30 January 2023

Update no.1098

 Update from the Sunland

No.1098

23.1.23 – 29.1.23

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

 

To all,

 

The U.S. Debt Limit seems to be the hot topic of the moment with the myriad criminal and civil investigations and cases against 45POTUS grinding on, and he continues his worthless yammering. A short primer might be useful.

The debt limit was created and implemented when President Wilson signed into law the Second Liberty Bond Act of 1917 [PL 65-I-043; 40 Stat. 288; 24.9.1917]. The §1 [40 Stat. 288] of the new law imposed a debt limit of US$7.539B. That is US$174.829B in 2022 dollars. The debt limit today is US$31.4T. The original intent and purpose were well-meaning, but they have been subverted in recent decades.

Robert Reich, the former secretary of Labor in the Obama administration, wrote at relevant article regarding the current debt limit debate.

“Five truths about the pending debt-ceiling fight that the mainstream media doesn't want you to know – Both-sides’ism is rampant. And it's seriously misleading the public.”

by Robert Reich

Published: Jan 24 [2023]

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/five-truths-about-the-pending-debt?r=a27i&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR2GfcwpOZcKq8D-WpdcYhTgYXLM-LQVsLe4mc6qNMJyl8GEekNGagVHZKU

For the most part, I agree with Reich’s opinion. However, I must object to the general tone of the article. The implication of Reich’s words is that Democrats have been fiscally responsible, and Republicans have been fiscally irresponsible. I simply cannot agree or accept the notion. From my perspective, both parties have been comparably outrageous spenders. The only difference between the two parties is what they spend Treasury dollars—the People’s money—on when they have the power to do so. Further, I do not agree with either party’s spending priorities. Lastly, passing a tax cut for corporations and the wealthy with such rampant spending [45POTUS] is outright insanity. At the bottom line and based on the history of the last four decades at least, the lesser of two performances, the Democrat spending is less odorous and offensive. The debt limit purpose has lost its value and should be repealed.

 

The other hot topic of the day is the use of excessive force by the police. The latest incident at issue occurred on Saturday, 7.January.2023, in Memphis, Tennessee, when 29-year-old Tyre Nichols death was pulled over in a traffic stop reportedly for reckless driving. He died in the hospital three days later from injuries he received at the hands of five Memphis Police officers. Some of the collected videos from that night were released to the public on Friday, 27.January.2023. I watched the released videos.

Regardless of what preceded, once Nichols was handcuffed and restrained, the health and well-being of the detainee becomes the responsibility of those police officers. From my observations, none of the officers even checked on Nichols. They only insisted at he sit up. They failed to fulfill their responsibility to care for their detainee.

The police are charged with enforcing the law from jaywalking or expectorating on the sidewalk to murder. They have the authority, training, and capability to restrain anyone they interact with who they assess as being a threat to themselves, the officers, or the public. The videos we have seen so far begin at the traffic stop, so we do not know what precipitated the stop, other than the officers’ contention that Nichols was driving recklessly. What that means exactly is not yet known. The video of the stop told me the first officer to reach Nichols’ automobile escalated immediately, aggressively pulling Nichols from the car and attempting to handcuff him swiftly. Nichols refused to comply with police instructions to ensure the safety of the officers and the individual. The officers were trying to handcuff Nichols with his hands behind his back. Nichols refused to comply. The officers applied progressively more harsh and violent measures to gain compliance. Nichols broke free and ran. It was the second encounter that seemed to be far more injurious. You can hear the officers speculate that Nichols might be jacked up on PCP or Meth because of the strength and duration of his resistance despite multiple officers, TASERS, pepper spray, and expandable batons. I find it very difficult to kick a detainee in the head; that to me is the definition of excessive force. The five principal Memphis Police officers were swiftly fired and were eventually charged with second degree murder in the death of Tyre Nichols.

From what I have seen and heard so far, I think the second degree murder charge is over-charging by the district attorney and may well backfire. I do not believe and I have not seen any evidence that any one or combination of those officers involved “intended” to kill Nichols. Negligent homicide or manslaughter would be more appropriate as I see it.

The more I see of these violent police encounters, the more convinced I am that the issue resistance and non-compliance with police instructions. An encounter with police is NOT an opportunity to debate the reason for the traffic stop or encounter. The time to debate the reason of the stop is in court, not on the street. Nichols’ resistance and non-compliance escalated the encounter. His resistance instigated the increasing violence. Regardless, those officers failed to render immediate assistance to Nichols once he was restrained, and for that failure, they are legally culpable.

 

An interesting and relevant article came to me from a frequent contributor.

“This Time It’s Different – Neither we nor our allies are prepared to fight all-out war with Russia, regionally or globally.”

by Douglas Macgregor 

The American Conservative

Published: Jan 26, 2023, 12:01 PM

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/this-time-its-different/

MacGregor makes some good points. However, on the whole, I disagree with his opinion far more than I could ever agree with. What is the most obvious missing element is, what does MacGregor propose we do about Russian hegemonic aggression in Ukraine? I am not a fan or advocate for the United States or any other nation being the world’s policeman, but when and where to we reject hegemony. Hitler sought territory from neighboring nations for what he called Lebensraum—living room. The German dictator believed the Germans had a right to ancestral land that no longer belonged to them, and then while he was at it, he started taking more land to expand German territory for native Germans to populate. Putin’s justification is not Hitler’s, but it is equally illegal and immoral. Ukraine was and is a sovereign country and had been since 1992. We must acknowledge that Ukraine has struggled to establish its independent democratic governance. However, that reality does not justify invading a sovereign country. MacGregor writes as if the United States sought war with Russia and used Ukraine as a proxy to fight that war. If that was his intention, I categorically disagree and reject the notion. MacGregor is correct in part that Ukraine will not win a war of attrition with Russia. The latter can throw hordes of men at the fight; the Ukraine cannot. Allied weaponry and logistical support can and will be a force multiplier. I believe Russia’s generals recognize reality, even if Putin and the ultra-nationalists do not. MacGregor is wrong in so many aspects of his opinion, not least of which his implication that the United States wanted a proxy war with Russia. Neither Ukraine nor the United States attacked Russia. Neither country provoked Russia. In fact, the United States did everything it could to avoid war in Ukraine from Obama’s appeasement or tepid response to Putin’s aggression in 2014 to Biden’s multiple warnings to Putin to prevent the Russian looming offensive. No, there is far more wrong with MacGregor’s opinion than there is correct. Yet, it is important that we read and understand what the right is thinking.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1097:

Comment to the Blog:

“The chickens are coming home to roost on 45POTUS. It’s a shame the judge didn’t add punitive sanctions; they’d be highly appropriate.

“Putin’s mistake that neither you nor Oliver Stone mentioned is killing off some of his oligarchs. Any dictator needs the support of the wealthy, and losing the oligarchs will cause much trouble.

“Putin doesn’t ‘love’ 45POTUS or anyone else. Putin uses people, and 45POTUS is no longer useful.”

My response to the Blog:

Quite so, and as you say, highly appropriate. I will add, the sooner the better. He belongs in prison . . . and if I had my way, he would be held in isolation and incomunicado; he deserves nothing more. There is always hope until there isn’t.

As I stated, my friend, I could add a few more mistakes to the list. Putin’s murder of anyone who opposes him or speaks out against him is certainly one of those additional mistakes. He likely did not pull the trigger, or inject the poison, or push someone off the 8th floor balcony, or any one of a variety of methods to kill, but there is zero doubt in my little pea-brain that he was and is the instigator of such crimes. In the case of the oligarchs, he has disposed of, he is trying to send a clear message to the others, just as a dictator or a mafia boss would do—no dissent! Putin is playing a very dangerous game.

You caught me; I overstated reality, opting for simplicity. I think Putin sees the man for exactly what he is—a feckless façade of a human being who has conned millions of people to buy & believe in his worthless snake-oil. No, Putin knows exactly who he is, but to Putin, that makes him a useful parasite. I do think he would welcome him in Russia if he chose to run.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“I think of Putin as not merely ‘a’ villain but ‘the’ villain. Whether 45POTUS has the brainpower to seek asylum somewhere remains to be seen. So does whether Putin has enough use for him to grant it.”

 . . . my follow-up response:

The choice of article is appropriate from a contemporary perspective. Yet, if he is “the” villain, I must say Xi is not far behind. They both hold serious hegemonic ambitions. I cannot imagine 45POTUS seeking asylum anywhere or running because that would be an admission of guilt. As a former NKGB colonel, Putin has a keen sense of exploitation; he would love to tap the experience of 45POTUS in office. Can you imagine how history would record such an event?

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

23 January 2023

Update no.1097

 Update from the Sunland

No.1097

16.1.23 – 22.1.23

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

 

To all,

 

On 8.September.2022, United States District Judge Donald Marsh Middlebrooks of the Southern District of Florida dismissed with prejudice the case of Trump v. Clinton [USDC FL SD Case 2:22-cv-14102-DMM (2023)]. The Plaintiff has accused former secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton plus 30 other individuals and organizations with conspiracy against him in the 2016 election and to deny him the 2020 election victory he likes to tout for fund-raising purposes. Last Thursday, 19.January.2023, Judge Middlebrooks issued his Order on Sanctions in the case. The first two paragraphs of the judge’s 46-page order stated:

“This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim.

“Thirty-one individuals and entities were needlessly harmed in order to dishonestly advance a political narrative. A continuing pattern of misuse of the courts by Mr. Trump and his lawyers undermines the rule of law, portrays judges as partisans, and diverts resources from those who have suffered actual legal harm.” 

The judge granted Defendants’ Joint Motion for Sanctions against Donald J. Trump and Plaintiff’s lead attorney—Alina Habba and Habba Madaio & Associates—to the tune of US$937,989.39. Further, the judge detailed an excellent sequential example of modus operandi employed by [the person who shall no longer be named] in his relentless efforts to intimidate, coerce, distract, deflect, and otherwise consume anyone and everyone whom he feels stands in his way. The judge was not kind to the former president, and rightly so.

The judge’s sanction was to pay for the Defendants’ legal costs and fees. What is distinctly missing is punitive sanctions against [the person who shall no longer be named] for his frivolous wastage of judicial capacity. As the judge’s analysis indicated, [the person who shall no longer be named] deserves a steep, proportional, and very painful penalty for what rightly labeled superfluous litigation.

 

happened to watch a Lex Fridman podcast interview of film producer/director Oliver Stone about his interview of Vladimir Putin and his opinions on the war in Ukraine. I was interested to hear his thoughts since I felt Ukraine was fairly clear cut, and I have seen and listened to Stove on numerous topics like his documentary series “The Untold History of the United States.” Stone has been and apparently remains a heavily left leaning person. He always makes some very good and valid points; however, he goes a little too far left for my knowledge of history and thinking. During the interview, Fridman referred to a tweet released by Stone a week or so after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Part One of Three of that tweet is inserted below.

Oliver Stone

@TheOliverStone

(1/3) My thoughts about the invasion of #Ukraine.

3:04 PM · Mar 3, 2022

Although the United States has many wars of aggression on its conscience, it doesn’t justify Mr. Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. A dozen wrongs don’t make a right. Russia was wrong to invade. It has made too many mistakes – 

1) underestimating Ukrainian resistance,

2) overestimating the [Russian] military’s ability to achieve its objective,

3) underestimating Europe’s reaction, especially Germany upping its military contribution to NATO, which they’ve resisted for some 20 years; even Switzerland has joined the cause. Russia will be more isolated than ever from the West,

4) underestimating the enhanced power of NATO, which will now put more pressure on Russia’s borders,

5) probably putting Ukraine into NATO,

6) underestimating the damage to its own economy and certainly creating more internal resistance in Russia,

7) creating a major readjustment of power in its oligarch class,

8) putting cluster and vacuum bombs into play, and

9) underestimating the power of social media worldwide.

I could add a few more, but I think in this context, he has driven the nail home. I think he fairly accurately notes Putin’s causal mistakes, but Stone’s words during the Fridman interview go too far as quasi-rationale for the Russian invasion. As he has done in films, documentaries and opinion pieces, Stone cleverly uses his heavily left perspective to paint a different view of history. Ultimately, I cannot agree with his rendition of history, yet his perspective is important to hone our views and opinions.

The difficulty the world has now is convincing Putin and his ultra-nationalist supporters that they must leave Ukraine, return take lands including Crimea, and respect Ukraine as an equally sovereign neighbor. We must help them become comfortable with a return Ukraine that is a NATO signatory country. From my perspective, it is only a matter of time and how many dead they can tolerate.

For those who may be interested in the interview as well, here is the URL for Lex Friidman’s interview of Oliver Stone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygAqYC8JOQI

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1096:

“Yes, your man whose name I cannot mention is constantly making our headlines. This time a massive charge for making a frivolous lawsuit. How much longer can this go on? I’m personally surprised he hasn’t done a runner to a safe hideaway but then who would want this disgraced individual spreading such offensive bunkum to us all. How did he ever make the grade needed to fulfil the role he once allegedly possessed?”

URL:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/20/trump-and-lawyer-ordered-to-pay-1m-for-bringing-frivolous-lawsuit-against-hillary-clinton

My response:

[The person who shall no longer be named] is in the headlines here as well, although less so lately. His modus operandi is decades old, long before he became 45POTUS; he uses litigation as a bludgeon to intimidate anyone and everyone who does not agree with him. He has stiffed subcontractors for work performed over the decades. He is a conman who uses bling and razzle-dazzle to distract, disorient, confuse, and diminish his opponents.

Running is still a potential, although for him it would be the choice of last resort because that would be admission that he committed crime(s). Imagine: he would be safe and welcomed in Russia; Putin loves him. To do so, he would have to shuck his Secret Service detail, not an easy trick. Remember, he wanted to go to the Capitol on January 6th, but the Secret Service stopped him.

“How did he ever make the grade needed to fulfil the role he once allegedly possessed?” Short answer: as an experienced conman, he fooled a large number of U.S. citizens, who fell victim to his razzle-dazzle and snake-oil pitch. They wanted to believe, and they believed. Worse, solid U.S. citizens who know better chose power and influence over the Constitution and the law. 

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

16 January 2023

Update no.1096

Update from the Sunland

No.1096

9.1.23 – 15.1.23

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

 

To all,

 

The follow-up news items:

-- Notorious freshman Representative George Santos of New York [1094] stated publicly, “I’ve done nothing unethical”—the audacity, or perhaps it is just simple ignorance (i.e., he does not know what ethical means), is mind boggling. Those five words graphically demonstrate the paucity of any semblance of integrity, morality, or respect Santos has for other people. Everything was about him, and him alone. He was elected on a fraud. The voters in his district voted for a mirage—smoke. I trust the law will eventually catch up with him, and he will become a guest of We, the People. Time shall tell.

-- Former Trump Organization chief financial officer (CFO) Allen Weisselberg [10491075] has been sentenced to five months in prison, which is a minimal term of incarceration for income tax evasion, and he went directly to Rikers Island. For reference purposes, infamous criminal Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in Alcatraz for tax evasion. Yes, Weisselberg cooperated in the investigation and testified against the company but refused to testify against his boss—the man at the heart of it all. Weisselberg decided to fall on his sword for his former boss. The Trump Organization was fined the maximum under the law—US$1.6M, which is a spit in the bucket compared to the reported size of the company.

 

After Representative Kevin McCarthy of California sold his soul to become Speaker of the House [1095], the chamber established their revised rules with passage of H. Res. 5—Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress. The vote [House: 220-213-0-1] was strictly along party lines with only two exceptions: Representative Ernest Anthony ‘Tony’ Gonzales of Texas voted against the resolution, and Representative Daniel Reed ‘Dan’ Crenshaw of Texas chose not to vote. McCarthy has diminished the position of Speaker simply because he needed to buy off the “Freedom Caucus” hard-right resisters. We will all live with the consequences. Now, we shall bear witness.

 

Of course, the crazies here in Arizona have not given up in their desperate attempts to overthrow or negate the 2022 election in the state.

“Republicans plan to sue Gov. Katie Hobbs for being against discrimination – Opinion: When a group of unhinged extremists call themselves a "freedom" caucus you can be sure they believe in just the opposite.”

by EJ Montini

Arizona Republic

Published 8:28 a.m. MT Jan. 10, 2023 | Updated 2:26 p.m. MT Jan. 11, 2023

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2023/01/10/gop-extremists-suing-gov-hobbs-for-being-against-discrimination/69793466007/?utm_source=azcentral-OpinionsNewsNow&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=baseline&utm_term=list_article_thumb&utm_content=PPHX-1531AR-E-NLETTER39

As one of her first acts, Governor Hobbs signed an executive order “directing the Department of Administration to prohibit discrimination in matters of hiring, promotion and pay based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” Naturally, the MAGA right were not happy with prohibiting discrimination, so they filed suit to block the governor’s action. But, the sentence in Montini’s article that struck resonance for me was, “they could have called themselves the Arizona Fascist Caucus.” The best I can say is, spot on and right on, brother. Freedom is exclusive to them—no one else. For the rest of us, we must live by their rules, their laws, their beliefs. To the “Fascist Caucus” I say, no thank you. I respect their freedom of choice. They should be free to live as they wish, to believe what they choose. Where they get crosswise with me is when they attempt to dictate my choices, my rights, my freedom of choice. I trust the court will reject their suit at the preliminary hearing stage. The “Fascist Caucus” legal effort is not worthy. It is truly frivolous!

 

On Thursday, 12.January.2023, Attorney General Garland rightly chose to appoint a special counsel to investigate and, if warranted, to prosecute President Biden if he broke the law regarding classified documents in his possession. Accomplished federal prosecutor Robert Kyoung Hur has been appointed to supervise the Department of Justice’s investigation of alleged mishandling of classified material by President Biden while he served as vice president under President Obama.

From my perspective and based on publicly available information, Biden has not handled this situation well, although I must say, his team has dealt with the case infinitely better than [the person who shall no longer be named]. One called the National Archive to self-report the improperly stored documents. The other resisted every attempt by the Archive to retrieve presidential and classified documents. One recognized and acknowledged that the documents in his possession were not his and belonged to the National Archive. The other persists to this day in claiming the documents are his and his alone. One has cooperated with authorities to get the discovered documents where they belong. The other has obstructed every attempt by the government to retrieve and properly store the government’s document, so much so that the government had to a resort of obtaining a judicially approved search warrant and having the FBI to carry out the warrant.

The worst part of President Biden’s classified document situation is, 45POTUS believes Biden’s self-inflicted fiasco gives him a get-out-of-jail-free card that negates the entire Mar-a-Lago search and classified documents trove problem. Neither are the same . . . the only common thread is hundreds of classified documents versus a dozen documents. While mishandling of classified documents and presidential records are another element the two cases share, only one has obstructed justice.

Lastly, none of us should care who a defendant is or care about any of the social factors associated with a defendant. The only thing that should matter is did the defendant break the law. If so, the defendant should be charged, tried, convicted, and punished for the crime. 45POTUS does not receive a get-out-of-jail-free card.

 

In the category of the crazies are not confined to Arizona, we have the following news item:

“Wyoming wants to phase out sales of new EVs by 2035 – It's a symbolic gesture aimed at states like California.”

by Igor Bonifacic – Weekend Editor

Engadget

Published: Sun, January 15, 2023, 1:07 PM MST

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/wyoming-wants-to-phase-out-sales-of-new-e-vs-by-2035-200704042.html

This insanity of this effort in Wyoming defies all logic, reason, and responsibility. We have such a very long way to go to overcome this damnable MAGA absurdity.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1095:

Comment to the Blog:

“Compare last week’s Speaker of the House debacle to those in 1856 and 1859-60. The analogy to today fits in its factionalism. Also, one dominant party, the Whigs, fell apart in those times. A new party, the Republicans, emerged. Who will arise as the Republicans fall apart? Several possibilities exist. The equivalence fails in other ways. Today’s fighters seek only power; there’s no enormous policy issue like slavery to fight over. In addition, the sectionalism that enabled the Civil War isn’t in play.

“I’ve seen a rumor on Twitter that one of the Republican Rejects will move to remove McCarthy today.

“Let’s hope the Brazilian government takes more decisive action against its insurrectionists than the U.S. has. Their chief villain is reportedly hiding in Florida, but Brazil can still make the point.

“I still worry that 45POTUS might die before being charged.”

My response to the Blog:

I can and will agree with your assessment of our contemporary political situation. There are, indeed, many appropriate comparisons between 1856-1860 and 2020-2023. The violence of the insurrection is not equivalent to the attack of Fort Sumter, South Carolina [12.4.1861], but the events of 6.January.2021 took us far closer to that threshold than we ever were since 1860. We are not through this period of serious threat to our representative democracy. Semper vigilans et semper fidelis.

I would not be surprised. The new House rules were passed on a strict party line vote (with only two exceptions: Gonzales against, and Crenshaw not voting). I would not be surprised if one of the MAGA resisters reaching for chaos after their display in the Speaker voting. It is going to be a very rocky two years.

Yeah, and there are rumbling of extradition for Bolsonaro, but no official action by Brazil, just yet. I sure hope Brazil makes a very strong point. There are differences between Brazil’s violence and our version, but they were both violent, nonetheless. We shall see what Brazil does. Our actions are still ongoing, so there is hope Perpetrator No.1 sees justice for his instigation of the insurrection.

I am with you on that one. 45POTUS must live, be charged, prosecuted, convicted, and sent to prison for the sake of history, if nothing else. No president has the authority to incite an insurrection. We must make a very clear statement for history.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-) 

09 January 2023

Update no.1095

Update from the Sunland

No.1095

2.1.23 – 8.1.23

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

 

To all,

 

Once again, we witness history being made and not the kind we want. We have not seen this sort of history since 1860, when it took 44 ballots and two months to finally elect Representative William Pennington of New Jersey as Speaker of the House. That speaker election took place as the clouds of a brutal civil war gathered. The 2023 speaker election was not as contentious as that one, but it was the most contentious in our lifetime. It was crystal clear before the process began that Representative Kevin Owen McCarthy of California was more than willing to sell his soul to the devil to become speaker. The voting for the 2023 election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, 3.January.2023, with votes 1 – 3 on Tuesday, 4 – 6 on Wednesday; 7 -11 on Thursday, 12 -14 on Friday, and McCarthy finally won early Saturday morning by picking off the MAGA fBICP opposition and then convincing the holdouts [six (6)] to vote present, which lowered the threshold for a simple majority of votes cast from 218 to 215. The vote concluded on Saturday, 7.January.2023 at 00:34 [R] EST—216 (McCarthy) – 212 (Jefferies) – 6 (present) – 0 (not voting). McCarthy appears to have seriously emasculated the speakership to achieve the win. He will now reap the whirlwind.

As the deadlock continued through the week, the MAGA fBICP dissenters offered a passel of other candidates through the various ballots including Representatives Byron Lowell Donalds of Florida, Kevin Ray Hern of Oklahoma, and James Daniel ‘Jim’ Jordan of Ohio. Then, as if they wanted to show how freakin’ desperate they were, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida nominated [the person who shall no longer be named]—the very singular man who inspired, encouraged, and stimulated the January 6th insurrection—to be speaker of the House. Can you imagine? Fortunately, Gaetz was the only malcontent to vote for that conman snake-oil salesman.

McCarthy will now attempt to herd cats and preside over a cabal of fascists, election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and insurrectionists. We have definitely given the inmates the keys to the asylum. Crazy is going to get even crazier. Strap in, it is going to be a rough ride for the next two years.

 

The cancer of [the person who shall no longer be named] has spread to Brazil. After the electoral defeat of the wannabe-dictator former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, his supporters decided to storm the capital in Brasilia in a copy-cat insurrection of our January 6th version. Bolsonaro stoked false conspiracy theories that his election had been stolen from him rather than he just lost. As of Sunday evening, the riot is still on-going, and the military has apparently been called out to restore peace to the capital. Monday morning, as I was editing this week’s Update, the government reported that order had been restored after considerable damage to government buildings and 400 arrests so far.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1094:

Comment to the Blog:

“George Santos wasn’t vetted at all. Just to make politics more fun, the Republicans are splitting over who gets to be Speaker of the House. Hmmmm

“I’ve had a ‘passing’ thought several times now. The eloquent words of the Declaration of Independence are not law, but the Preamble to the Constitution is part of the ultimate in U.S. law. Those stated purposes directly oppose the current trend in POTUS rulings. Shouldn’t they guide the Court in its specific actions? How could we use that?”

My response to the Blog:

Exactly! Clearly, the Republican Party failed, or perhaps the fBICP only cares about loyal votes in the House and could not care less about false and fraudulent candidates. Put this experience against other highly questionable candidates like Walker, Greene, Gaetz, Gosar, et al, and we begin to see a very troubling trend. Even the representative for our district, David Schweikert, has criminal conduct as a representative of We, the People, that has yet to be prosecuted, and he still gets re-elected despite my vote against him.

Yeah, today is the opening 118th Congress and the voting for Speaker. It should be a very interesting day. McCarthy’s duplicity in the BIG LIE disqualifies him in my book. But, the fBICP continues to elect these guys, and with each disgusting action, they move farther away from me. They do not care. They only care about power by any means that does not land them in prison, and even at that they are pressing the threshold. There are more of us than there are of them. We simply must vote and take control from that bunch.

The situation with SCOTUS is an entirely different matter. Unfortunately, we shall suffer the current bench for decades. While the majestic words of the U.S. Constitution Preamble should guide us, I have rarely seen those words quoted in SCOTUS rulings. To the fBICP, “domestic Tranquility” means the entire nation submits to their dicta, and the “Blessings of Liberty” are only those approved by the fBICP. I do NOT share their interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.

We failed to vote the fBICP into oblivion. We get another opportunity in a couple of years. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

 

Another contribution:

“OK Bud, what’s the next move with the person who’s name I cannot and will not mention. Yes, over here he’s also as popular as a pork pie in a Synagogue!”

My reply:

[The person who shall no longer be named] waits for the hammer to fall, which I am progressively more convinced is coming. He faces an array of felony charges from tax evasion, mishandling of classified documents, and of course insurrection (among many others). Here is my prediction. The charges will begin to become public in a few months. He will strive mightily to obstruct, deflect, delay, and otherwise do everything his remaining money will buy to stay out of court and out of prison. When he does go to court, he will attempt to mobilize his infected snake-oil minions to disrupt any judicial proceeding against him. I believe this is going to get much uglier before we make our way toward “brighter sunlit uplands.” His popularity over here is thinning among his believers. The rats will flee the sinking ship when charges begin to be filed in court. History is NOT going to treat him well.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

02 January 2023

Update no.1094

 Update from the Sunland

No.1094

26.12.22 – 1.1.23

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

 

To all,

 

Happy New Year!

 

Just when we thought (or at least I thought) we might be seeing the light at the end of a very dark tunnel that is the sad era of the person who shall no longer be named, we have begun to see his political offspring popping up all over. One of the worst examples has come to us in the form of Representative-elect George Anthony Devolder Santos of New York, who was recently elected in the 3rd District—north-central Long Island. We learned that Santos outright lied about everything in his biography (resume). His lies were not in a little typo sort of manner, but rather in huge, virtually the whole thing, kinda way. So much of his biography was blatantly false we have to question everything even his very name. Do we really know his name is actually George Santos?  Is that fraudulent as well?

He obtained his election by fraud. If anyone of us had lied on our resume like he did, oh hell at just a mere fraction of what he did, we would be fired for cause in an instant. There is no one to challenge his fraud except the law. He must be charged, tried, convicted and sent to prison for what he has done. It is my understanding that a criminal fraud investigation has been opened and his campaign finance disclosure is being scrutinized.

As bad as Santos was, why did not the Press research this man earlier? The fBICP probably knew of his falsehoods but chose to ignore them because he was one of them.

To me, this sort of fraudulent behavior and especially on the magnitude of this crime, we have only one person to blame— the person who shall no longer be named. He has pitched fake news just like his worthless snake-oil elixir, blasting anyone and everyone who does not speak or write glowingly glorious words about him as fake news. He has set the standard of conduct, and he continues to reinforce the new standard with his persistence in the BIG LIE. Yet, despite the offensive behavior, the far greater tragedy is the fBICP will defend Santos because they need his vote, and he will vote the way they want because he will be grateful for their support in pulling him out of the pickle he got himself into. The whole damn thing is nauseatingly disgusting commentary on American politics.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1093:

Comment to the Blog:

“I’ve survived another ‘season of giving’ without major damage. I look forward to ending 2022.

“We shall see whether Merrick Garland and Jack Smith have the backbone to go after the most important criminal they will ever face. I’d be glad to see the other offenders you named finally get their just deserts.

“Legal documents often use synonyms for writers’ reasons. ‘Legally dubious’ and ‘unlawful’ are near synonyms, with different connotations.

“Any political party wants to control the political narrative. Musk wants to control everything.”

My response to the Blog:

Thank goodness for small blessings. After three years of pandemic, a lying, insurrectionist, former president, and Russian naked hegemonic aggression in Ukraine, I am ready for a brighter New Year as well.

I do not think I would have chosen the adjective ‘important’ in this context. ‘Prominent’ might be a better word choice. I do agree. That man is not going to go quietly into the night. I would not be surprised in the slightest, if once charges are filed and a court & judge are assigned for the trial, he may try to mobilize his minions to overwhelm the court and judicial system to obstruct or interfere with any trial, i.e., make the trial process a graphic shitshow. I believe a bunch of insurrectionists in Congress, e.g., Jordan, Gaetz, Green, Biggs, Gosar, et al, should be charged, tried, convicted and imprison for what they did to enable the insurrection. I also think they should face the same 14th Amendment, Article 3 disqualification from public office. H.R.7906 is an attempt to do just that. Yes, the “one man” at the root of it all must be tried, convicted, and sent to prison for a very long time, and I do not mean one of those minimum-security facilities. He should be confined in a Super Max incommunicado, never to be heard from again until his death is recorded.

Yes, indeed! In hindsight, I do not think I answered his query. “How can it be legally dubious but also unlawful?” I should have said, there are many laws that do not define due process and punishment. Case in point, the 14thAmendment, Article 3. It states that insurrectionists should not hold public office, but it does not establish due process to charge, try, convict and punish insurrectionists. To me, that is dubious law, and yet I see the meaning as clearly and emphatically unlawful—morally if not legally. The HSCJ6 recommended specific legislation to clarify and defined the criminal charge of insurrection and the consequences like any other crime.

Thank you. That was what I wanted to say. Every spin doctor for any reason including the political arena would advocate to control the political narrative. The implication is the article is suppression of free speech. I do not see it that way. I think the fBICP advocates for anything goes—no rules, while the Democrats are seeking some form of propriety.

 . . . Round two:

“I’ll use ‘important’ to describe 45POTUS. Nasty or not, he was elected president. That made him important. I note again that he is old, unhealthy, and under great stress. Thus, he could easily die suddenly. A lingering illness would be worse for both him and the country. I can’t even guess what will happen to the lesser villains.

“The political narrative ought to be balanced by a free press and by other voices than the parties. However, oligarchs owning outlets and the nature of social media have thrown monkey wrenches into that process.

“Have a good and/or productive day,”

 . . . my response to round two:

Your choice, my friend. Freedom is a glorious thing. Yes, he was 45POTUS. The office deserves respect, but he did not respect the office he was elected to serve. He urinated on everything. The man did not respect the office; I do not respect him. Yes, he could die instantly, as each of us might. I do not care how ill he may be—physically, mentally, or emotionally. That conman huckster deserves to spend his remaining days as a guest of We, the People.

I absolutely agree with your assessment of the political landscape. We are in a transition period where we try to come to grips with the new terrain, kind of like other technology advances, e.g., telegraph, railroads, airline travel, Internet, et al. Newspapers are still adjusting. Our processing of information is still evolving. Whether we can eventually clean this mess up and preserve our freedoms and rights is yet to be seen.

My days continue to be productive. I am finishing up chapter 10 of To So Few – Victory, the 11th book of the TSF series. Good production for me.

 . . . Round three:

“I never said 45POTUS was worthy of respect. I said he was important; that’s not the same. If he dies or falls severely ill, he escapes trial.”

 . . . my response to round three:

Your choice; I spoke my peace.

I suppose Hitler, Putin, Mao Tse Tung, et al, are important in this context. I simply struggle with that recognition. To me, he (they) are no different from Al Capone or Bernie Madoff. Hitler did good things, but his bad things vastly overshadow the good . . . kinda like 45POTUS.

I do not want him to escape trial. I want (we need) him to feel the humiliation of prison for what he has done. History needs it. We need the silence of his imprisonment.

 

Another contribution:

“Good day young man. Thanks for your new year wishes, yes we have a lot of concerns in this world of ours. The world that we humans are still capable of destroying.

“Seriously Cap the statements you have forwarded to us sound very much like the end for a certain individual, but seriously will he accept these charges as we would or again will he claim they are dishonesties and falsehoods? Is there any future in these accusations? Many of us hope so but he is as devious as a rattle snake if a jam jar. Keep your eyes open bud.”

My reply:

Oh my, yes . . . we have ample worries. We can always hope that one day we, as a species, will mature and find a way to identify and constrain bad men before they can inflict such destruction on the common good. There is always hope . . . until there isn’t.

Yes, the news from and around that man is frightening. Worse, his penchant for lying and false statements is spreading to other politicians who believe his conduct was acceptable. I fully expect charges to come soon. He will delay and obstruct progress to a trial. Once he is in the dock, he will do everything he can to make a mockery and spectacle of the proceedings. As I wrote earlier, his character suggests he may make another pass at a coup d’état focused on the Judiciary. This phase will take years to complete, but I must say I hope he lives and I live to make more history as he enters a maximum security prison for the rest of his days. We will gain a small semblance of peace. He has too many minions and consumers of his snake-oil to hope for silence, but we can chip away at the nonsense he spews on We, the People.

Yes, he will vomit his usual “I’m the victim” drivel. We must listen and confront. I remain confident the methodical judicial due process will grind through his gibberish to the end. I expect he will eventually feel the full weight of justice for what he has done.

Yes, my friend. Semper vigilans et Semper Fidelis.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)