Update no.1083

Update from the Sunland

No.1083

10.10.22 – 16.10.22

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

 

To all,

 

The follow-up news items:

-- NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) [1037, 1081] did better than calculated, expected, and perhaps even hoped. NASA defined success as the impact shortening the orbital period of Dimorphos by 10 minutes (1%). Measurements since the event confirm that the impact shortened the orbital period by 32 minutes (4%). NASA declared the experiment a success. We finally have a demonstrable tool for planetary defense should the need ever arise.

-- On Wednesday, 12.October.2022, the UN General Assembly voted [143-5-35-10] {for-against-abstain-absent} on General Assembly Emergency Session Resolution ES-11/4, condemning Russia’s actions [1050] in Ukraine including their so-called referenda in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. The resolution also declared Russia’s subsequent attempted annexations of those provinces are invalid and illegal under international law. Resolution ES-11/4 calls upon all states to not recognize these territories to be part of Russia. Furthermore, it demands that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw" from Ukraine as Russia is violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

Not surprisingly, the five votes against Resolution ES-11/4 were Russia and her sympathetic friends: Belarus, DPRK, Nicaragua, and Syria.

The next step should be the amendment of the UN Charter to remove Russia as a permanent member of the Security Council. Putin has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Russia is not worthy of protecting world peace. Putin has unilaterally started the first land war in Europe since World War II and the formation of the United Nations. They do not deserve veto authority, and they should be relegated to the rotation of non-permanent regional members.

-- Also on Wednesday, a Connecticut jury ordered vociferous conspiracy theorist Alexander Emerick ‘Alex’ Jones to pay $965 million in compensatory and punitive damages to the families of eight Sandy Hook shooting victims and an FBI agent who responded to the attack for the suffering Jones caused them by spreading lies on his platforms about the 2012 massacre [574]. The defamation cases against Jones by especially the Sandy Hook families are not complete. There are more ahead. Jones has been gloating and boasting that the petitioners will not get a dime of his money. If he persists in that stance, he may well find himself a guest of the government where he can contemplate the error of his ways. The mindless audacity of the man is indescribable, but like all of the voices of the far-right and alt-right, reason, logic, facts and judgment do not and never have applied to their rhetoric.

-- United States House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol {HSCJ6} [1020] held what is reported to be its last public hearing on Thursday, 13.January.2022. They gathered the dominant evidence and painted a very damning picture of the former president’s culpability before, during, and after the insurrection on 6.January.2021 [991]. The HSCJ6 presented at the hearing a 45POTUS tweet I had not seen or heard of previously:

These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!

6:01PM January 6, 2021

Oh! We will remember . . . but not in the way you would like. The BIG LIE was quite mature and the insurrection spent by the time the man tweeted that message. As pointed out by the HSCJ6 chairman, the vast preponderance of testimony before the committee came from Republicans, former Republicans, presidential staff and White House staff members, and even his family members. Further, as members of the HSCJ6 repeatedly and accurately stated, “All roads lead to one place”—[the person who shall no longer be named]. In their closing action, the HSCJ6 decided to and voted unanimously (9-0) to subpoena the former president to testify under oath before the committee to explain his actions and inaction.

To tamp down the inevitable denials, objections, and doubters, seven (7) former and sitting presidents have come forward to testify before Congress in American history, two (2) of them by subpoena. There is ample precedent to compel presidential testimony before HSCJ6 or any other relevant congressional committee. History noted, I hold very little belief this fellow will testify.

Later that day, [the person who shall no longer be named] issued a letter response to the HSCJ6. He began:

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2020 WAS RIGGED AND STOLEN! [as-written]

He closed:

The people of this Country will not stand for unequal justice under the law, or Liberty and Justice for some. Election Day is coming. We demand answers on the Crime of the Century.

Once again, the man is correct. We demand equal justice, which means he should face justice like any other ordinary citizen for the crimes he has committed. Crime of the Century, indeed! History will record undoubtedly that his BIG LIE incited the first insurrection in the United States since the Civil War. 

-- In the continuing sordid saga of [the person who shall no longer be named] and his theft of the People’s documents, the U.S. Supreme Court added their weight to the government’s effort to enforce the law. The Court’s simple but direct decision in Trump, Donald J. v. United States [598 U.S. 22A283 (2022)] denied his appeal of the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of DONALD J. TRUMP v. United States of America [11CCA Case: 22-13005 (2022)] [1080], which in turn was an appeal of 

of Judge Cannon’s order in DONALD J. TRUMP v. United States of America [USDC FL SD Case 9:22-cv-81294-AMC (2022)] [1078]. The bottom line of all this judicial wrangling is the U.S. Government (USG) has full access and control of the marked classified documents that were discovered in the possession of [the person who shall no longer be named] and seized by the FBI at his Mar-a-Lago residence [1074]. Reportedly, the USG has filed the legal paperwork to stop the Special Master review of all the other documents; that ruling is pending. [redaction mine]

 

Why do so many good American citizens truly believe the BIG LIE? The answer: [The person who shall no longer be named] said so. They believe him and what he says without evidence or facts, only his wild accusations, because he said so. They believe! They refuse to recognize or acknowledge that he is a huckster, a conman, and an inveterate liar . . . they just believe!

During the campaign for the 2016 election, at a campaign stop at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa [23.January.2016], [the person who shall no longer be named] publicly stated: 

“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn’t lose any voters, okay?” He mimicked firing a gun with his fingers. “It’s, like, incredible.” 

FYI: murder is a capital crime, not just felonious. 

He won the Iowa Caucuses. He went on to win the Republican nomination for president and was duly elected to become the 45^th President of the United States. What does this fact alone say about a large portion of American citizens?

To be fair, a friend, believer, and contributor to Update no.756 chastised me that I had taken the quote out of context. The relevant portion of his speech was:

“The people, my people, are so smart, and you know what else they say about my people . . . the polls, they say I have the most loyal people.  Did you ever see that?  Where I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters.  OK, it’s like incredible.”

The implication of the admonishment is “the polls” made the statement, not him. Interesting supposition. First, his sentence construction has an unclear antecedent, i.e., we do not know who made the statement, if anyone. [The person who shall no longer be named] could have made up the sentence based on his interpretation of some mystical poll (also of his imagination). I tried to find a poll, any poll, that made such an outrageous statement. And, surprise, surprise, I could not find any poll that even remotely suggested such a foolish and disgraceful statement. Regardless of what version you wish to believe or accept, the sentence quoted initially is morally reprehensible regardless of who said it, or made it up, but nonetheless repeated the statement. The statement may well be correct as an observation of his believers, but it remains a morally reprehensible set of words, full stop.

So far, he has been correct. He has gotten away with multitudinous felonious crimes, however the vice of justice is inexorably tightening around him in multitude venues. I trust that justice will be served, and his declarative statement will prove to be his death knell.

 

I have been understandably focused on [the person who shall no longer be named] because he has set the tone and standard for the former Republican Party and now former Bully In Chief Party (fBICP). His disciples and acolytes are active candidates for public office, and they are perpetuating the fallacious nonsense of ihr Anführer.

We have quite the crowd of his believers running for all levels of elected government. They advocate for, espouse, push, and expand the BIG LIE. [The person who shall no longer be named] created the BIG LIE. He sustained the BIG LIE despite overwhelming advice and counsel from his ministers, advisors, supporters, and lawyers. As a consequence, the BIG LIE fueled the insurrection on 6.January.2021. Law abiding citizens have lost their lives because of the BIG LIE. It would be one thing if [the person who shall no longer be named] had remained the only voice and advocate for the BIG LIE, but no, we have a crowd of political candidates who repeat these fact-less claims of election fraud. The worst of it is, the BIG LIE corrodes the confidence of everyone with the integrity of our elections. In Arizona, we have a candidate for Secretary of State who is demonstrably farther to the right than [the person who shall no longer be named], and we are going to vote in a couple of weeks. That candidate is the most radical Jim Crow v2.0 advocate I have yet seen, and if he wins, he will supervise future elections . . . just think of that potential.

The fBICP candidates openly and publicly accuse President Biden and all Democrat candidates of opening the southern border and encouraging undocumented immigrants to enter at will. Such accusations are ridiculous and utter nonsense. They are betting that most voters will not take the time to learn the truth. The Biden administration is trying to humanely filter through bona fide asylum seekers and refugees from the less worthy individuals showing up at the border. The current administration has chosen to take a less confrontational, adversarial stance with respect to immigrants. The reality is, as I have long advocated, comprehensive immigration reform has been desperately needed for decades across multiple administrations, both Republican and Democrat. Xenophobia is NOT an acceptable position for any true American citizen. I can support a barrier at the border as long as it is part of an in-depth system of immigration control and operation. Intransigence and ‘my way or the highway’ is NOT an acceptable state. The exaggerations of the fBICP are no longer tolerable either.

Both have missed the point when it comes to the individual, personal rights of women. The fBICP candidate for U.S. Senate in Arizona has publicly called abortion some demonic cult practice of fetal sacrifice. Such rhetoric is NOT helpful and colors the candidate more than anything else. Both sides appear to be incapable of recognizing the real, fundamental issue, and the fBICP specifically reject the fundamental rights of every woman to decide what happens with her body—NOT the State. The fBICP adherents have succumbed to the extreme political rhetoric rather than recognize the broader issue, and the Democrats have failed to take the higher road to a more informed position.

I could go on, and there are many more issues to discuss in this vein, but this must come to an end. We vote in three weeks’ time, or before if you vote by mail. Once again, I strongly urge every American citizen to vote. Complacency or indifference will only enable the radicals in our society to gain more control over our lives. VOTE!

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1082:

Comment to the Blog:

“Attorney General Garland’s excuse for not charging the Chump, the upcoming election, is spineless. The Chump isn’t a candidate and I see no excuse for restraining justice if he was.

“The Republicans get votes largely by arousing and appeasing the fears of conservative, religious white people. They often do this by passing laws about nonexistent events like graphic sex or critical race theory in K-12 schools or voter fraud. Those people are easily duped. The Republicans succeed only because the Democrats do even less for ordinary people.

“Biden’s pardon of a few people for simple possession of marijuana is a weak gesture. Ohio’s governor has already stated (in different words) that he will ignore it.”

My response to the Blog:

I think you should include the adverb ‘yet’ to your ‘not charging’ statement. The election only delays charges, not negate them. AG Garland is simply abiding custom and practice over multiple administrations of both colors. The risk in charging prominent political figures during the late stages of the silly season is the plausible accusation that charges are politically motivated. The Department of Justice has already gone too far down the political partisanship road under AG Barr. I reluctantly must support AG Garland in his efforts to restore the integrity and apolitical stance of the Justice Department.

Spot on! That reality is one of multitudinous reasons I cannot support or vote for any Republican. They have alienated me, and to this minute, they stand defiant and unrepentant in their embrace of the BIG LIE and the resultant insurrection—the first such attempt to negate the constitutional election process. Far worse, to this minute, across the country, they attack the very essence of democracy and a constitutional republic. Forgiveness will take a very long time (if ever). In many ways, I think what MAGA, fBICP, and Republicans without conscience have done is worse than the Civil War. Sure, they have not killed many people as occurred in the Civil War, but what they have done is corroded and destroyed the very foundation and structure of our once grand constitutional republic. Whether we can overcome, recover, and grow from what they have done is a very long work in progress.

How is Ohio’s passive-aggressive stance better than President Biden’s action to right a wrong. Implicit in the president’s pardon proclamation is the policy shift of no further federal prosecutions of simple marijuana possession. Long journeys begin with small steps.

 . . . Round two:

“Biden's pardoning of a few people for simple possession of marijuana isn't morally wrong, but it's small and fainthearted, just like most of the DNC's policy gestures.”

 . . . my response to round two:

As I have said many times and I believe, long journeys begin with small steps. Yes, absolutely, this is a very small gesture, a small step, but it is a positive step on a very long journey. At least President Biden had the chutzpah to take the step forward to correct a deeply wrong action invoked 50 years ago. Something is better than nothing.

 . . . Round three:

“I've been hearing that incremental stuff from Democrats since Clinton. The Republicans bulldoze whatever results they get. I'm sitting here waiting on my mail-in ballot. Rest assured that no candidate will get my vote unless I believe they'll take stronger actions than Biden's.”

 . . . my response to round three:

Good points. Compromise is life in a representative democracy. I do agree with you on Republican tactics. Example no.1: McConnell’s unilateral immoral obstruction of President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee NINE (9) MONTHS prior to the election. Just because Republicans and fBICP supporters are immoral does not mean the rest of us must jump into the gutter mud & muck with them. We get dirty; they love it.

 . . . Round four:

“So the Democrats just yield?”

 . . . my response to round four:

Good point, but no . . . that is not what I am suggesting. I agree, it is very hard to play a game when one side refuses to play and stands on the sidelines with their arms crossed on their chests. I have been sorely disappointed in Schumer, who has resoundingly failed to illuminate the obstruction of the fBICP by their intransigence. Bill Maher had a great monologue on the issue in last night’s program.

The last word on this thread:

“So maybe someone has to quit playing games and get real about the issues.”

 

Another contribution:

“Good solid points regarding mankind's snail pace progress toward at least mutual individual respect if not spiritual maturity based on love. As always, and perhaps like you, my astute friend, I react to such observations with "What can be done to accelerate positive change?" And as always, I conclude that classic education, internationally, is the only long range answer for our planet and that all forced controls of human nature are in vain. Unfortunately, in my country I see only rare effective positive efforts like College (and secondary School) of the Ozarks in southern Missouri and Hillsdale College in Michigan, both of which I support regularly, succeeding in adding thinking patriots rather than ignoramuses or ideologs to the young population in this country.

“I hope and suspect some other nations are doing somewhat better, but in most of our states and for sure here in beautiful Mississippi we apparently will continue to elect the same local leadership to maintain the sad status quo.

“What, specifically if possible, does your wise heart suggest, Cap?”

My reply:

Thank you for your generous words.

I absolutely agree with your education path. However, education in Mao’s form is not constructive. As I have written many times, I absolutely believe that knowledge is infinitely better than ignorance, which is precisely why I object to so many social conservative positions and vigorously object to moral projectionist attempts to dictate their choices on everyone else. Mutual respect is essential. Vigorous public debate is vital to any democracy. Yet, seeking and finding balance is the difficult part. If we teach communism only, then communism becomes the norm. If we teach white supremacy, then racism and xenophobia become the standard.

The difficulty today rests upon the reality that respect is a bilateral endeavor. If one side or the other refuses to respect opposition, social intercourse rapidly degenerates into tribalism. We see stark evidence today.

I will continue to encourage dissent and vigorous debate of important contemporary issues and history as it affects current debate. We must set the example. We must also vote even when none of the candidates are to our liking. And, we must confront those forces that seek to destroy the rest of this once grand republic. We were never perfect, and I believe we have fallen deeper into the Ugly American Syndrome. But, there is always hope for recovery with respect and vigorous debate.

 . . . Round two:

“But , again, what should we do about it?”

 . . . my reply to round two:

I thought I had answered your query. My apologies for my failure to do so. Please allow me to try again.

First, let me state the obvious, we can lead a horse to water, but we cannot make him drink. Education is the answer, but we cannot force people to learn. Some folks prefer ignorance, and they vote. The BIG LIE is ignorance in the extreme. Far too many American citizens do not know or understand the U.S. Constitution. If a citizen does not understand or appreciate how government works, how can they possibly know who to vote for? Politicians utilize the disinterest, paucity of curiosity, and outright ignorance to stoke fears, e.g., racism, xenophobia, sexism, and all the other popular -phobias and -isms to further their position, i.e., “I am the answer”; “I will save you.”

The difficulty in a free society is finding balance. We cannot and should not restrict information sources—communism to fascism; left to right; liberal to conservative, et al ad infinitum. Balance should be our constant search and never attainable objective.

The general overarching part of my answer is: knowledge over ignorance. Specifically, each of us must decide what we are capable of doing to that general end. I have been writing this weekly Blog for 20 years precisely to that end. I encourage vigorous public debate on contemporary topics. I try to seek facts, engage false information and confront those forces that I believe are destructive to the Republic [e.g., 45POTUS]. My efforts are miniscule, but my efforts are within my capacity in balance with other interests, e.g., writing books. Each of us must seek and find our path, our capacity, our capability to influence other voters. This includes encouraging citizens to learn and to vote intelligently.

I send my Blog opinions to my elected representatives in state and federal government. Some listen. Others do not. That reality goes into my calculations for who will gain my precious vote.

The bottom line: each of us must find our path to performing as a concerned and engaged citizen. There are many additional dimensions to that statement, e.g., assisting police in protecting our communities.

See what you think of this answer. Come back as you wish.

 . . . Round three:

“Thanks, Cap. Well said.

“What I am seeking, from those wiser than I, are specific public/private secondary school educational approaches to demand change from leaders whom I have an opportunity to address, so as to extract their meaningful promises or expose typical political avoidance rhetoric. With two corrupt political parties dominating our leadership selection processes, I am discouraged and tired of our electorate's propensity to endorse the failing status quo.

“Help!”

 . . . my reply to round three:

By your criterion, I am resoundingly unqualified to offer counsel.

I do have an opinion, however. We have put so much financial pressure on public education that our schools have had to eliminate music, art, shop, home economics, and other supportive contributory courses. Worst of all, some, if not most, schools have eliminated mandatory U.S. Government required for graduation. Some have eliminated U.S. History.

From the perspective of your query, I would encourage a course perhaps called “principles of governance.” The objective would be teaching every child the spectrum of governmental processes from pure communism to dictatorship and include constitutional republic, parliamentary, and autocracy. I would prefer a factual, unbiased, even-handed presentation of the pluses and minuses. Every citizen, to be properly informed to vote on weighty matters of any contemporary time, must understand their place in the chosen governmental system.

I will also say, in my humble opinion, far too many citizens have no freakin’ clue, and by their ignorance, they are highly susceptible to manipulation by a clever conman who plays on their fears and foibles.

The last word on this thread:

“You are exactly right, thank you, in my long held opinion: classic education focusing on constitutional law, practical civics, home and social functional skills, etc., similar to pre-1960s curricula but starting at second grade, is the long term answer.

“All elections should expose candidates beliefs about education and their commitment to act, not just talk, accordingly.”

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)