and appreciate the motives of the USG to protect American workers. However, especially given the Court’s reasoning, the OHSA rule would have been more reasonable if they had included “or, found methods to comply with the CDC guidelines, e.g., social distancing or working at home.” The workplace is just a subset of the community at large.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1044:

Comment to the Blog:

“I’m glad the James Webb Space Telescope is proceeding apace.

“I’m still reading my book on critical thinking skills. I’d prefer all sides of discussions about the virus, the vaccines, and all related topics to acquire those skills. They’re clearly not in wide use in those discussions.

“I don’t support the Tea Party’s positions, but I share the frustration with the two-party system. It’s a trap.”

My response to the Blog:

Me as well. From my perspective, the JWST is one of the most complex spacecraft humankind has yet sent into space. The engineering, physics, optics, and expectations are awesome and awe-inspiring. There are so many opportunities for something to go wrong with little to no ability to remedy any particular failure. So far so good. It is not just the potential for unprecedented space exploration; it is also the extraordinary, mind-boggling daily-hourly work that goes into bringing us those anticipated discoveries. That is what has bound me to the JWST mission.

I am with you on that, brother. The misinformation / disinformation campaign goes on full tilt, and the USG’s efforts are woefully insufficient. I try to do my part but the sheer mass of this nonsense is overwhelming.

I did as well . . . for a time. I began to get suspicious when the likes of Jordan, Meadows, et al, began to rise to power and displayed far more radical views of the problem and potential corrective action. The Founders / Framers set down a methodical process for change. Revolution by armed force is NOT one of those processes.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Critical thinking skills could be applied to the various government agencies’ (not just Federal) statements as well as the wackos’. The ever-changing claims, inconsistencies between agencies and sometimes individuals, and general air of incompetence hurt their performance. It’s not only systemic issues (poor data, lack of preparedness) that have made our problems worse than the world’s.

“The ‘legitimate’ Tea Party supporters are not the only group left out of the political process. Plenty of others don’t fit the two major parties’ operations except as dupes that vote for them.”

 . . . my follow-up response:

Critical thinking can be and should be applied in all aspects of life and in all organizations. I cannot argue with any piece of your assessment. I can only add that in my humble opinion, the most damaging element of the U.S. pandemic response was the decision of [the person who shall no longer be named] to make his laissez-faire, every-man-for-himself position the policy of the USG. That decision alone rippled through all government agencies and infected the state governments as well. The confusion was catastrophic. He sought to downplay the situation to make himself look better. President Biden has taken a far more aggressive approach to the pandemic response, but he has been swimming upstream against a raging river from the get-go. Biden is not without fault and blame, but he started in a very deep hole. We should continue to criticize President Biden when his Executive Branch stumbles, but I hold some empathy for what he was handed.

Oh so true. I am one of those. Libertarians come the closest, but they are still a long way from my positions on a host of topics. While I had (and perhaps still have) some alignment with the Tea Party folks in the early days, the majority have mutated into something vile and disgusting, so much so that I cannot recognize anything for even a hope of alignment.

 

Another contribution:

“Thanks Cap-Tea Party? Sorry to be a questioner from across the pond.”

My reply:

As the old saying goes, seek and ye shall find (Matthew 7:7). All queries welcome. No issues out of bounds.

The Tea Party is a uniquely American phenomenon. The genesis was born in our disagreement with Great Britain (1773). The current manifestation grew in the 1990s. The movement was an amalgamation of Libertarian and Republican right-wing thinking that rejected big government, social change, taxes, and government spending. Tea Party politicians began to reach Congress in the early 2000s. [The person who shall no longer be named] adroitly tapped into and exploited that general dissatisfaction with government as represented by the Tea Party to reach the Oval Office. We witness the consequences today.

I hope that simplistic view gives you enough to decipher contemporary American politics.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Ah I see the resemblance now. Are there still representatives of this group now in congress then? 

“I expect you are aware of the political turmoil raging over this side of the pond. If not I’ll top you up! It is damned worrying to read of the accusations being launched towards our current PM. If the current civil service enquiry finds he is lying, as he may well be, he will be out on the street at No10 looking for work.

“And we’ll be looking for a new one. I seem to remember casting my doubts to you when he was appointed. I can’t say I’m pleased to ‘dredge up’ my earlier judgements.”

 . . . my follow-up reply:

Oh my, YES, far too many—Jordan, Greene, Gaetz, Boebert, Hawley, Brooks, Nunes, Tuberville, Gosar, Lesko, Biggs, and many more. They intimidate other more moderate representatives and senators. These folks are voted into office by a majority of district voters, which speaks volumes of those local electorates. It will take many years to expunge these yayhoos from positions of power. The mutated Tea Party’ers are far more pervasive than is publicly recognizable. They have contributed to a broad distrust of government (except for them of course) that has infected all levels of our society. It will take generations to overcome this travesty.

Yes, I have been following as much as I am able. The PM at best allowed a rather casual attitude and approach to pandemic response within his staff. He handled the controversy very poorly. Sir Keir Starmer, KCB, QC, MP, gave a stinging rebuke to the PM in Commons, and I agree with his assessment completely. I am watching the PM’s Question Time in Commons as I write. It is not looking good for Johnson . . . and rightly so, I must add, the same sort of public censure and condemnation should have been applied to [the person who shall no longer be named] two years ago, but alas, we do not have that feature in our form of governance. It is at times like these that I like to quote Oliver Cromwell, “You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately. Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”

What I have seen and heard about Starmer seems worthy of the premiership.

Your doubts about Johnson were just as I forecast the consequences of [the person who shall no longer be named] long before he was elected. The aftermath has proven my forecast. I join you. I suspect neither one of us wanted to be proven correct with such forecasts. But, we call ‘em as we see ‘em.

 

Another contributor asked me not to publish (his/her) comments. The contribution was rather lengthy and would have been of value for all of us to understand the rejection of vaccines by so many American citizens. Nonetheless, I shall respect that request. My words are my words. I shall include here my words regarding the issue of vaccine rejection.

My response in part:

Let it suffice to say, I believe you are gravely misinformed and choose your sources from a very narrow band. I recognize that there is nothing I can say or do that I believe would better inform you because you distrust anything and everything I offer. Fake news.

I do not argue with your decision to reject vaccinations as a means to stay healthy. That is your choice entirely. I believe it is a dangerously misinformed position, but hey, that is just me. For every medical procedure from aspirin to brain surgery, there are and will always be adverse effects—side effects and risks. What we are talking about here is the general, common good. Hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccination doses have been administered all over the world. Yes, there are adverse effects, but the percentage adversely affected events is infinitesimal compared to the greater good. Regardless, you have convinced yourself that vaccinations render you to lab rat status; that is unfortunate, but that is your choice entirely. Conversely, the USG has the responsibility and authority to take action for the greater good. I have criticized the USG pandemic response and action from the get-go . . . not because it came from [the person who shall no longer be named] but because I believe it was wrong. I also believed President Biden would take a more informed approach to the pandemic, but my disappointment is mounting. From my perspective, the current administration’s response is far better than the previous administration, but I still believe it is not good enough for the general welfare.

Lastly, I learned a long time ago that there are dissenters in every profession including medical. I witnessed directly the disagreements between highly acclaimed doctors (world renowned experts in their fields) on a variety of topics. For the same reason we seek multiple assessments before making a critical medical decision for our health, so too do we seek a collective view of any medical position—the best that many minds can provide. If you do not trust any of those opinions, then reject the treatment. You seem to listen to the dissenters rather than the collective. That is your choice entirely.

All that said, I would urge you to visit a hospital or two, and ask the doctors and nurses directly without filtration. You cite Mark’s cousin. I will cite one of our granddaughters who chose to go into nursing. She is an RN today. She is on the verge of burning out and leaving the profession because of the prolonged and enormous burden of unvaccinated people overwhelming her hospital. Military warriors are rotated to give them a break from combat to recover from the rigors. We do not have sufficient medical personnel to give our frontline medical professionals a break. Yes, she is only one person, but her experience is consistent with what I hear and read from widely varied sources.

We all make choices in life. Those choices have consequences. You reject vaccination, which is entirely your right to choose. But there are and should be consequences to those choices. Frankly, I am all in favor of the same “consequences” being applied to smokers, alcoholics, and abusive drug consumers. The effects have long been known and documented, but people still choose to risk lung cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.

 

            My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1044

 Update from the Sunland

No.1044

10.1.22 – 16.1.22

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

 

            To all,

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) deployment [1041] continues and achieved another major milestone. The JWST completely unfolded all of its elements. The initial alignment of the 18 primary hexagonal mirrors began on Wednesday and is expected to take ten days. As they begin to exercise the telescope, the JWST team expects to make progressively smaller adjustments to the mirror to bring all 18 primary mirrors into focus.  In another two weeks, the team will execute the orbital insertion burn to establish the JWST in its halo orbit around L2. The calibration and certification phase will take several months beyond the orbital stabilization completion.

 

Roughly two dozen state legislatures have passed restrictive voting laws in the name of better voting security under the guise of the BIG LIE. For the record, I see this effort in an entirely different light.

To make sure only true patriotic citizens can cast their vote let us amend the voting laws to the effect that only citizens who can name all 50 states can vote. No, better yet, let us pass a law that only citizens who can name all 50 state capitols can vote. Since we are going that far, how about only a citizen who can write a three-page essay on the constitutional presidential election process with less than five grammatical errors. The fBICP seeks the status quo ante, so hey, let us go all the way back to the founding. The strict constructionist judges would love that; so, only male, white, Protestant, English-speaking, landowners who could read can vote. My goodness, we are making progress. We are restoring this once grand republic to the glory days and greatness of our founding.

 

I offer another extraction from a different group forum.
The instigating message:

“Perhaps I might ask for clarification Cap: Gonna put you on the spot--Do you consider the unvaccinated "dangerous to human life"??? If you communicate back in the affirmative, by logical conclusion, that would seem you identify with the unvaccinated as being categorized as domestic terrorists [??]. Let me take this further, if I am correct (I may be wrong), do you then see those not accepting the COVID VAX as a group needing encampment or to be placed in prisons, or even executed?”

My response:

No, to all your questions; I do not, period, full stop.

I see the unvaccinated as a threat to our health care system. The unvaccinated enable the virus to replicate, multiply, and worse mutate. If the unvaccinated sign and present a DNR-like certified statement that they reject medical treatment should they become infected, then I am good with allowing each individual to choose to make themselves available for infection. The central issue from the get-go of this pandemic has been and remains the saturation of our medical treatment capacity. To me, the unvaccinated do not have the right to deny medical treatment to me or my family by their saturation of the medical treatment establishment. So, as far as I am concerned, stay our of the hospitals, and you, or anyone else, can do what you wish. If the unvaccinated are not willing to make the necessary sacrifices and do their part to protect others around them, then they should not enjoy the freedoms the rest of us enjoy.

 

At 17:10 [M] (local time) {04:10 [Z] GMT}, Saturday, 15.January.2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano violently erupted registering 7.4 on the Richter scale and sent a tsunami across the Pacific Ocean. A Japanese weather satellite captured the explosion:

See the 16.January.2022 edition of spaceweather:

https://spaceweather.com

The satellite video of the undersea volcanic eruption near to the South Pacific Island of Tonga graphically displays the shockwave that was heard thousands of miles away. The resultant tsunami was not as bad as it very easily could have been. The volcano has a history of eruptions and is actually a complex of surface and subsurface elements. This particular eruption appears to have come from the subsurface portion of the caldera at roughly 200 meters depth.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1043:

Comment to the Blog:

“I’m glad the space telescope deployment is going smoothly, and I look forward to scientific advances from it.

“I’m still surprised the ‘Cyber Ninja’ operation didn’t claim fraud in the Arizona election.

“There are a few differences from one election to another since 1992. The biggest one is that in those elections that Republicans won we chose them by a minority of voters. If we had ‘one voter, one vote’ as our guide, we wouldn’t have elected the malignant narcissist or Bush the Younger.

“What happens when Agent Orange’s age and lack of fitness catch up with him?

“I’ll note that mistrust of government has worsened as our government handles the pandemic with so much less competence than any other in the world. That’s more about capitalistic medicine and decades of budget cuts for emergency management than anything else.”

My response to the Blog:

Me as well. We will undoubtedly see things we have never seen before. Hubble has imaged astronomical phenomena back to about 10B years. They expect JWST to image things back to nearly the Big Bang, circa 13.7B years. More importantly, from my perspective, JWST will substantially expand the Kepler Telescope data with more precise, detailed, exoplanet observations.

Yeah. As I stated, this whole Cyber Ninjas audit is an odiferous concoction fully intended to validate the BIG LIE, and it did quite the opposite. Even though the audit tallied more votes for President Biden than the original official vote count, I do not place much weight in what they did predominately because of the way it was done—decidedly partisan.

We have debated the Electoral College for some time. Our opinions have not changed. I concede that the reality of the 2016 election is a graphic demonstration of the consequences of the Electoral College process, but the rules have been the same for centuries.

We will witness the end of days for “Agent Orange.” My contention is that moment should come in his isolation prison cell.

The mistrust of government is far broader than the pandemic. Nonetheless, your observations are certainly contributors. President Biden has been unable to right the ship after the disastrous stage setting by the previous administration. With the previous POTUS standing up before us and saying, hey, try this, try that, while he gets the absolute best medical treatment for his infection, hardly instill confidence in the government. If we had 330M N95 masks in strategic stockpile in January 2020, I doubt we would have had such an abysmal response outcome.

 

Another contribution:

“Great description of the latest of our country's many extra-terrestrial victories, named for one of our relatively under appreciated patriots!

“As to the rest of 1043, I find it insightful, if somewhat repetitious for your regular followers, but I wish you would (as I have repeatedly demanded of the doomed GOP beggars who want but won't get my money until they comply) apologize for inadvertently implying early in your message that we good faith Tea Party supporters are generally right-wing nuts. We saw a possible solution to the evils of our sad two-party system, and with over-optimistic hope we shouted warnings!

“There was merit in our intentions and initial actions, and our leaders suffered greatly at the hands of the GOP so-called leadership. I expect you to give credit where credit is due, my friend. Keep up your good work!”

My reply:

Yeah, thanks, I have great expectations for what we will learn from JWST and all the other space endeavors. Under appreciated, perhaps, but his name is permanently on that magnificent machine. The products from JWST will forever have the name James Webb attached.

My apologies for the repetition, but the stimulants continue to instigate my words, and we are a long way from being done with this episode in our history.

If the shoe fits, wear it. To me, the Tea Party is quite akin to communism—a noble concept grossly distorted by bad men. Respectfully, any generalization of human behavior or conduct is by definition flawed, because human beings, especially in a free society, tend to be unique and thus do not lend themselves to generalization. From my perspective, my ire is focused on the leaders, e.g., Jordan, Meadows, et al, and not on the rank & file. Turning to a man as deeply flawed and afflicted as [the person who shall no longer be named] is a sign of desperation. The same desperation led good German citizens to fall victim to the Siren’s Song. I did not point my remarks and observations at you or any other Tea Party member other than those leaders who have commandeered the former GOP and subverted it into the fBICP. The Tea Party was built upon distrust of government. Every time an American citizen publicly states their unwavering commitment to the BIG LIE, we need no more evidence. The BIG LIE is a direct affront to the U.S. Constitution. You and I swore an oath.

Now, that said, I share many of the foundation positions of the Tea Party. I share your aggravation with the conduct of our two-party political system. My criticism of both political parties goes back to years long before the Blog came into existence. But, to me, the Tea Party led directly to [the person who shall no longer be named] and the fBICP. That fact alone yields my condemnation. I am truly so sorry that you and other good Tea Party members are caught up in that denunciation, but I cannot find an adequate filtration algorithm.

With all due respect, if the fBICP is the consequence of the GOP resistance to the Tea Party, then I will content the frustration of the Tea Party has been misapplied.

One last point, Adolf Hitler had many notable accomplishments, e.g. the Autobahn network, increased employment, scientific & engineering achievements; however, his infamous outrages to humanity vastly exceed all the other benefits combined. Such is the conduct of [the person who shall no longer be named]. He did not kill millions of innocent people, but the destruction he has wrought on this once grand republic cannot possibly be overstated; thus, he must be listed with that previous dictator in that rogue’s gallery.

 

            My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1043

 Update from the Sunland

No.1043

3.1.22 – 9.1.22

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

 

            To all,

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has achieved a major milestone since its launch [1041]. All five layers of the sunshield have been separated and successfully tensioned completing another major sequence in the JWST deployment. The secondary mirror has been extended and latched in place. The Aft Deployed Instrument Radiator has been deployed and activated. The Port and Starboard Primary Mirror Wings have been unfolded and locked in place. The deployment phase was completed on Saturday (L + 14)—a day ahead of schedule. Now, what NASA calls the commissioning phase begins in which they will fine tune each of the 18 mirror segments to reach optimal performance of the whole mirror assembly. The JWST still has another two weeks of travel and an orbital insertion burn to reach its final halo orbit around Lagrange Point L2. We expect to see the first operational image from the JWST in June 2022.

-- On 31.March.2021, the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus (not the state senate) unilaterally hired four companies led by a novice, fledgling company known as Cyber Ninjas (CN), which was owned and operated by Douglas ‘Doug’ Logan. {Just a little adjunct FYI here: Logan was a staunch ‘Stop the Steal’ advocate and supporter of [the person who shall no longer be named]—surprise, surprise. And, guess who recommended Logan and his company to the Arizona Senate Republicans?} CN issued their final report on Friday, 24.September.2021. The CN audit found the President Biden won by a slightly wider margin than the final official vote count. They also reported ballot anomalies that to my knowledge have existed in every election and every precinct in the entire nation; none or any combination of the identified anomalies would have been sufficient to affect the outcome. Therefore, there was no steal, no altered outcome, and the BIG LIE as applied to Maricopa County, Arizona, was false . . . and just that—a lie. But, we all knew that . . . well, except for those who swallowed the worthless magic snake-oil elixir peddled by [the person who shall no longer be named]. Even a highly partisan, biased, ‘forensic’ audit by a fly-by-night novice company could not validate the BIG LIE.

On 5.January.2022, the Maricopa County Elections Department and Office of the Recorder issued a report titled: Correcting the Record: Maricopa County’s In-Depth Analysis of the Senate Inquiry in rebuttal to the CN report. Of the claims made by CN and their cohorts, the county election professionals found:

-- 22 were misleading – guiding the reader to assume a conclusion that is not supported by the evidence.

-- 41 were inaccurate – including flawed or misstated analysis.

-- 13 were outright false – demonstrably false and can be proven false using materials provided to the Senate.

Of the two conflicting reports, I think the county professionals’ report is far more likely to represent the facts and reality.

Making me even more suspicious of the CN nonsense, two recent facts cast aspersions on the CN involvement. The Arizona Superior Court ordered CN to turn over communications records and supporting information to the public record. They have steadfastly refused, and Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah has fined the company US$50K per day for their refusal to comply. So far, CN has refused to pay the accumulating fines. Perhaps as a consequence, this week, Doug Logan announced he had laid off his employees and closed his company. He has not yet filed for bankruptcy.

This whole Republican audit, induced by the BIG LIE, and the CN involvement in the questionable audit stinks to high heaven like rotten fish in a closed room. We add this whole fiasco to the growing mountain of evidence that the BIG LIE is exactly what it seems—a bald-faced lie spun up by a deeply flawed man afflicted by malignant narcissism and delusions of grandeur, who is incapable of admitting defeat. Worse, he is dragging a once great political party, millions of supporters, and the fabric of the nation down into the gutter and sewer with him. These are the times in which we live.

 

I must confess that it is truly scary to hear interviews with citizens of this once grand republic who publicly state their absolute, unwavering, unqualified belief in the BIG LIE despite the growing mountain of evidence; they believe because the chieftain of their tribe said so—nothing else. No evidence, no facts, no challenge, nothing, nada, niente, nothing . . . just because the chieftain said so. What makes the situation far worse, too many members of the fBICP (former GOP) have validated the chieftain’s dicta . . . because he said so. Such staunch repetition of the BIG LIE is extraordinarily dangerous to the future of not just this once grand republic, and frankly to democracy as a form of governance. Just a handful of years ago, I would have professed and proclaimed that the evaporation of the Constitution of the United States of America before our very eyes was a ridiculous, ill-informed, delusional notion. I cannot claim that perspective today. The forces of dissolution, division, and tyranny are far too real and undeniable. 

 

For what it is worth, I am beginning to see a common thread among many right-wing groups of citizens—a deep distrust of government. This apparent distrust is so deep that there is nothing they trust—no direction, no guidance, no elections, no rules, no laws, nothing they respect. Such distrust leads individuals to turn to a leader outside of any known governmental experience. In 2015, such a leader declared his candidacy for the presidency, and these distrustful citizens flocked to him like moths to a flame, like iron to a magnet. Unfortunately, that particular person has been afflicted all of his life with malignant narcissism fostered and encouraged by his father. 

From a fundamental independent perspective, there were no differences between the 1992 election and the 2020 election, and all of those in between. The 2016 election processes that brought [the person who shall no longer be named] to presidential power are exactly the same as the 2020 elections processes that soundly defeated that same man. Unfortunately for this once grand republic, when the result is not what the distrustful faction wants, the duly and properly certified election is declared fraudulent. Of course, [the person who shall no longer be named] is a shameless, egocentric man driven unwaveringly by his malignant narcissism to declare the BIG LIE even before the election was conducted, and then he persists in the BIG LIE to this very day. Regrettably, his misguided believers have swallowed his foundation-less, evidence-less, fact-less BIG LIE, hook, line and sinker. His fact-less claims have been tested in state and federal courts in three score plus cases, all of which were rejected (most outright) for being devoid of evidence beyond his accusations to reach just the probable cause threshold, set aside the beyond a reasonable doubt gate. The more we see, the more the hard factual evidence against him mounts. The consequences of the BIG LIE espoused by [the person who shall no longer be named] led to the greatest insurrection against the duly elected federal government since 1861.

The congressional investigation conducted in the wake of the 2016 election was not to contest the legality or constitutionality of the election, but rather it was to determine what influence Russian cyber-warfare activities had on “influencing” American voters. No one ever claimed the 2016 election was fraudulent, well other than [the person who shall no longer be named]—he persistently claimed the vote was rigged against him. He clearly did not win the popular vote, but he did properly win the constitutionally requisite Electoral College vote. He was legally elected to be president.

Then, four years later, [the person who shall no longer be named] continued in his it’s-all-rigged-against-me nonsense, and when his resounding defeat became all too apparent, the BIG LIE was born to explain his contention that he could not possibly be defeated in any election; therefore, such an election had to be fraudulent. The BIG LIE led directly to the insurrection of January 6^th . . . because he said so. Republican political leaders in both the Senate and House of Representatives denounced [the person who shall no longer be named] in the immediate aftermath of the insurrection. They had the opportunity to regain their integrity, but that brief surge failed. In that failure, the former GOP degenerated into the fBICP (former Bully In Chief Party). They were more afraid of the Tea Party radicals, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, neo-nationalist, and other malcontents than they were about their reputation. [The person who shall no longer be named] adroitly sensed and tapped into the broad-based distrust of government, and now the former Republicans are captive to the more banal elements of American society. With the fBICP Herculean efforts to return us more deeply into Jim Crow voting obstruction laws, we are regressing to a time long past, but now resurrected by the fBICP. His supporters, sycophants and believers now want us to believe the people who stormed the Capitol that afternoon a year ago where actually FBI agents and antifa activists disguised as believers. They are desperate to find something that will stick.

The reality is, we can induce trust no more than we can push a rope. Those citizens who so deeply distrust government including the USG, the Press, and other sources of accurate information refuse to acknowledge or even recognize the facts that categorically debunk the BIG LIE. But, they persist. And, as long as [the person who shall no longer be named] stokes and feeds that distrustful faction, this era of turmoil will persist.

 

On Thursday morning, 6.January.2022, the one-year remembrance of the attempted insurrection at the Capitol Building—another day of infamy irrevocable written in our history—Vice President Harris and President Biden gave remembrance speeches in the restored Capitol Rotunda. The president said, “The former President of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He’s done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interest as more important than his country’s interest than America’s interest. And because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our constitution.” As noted above, the president was spot on the money. He went on to say, “The former president and his supporters have never been able to explain how they accept as accurate the other election results that took place on November 3^rd.” President Biden closed with the essence of it all. “You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t obey the law only when it’s convenient. You can’t be patriotic when you embrace and enable lies.” It was a hard hitting, direct, and blunt speech. The writing was superb. However, the president’s delivery was a little more emotional for such a speech to my liking, but to me, it was a perfect speech to the moment.

 

One last thought on the topic . . . for now. No one can shout “FIRE!” in a crowded theater and then claim he had no idea there would be a stampede, or he was just kidding. No. That is a felonious crime no matter what excuses he offers; people died. That man did exactly that prior to and during the January 6^th insurrection. He deserves severe punishment to the fullest extent of the law as a historic example that his conduct will not be tolerated in our democracy, and especially from some deeply flawed man who puffs himself up like a blowfish every time he gets disturbed.

 

From a thread of a debate in another forum, I share one of my contributions in this forum.

We could have a long productive debate about the genesis of what we face today. It is easy to say much of our troubles can be attributed to a broad, cancerous, distrust of government. Certainly, the myriad mistakes by well-intentioned government employees, trying to do the best they can in difficult circumstances, can offer some mitigation. Nonetheless, they broke our trust--Venona, Bay of Pigs, Pentagon Papers, Watergate, Iran-Contra, Iraq, NSA-surveillance, et al ad infinitum ad nauseum. That distrust has led us to seek game-changers, disrupters, change-agents to break the paradigm. Unfortunately, many of us turned to people who were not worthy of the power they were given to effect that change. Now, we are headed to burning the whole house down because of our irritation with a plumbing problem. The reality is, we need a strong, vibrant government—not a dictator; our task should be to elect builders rather than destructors.

Respectfully, I truly believe your wrath at the Press is misguided, misplaced, and ill-advised. Instead of condemning and disregarding a large spectrum of an important, if not vital, segment of our system of governance, I strongly suggest we all develop a more productive method to evaluate information to find facts and filter opinions.

"That's just my opinion, but I could be wrong."

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1042:

Comment to the Blog:

“I’m amazed at the number of people here still not recognizing political reality. I can only attribute that to the success of the insurrectionists in attacking any media but theirs. My response to them is to request evidence, but that doesn’t seem to move the needle. We may see a conclusion sooner than you expect. The tension our nation is experiencing can only continue for so long."

My response to the Blog:

If you include the instigator in your insurrectionist definition, then I am in 100% agreement. He has been very effective at stoking, feeding, amplifying, and encouraging the distrust of everyone and everything except him; fairly close to the definition of a dictator in those words. As such, his believers do not care a hoot about factual evidence; they only care about what he said. The genius (evil genius I should say) of [the person who shall no longer be named] is his ability to sense the dissatisfaction of that distrust of government and to tap into that dissatisfaction. Even when he is sent to prison for what he has done to this once grand republic, he will only become a martyr to the cause for his believers. From a historical perspective, this is no different from the staunch commitment to the cause of Confederacy believers or the SS believers; there is nothing that can or will deflect their unwavering commitment to the cause other than death. Unfortunately, those believers have had or will have children, and they will pass along their beliefs to their children. Someday, perhaps centuries from now, the insurrectionist mentality will die out. It has been 150+ years since the Confederate insurrection, and we still see far too many Confederate flags among the latest group of insurrectionists just one year ago.

 . . . Round two:

“You give a good, if impassioned, summary of insurrectionists throughout history. I don’t suppose the tendency will ever go away unless the ignorance and insecurity of the followers can somehow be erased. Unscrupulous leaders will surely always exist.”

 . . . my response to round two:

Yes, indeedie! There are bad men in all walks of life, and now we have endured one in the Oval Office. The evidence continues to mount against him. History will not be kind to him nor the degeneration of the GOP into the fBICP—a disgusting remnant of a once great political party—the party of Lincoln; but, the damage has been done. Our task now is, try to rebuild the governmental institutions our forefathers work so hard and sacrifice for all of us.

 . . . Round three:

“The problem with the ‘bad men,’ in an individualistic society, is that we tend to give them sole responsibility for the outcomes. If they didn’t have masses of followers, they’d be ordinary crooks or kooks. The same applies to ‘bad’ cops whose colleagues ignore or cover up their conduct. Rogue individuals don’t do the damage that movements or in-groups of ordinary people do.”

 . . . my response to round three:

Indeed and spot on! Some bad men have skills to influence others, to convince good folks to buy and consume their worthless, magic, snake-oil elixir. They turn the good-will of good people to nefarious purposes often to aggrandize themselves in one form or another, e.g., Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Jim Jones, Randy Weaver, David Koresh, et al, and now we add [the person who shall no longer be named] to that rogue’s gallery. One of the saddest aspects of that reality rests upon the power we have given them. His enablers in Congress (Boebert, Cruz, Gaetz, Gosar, Greene, Hawley, Jordan, Meadows, McCarthy, Nunes, et al) are deeply culpable; they had multiple opportunities under the Constitution to right the wrong, but they failed. Far more deeply culpable are the citizens who elected all of the perpetrators to high office. And to me even worse, this coming fall, they will elect them again to office; what does that say about the citizens who vote for these yayhoos despite the evidence?

 

Another contribution:

“Cap I seem to recall that you were quite convinced we had not heard the last from this person who cannot be named. My God you were so right, I personally find this quite alarming and could well develop into something very serious indeed. Let us trust that sanity will prevail. I expect you will be mentioning this subject!”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/january-6-trump-biden-live-capitol-riot-b1988429.html

My reply:

While the Independent report is accurate, it is a mere fraction of the reality we live today. Yes, I forecast [705] the destruction to be wrought by [the person who shall no longer be named], because it is the nature of malignant narcissism manifest in anyone. That man adds his skills to tap into discontent and sell worthy goop to good people who desperately wanted to trust and believe in him. He proved himself resoundingly unworthy of any trust. Unfortunately, the damage he has done will likely take generations to remedy, and I may not live to see the day. My generation has failed and proved unworthy. My parents were members of the Greatest Generation. My generation may well be recorded in history as the worst generation. I have gone on too long as a broken record.

 . . . a follow-up comment:

“Come on my friend your country will, yes in time, recover to the greatness of the past. Look what both our countries we have been through and we’ve survived together or alone. I agree of course this is something that you alone will need to sort out and you will-you must. You are great nation and you will do it.”

 . . . my follow-up reply:

I am generally an optimistic person. I have had dark thoughts in our historical past, e.g., the assassinations of 1963 & 1968, the anti-war and racism protests, Watergate, the Executive mismanagement of Operation EAGLE CLAW, et al. We recovered. The turmoil of these years is far more serious. The last insurrection we faced was in 1861; more than 400K citizens died as a consequence. The forces that instigated January 6^th are still at play. Some of the misguided minions have gone and will go to prison, but the chief instigator and perpetrator remains free at his luxury compound in Florida and still wreaking havoc on our society. Statistics say he will likely die before he goes to prison, but he certainly deserves hard prison time to contemplate the error of his ways. I appreciate your optimism and outlook, but in all honesty, I am not so sure anymore.

 

            My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)