Update from the Sunland
No.1061
9.5.22 – 15.5.22
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
The follow-up news items:
-- The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol [1020] {HSCJ6} continues its vital work investigating the insurrection [991 & sub]. This week, they subpoenaed five of their fBICP colleagues.
“January 6 committee subpoenas 5 GOP lawmakers close to Trump, including McCarthy”
by Scott MacFarlane, Melissa Quinn, Kathryn Watson
CBS News
Published: Updated on: May 13, 2022 / 7:30 AM /
Those who received HSCJ6 subpoenas this week were members of the House of Representatives: Minority Leader McCarthy of California, Biggs of Arizona, Brooks of Alabama, Jordon of Ohio, and Perry of Pennsylvania, each of them for different reasons. All of them have indicated they will defy the subpoenas. I hope and trust the Committee and the House will move swiftly to file a criminal complaint with the Department of Justice for prosecution. They all deserve to go to jail. That said, Bannon was the first to be indicted last year, and his trial is not scheduled to start until July, and Meadows is yet to be indicted for his defiance of the HSCJ6 subpoena to testify.
-- We have the first criminal prosecution from the Russian invasion of Ukraine [1050 & sub]
“Ukraine begins first war crimes trial of Russian soldier”
by Pavel Polityuk and Tom Balmforth
Reuters
Published: May 13, 2022; 4:14 AM MST
The accused has been identified as Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian tank commander. The man claims he was ordered to shoot a 62-year-old man on a bicycle because he was talking on a cell phone and might be passing the location of the Russians to Ukrainian forces in the area. The real culprits who should be tried have president or general in front of their names. Whether the perpetrators ever see a court room for their crimes is doubtful, but those individuals should never be allowed outside of Russia for any reason.
The Senate failed to pass S.4132 - Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022 [Senate: 49-51-0-0(0)] to codify women’s health care rights in the wake of the leaked draft Supremes’ ruling. Senator Manchin of West Virginia voted with the few remaining Republicans and all of the fBICP members. So now, we wait for the end of June and the Court’s formal and final ruling.
Another interesting article this week:
“More than 107,000 Americans died from overdoses last year. This drug is behind most deaths.”
by Ken Alltucker
USA Today
Updated 12:57 pm EDT; May. 11, 2022
I do not dispute the facts reported in the article. Multiple sources report on the scourge of fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid, throughout the nation. One phrase in the article set me off—“fentanyl is now responsible for most overdose deaths.” I take serious exception to the author’s use of the word ‘responsible’ in this context. ‘Involved’ might have been a more acceptable word choice. While a goodly portion of fentanyl overdoses could be attributed to direct ingestion of fentanyl, the majority of fentanyl overdoses are more likely due to contamination of other consumable substances like marijuana, cocaine, meth, and even heroin; in other words, inadvertent and unknowing ingestion of the powerful opioid. Presumably, the idea for the drug producers and pushers is to hook consumers on the opioid—better profit margin, more committed consumers. As long as psychotropic substance consumption remains illegal and outside the law, these woefully needless deaths will occur. We really need to outgrow our foolish moral objections to psychotropic substance consumption. If you do not want to consume those substances, then do not do so. Like so many of these damnable morality laws, we put a band-aide on a problem to make ourselves feel better rather than taking steps to solve the problem. We must legalize and regulate the substances to ensure the uniform content, purity, and consistency. Fifty years of moral projection prohibition has not stopped consumption and never will do so. Fentanyl is NOT responsible for overdose deaths; contamination is responsible for overdoses. Let’s grow up. Prohibition has not worked, and it never will work. It is long past due to try a different approach to solving the problem of overdose fatalities.
president Sauli Väinämö Niinistö of Finland publicly announced to the world that his country would end decades of neutrality and non-alignment, and apply for swift admission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). President Niinistö’s announcement prompted immediate threats from the dictator Putin, so the action must have been spot on correct. As for me, I think Finland should be admitted promptly and enthusiastically to NATO. Sweden, as well, if they wish to join.
Late this week, the ruling Social Democratic Party in Sweden indicated they favored swiftly joining NATO, also ending decades of neutrality and non-alignment. The Swedish Parliament has not yet voted to do so.
I will repeat my opinion that I also think Ukraine should be admitted to NATO and an ultimatum issued to the dictator Putin and Russia that they must withdraw from all of Ukraine (to the pre-2014 border). If Putin rejects the ultimatum or refuses to comply, then all of NATO including the United States should then mobilize to defend a member nation.
Der Spiegel offered an interesting European view of the potential Ukraine membership in the EU. It is not quite NATO, but it is certainly much closer.
“United Against Russia? Ukraine's Membership Application Poses Tough Questions for the EU – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is pushing for rapid EU accession talks with Kyiv. The Eastern Europeans are applauding the move, but Berlin and Paris are applying the brakes. The issue poses a threat to Europe's united stance against Russia.”
by Ralf Neukirch, Ann-Dorit Boy, Leo Klimm, Maximilian Popp, Lina Verschwele and Jan Puhl
Der Spiegel
Published: 13.05.2022, 17.57 Uhr
If Putin feels threatened by the expansion of the EU and NATO, he has only one person to blame, and President Niinistö answered most succinctly and correctly, “look in the mirror.” Precisely! NATO is a convenient excuse for Russian hegemony. Putin has sought to re-constitute the Soviet Union including the Warsaw Pact, and he is grasping at any excuse, any rationale he can find to justify his intentions—much like Hitler’s Lebensraum. He dreadfully miscalculated, probably because he intimidated everyone around him to validate his intentions and his plans.
Does that sound familiar?
Comments and contributions from Update no.1060:
Comment to the Blog:
“A variety of sources tell me that the leaked draft of Alito’s Supreme Court anti-abortion ruling includes the phrase ‘domestic supply of infants’ in reference to adoption. That’s repellent.
“The 4th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees ‘the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects.’ Doesn’t that include privacy? ‘Secure in their persons’ seems to me to include whatever we choose to do with our physical persons, so long as it doesn’t impinge on someone else.
“I’ll note that my discussion of guilt last week had more to do with writing style than anything else. In order to reach an audience effectively, you need to understand the feelings you evoke.
“We are finally having excellent spring weather. I’ll enjoy it. You have a good day also.”
My response to the Blog:
As I indicated, I have not yet read the phrase “domestic supply of infants” in reference to adoption. If the phrase makes it to the final, released decision, I will certainly highlight the phrase and my comparable revulsion with Alito’s use of such despicable terms. I am still resisting the reading of the draft. I suspect there will be much more revolting terms, phrases, concepts, and opinions. The callousness and inhumanity he is apparently using to justify his staunchly conservative interpretation of the U.S. Constitution are, to put it mildly, disgusting. There is a reason Justice Thomas chose Alito to write the draft majority opinion. Rightly so, the public outrage of a few Republican senators who voted to confirm the nominees of [the person who shall no longer be named]—Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett—is boiling over . . . not quite to perjury under oath, but about one step short. I suspect they will write concurring opinions in a lame effort to redeem their integrity. Or perhaps, they do not care since they have lifetime appointments.
Re: 4th Amendment. In my opinion, yes, that is exactly what it means. Unfortunately, I do not believe that is the opinion of Alito et al. I say this because I have heard the rationale many times—“Privacy is not explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution.” The statement is absolutely true. It also ignores the 4th, 5th, 9th and 10th Amendments that certainly heavily imply a citizen’s fundamental right to privacy. The Court’s jurisprudence regarding the 4th and 5th Amendmentsis extensive; not so for the 9th and 10th Amendments. Thomas and Alito, as with Scalia before them, often point to the fact that privacy is not a matter of constitutional jurisprudence (according to them). Other justices like Douglas, Blackmun and O’Connor did not agree . . . thank goodness. At the risk of appearing pedantic, the 4th Amendment, as written and ratified, states:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The conservatives in the Judiciary point to the object of the amendment, namely warrants, i.e., governmental action regarding search and seizure, and the violation is the government entering our homes. The conservatives have used a variety of tricks and slight of hand maneuvers to circumvent the 4th, 5th, 9th and 10th Amendments. The Court goes through phases or cycles unfortunately, and we clearly have entered a deeply conservative cycle. I do not know if I will see the day of correction, but I have faith the day will come, hopefully for our children, but more likely for our grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Such are the cycles of the Court.
{Supplemental note: what we are debating re: the pending Dobbs decision is exactly why intelligent conservatives have supported [the person who shall no longer be named], they held their noses while he blindly followed their judicial nomination recommendations. He did exactly what they wanted. Moscow Mitch was his willing accomplice. We witness the consequences.}
Thank you for your constructive criticism regarding my writing. I remain a firm believer in Sir Winston’s unique wisdom: “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” Just for the record, I am not writing for one audience. I am trying to reach many people across a broad spectrum of society.
I am glad you’ve got a respite in the weather and spring has arrived. Every day I awaken is a great day, and today is another great day.
Another contribution:
“Cap, Indeed they are led by an lady who does not, in my view, encourage support from us outsiders. I’d rather watch a television advert! However as we have said before this is the pleasure of democracy that is what we have opted for and so we tolerate these oddities, there is no choice, and that view is profoundly supported by the dreadful attack on Ukraine by a demented country led by a despicable non-human being.”
My reply:
I assume you are referring to Mary Louise McDonald. If so, she is a disciple of a long line of Irish nationalists and comparably intransigent. At least they have not regressed to the violence of The Troubles. She has made public statements condemning the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Am I missing something?
Yes, Putin has cemented his status as a world pariah. He has ordered the Russian armed forces—all branches—to destroy everything in Ukraine. The Russians are not hitting military targets. They are intentionally and purposefully attacking civilian buildings, infrastructure, and facilities of life—water and food. And still, the Ukrainians defy the Russian dictator.
I am coming to the position that President Biden was fundamentally wrong in taking military action off the table at the outset. I know and acknowledge the reason, i.e., he had to reassure the American people he was not taking us into another war. President Roosevelt faced a similar conundrum as the fascist regimes exploited the reticence of the Western Allies to avoid war. Putin is doing exactly the same thing as Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo. Biden is doing more than Chamberlain and Daladier did in 1938, but it all still led to the same place—WAR! Dictators have no morality. They know only megalomania. Putin is no different. I am beginning to see NATO membership for Ukraine and Moldova as the best logical step. After that, if the Russians do not leave Ukraine including Dombass and Crimea (the border prior to 2014), then war it is. The sooner we get on with it the sooner we will be done with Putin. I also think Putin should be completely and absolutely isolated—everything; the Russian people will suffer but they sustain him; make him a sole matter for the Russian people. They have been lied to deeply, and they must correct the problem. But, Ukraine deserves its sovereignty and independence; they have earned it the hard way. A united NATO poised to liberate Ukraine as it liberated Kuwait would be Putin’s worst nightmare. So be it.
. . . follow-up comment:
“In this case I was referring to the leader of the Scottish government Nicola Sturgeon.
Leader of the Scottish National Party. She speaks without any affectionate attitudes or approval of the rest of us British people. She is determined that Scotland leaves these Isles and after that what then I wonder.”
. . . my follow-up reply:
Ahso. Another nationalist firebrand! What’s next Wales independence? As I understand things, the nationalists are a minority, which means voting is very important.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
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