Update no.1077

Update from the Sunland

No.1077

29.8.22 – 4.9.22

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

 

To all,

 

During the first attempt to launch the Artemis I mission on Monday morning, Engine no.3 failed to reach the threshold pre-ignition chilled temperature to avoid thermal shock at start-up. The countdown was placed on hold at T-40 minutes to resolve the problem. After more than an hour of troubleshooting and numerous different efforts to resolve the engine chilling issue, the launch director scrubbed the launch attempt. The next launch window opened on the 2^nd of September.

The core rocket has four (4) RS-25 engines—the same engine that the Space Shuttle used three of. Each RS-25 engine produces 418,000 pounds thrust at sea level by burning high pressure liquid hydrogen—a difficult fuel to work with because it must be kept so cold (-423°F [-253°C]). The cold hydrogen is why the engines must be chilled prior to ignition, to avoid thermal shock when liquid hydrogen flows through the engine and into the combustion chamber for ignition with the oxidizer.

On Saturday, 3.September.2022, NASA made a second attempt to launch the Space Launch System (SLS), Artemis I mission. During fueling with liquid oxygen and hydrogen, a hydrogen leak was detected in the vicinity of an 8-inch supply line Quick Disconnect (QD) fitting in the engine bay. The launch team made several attempts to reseat the QD fitting without success. With the oxygen tank full and hydrogen tank at 11% capacity, and after several attempts to correct the problem, the launch director scrubbed the launch due to the unresolved hydrogen leak.

As of publication of this edition, NASA rejected the Monday and Tuesday launch windows, and they have not yet decided whether they will return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for correction of the QD problem. Once they have corrected the issue, they will announce the next launch attempt likely to be toward the end of September.

 

Circa 22:30 [U] PDT {22:30 [T] MST; 05:30 [Z] GMT (Wednesday)}, Tuesday, 30.August.2022, SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket with its Starlink 3-4 payload from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. I was not man enough to watch the launch live, but I did watch the video of the launch the morning after. Launches are becoming so routine, but I must say, I remain truly awed watching the First Stage land dead center on a comparatively small autonomous spaceport drone ship nominally 640 kilometers south of the launch site in the Pacific Ocean. The physics and engineering of such operations are on glorious display.

 

The follow-up news items:

-- In reading all these criminal legal documents involving [the person who shall no longer be named], an epiphany came to me. I wrote:

You know, I just discovered a little known Article IC (99) to the U.S. Constitution. The Framers were genius. It states explicitly, "This document does not apply to Donald John Trump, once he is born and for evermore thereafter, because he will be perfect and never ever make a mistake—the new messiah." {1787} [redaction by nature]

In case there is any doubt or question, that is sarcasm and intended so. The thought also reminded me of TIME magazine cover for the 18.June.2018 issue. For those who may not recall, here is the URL:

https://time.com/5303844/donald-trump-king-cover/

-- In the continuing drama simmering around [the person who shall no longer be named] [705 through 1077], the man persists in his Herculean efforts to dig the hole deeper for himself and his compatriots. For reasons as yet unknown, he and his army of lawyers waited two weeks to file a petition for a special master to review the trove of classified documents and other materials seized in the raid on his residence at Mar-a-Lago [1074]. DONALD J. TRUMP v. United States of America [USDC FL SD Case 9:22-cv-81294-AMC (2022)] He seems to be on the backside of the power curve as we say in the flying biz. He is way behind on this issue, and the more he tries to delay justice, the worse it is going to get. He looked guilty eight months ago, and everything he has done since up to and including this latest petition for a late special master simply makes him look more guilty with each move. Most folks will not take the time to read and learn the custodian of presidential and Executive Branch records, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), has been trying to gain control of all presidential records under the authority of the Presidential Records Act of 1978 [PL 93-591; 88 Stat. 2523; 4.11.1978] [1039]. Regrettably, [the person who shall no longer be named] has been thumbing his nose at the law and law enforcement ever since the 2020 election (November 2020). It was not until mid-January 2022 that NARA received “Fifteen Boxes” of documents from the former president. The “Fifteen Boxes” were found to contained: “184 unique documents bearing classification markings, including 67 documents marked as CONFIDENTIAL, 92 documents marked as SECRET, and 25 documents marked as TOP SECRET.” NARA recognized they had a serious problem on their hands and engaged the FBI, who in turn developed evidence that more presidential records existed at Mar-a-Lago. The Department of Justice presented their evidence and obtained a grand jury subpoena dated 11.May.2022 for all records remaining in the former president’s hands. The subpoena set 24.May.2022 as his appearance date with all of his remaining records. The former president’s lawyers requested and received an extension of response to 7.June.2022. On the evening of 2.June.2022, Counsel for the former president requested FBI agents retrieve the subject documents. The next day, three FBI agents and a Department of Justice attorney received a large, properly sealed envelope and a typed and signed “Certification” that all government documents had been returned after a “diligent search of the premises.” The contents of the envelope were found to include: “38 unique documents bearing classification markings, including 5 documents marked as CONFIDENTIAL, 16 documents marked as SECRET, and 17 documents marked as TOP SECRET” in addition to the January return noted above. Then, after all that, the FBI learned from witnesses (plural) that there were still more classified documents at the Mar-a-Lago premises. It was from that point that the FBI recognized that their extraordinary deference to the former president had been exceeded, that the certification was false, and they had no other choice left. The FBI sought and received a valid search warrant and seizure document signed on 5.August.2022. The FBI executed that search warrant on 8.August.2022, and recovered another 32 boxes of documents and materials including more classified documents and Top Secret – Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS-SCI) documents. As ordered by the judge, the Department of Justice submitted a detailed inventory of the documents and material seized at Mar-a-Lago on 30.August.2022. The list was released publicly on 2. September.2022. In addition to the January returned batch noted above and the “complete” return in June, the Mar-a-Lago seizure included an additional 11,179 government documents and photographs with 31 - CONFIDENTIAL, 54 - SECRET, and another 18 marked TOP SECRET. Agents also seized 48 empty classified banner folders and another 42 empty folders labeled “Return to Staff Secretary/Military Aide.” The important aspect of the empty banner folders is they probably contained classified documents that are now missing.

Knowing the character of [the person who shall no longer be named], I would bet a dollar to donuts that there are still records including classified documents that remain present at Mar-a-Lago, probably buried at the bottom of Melania’s panty drawer, and quite likely at other properties owned (used) by the fellow. He has forced the USG to disclose more and more of the evidence against him, and just the recovered evidence (so far) is damning. The lawyers argued before the judge that the seized documents were akin to overdue library books. I am gobsmacked to put it mildly! Only one tiny little problem with that argument . . . the big bold markings on the banner cover sheet and on each page, top and bottom, that say TOP SECRET – SCI—the highest level of classification of information, documents, reports, and other materials in the United States of America. Those documents are not innocuous overdue library books; they are national secrets. Further, those documents do not and never did belong to the former president or any other citizen. They belong to the United States of America, and that man feloniously absconded with the People’s documents when he left the White House. It appears that once the president removed whatever documents he ultimately took, the chain of custody was broken. There have been no indications that there were any attempt to control access to those documents. They were mixed personal and public documents. What is more damning than the classified material he feloniously stole from the White House are the empty classified cover folders. What happened to the documents within? He has violated so bloody many rules for handling classified material. I am continually reminded that if anyone else had done just a mere fraction of what [the person who shall no longer be named] has done, we would be charged, tried, convicted and in prison by now. He is NO LONGER the president; he is just a simple private citizen like all the rest of us. He deserves no special treatment or handling.

My advice to the attorney general and the director of the FBI: obtain search warrants for every property he owns. He has amply demonstrated he does not respect the law or anything other than his own selfish wants and needs. As I indicated above, I would bet a dollar to donuts that more classified materials will be found at more than one of his properties. He has provided more than ample evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. The man has no morality or respect for the U.S. Constitution. At the bottom line, better safe than sorry.

 

The irony in all this is inescapable. Since 2016, he has pointed his crooked finger at Hillary Rodham Clinton for her dreadful private server mistake [953, 977]. I joined the chorus condemning her blatantly cavalier and disrespectful conduct [979]. With the clarity of hindsight, what he did was patently, categorically, and morally (if not legally) wrong. Once she made the decision to set up her separate private server, and mix government and personal eMails, she relinquished her rights to privacy. She unilaterally decided to delete her personal eMails before surrendering the server to the USG. To me, her action was a direct violation of the Presidential Records Act of 1978. She had a right to petition the NARA to recover and protect her personal contents. Clinton decided on direct action in defiance of the law. I can only guess that the Department of Justice decided not to prosecute her for violations of the law because they had insufficient evidence to prove to a jury that she committed a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. The irony part is what we know in only the public factual evidence so far, [the person who shall no longer be named] has gone orders of magnitude beyond the worst of Hillary Clinton’s mistake. Based on what we know so far, there is no doubt in my little pea brain that that man is guilty of multiple crimes and deserves serious prison time. The chant is no longer “Lock her up!” It is now “Lock him up!” The noose is tightening, and the man is helping the USG make their case.

 

If anyone would like to have just a modicum of appreciation for what happens when classified material is mishandled or unprotected, I urge you to watch this video Blog—"How the Walker Spy Ring Hurt the F-14 Tomcat” by Ward Carroll.

https://youtu.be/1kwMmdAWjBg

‘Nuf said.

 

President Biden’s prime time address on Thursday evening in front of Independence Hall went directly at what he called “MAGA Republicans.”  In this discussion, I offer a simple reminder that [the person who shall no longer be named] coined his banner phrase “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) during the 2016 election campaign, i.e., Silly Season. President Biden sought to differentiate between quiet Republicans who remain true to Republican values and beliefs, and the MAGA Republicans who follow ihr Anführer down into the gutter. President Biden’s prime time address to the nation clearly delineated the difference. He stated, “Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic.” (redaction mine) The president went on to say, “MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards, backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love. They promote authoritarian leaders, and they fanned the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country.” Some opposition voices criticized President Biden for condemning half of America. Such nonsense means they did not listen to the president’s words. He condemned the MAGA faction of the Republican Party . . . what Kevin McCarthy called 10M of the 74M citizen who voted for [the person who shall no longer be named]. That is 14% of Republican voters and a mere 3% of all American citizens. The President of the United States has an obligation under the U.S. Constitution to confront and condemn those forces who seek to defy or tear down the Constitution.

Who are the MAGA Republicans? They are individuals who support the BIG LIE, who failed and still fail to condemn the insurrection forces that defied the Constitution . . . members of Congress including but not limited to Josh Hawley, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Green, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs. Mark Finchem, Matt Gaetz, et al. Right-wing militias like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, and even the Ku Klux Klan. They are led by ihr Anführer.They seek to return us all to a bygone era 100 or 170 years ago when their kind dominated American politics—white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant men. They decided what the law would be for all American citizens. The day when women were not even considered citizens under the law, but property of their husbands, and citizens with dark skin pigmentation were enslaved (indentured for life) simply because of their hereditary skin pigmentation.

To me, MAGA is just the latest form of the Ku Klux Klan that was formed in 1866 by white male former Confederate soldiers in Pulaski, Tennessee. They hold exactly the same objectives. President Biden was simply calling a spade a spade. So, despite House Minority Leader McCarthy’s attempt to paint the president’s words as divisive, President Biden boldly declared “The emperor has no clothes.” If you are not a MAGA Republican, then I urge you to reform the Grand Old Party and reject the MAGA element; the latter group does not belong in a free society.

Not everyone agrees; see below.

 

From President Biden’s Philadelphia speech and a separate forum came this exchange:

I said:

He was calling it as it is, plain and simple.

Another contributor responded:

“What he said was I’m anti-American and I don’t believe in the Constitution. That I’m violent. With a military backdrop. I thought the military was apolitical? Nice guy. While he destroys our republic. Excuse me. While he is a puppet for the left backbenchers. He sold out our country for a title he could never get on his own. And for his corrupt family.”

To which I replied:

As the old saying goes, if the shoe fits . . . Therein lies the rub. 

He was very careful to separate MAGA Republicans from regular Republicans. He was also precise in classifying MAGA Republicans. MAGA Republicans are nothing like the Republicans I have known throughout my life who abide by the Constitution whether they win or lose an election. Regular Republicans know the last fellow lost the election just like he won in 2016; it was exactly the same constitutional system. He did not win the popular vote in 2016 or 2020, but he won the Electoral College vote in 2016 in accordance with the U.S. Constitution. He lost in 2020, period, full stop. Regular Republicans categorically condemn the insurrection that the last fellow encouraged, stimulated, and supported in direct violation of the Constitution. Regular Republicans support and defend the orderly transition from one administration to the next administration. If anyone resorts to violence to further their political aspirations, they are in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution. If you are not violent, condemn the insurrection, support the U.S. Constitution and its presidential electoral process, then you are not a MAGA Republican, and the president’s comments do not apply to you. Just because you voted for the Republican candidate does not make you a MAGA Republican.

Just the snippet above was sufficient to precipitate a long thread of vitriolic rhetoric and name-calling devoid of facts that was far too long to recount in this humble forum. However, just the exchange above should provide the casual reader with sufficient feel for the content of these political conversations. We have lost or abandoned the ability to debate the meaning of facts, concepts, ideas, and opinions. These are the times in which we live. 

 

Continuing comment to Update no.1074:

“I have never had the luxury of voting for a candidate whose moral stances were aligned with mine. I have observed from my experience that moral stances evolve for those with critical thinking ability. My moral stances have evolved over my lifetime. That Liz has been able to put aside her unquestioning fealty to the Republican Party and speak truth to power demonstrates her critical thinking ability. A good leader of America, I hope, can set aside his/her moral stances and strongly held beliefs to make room for other conflicting moral stances and strongly held beliefs in public policy debate. The genius of our founding fathers was creating a framework of government that makes room for all citizens. If she understands that her personal moral stances are not the basis for public policy governing all our citizenry we will be okay. I would hope all aspiring leaders have this understanding. But, alas…”

My response:

Well said, actually. I share your observations. I will go farther to suggest finding a candidate who aligns completely with each of us is verging upon mythology. As citizens, we must select the best of the lot. As a dedicated Independent voter, I choose not to participate in the primaries—party selection process. 

I will add an extended observation to your words. I call the phenomenon ‘moral projection,’ i.e., the urge to impose one faction’s moral values on all citizens via the law. Liz Cheney voted against non-heterosexual marriage and other non-heterosexual rights measures. Her voting record and public statements caused an estrangement with her younger sister, Mary. Liz eventually changed her stance, and the sisters reconciled. Liz has not yet altered other typical socially conservative moral projection stances. To me, moral projection is a violation of the very essence of our freedom—right to privacy and freedom of choice. Conservatives must resist the urge to dictate their private choices on everyone else.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1076:

“Thanks again Cap good work. Just seen the delayed launch of the NASA rocket launch. Engine problem, bad luck NASA-we all get such problems in life but I’m sure you could have done without this one.”

My reply:

You are always most welcome, my friend.

Yeah, unfortunate delay. Next window opens mid-day Friday. It is a good sign that the launch team does not feel they need to remove the assembly from the launch pad or change the errant engine. I suspect the fix is comparatively simple but required defueling to safe the rocket for maintenance. We’ll know more today or tomorrow. As we always say with machines that fly, better safe than sorry.

 . . . follow-up comment:

Indeed Cap-you take no risks with frozen Hydrogen-what a task though to defuel- very specialised work indeed. Risks cannot and will not be taken.

We look forward to the launch.

 . . . my follow-up reply:

Quite so! Looks like they figured things out . . . bad sensor. Apparently, they have also figured out a work around since replacing the sensor would require a return to the Assembly Building. They say they will be able to ensure the proper chill down for the No.3 engine without the sensor. Today’s update indicates a launch window at mid-day on Saturday, 3.September. I’ll be watching.

 

Comment to the Blog:

“The affidavit for the search warrant for Mar-a-Lago is redacted to protect witnesses and evidence, all of which are in great danger at this level of crime. Next issue.

“I see a number of turning points that led the U.S. away from greatness. To me, the trend became decisive when Ford pardoned Nixon. Abandoning the rule of law is a terrible moment.

“I admire and respect Liz Cheney’s stand on principle. However, that individualism is a major part of what got us into this mess. If individuals can create national greatness, they can also do great harm.

“Budget awards to the military have not been reduced, the worst example being the F-35. (F is for ‘failure’.)”

My response to the Blog:

Quite so. On his petition for a special master to delay the process as best he can, I hope the judge sees it for exactly what it is—obstruction; day late & dollar short. He missed the mark. The issue is moot. The FBI has already been through the documents with their Clean Team to reject personal or privileged stuff.

Oh my, yes, I could have gone on with my list, and your additional example is quite apropos. What President Ford did was place that criminal above the law—a massive mistake. His lieutenants went to prison; he did not. He should have gone to prison for the crimes he committed.

The last fellow has given us a grotesque graphic example that validates your observation—one man has wrought all of this destruction, violence, chaos, and division. And worse, he is still at it. Thank goodness Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger stood up to the mark at this critical time.

I do not agree with your selection of the worst example. First, we have not yet seen its effectiveness in actual aerial combat. Second, the system was an extraordinary leap in technology that has not yet percolated into the public domain. Third, F stands for ‘Fighter.’ 

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)