Update no.1054

 Update from the Sunland

No.1054

21.3.22 – 27.3.22

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

 

            To all,

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- The trial of Boeing Chief Technical Pilot Mark A. Forkner [1048] has concluded. The jury has not yet spoken (and they may never speak) to explain their reasoning. We do not know the basis of their ‘not guilty’ verdict. From the evidence I have seen (not all of the evidence presented at trial), I do not agree with the verdict, just as I disagreed with the O.J. Simpson criminal verdict [3.October.1995]. To me, Forkner’s conduct as Boeing’s Chief Technical Pilot during the B-737MAX certification led directly to the deaths of 346 innocent souls. He could not be charged with murder or even manslaughter, but to me, he killed nearly 350 people. He should have been held accountable. He lost his job and may never work as an experimental test pilot again. Boohoo!! He got off easy and got away with murder.

 

This week in contemporary events in the United States was dominated by the confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson. The fBICP senators put on quite the show of retribution. They were obsessed and consumed by their indignation over the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing [862, 870]. In reality, these are grievances retained from the Bork confirmation hearing [Senate Judiciary Committee rejected 5-9 (6.October.1987); full Senate rejected 58-42 (23.October.1987)]. The question that keeps coming back to me in the on-going debates about strict constructionists, who protects the people from the tyranny of the majority? If the majority decides that Jim Crow voter suppression laws, restricted voting rights, segregation, and banning of entry of any immigrants who are not Caucasian in appearance and Anglo-Saxon in heritage, is that acceptable under the Constitution and our model of jurisprudence? Virtually all of the fBICP senators on the Judiciary Committee chose child pornography as their cause célèbre in the confirmation hearings. The fBICP senators want us to believe the Judge Jackson was soft in her sentencing of child pornography convicts; therefore, she will make a bad Supreme Court justice. What failed to say in their questioning, they (the fBICP) had no problem with her rulings on the last three confirmation hearings before the committee. Judge Jackson endured brutal verbal assaults, strived mightily and delicately to explain the failure of Congress to update or reform the relevant law. It was a disgusting display of legislative malfeasance. Those fBICP senators sought to excoriate Judge Jackson. They failed! They only exposed their lack of substantive objection. Of course, the QAnon adherents jumped into action with multiple, erroneous, malicious, conspiracy theories to further the fBICP assault.

I have no desire whatsoever to discuss the outrageousness of Senators Graham, Cruz, Hawley, Cotton, and Blackburn. The content of their verbal assaults was not questioning of Judge Jackson’s jurisprudence; it was their sense of vengeance. I will note the questioning of two senators—one negative, one positive. 

Senator Cornyn of Texas spent a fair amount of his time allotment questioning Judge Jackson on Obergefell v. Hodges [576 U.S. ___ (2015); no. 14-556] [706, 710], a religious liberty case regarding same-sex marriage. What Cornyn wants us to believe is protecting the rights of a small segment of our society offends and imposes on the religious liberty of the majority.  This is classic moral projection and the tyranny of a perceived majority. Cornyn argued that substantive due process allows the court to substitute its views for the elected legislature. What Cornyn failed to recognize or acknowledge is, what right does one faction have to impose their moral values on other citizens who do not subscribe to those values simply because of their religious beliefs? Does one citizen or group of citizens have the right to impose their beliefs on everyone by their religious beliefs? If any citizen’s religious belief dictates that marriage is only between a man and a woman, I am good with that; it is their choice. Every citizen has the constitutional right to belief as they wish based on their chosen religion. Where I depart from the conservative position is when that citizen or group of citizens (no matter how large that group may be) decides to codify their beliefs into common law, which imposes those values on everyone. My objection to using religion or any other dogma to project moral values and choices upon every citizen is precisely where my resistance blooms. This is moral projection and one of the many reasons I cannot bring myself to vote for a conservative candidate. Further, from my perspective, the fBICP have disqualified themselves and should be banished from public service of any kind at any level. There is absolutely no place in a free, democratic society for anyone who supports insurrection, and the corrosion of our fundamental principles and forms of governance. I am sorry the white supremacists and nationalists feel their dominance is diminishing, eroding, and otherwise disappearing. It is our principles that bind us, not the pigmentation in our skin or any of the other social factors.

The other notable, I was impressed by Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia. He asked insightful questions of Judge Jackson without emotion, rancor, or collateral agenda. His questioning and interaction with the nominee was noteworthy. If more senators and representatives followed Ossoff’s example, we would have a more functional Congress. It is always nice to hope. 

 

The video clip of the final seconds of China Eastern flight MU-5735 place this event in the most unusual category. The aircraft appeared to be in a near vertical dive to impact in the mountainous terrain of southern PRC. The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 operated by China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited. We do not have much information to go on, and given this is a PRC event, we may never know what happened. Several Press reports indicate the search parties have recovered the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), although I have not been able to confirm that information via my usual aircraft accident reporting networks. Based on what little we know so far, the past event that reminds me the most of this China Eastern crash is Germanwings Flight 4U-9525 (24.March.2015) [693, 694].

 

A recent opinion article in the Arizona Republic gives us all a glimpse of the fBICP crazies in Arizona.

“Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar are the proud Putin wing of Arizona's GOP – Opinion: They are not just outliers within the state, or the Republican Party, but within humanity.”

by EJ Montini

Arizona Republic

Published 8:00 a.m. MT March 22, 2022

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2022/03/22/andy-biggs-paul-gosar-putin-wing-arizona-republican-party/7124180001/?utm_source=azcentral&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=baseline&utm_term=hero&utm_content=1531AR-E-NLETTER39

These two yayhoos may be the two most obvious of the state’s crazies, but they are by far not the only ones. Just watching the fBICP primary campaign advertisements tells us all there are more of them out there. We must render these dinosaurs to oblivion just as their ancestors were 66 million years ago by the Chicxulub meteor impact.

 

The Supremes issued yet another controversial stay decision; this one was 7-2—Wisconsin Legislature v. Wisconsin Elections Commission [595 U. S. ____ (2022); 21A471]. The issue before the Court was the decision of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to favor (select) the Governor’s raced based apportionment. There are far too many of these stays, allowing the fBICP apportionment and election laws to remain in place while the Supremes allow these cases to pile up and “ripen.”

To me, the only criterion for apportionment of districts (seats) should be the counting residents by census. The social factors [age, gender, race, skin pigmentation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, economic status (money), education, political affiliation, marital status (provided that the applicant has the capacity to enter into a binding contract), or disability] have NO place in deciding the apportionment of seats of representation at any level of government from local to federal. The gerrymandering shenanigans of both parties has got to end. Yet, gerrymandering is only one part of the election problems we face today.  Gerrymandering does not decide the vote, but it does set the stage. I am far more concerned about the Jim Crow v2.0 laws being passed by the fBICP legislatures—all based on a meritless falsity.

 

President Biden went to Brussels, and then to Poland and the Polish border with Ukraine. While I remain very critical of the president’s insufficient response to Putin’s War, Biden has done far more than any other president, so he deserve some laudatory comment. He has done well. I am left with one dominant thought . . . .

Can anyone on the planet imagine [the person who shall no longer be named] sitting down at a mess hall table with a bunch of 82^nd Airborne troopers to eat pizza? If anyone wanted a graphic example of the difference between the former and our current presidents, compare any clip from this Brussels-Poland trip to the infamous clip of 25.May.2017.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1053:

Comment to the Blog:

“I’m glad the James Webb Space Telescope is progressing toward operations. 

“Somewhere between Mother Jones and Tucker Carlson, factual reporting exists. I’ll note that most of the garbage is labeled as opinion. I recommend seeking out as much factual reporting as one can stand and forming one’s own opinion.

“I read an article this morning by Robert Reich pointing out that dictators get lousy feedback because they surround themselves with toadies. The dictator hears what he wants to hear, not what’s real. Don’t underestimate that as a factor in Putin’s decisions, including whether to use nuclear weapons.”

My response to the Blog:

Likewise, I am eager to see the new, as yet, unseen images from JWST.

So, do you doubt the “leaked memo”?

I glean information from a wide variety of sources. Relying on a single source makes me nervous and suspicious. In the other related Press stories, they all pointed to the Mother Jones disclosure, which made me more uneasy. On the positive side, the story seemed consistent with a lot of different corroborated material. Whether the memo is true and accurate, Carlson’s words are factual, recorded and reviewable. His words stand on their own. And I condemn his words. One questions still haunts me on this topic, what’s wrong with this picture?

Quite so! I highly recommend the PBS series The Dictator’s Playbook. Narrow, filtered feedback is a common trait that leads them to ruin.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“I tend to think the memo is probably real. I agree with using multiple sources, but remember that Tucker Carlson and many others are labeled as opinion rather than reporting. It's the opinion that stirs up trouble.”

 . . . my follow-up response:

I cannot read Cyrillic, and even if I could, we have very little to go on regarding the validity of the memo. Yes, I think the notion presented by the “memo” is exactly my opinion regarding Carlson’s words. His 25.November.2019 broadcast was the most direct "WHY DO I CARE WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE CONFLICT BETWEEN UKRAINE AND RUSSIA? I'M SERIOUS. WHY SHOULDN'T I ROOT FOR RUSSIA? WHICH BY THE WAY, I AM.” I put his quote in caps because he was literally shouting. Whether the “memo” is true or not is nearly irrelevant. His words alone validate the notion.

 

Another contribution:

“Thanks Cap-a busy week for sure young man. I needed to re-read several of these items..I suppose it would help if I wasn’t on the other side of the pond and I might, might, savvy the lingo.”

My reply:

I never like to alienate readers of my writing by my word choices. I offer my humble apologies to you for any confusion or frustration my word choices may have caused. I will eagerly offer clarification if you can illuminate for me any particular point or words. I doubt you have ever listened to Tucker Carlson, but if you do or if you have, I suspect my words will clarify swiftly. Then again, I would offer contrarian counsel that listening to Tucker Carlson is a gross waste of time. Unfortunately, he is not just a single citizen expressing his opinion; he has an enormous megaphone and millions of American citizens actually believe what he says without question. That alone demands counter-argument.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1053

 Update from the Sunland

No.1053

14.3.22 – 20.3.22

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

 

            To all,

 

Astronomical spring arrived in the northern hemisphere on Sunday with the vernal equinox. Pool time!

 

Most of this week was consumed by a mini-vacay in Sin City—Las Vegas, Nevada. Other than Jeanne’s enjoyment of games of chance, we were there for the celebration of our number 2 granddaughter’s 21^st birthday—her choice of venue. We decided to drive, which took five hours each way. It is always a pleasure to spend time with our family, even just a few members at a time.

 

The follow-up news items:

-- As of 16.March.2022, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) [1036 & sub] has successfully completed the critical mirror alignment procedures for its 18 primary mirror segments. The JWST continues its progress toward certification and scientific operations. The first publicly released image from the JWST was a telescope alignment evaluation image of  star 2MASS J17554042+6551277, which is roughly 2,000 light-years away and well within our own galaxy.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220319.html

We are getting much closer to a fully functional JWST. I eagerly await the new discoveries.

 

This topic opened with a tweet:

From: Nathalie Jacoby:

BREAKING: According to talking points sent to the Russian media, the Kremlin wanted viewers to hear from Fox News’ Tucker Carlson as much as possible because he “sharply criticizes the actions of the United States and NATO.” Do you think Tucker Carlson is a Russian asset?

5:41 PM · Mar 13, 2022

The tweet sparked my curiosity. I eventually tracked down the source.

“Leaked Kremlin Memo to Russian Media: It Is ‘Essential’ to Feature Tucker Carlson – The Russian government has pressed outlets to highlight the Fox host’s Putin-helping broadcasts.”

by David Corn, Washington, DC, Bureau Chief

Mother Jones

Published: MARCH 13, 2022

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/03/exclusive-kremlin-putin-russia-ukraine-war-memo-tucker-carlson-fox/

The article shows two images of the original leaked memorandum. The article claims it cannot show more in order to protect their source. All of that is entirely plausible. However, when we are relegated to a single source that cannot be validated, we are placed in a ‘trust me’ situation. My efforts to corroborate the information left me disappointed. The politics of Mother Jones have been well known since its creation in February 1976, which in turn makes me read every article with a heavy dose of skepticism. Nonetheless, I have listened to Tucker Carlson enough times in recent months and years to recognize that there were more than a few threads to the accusations. So, I swallowed my pride and went looking for video clips of Carlson’s recent broadcasts—not an easy trick, I must say. This one seems quite indicative of a stimulant that induced the accusations noted above. 

“Tucker Carlson: What does Joe Biden's 'Russia is Bad' class teach? – It was wrong about Russia attacking Ukraine on February 16 - what else is it wrong about?”

Opinion by Tucker Carlson

Fox News

Published February 17, 2022; 10:56pm EST

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-joe-biden-russia-bad

I started this week writing about Carlson’s February 17^th broadcast, but as I accumulated more and more similar broadcasts I had to change direction. The more I saw and listened to, the angrier I became. I will note, relative to the 17^th broadcast, two relevant historic dates: 1.) 21.February.2022, by the stroke of his pen, Putin declared the two provinces of the Donbass region in Eastern Ukraine were now independent states, and sent in the Russian Army to augment the “little green men” (present since 2014) to “protect the peace.” [1050]; and, 2.) 24.February.2022, the Russian military executed Putin’s orders and launched a broad, general invasion of Ukraine in the pre-dawn hours, crossing the border from multiple sites, north, east & south. [1050] Now, on Carlson’s side, he has never served a day in the military and definitely never seen combat, so it is understandable that he is woefully ignorant of military affairs. Of all the articles I have read related to this topic, the following item summarizes my opinion the best.

“Putin’s Goons Say Tucker Carlson Is Must-See TV – The Kremlin has told state-run TV to air Carlson’s pro-Russia talking points as much as possible.”

by Bess Levin

Vanity Fair

Published: MARCH 14, 2022

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/03/tucker-carlson-kremlin-russia-tv

On the very day that Putin’s War jumped into a much higher level, Carlson broadcast this rather stilted opinion piece:

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6298658159001#sp=show-clips

I could go on and on with Carlson’s vitriol, but this is too much already, even for me. But, it is important to understand the mouthpiece that feeds fBICP ridiculousness. My question for Carlson is, where do you propose we draw the line? Is Ukraine’s sovereignty irrelevant. Apparently to Carlson, it is; he implicitly subscribes to Putin’s ‘Ukraine has always been part of Russia’ nonsense. Odd that the Ukrainians do not and never have believed that notion. He is absolutely wrong! Millions of people believe him. 

My summary opinion, for what it is worth, it is not so much what he says but how he says it that is dreadfully close to treason if we were in a declared war with Russia. But, we are not in a declared war, and Carlson’s speech and opinions are protected by the 1^st Amendment. Regardless of his rights, I adamantly disagree with and condemn Carlson’s persistent affinity for Putin and Russia, and his degradation of Zelensky and Ukraine. At the end of the day, I resoundingly condemn Carlson and his ill-informed, misaligned, jaundiced views of Putin and Zelensky. Putin is not Russia, but Zelensky sure seems to accurately represent Ukraine. I stand with Ukraine and Zelensky.

 

In recent months, I have become progressively more irritated and angrier with former Democratic Party presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii [1045]. She released a video hosted on YouTube about Ukrainian biological laboratories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1qBhJYoqUs

I do not dispute any of the facts she presented in her video soliloquy.  To my knowledge the facts are accurate. What really jerks my chain taut is her total lack of understanding or appreciation of the significance. By her words, she laid out a roadmap for the dictator Putin to carry out a false flag operation that could allow him to introduce biological weapons in his war on Ukraine. There is zero doubt in my little pea brain that Ukraine is doing everything humanly possible to secure their nuclear and biological facilities. She further ignores the hard reality that Putin’s Russia executed an unprovoked, aggressive, military attack on a neighboring sovereign nation. It is Putin who is threatening those facilities—not Ukraine, not the United States, not the EU, not NATO; only Putin. The sheer ignorance of her statement is mind-boggling. Does she trust Putin to secure those facilities? What does she recommend we, the collective we, do about those facilities? Is she advocating for the U.S. and NATO to declare war on Russia to defend and secure those facilities? Tulsi Gabbard’s message was factually correct and absolutely irresponsible.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1052:

Comment to the Blog:

“Supposedly Putin believed US assurances that NATO wouldn’t expand without that being included in treaties. That’s silly and I don’t believe it.

“The New York Times Morning column today includes a brief biography of Ukraine’s Zelensky. He seems to be a politician who acts on ideals. Nobody knows how to deal with that.

“That opinion on assassinating Putin is morally acceptable only to spies. Also, remember that Putin is still popular inside Russia. His successor would enjoy even more support.

“There is no reason to believe Putin wouldn’t go nuclear in the event of ‘full mobilization’ and its consequences. Removing Russia from the UN Security Council is a much better idea, but the notion of saving Ukraine without military intervention is a fantasy.

“Another comment reminded me how much more welcoming Europe is of these refugees than they ever were of those from the Middle East and Africa fleeing similar circumstances.”

My response to the Blog:

Putin apparently sees NATO as just another dictatorial organization that can prescribe to other sovereign nations. He refuses to recognize that Ukraine, as a sovereign nation, has the right and free will to choose who they wish to associate with. Stalin did not give a hoot about the wishes of his neighbors and the “liberated” nations of Eastern Europe; he felt he earned the right by blood to dictate to anyone. Putin is following Stalin’s lead and playbook. He has no right whatsoever to demand Ukraine not join EU/NATO, or try to intimidate NATO into rejecting Ukraine’s application. As I have written previously, Putin’s War is Exhibit no.1 in Ukraine’s application for EU and NATO membership.

Interesting observation with respect to Zelensky. I think most folks including Putin seriously underestimated Zelensky in serving as a wartime leader of his country and the resistance of the Ukraine Army and citizenry.

I do not think Putin enjoys as much support as he would like us to believe. It is not our task to perform anyway.

Perhaps you are correct, only time will tell the tale. Ukraine is not Chechnya.

Another good and accurate observation, it seems to me. There are historic reasons for that, but history does not alter reality.

 

Another contribution:

“Why don't we offer volunteer pilots to take a suspended commission , or whatever we did in early days of WWII when Flying Tigers flew over Burma and Americans flew for Great Britain before we were in a declared war against Germany and Japan, so the aircraft we give Ukraine would have experienced pilots, volunteers and not our military.

“I understand these WWII pilots did not suffer a break in service when they returned to US service during the war that eventually came.”

My reply:

The notion is not without precedent. Americans flew in China, France and Great Britain before the U.S. declared war in either theater. Yes, the USG credited all of those pilots with service for their tenure in foreign air forces. The Soviets did exactly the same thing in the DPRK and the DRV.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Again, why not now , for the beleaguered Ukrainians ? if any of your readers know, I hope they will chime in. I hate to think our Defense Department is so void of students of history that no one has advanced this idea to the top. I bet an inquiry on social media (I am among the .0001% of the world population NOT on any such ) would produce evidence of a willing number of volunteers, if not identify them). So far, Putin has used his nuclear weapons to successfully threaten us into paralysis.”

 . . . my follow-up reply:

Excellent point. Why not now? Yes, I suspect there would be plenty of volunteers. I have not heard anything about the Ukrainian pilots. Comparable case in point, the British had exceptional pilots in 1939, just not enough of them. Pilots from all the Western European countries overrun by the Germans joined the RAF as well as many of the Commonwealth countries. Seven Americans flew in the Battle of Britain. Others joined rapidly after that and transition to the Eagle Squadrons and eventually the USAAF 4th Fighter Group. Ukraine is not Great Britain, but there are similarities. Ukraine is probably more akin to China in 1941.

Yes, Putin has largely been successful in paralyzing the West with his nuclear weapons. From my perspective, I think it is another mistake President Biden is making. He should have never taken nuclear weapons off the table, period. I doubt Putin is that stupid or deranged launch on the U.S. or NATO, but he might on Ukraine.

The Ukrainians have demonstrated remarkable restraint in not taking the fight to the Russians. And it seems to me that Zelensky has conducted a master class on the use of media in wartime. Putin is looking more and more like just another feckless dictator. Sadly, Putin’s “if I can’t have it, I’ll blast it into rubble” policy may well earn him a seat in the dock at the International Criminal Court.

 

A different contribution:

“You are correct, ‘discount’ was not the correct word for what I wanted to convey. My intent was to say that very little of his speech was meant for us to believe, it was aimed at the domestic audience. The only words of Putin that  he wanted us to pay attention was his apparent disregard for common sense and his willingness to use the word ‘nuclear.’ He succeeded in getting many to doubt his mental stability and scared many western politicians from being leaders. Putin is not insane, he expected the West to avoid direct confrontation at almost any cost.

“His only error was his reliance on 25 years of military spending to have given him some comparison to the old Red Army. I am working on an article outlining a couple of unique ideas about why the Russian Army screwed up simple things like joint arms operations and even basic artillery coordination. As I see it, the only Russian military service to have succeeded even in large part was the Navy. The most accurate weapons strikes have been naval including the ten cruise missiles the other night on the far side of the country on the Polish border. The amphibious admixture to the Crimean troops has done their job on the coast. The Air Force has been dropping dumb bombs. 

“The Russian ground troops came into the country using three different grid map series which made some artillery support to armor impossible and requests for air support impossible. Ukraine has three different 10-degree longitude sectors, each of which has different map grids. I was once given a commendation for finding out the Russian missileers in East Germany used a different map grid than their targets in West Germany due to a longitude edge 10 degrees East sitting on the border between East and West. (Their ensuing errors were once-upon-a-time Top Secret Codeword thanks to yours truly.) Ukraine is so big that it has three 10-degree longitude slice edges so the Belarus-based (20-30°), Kursk-based (30-40°) and Rostov-based (40-50°) Russian Army units had different grid maps issued to them. When they had to merge into one campaign inside Ukraine it took them a week to be able to describe the same target. To explain, each longitude section is a huge triangle with a base on the equator stretching to the Pole and at the Equator is the only place where a map grid along the bottom is actually a full square. At 50-degree north latitude half of the triangle has disappeared and the map using square grids overlapping that angled slice have to be extrapolated out across the neighboring longitude triangle. Maps issued in one longitude section do not match maps issued for use in the next one over. Oops, Rostov artillery cannot support Kursk armor and the same for the troops who were earlier training inside the main part of Belarus and moved south directly from that exercise cannot work well toward Kiev that is ‘Beyond the Map Fold’ into the next section east or with the Kursk troops who were also in the eastern section. Big planning oops. I saw it in the errors and some stories told by captured troops. There was a good reason the troops coming down from Belarus on the southeast leading road mysteriously stopped for many days precisely on the 30^th Longitude where the map grids switched.

“Here is an example of the gross errors involved in the opening volleys. The Russian Air Force actually bombed three Belarusian villages instead of the Ukrainian villages farther south.”

“https://uacrisis.org/en/terorystychna-provokatsiya/amp”

My response:

Yeah, and he erroneously expected Ukraine to fall in a few days. Surprise! Unfortunately, President Biden played directly into Putin’s playbook by taking U.S. and Allied reaction off the table, e.g., no direct combat forces, no nuclear weapons, no indirect support that might be interpreted by the dictator Putin as direct combat support, i.e., no fly zone. Those were serious mistakes from my perspective. Biden has gone farther than Roosevelt & Churchill in the “spheres of influence” nonsense they subscribed to with Stalin, but the USG response is woefully inadequate. If the Allies fail to help Ukraine defend itself, then we might as well prepare who what is inevitably coming in Taiwan. Regrettably, President Biden’s “not on the table” declarations have made my recommendation virtually worthless—general mobilization. Putin would see it for what it would be another Allied bluff. The old adage, going back centuries, that the best way to avoid war is to be fully prepared to fight a war remains absolutely true. Imagine if the British and French Armies had mobilized and deployed properly in 1938; yes, it would have cost a great deal of money, but that cost would have been far less than what they ultimately had to pay.

Good summary of the comparatively meager military efforts of the Russian armed forces. Putin’s gross miscalculation in Ukraine has exposed the general weakness and frailty of the Russian armed forces. They have, reportedly, 70% of their conventional combat power involved and committed to the invasion of Ukraine, and they are broadly stymied. The Russian military performance in Ukraine has been mediocre at best, which has caused Putin to resort to the old Russian paradigm—if they won’t give it to you, blast it to rubble and burn it to the ground. Tragically, the Ukrainian people are paying a very heavy human price for Putin’s desperation. He chose a very risky gamble, and I suspect he must have victory to survive.

Once again, you educated me. Thank you for that. I did not know about the mapping differences. Your previous intelligence work has shown its value, again. I never experienced that problem in my military service, and I am glad I did not. You would think the Russians would have known such things long ago. Or, at least, learned from and copied the Ukrainians in operating with the mapping anomalies. It does make me wonder how the NATO and American armed forces would deal with it.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1052

 Update from the Sunland

No.1052

7.3.22 – 13.3.22

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

 

            To all,

 

I owe each and every weekly Update from the Sunland subscriber a humble and sincere apology. I am embarrassed and deeply contrite for my unforgiveable faux pas in the distribution of last week’s Update [1051]. It is my responsibility to ensure anonymity for all contributors and subscribers to the Update. I failed to fulfill that duty last week. Unlike our former president, I recognize when I am wrong, and I am man enough to apologize for my mistakes. I shall strive to avoid this mistake again.

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- Putin’s War [1050] along with his continuing and escalating abuse of Ukraine grinds on. The slow advance of the Russian Army has apparently stimulated the dictator Putin to order a total destruction effort. If the Ukrainians will not bend to his will, well then, he will reduce the country to rubble just as he did in the war on Chechnya [2009].  The misinformation campaign carried out by Putin and fBICP members persists unabated (see below). They offer simple, selected facts interpreting those facts incorrectly and leaving out some essential elements. The salient question remains, why have Ukraine and Georgia sought NATO membership rather than Russian protection? Russia under Putin has sought to dominate its neighbors, in essence to re-impose Soviet dominion. James Baker was not wrong; at the time of the Soviet collapse [1991], NATO had no intentions to expand NATO any farther; there was no reason to do so--the Soviet Union rapidly dissolved. What Baker had not considered was Russia's turn back to aggressiveness toward its neighbors. That reality is also what Putin refuses to acknowledge. Putin has caused this situation by his conduct--NOT the West. He experienced the dissolution of the Soviet Union while serving in the NKGB. He felt exactly like Hitler did after the Great War. Hitler sought reconstitution of Germany; Putin seeks reconstitution of the Soviet Union—Putin, not the Russian people. Stopping the carnage in Ukraine is no longer enough. Returning Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders is no longer enough. Removing Putin from any position of authority is no longer enough. The Russian people must return the country to a peaceful, law-abiding, cooperative, neighborly statehood.

The Russian people (at least the ones I was blessed to know on more than a casual basis) are far more like us than most Americans realize. The Russian people are good, generous, caring, and perceptive folks. They do not deserve Putin or what he is doing to the country. At the same time, I must criticize most of the Western governments for their handling of the collapse of the USSR in the early 90s. Our indifference was much like the Versailles Treaty; we created the conditions that Putin exploited to gain power. Now, we have what we have, and we must deal with it. We must not forget that many of Putin's enablers are members of the Duma. Yes, the oligarchs may bring him down, but revolution might deal with both Putin & his oligarchs. 

-- I have tried to avoid referring to Tucker Carlson [277] for a host of reasons, not least of which he is so often off the page. Recently, he went too far even for my threshold of intolerance. As with so many of his opinions supporting our recent deposed, wannabe dictator, Carlson implied that Zelensky has been and is a simple puppet of the U.S., like Yanukovych was for Russia before the Revolution of Dignity (or Maidan Revolution) [February 2014]. He ignores the free will of the Ukrainian people just as the dictator Putin does. Carlson is flat wrong just as Putin is.

-- U.S. Representative David Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina has been a consistent fBICP mouthpiece and advocate. He was one of the yayhoos on stage [991] as the fBICP and their disgraced leader instigated their blindly loyal minions to do their wet work for them while they hid in their bunkers. This week, Cawthorn joined the ranks of Greene and Gosar in outrageousness.

“GOP Rep. Cawthorn calls Zelensky a 'thug,' says Ukraine is pushing 'woke ideologies'”

by Christopher Wilson, Senior Writer

Yahoo! News

Published: Thu, March 10, 2022, 11:51 AM

https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-rep-cawthorn-calls-zelensky-a-thug-says-ukraine-pushing-woke-ideologies-185128786.html

I do not and cannot recall any time in the history of this once grand republic when we have had so many wingnuts like Cawthorn in Congress, or any other deliberative body for that matter. If Cawthorn loves Putin that much, why doesn’t he just move to Russia where he will be far more welcome and accepted? Like his hero and messiah, Cawthorn apparently reveres autocracy and dictatorial power; so, let him have it.

-- In the continued wrangling over election law [981 & sub], the Supremes issued another interim ruling; this one was a 6-3 rejection of an emergency stay application in North Carolina—Moore v. Harper [595 U. S. ____ (2022); 21A455]. The ruling throws more uncertainty into the 2022 election. The short judgment on the emergency stay application illuminates one primary question in U.S. constitutional law. The Constitution was drafted and ratified to delineate the authority invested in the federal government by We, the People. The 10^th Amendment explicitly states that authority not vested in the federal government by the Constitution remains with the States, or the People. The Bill of Rights (Amendments I through X) has long been interpreted as federal protections for the rights of the People. The strict constructionists see themselves as solely federalists whose only purpose is to protect the authority of the federal government—People, smeeple, they can protect themselves. To the strict constructionists, the Constitution has absolutely nothing to do with the rights of the People other than as specifically delineated and only about federal authority. In essence, election law is between the people and the states; the federal government has very little authority in the conduct of elections. The tyranny of a majority or even a willful minority is acceptable; the federal government has no authority.

-- With the hot phase of Putin’s War [1050] well underway, Director General of Roscosmos Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin (and former deputy prime minister of Russia) was not satisfied with threatening to sabotage the International Space Station (ISS) [1050]. This week, Rogozin sought to double down.

“Russia threatens to abandon US astronaut in space”

Published: Thu, March 10, 2022, 10:40 AM

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/russia-threatens-abandon-us-astronaut-174049787.html

In case it is not bloody painfully obvious, Rogozin is a dedicated and loyal Putin-ite. In essence, he is saying if you don’t like what we are doing in Ukraine, we are going to take our ball and bat and go home. This is what international blackmail looks like. I say, if NASA cannot figure out how to take control of the ISS propulsion system, then let us leave Vande Hei in the ISS, lock out the Russians, and maintain the ISS with our allies with the total exclusion of the Russians. And if we cannot accomplish that, then let us de-orbit the ISS on our terms.

 

Yea verily! I think Lindsey Graham was spot on, it is past time for responsible Russians to "take out" the mad man. The Russian people do not deserve this, but we have no choice, and the worst is yet to come. Desperate times lead desperate people to dodesperate things. As Oliver Cromwell so eloquently said, "Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!” If Putin survives this, I hope we collectively will put him on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. But, we must stop Putin’s War first.

 

Since there is not much else to discuss this week, I offer a few more thoughts on Putin’s War.

How far will Putin go in his desperation is the great unknown, but we should prepare for the worst, which brings me back to general mobilization. I would rather risk being accused of overreacting than to be caught with our pants down when Putin crosses the border into one or all of the Baltic countries.

I suspect a closing window for action drove Putin to move on what he had planned and intended to execute for a long time. Xi may be emboldened by Putin's War, and the perceived weakness of the Western Allies. On the plus side, we do not see the requisite signs in the PRC as we did in Russia. We need to keep a very close eye on things in the region.

 

The U.S. House of Representatives voted in a heavily bipartisan manner to pass H.R.6968 - Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act [House: 414-17-0-2(2)] and sent the bill to the Senate. Congress is halfway toward taking more aggressive steps toward punishing Russia for its unprovoked aggression on neighboring Ukraine than the president has done so far. Yet, even with that, I still believe the Allies have not gone far enough, fast enough, to punish Putin and his enabling cronies. What they are doing in Ukraine is wrong in every possible way and must not be tolerated at any level. Russia must be totally isolated and ostracized for its aggression.  Russia must be treated as a pariah state Putin has chosen for them to be. I also advocate for Russia to be permanently removed from the UN Security Council. Putin has forfeited Russia’s veto authority.

“That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”

Please note, the usual fBICP suspects were among those who voted against H.R.6968 – Greene, Gosar, Cawthorn, Boebert, Biggs, and Gaetz. Surprisingly, two Democrats voted against the sanction bill – Bush of Missouri and Omar of Minnesota.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1051:

“Yes liked all your comments, very appropriate. Trust you sent a copy to the Kremlin.

“Over here we are very much involved in trying to support the refugees pouring across Europe. Our small village including our British Legion are in a determined way collecting and shipping whatever we can across the channel. Putin must have deranged mental condition-let’s trust the Russian people will eventually remove him from power one way or another.

“Currently I’m wearing my elderly RAF cold weather jumper that could be packed and sent too.

“OK Bud-few signs of spring here, the general mood of people is one of disbelieve and horror at Putin’s appalling actions. We still have friends who survived the Blitz in London they are utterly in shock with unwanted memories flooding back. He must be stopped.”

My reply:

LOL. I have not specifically sent the Update to the Kremlin, but the Blog is openly available for anyone to read worldwide—the beauty of the Internet & World Wide Web.

Bless you all for what you can do to support Ukraine. I watched a news segment of a Danish couple who drove all the way to the Poland-Ukraine border and offered eight refugees an unbound refuge of their home; incredible generosity.

The Russian people are good, decent folks who want the same things we do—peace, prosperity, and a better life for their children than they lived. The Russians I know are compassionate, caring, giving and extraordinarily generous—quite the contrast with their government, especially the current one. The Russian people carried out a revolution against oppression once; they can do it again.

The English still bear the scars of The Blitz. Your ancestors did not seek war with Germany, but Hitler’s Nazi Germany brought war to them. You share many similarities to what Ukraine is enduring now. Their spirit and desire for freedom are most impressive. May God give them the strength and courage to endure as the British did in 1940/41.

 

Comment to the Blog:

“The war in Ukraine has a simpler explanation than history. There are minerals under Ukraine (500,000 tons of lithium oxide, among others) that are used in making modern batteries. In addition, Black Sea ports beckon. Whether Putin tells himself all this tripe about history is not relevant. Follow the money.

“In a traditional military context, Ukraine has no chance of defending herself. The heroism of her citizens wouldn’t do this much to deter Russia. I see indications that a cyber-warfare unit is in action, but I wouldn’t expect public announcements of that.

“Let’s note that Halliburton has not changed its operations in Russia. Your mention of Liz Cheney reminded me that Halliburton is her father’s company.

“Bankers having loyalty to money over the country is no surprise.”

My response to the Blog:

I can offer no argument. “Follow the money” is always wise counsel. However, one question bothers me about the money hypothesis. If the motivation for Putin and his war was simply money and the mineral wealth of Ukraine, it is coming at a very high cost. The cost may soon exceed any possible benefit. Yet, at the end of the day, what Putin is doing remains wrong and criminal conduct—state robbery for whatever reason.

You may well be correct. I do not know. However, I suspect Putin grossly underestimated the resistance the army would face. Yes, the Ukrainian Army is no match for the Russian Army, and we watch that demonstration every day. Yet, the Ukrainians continue to fight for the preservation of their sovereignty and freedom. Putin’s War is also graphically displaying the weakness of Russia. Like the ill-advised U.S. War in Iraq, Putin has insufficient forces to occupy Ukraine, and he is seeking mercenaries to supplement the army in just the initial assault.

I’m not sure the point of your Halliburton comment. Every corporation must make its own choices.

Nope. You are quite correct. The involvement of international banks in the support of Nazi Germany was not generally illuminated in history books and was frankly rather shocking to me when I learned the extent of that involvement. According to Jamie Dimon, it is no different today.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“I focus less on individual personalities than I once did. Others’ motives are unknowable and often unconscious. Besides, without the support of others, Hitler was a failing artist, not a dictator. Studying the patterns of groups of decision-makers helps me understand history more. Also, it’s important to discount most public statements. They may be empty marketing.

“So the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan with its minerals and strategic location; they lost that war. Now Putin’s Russia has invaded Ukraine with its battery-related minerals and better ports. I’m seeing a pattern. Military leaders and the wealthy would not support Putin’s ego satisfaction as the only goal.

“Part of the Russians’ problem apparently comes from the US spy services openly providing information to Ukraine, and a cyberwarfare unit might be deployed as well. Also, reports leak out that commanders lied to the troops about the nature of the invasion, which harms morale.”

 . . . along with my follow-up comment:

Understood and accepted. The PBS documentary “The Dictator’s Playbook” offered a good summary view of common traits among all dictators. Putin fits the model precisely, and not surprisingly, [the person who shall no longer be named] never made it to full status, but he was a lot farther long to achieving the status (of sorts) than I care to ever experience again. We must never forget how close we came, and we are not done with him yet. “Empty marketing” . . . i.e., propaganda.

Undoubtedly! The follow the money stipulation remains valid. But, the money is always driven by the cost-benefit calculation. Money men never like to lose money. It appears at present the cost is significantly higher than benefit; the oligarchs many end this for Putin.

I’m a little confused about your spy services comment. Any organization would not be pleased when their adversaries receive valuable support that can and will be used against them. The Western Allies are providing a lot of useful information and materiale. The Russian Army has a lot of problems beyond combat. On the plus side, the protective façade on Putin’s mystique has been removed; the curtain has been pulled back on the Great Oz.

 

Another contribution:

“Since the pace of deterioration in our world is stepped-up, primarily due to U$A's sanctioning of Russia and our own inviting a breakdown of world order, and crashing the economic middle-class, in the name of Ukraine: I am not in for a hot war with Russia over Ukraine. I doubt Putin would be ambitious and stupid enough to advance west of the Ukraine, effectively a buffer zone for Russia, against the expansion of NATO. This is not worth World War 3. Second, I would think most middle class Americans deserve nor desire $10/gallon gas so we can protect Ukraine, and teach Putin a lesson. I doubt Germans or Romanians would want to make such an economic sacrifice for us. We have been trying to crush Putin, even prior to his decision to invade Ukraine. What happened to our moral clarity when we invaded Afghanistan & Iraq, in wars that failed to meet the Just Cause standards? I believe you are falling for Western propaganda...typical psyops that precedes all wars. The agenda on our part truly is more selfish for the elitists in Washington, than to be altruistic towards Ukrainians. Where were our worries for Syrians, Yemenis or Ethiopians in their wars? Watch our markets tank, and more inflation, and $10/gallon gas. It is not worth it to try to strangle Russia and punish their commoners (sanctions, shut offs to outside world), and due to, punish Americans. I personally believe much of our own intelligence community and those from state department, are corrupt and slightly nuts. None of this is worth going WW3. Have you considered NATO is obsolete??? Wait, we must support NATO cuz it helps Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin and the many politicians who must benefit in nefarious ways due to the arrangement of F-35 sales to a NATO client. Maybe Raytheon should help build USA infrastructure and figure out solutions for all the homeless and working poor here. No wait, the Ukrainians are more valuable today. Being a "warrior" does not necessarily mean starting WW3 or destroying capital markets just to teach a perceived bully-on-block a lesson.”

My reply:

Thank you for your contribution.

I have read your words several times so far.

I am left with the overall impression in your words that Ukraine’s sovereignty, freedom of choice, and peace are expendable like Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia. [How did that work out?] If Putin is correct, Ukraine was always a state of Russia and never really an independent state. If true, where do we draw the line? Injustice for one is injustice for all.

I am adamantly against WW3. I do not want war. I do not advocate for war. The West did not start this war; Putin did, period, full stop. And yet, if we are afraid of war as Chamberlain was in 1938, then a dictator will see that as weakness. From my perspective, President Biden’s greatest mistake in dealing with Putin’s War is and has been so far, his tiptoeing in deference to Putin’s paranoia. Biden should have never taken anything off the table. While Ukraine’s sovereignty is part of this question, it is Putin’s unprovoked aggression that did this. President Biden inherited the acquiescence of the USG toward Russia—Bush (Georgia), Obama (Crimea & Donbass), the ass-kissing of [the person who shall no longer be named]. But, it is Biden’s burden now. I say call Putin’s damn bluff. We must stand up to the mark. What is the difference between a Polish MiG-29 and an American Javelin anti-tank missile?

Let us not forget, Ukraine seeks the protection of the West, and what we witness in Ukraine is Exhibit no.1. Is NATO obsolete? See Exhibit no.1. We have not, and to my knowledge, never have sought Ukrainian membership in NATO. Ukraine has persistently sought EU and NATO membership; they identify with Western values rather than Russian values. They seek freedom, not domination, oppression and subjugation. Perhaps you missed my questions in Update no.1051?

 . . . an additional comment from a different contributor:

“I'm sorry to say at this long drawn out point in time.... of my life, that I have had to face a cold, hard fact:  

“Too many, perhaps most in the US (except for more recent migrants and the well travelled) and in the richer parts of Europe, are so terminally brainwashed. They are perfectly content with their thoroughly brainwashed minds and their masters and their nationwide propaganda apparatus who lead them to rubbish their lives with lies ---yes, they are a lost cause. As we have discussed on several occasions, this is certainly not unusual for all declining empires or great powers. As Herodotus so presciently declared: ‘prolonged adolescence’ is the rot of all failing great nations.”

 . . . and my reply:

Having seen earlier contributions, I think I understand the implied target in the comment. Yet, since it is offered in non-specific direction, I must say I agree; that is exactly how I see a significant portion of our citizenry. Unfortunately, my perspective may not be the same as this non-specific, implied object.

 

And one more offering from yet another contributor:

“You spend too much time discounting Putin's reasons for the war as he announced in his speeches. None of what he said was meant to be logical or supportable. It was total propaganda aimed at those in his populace who might conceivably believe it. His words were not directed at us and were not believed by Putin himself. He has a personal egotistical dream of restoring the classic Russian nation and his propaganda and military actions is solely focused on that. His collegiate education was a ‘law’ degree in soviet Russian which basically consisted of a Soviet civics lesson. His real education was as a KGB operative in Germany. Putin speaks fluent German and is quite knowledgeable about German history, especially 20^th Century Germany. His preparation for the invasion of Ukraine was a play-by-play re-do of Hitler's provocations and invasion of Poland to start WWII. Putin was gambling that the West would not respond as Britain and France did to Hitler. He gambled that the West and especially Biden were weak and scared. He did not count on the unity the West showed and he is currently shocked at the incompetence of the vaunted Russian Army.

“Thus, pointing out Putin's logical flaws is a fun but useless pastime. He knows there are no neo-nazis around Zelensky and he knows we know. I think the historical judgment about Putin will revolve around the fact that the Ukrainians now have five western anti-tank weapons for every Russian tank. A post-war documentary of this conflict is going to have a lot of boring photography of burned-out Russian tanks and personnel carriers. Also, that vaunted 40-mile-long Russian column is mostly cargo trucks that are particularly allergic to LAWS and Javelins.”

My response:

Thank you for your contribution.

“Discounting” is not a word choice I can agree with. I only call out the fallaciousness of those statements. We must fight his propaganda. Case in point, we have seen the consequences in this country of unchallenged propaganda, e.g., QAnon, Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, [the person who shall no longer be named], et al ad infinitum ad nauseum.

I certainly agree with your assessment of Putin’s mindset.

Yes, absolutely, supply trucks are no match for Javelins. Unfortunately, we are not seeing enough devastated trucks on the road to Kyiv. A MiG-29 strafing run on that convoy would be far more effective.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1051

 Update from the Sunland

No.1051

28.2.22 – 6.3.22

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

 

            To all,

 

            The follow-up news items:

-- Putin’s war [1050] grinds on with Russian casualties mounting and a terrible toll of death and destruction in the peaceful, non-threatening, sovereign nation of Ukraine. Putin has subsequently made many more Nazi references with respect to the Ukrainian government to justify his criminal action. I would have thought Putin was intelligent enough and knowledgeable of history sufficiently to recognize reality. Now, not so much! He now seems hell bent to punish Ukraine for their embrace of the Germans as liberators during World War II, 80 years ago. I keep coming back to the paramount salient question: why do ALL of Russia’s European neighbors (except Belarus) seek protection from Europe and NATO rather than from Russia? If Putin would answer that one question, he might realize the pure foolishness of his despicable endeavor. Why did Russia’s neighbors join the Germans in fighting against the Soviet Red Army, the NKGB, and the NKVD? Putin claims the duly elected Ukrainian government are a passel of corrupt, addicted, neo-Nazis oppressing the people. If that was so, why are Ukrainians of all ages fighting so hard to defeat the invaders of their country instead of embracing the Russian invaders as liberators? I think the answers are obvious to everyone except Putin and his cronies.

The dictator Putin has claimed Ukrainian membership in NATO was unacceptable to Russia because NATO on Russia’s doorstep was very threatening. That is his public protest but that argument is vacuous. He wants big chunks of Ukraine, if not the whole country. And if he can't have it, he intends to burn it to the ground. History will record him for what he is. Hey Vlad, if you had paid attention to anything other than the regurgitation of your own drivel, you would have known that NATO has been on the Russian border for years--the Baltics & Poland since 29.March.2004. Further, NATO has never been aggressive toward Russia and never posed a threat to Russia, and never imposed on its sovereignty. Such accusations are a figment of Putin’s fevered imagination. If anything, NATO has demonstrated excessive deference toward the paranoid peculiarities of historic Russian leadership.

My inclinations as a warrior are diverging from President Biden’s actions, at least those that are publicly and generally known, which is why he is president and I am not, I suppose. While the Russians have met serious resistance from the Ukrainians, the Russians continue to dictate events. As a warrior, if someone strikes, my instincts are to strike back even harder in his house, not mine. I am surprised by the Ukrainian restraint as their attackers persist in ravaging their sovereign nation. President Biden and his government have chosen sanctions over armed force. So, sanctions it is. The Allies must cut off all oil & gas exports and imports. Yes, it will be most painful for Europe. The U.S. and OPEC (less Russia) must sacrifice to make up the loss for Europe. As long as we consume Russian petroleum export products, we are paying the Russians to subjugate Ukraine. I would rather pay the Allied oil corporations than the Russians for the petroleum products we consume. The Allies are currently funding the invasion of a sovereign nation; it cannot continue.

The dictator Putin may yet force the world into another world war. The best sign the Western Allies could send to Putin is general mobilization. It would be expensive, but a lot less expensive than another world war. Plus, Putin has no allies that I can detect, not even the PRC or DPRK. The dictator Putin does not care whether he starts World War III; he wants what he wants. The rest of the world does not want World War III. We have not mobilized for war. We are not prepared for large-scale war. Therefore, Putin has the advantage, and we have given him the advantage. He cannot have Ukraine.

I am warming to the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, and if that means direct combat between Russian and American pilots, then so be it. Putin has no right, no legal basis, to do anything the Russian armed forces are doing in Ukraine, and so far, he is getting away with his war crimes and criminal endeavor. And if it means war with Russia, then so be it. Russia has made it quite clear they are not stopping. Mobilization cannot wait. Better to be prepared than allow Putin to dictate events. The line of tolerance has been crossed. President Biden had better start preparing the American People for the potential of what lays ahead. Convincing the people is an essential part of mobilization. Previous presidents failed to accomplish that essential aspect. Mobilization does not mean combat, but it does mean we are prepared for combat. We must convince Putin that we are not afraid of him, not fearful of his military, and not intimidated by his nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. If we let war come to us, it will be too late.

 

On Tuesday, 1.March.2022, President Biden’s first State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress seemed about average to me—a little bit of this and a little bit of that. His message was adequately delivered—not great and not bad. However, I must judge the president’s speech in the foul light of the reality noted above. In that context, the president’s speech was woefully inadequate. He had the opportunity to begin preparing the American People and the free world for the potential of yet another global war; he failed in that responsibility.

Governor Kimberly Kay ‘Kim’ Reynolds née Strawn of Iowa delivered the Republican response to the president’s State of the Union speech. As much as I malign the fBICP for divisive, corrosive, un-American words, speeches, conduct and actions, Governor Reynolds gave us a better than average delivery and an uncharacteristic message given her party’s recent offerings.

 

On Sunday, 27.February.2022, a number of fBICP members spoke at the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) convention in Orlando, Florida. Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist political commentator, founded the AFPAC in 2020. Among the speakers at this year’s convention were:

-- Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia

-- Representative Paul Anthony Gosar of Arizona 

-- Lieutenant Governor Janice K. McGeachin of Idaho

-- State Senator Wendy Rogers of Arizona

None of the words spoken at the convention was worthy of reiteration.

The very next day, criticism from a few remaining Republicans came hot and heavy.

“‘Morons’: Romney, Cheney, Kinzinger condemn fellow Republicans for speaking at white nationalist event”

by Mike Murphy

MarketWatch

Published: 28.February.2022; 04:46 {T} MST

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2527586619136/morons-romney-cheney-kinzinger-condemn-fellow-republicans-for-speaking-at-white-nationalist-event?noAds=1&_f=app_share&s=i3

The criticism from the few remaining Republicans is not only appropriate it was spot on correct. These are the times in which we live. Instead of moving away from white supremacy and [the person who shall no longer be named], many, like those noted above, are moving farther to the right and doubling down, like committed SS fanatic loyalists to the end. My point in illuminating the abhorrent rogues above is only so that we can keep on eye on them. They are not worthy of more than our condemnation.

 

The Republican criticism of the fBICP ne'er-do-wells continues at Senator Willard Mitt Romney of Utah, who is standing up as the leading Republican voice against fBICP malcontents.

“'Almost treasonous': Romney condemns GOP voices backing Putin”

by Colin Campbell

Yahoo News – Managing Editor

Published: Sun, February 27, 2022, 10:15 AM

https://www.yahoo.com/news/romney-cnn-ukraine-putin-171557437.html

Romney is spot-on correct. If we were in a war, a congressionally declared war, the conduct of many fBICP members would be treasonous—aiding and abetting the enemy. What has turned the fBICP into such radical extremists? From my perspective, the answer is [the person who shall no longer be named], not so much by his direct action, but rather because he has enabled that radical fringe to come into the light and given them voice. The radical element that is the fBICP today have always been present since before the Civil War, but they were condemned in modern society until [the person who shall no longer be named] gave them voice, embraced the dictators [Putin, Xi, and Kim], and sought autocratic governance in this once grand republic. I understand why the white supremacy faction is so desperate to hang onto power, but we must render them to the scrapheap and dustbin of history—the sooner the better.

 

Of course, we have our fair share of fBICP members in Arizona. 

 “Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey says a GOP senator with ties to white nationalists 'is still better' than a Democrat in office”

by John L. Dorman

Published: Sun, February 27, 2022, 8:10 AM

https://www.yahoo.com/news/arizona-republican-gov-doug-ducey-151052786.html

The “Republican” that Governor Ducey was referring to is State Senator Wendy Rogers of Arizona (as noted above). In other words, Ducey is saying he would rather have a white supremacist than a Democrat in any state office. In essence, Ducey’s statement makes him a white supremacist as well. This is the insanity we must deal with in Arizona.

Just a related FYI: Wendy Rogers is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and a member of the Oath Keepers.

 

In an interview with JPMorgan Chase Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer James ‘Jamie’ Dimon, he talked about numerous workarounds to SWIFT [Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT)].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4eShguXLvc

Bankers have a long history of wanting unfettered international money actions. There are numerous facts about the banking structure doing business with Nazi Germany as late as 1945. Most bankers see and have seen the international money system as neutral and go to extraordinary lengths to keep it that way. The bankers of the 30s & 40s kept Germany going longer than they should have, once the war began. Switzerland's move is very telling. I say to Jamie Dimon, if the SWIFT moves are not sufficient to isolate Russia, then help the damn president do the job.

 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed House resolution H.Res.956 - Supporting the people of Ukraine [House: 426-3-0-4(2)]. A familiar name appears among the three ‘no’ votes—Representative Gosar. What a surprise! Even Greene of Georgia voted ‘yes,’ which perhaps exemplifies how far right Gosar is.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.1050:

Comment to the Blog:

“Sad to say, the Cold War didn’t end with the fall of Soviet Communism. Ukraine is one more geopolitical football. It would be nice if the Ukraine and Crimea weren’t captives, but there wasn’t much chance of that lasting. Either NATO or Russia was going to take over. The Cold War, or some ‘war,’ is necessary to support the military-industrial establishment.

“I don’t think Putin would have to be suicidal in a clinical sense to use nukes. As with many others, he believes he can get away with almost anything.

“King Baby rambles on and the followers follow. However, some of the GOP establishment are finding it too embarrassing to repeat this round.”

My response to the Blog:

Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, has a long history of being a geopolitical football going back millennia. The time to change that paradigm is long overdue.

There are monumental myriad differences between NATO and Russia; paramount among those differences is the fact that NATO does not subjugate members as Russia does—never has, never will. The history of the Warsaw Pact countries after WW2 is stark testament to Russia’s conduct. The image is coalescing in my mind that this war in Ukraine is exhibit no.1 in the justification for Ukraine’s membership in NATO. For 10-15 years, the singular purpose of NATO appeared to evaporate as Russia took a more peaceful and cooperative stance. The dictator Putin was not satisfied with peace and making billions from oil/gas revenues. So be it. I say give him exactly what he does not want—NATO protection for Ukraine and restore the 2014 borders.

I do not agree that the Ukraine-Russia war is a military-industrial establishment construct.

I do not think the dictator Putin will get away with using nukes however small they might be. The West is standing up to him despite his nukes. I can see the dictator Putin taking a very vindictive position if he is denied Ukraine; I can see him burning down the house he cannot have and therein lies the potential use of tactical nukes.

Quite so. The voices of reason and true patriotism in the former GOP ranks are increasingly visible. I suspect we should get a good measure of how far gone the fBICP is when the HSCJ6 [1020] preliminary & final reports are publicly released. I am still writing about the participation of the fBICP in the America First Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, last weekend—very telling. I suspect we shall see the divisions within the former GOP as time goes on.

 

Another contribution:

“Good day Cap-phew! What a bloody mess and it goes on. As one of our elderly friends was heard to say, ‘There will be no peace on this planet while humans live here’. Was he right?”

My reply:

Yes, indeed, and I suspect it is going to get worse before we begin to see a brighter day. I think the Ukraine-Russia War is exhibit no.1 for Ukraine’s membership in NATO and the EU.

History is on the side of your elderly friend. As long as humans have walked upright, there have been bad men bent upon domination of others around them . . . sort of like lions consuming a buffalo. The optimistic element of me believes that one day we will mature and respect others around us, probably long after I am gone.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)