Update no.1081

 Update from the Sunland

No.1081

26.9.22 – 2.10.22

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

 

To all,

 

The follow-up news items:

-- On Monday, 26.September.2022 at 23:14 UTC {16:14 [R] MST}, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) [1037] impacted Dimorphos, AKA Didymos B and Didymoon, the small asteroid satellite of the larger asteroid Didymos. After traveling 7M miles through space, the DART vehicle impacted Dimorphos as planned—on target and on time. The video was magnificent and absolutely incredible to watch. The live video stream began with a black screen, neither Didymos nor the smaller Dimorphos activated a single pixel. Eventually, Didymos appears as a single pixel and grows in the frame. Then, we finally can see Dimorphos. The tracker kept Dimorphos centered as it grew in the frame and Didymos disappeared out of the frame. Dimorphos grew to full frame, and we could resolve rocks and boulders on the surface. The last full frame before impact . . . stupendous—rolled up glob of aggregate. Plus, we got a partial last image frame sent just prior to impact. The momentum transfer is expected to shorten the 11.9-hour orbital period by 10 minutes (roughly -1.4%). If all the physics calculations are proven, then we may have our first bona fide planetary defense tool. We can deflect an inbound impact Mass Extinction Event asteroid. The absolute wonders of space exploration! Now, we wait for the results 

-- The NASA launch team decided to return the Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis I rocket [1076] and mobile launch platform back into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for protection from potential damage by the passing of Hurricane Ian. Hindsight tells us that was a very wise decision. I have not yet seen a definitive report of storm damage to the launch facilities. As the damage assessment undoubtedly continues, they may face additional delays, and hurricane season is not over yet. As of this edition of the Update, the launch date has been pushed back to mid-November, i.e., no earlier than 12.November.2022. In essence, they must start the launch process over again.

-- Putin ordered sham elections in four Eastern Ukraine provinces, some portions of which they do not even occupy—96% for annexation, REALLY? Why are Russian elections going back to the Stalin era always 96% in favor of the dictator? Putin also explicitly stated that he was annexing Ukrainian territory, as he did in Crimea [640; 21.3.2014], so that it became sovereign Russian territory, and he could claim any attack on those provinces was an attack on the whole of Russia. Putin further intimated that an attack on Russian territory would enable him to use nuclear weapons and presumably other weapons of mass destruction.

I will note here, Ukrainian young men and other volunteers including Americans and Europeans are running into Ukraine to defend the country against the warrantless invaders and oppressors, while young Russian men are running out of Russia to avoid being drafted into Putin’s illegal war [1050]. What does that reality tell you?

 

The level of revulsion in this year’s silly season continues to escalate rapidly. In Arizona, we have many forms of MAGA extremists. I have tried to ignore them, but my threshold of tolerance has been exceeded by 36-year-old Blake Gates Masters, the fBICP candidate for U.S. Senate, running against Senator Mark Edward Kelly. Not surprisingly, Masters has been endorsed and support by [the person who shall no longer be named]—surprise, surprise! Masters publicly stated:

"Our top generals have turned into woke corporate bozos, and our troops deserve better. I hate to say it, but our military leadership is totally incompetent. No active duty American general has ever won a war. Think about how crazy that is. These people get promoted by giving politically correct PowerPoint presentations. That helps explain why after trillions of dollars and 20 years of effort, this grand project to remake the Middle East and democratize Afghanistan — it just didn’t work. Instead we gotta get serious about the real threats, like China. … We’ve gotta put American troops first. Not defense contractors, not foreign refugees, and sure as hell not woke generals, like General ‘White Rage’ Milley. We gotta do better.”

As a citizen of the United States of America, Masters is free to think and say what he wishes. I cannot and will not dispute his choice of words. I will emphatically state that Masters is wrong. To blame active-duty generals for Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq is wrong in every possible way. And, he conveniently forgets DESERT STORM. What his words demonstrate is his lack of any apparent knowledge of history and military affairs especially in the United States. Generals follow orders from their civilian political leaders. If Masters wants to blame someone for losing wars, he should point his crooked finger at the then serving president, secretary of Defense, and the service secretaries. Further, having lived and served in the Vietnam era, I blame President Johnson. It was his responsibility to mobilize the nation to properly fight a war. He did not do so and decided to attempt to fight a war with half-measures. The military was seriously hobbled throughout the entire Vietnam War period. At the bottom line, Masters can spew his foolish opinions, but he does not deserve to be in the U.S. Senate or any other elective office.

 

We know that a serious rupture of one or both of the Nord Stream pipelines occurred under the Baltic Sea near Bornholm, Denmark. The pipelines were built to move Russian natural gas (methane) to Europe. Two distinct explosions were detected in the vicinity of Bornholm on Monday. The Swedish National Seismic Network (SNSN) recorded the first explosion at 02:03 [A] ET, 26.September.2022, equivalent to a 1.8 magnitude earthquake, and the second explosion at 19:04 [A] ET, 26.September.2022, equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. We do not know the cause of the rupture . . . well, at least the public does not know.

The likely suspect and my guess is Russian Spetsnaz team from a submarine destroyed the line. The Russian shutdown the pipelines weeks ago. Why were the lines pressurized? Why didn’t they just shutoff the supply valves? Why did they choose that location, just outside the Danish territorial waters (and the NATO umbrella)? Because they wanted to send a very clear message of intimidation to Europe and the world—we can and will attack you wherever we want.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1080:

Comment to the Blog:

“Most people, including astronauts, cooperate better than the creatures who create international tensions.

“I wonder how the Chump meant to sort through all those documents. He has neither the attention span nor the cognitive abilities for that.

“I await criminal charges against the former Resident. He’s faced civil actions since 1973 and they haven’t slowed him down. However, his appearance during that interview might indicate that the stress is finally catching up with him.

“Nobody welcomes a military draft, including Russians. (A draft was the original reason the Chump’s ancestor left Germany.)

“The power delegated to the Security Council of the UN is a problem.

“One other commentator prefers invective to the discussion, but they did bring up an interesting point. What if the Chump really was controlled by the Russians?

“Let me remind your other correspondent that the choice of Justices has become political in recent times, especially the Chump’s choices. They have shown their colors.

“King Charles III is less popular than his mother, and his reign will be shorter due to the human lifespan.”

My response to the Blog:

Seems quite accurate to me.

Good question, but I do not care. To me, regarding classified documents, it is binary—yes or no. If it is yes, i.e., clearly marked classified—Confidential to TS-SCI—then he has absolutely no claim to even one of those marked documents. He violated multiple laws when he absconded with those documents; violated even more laws when he repeatedly refused to surrender those classified documents. The 11^th Circuit has at least started to right the ship, listing heavily due to Judge Cannon’s foolish order. This insanity must end. We have had enough.

I am with you, brother. He should have been criminally charged long ago. Nonetheless, I await my opportunity to read the charging document and observe the trial. I suspect you are correct. That is the worst I have ever seen him. I suspect he knows better than the rest of us that the orange jumpsuit is much closer for him than we are aware. None too soon for me.

I have served when the United States conducted a draft, and the results were not altogether good. We have done far better since the draft ended. That said, there are times when the draft is necessary. I doubt we could have achieved what we did in WW2 without the draft, so we must preserve the capability. We saw draft-dodgers in the Vietnam War era who were minor compared to what we see today in Russia—orders of magnitude greater opposition.

Yes, the current structure and operations of the UN Security Council is flawed; it always has been. But it is the best we have to enforce some semblance of international order. The written objectives of the Security Council in 1945 were noble and well-founded. Yet, the paramount fundamental flaw is and has been the assumption that the permanent members had goodness, peace and stability at heart and core. The Soviet Union skirted those assumptions. Putin’s Russia has given the finger to the UN, the Security Council, and indeed the rest of the world. All that said, like republican (little ‘r’) democracy, the UN Security Council is the worst, except when compared to all the others.

I agree with you on the Supreme Court—another reality we have to thank (sarcastic; condemn) [the person who shall no longer be named] for in history.

My opinion as well. King Charles III has seen to that himself with his public conduct. The tolerance of the British people has its limits. He would be well-advised not to press those limits. William seems to be better positioned to wear the crown more like his grandmother than his father, if the monarchy survives.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“I agree about the charges on Chump. I’m curious about his plan/motivation, although I’m not sure his mind is that organized.

“It matters to our nation’s future that the Chump goes through the criminal law process, even if he escapes by dying.

“I imagine the UK monarchy will go away at some point. The next decade or so might be good timing.”

 . . . my follow-up response:

I think you are quite correct. He is not known for organized thinking. From my perspective, he relies 100%, or nearly so, on his gut feelings, and even that is not particularly dependable other than to stroke his ego. So much of what he faces in criminal charges is self-induced. Even if we give him the benefit of the doubt, i.e., that he did not intentionally abscond with those classified documents, he had multiple occasions to turn over the documents to the National Archive. He chose not to do so repeatedly, and in fact, ordered one of his lawyers to certify erroneously that all documents had been returned. The FBI had 1st hand witnesses (plural) who informed them there were still classified documents in his office and storeroom . . . thus the search and seizure warrant. I do not think he is going to wiggle out of this one. Yet, then again, I thought the hard DNA evidence proved far beyond a reasonable doubt that O.J. killed his ex-wife and her companion. Go figure!

That is my opinion precisely. For history and future generations, we need him properly convicted in a court of law and hopefully sent to prison to make a very clear emphatic historical statement.

Perhaps so, but that is not up to us. The monarchy vanished for us in 1783.

 

Another contribution:

“Thanks Cap all received this side…umm someone there is not that fond of your words-but then we live in democratic countries and we can speak our views whether popular or not. Unlike those in Russia currently voicing their views on Putin’s outrageous actions. My God, how long will he last.”

My reply:

LOL. Oh, I know my words are not appreciated or welcomed by large segments of our citizenry and that includes subscribers to the Blog. I have had more than a few unsubscribe, which is their right entirely. I respect their freedom to think and believe what they wish. I still have friends who strongly disagree with my opinions, but they are still here. I guess in troubled times we find out who our real friends are. We absolutely must learn to disagree respectfully; it is the very essence of democracy. Without that respect for opposition, democracy cannot survive. I confess to dark thoughts during the Vietnam War / Civil Rights era, but those thoughts pale compared to what we must endure today. I never would have imagined that we would see a bona fide insurrection in our lifetime, but history will record that happen before, during, and after the 6th of January, when an elected American president betrayed his oath of office and the U.S. Constitution for his personal gain.

We condemn what we see in Russia today, but sadly, I must state that we are dreadfully close to that form of autocracy and dictatorship. I am gobsmacked and shaken by how many fBICP (former Republican) candidates are election deniers and some are so blatant to publicly state they would overturn elections they do not agree with. Those facts alone (and I have heard them live myself) should disqualify anyone from running for or holding public office. We have never seen this degree of acid corroding our precious republican (little ‘r’) democracy. The upcoming general election will be our first since the insurrection and will give us a good litmus test to our future. Wish us luck . . . just five weeks away.

I suspect the cancerous affliction we face today will last a generation or more, and I must admit that the collapse of the American experiment in republican democracy is a very real, palpable potential. We are far too close to the edge of the abyss as a consequence of [the person who shall no longer be named]!

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)