Update no.1110

Update from the Sunland

No.1110

17.4.23 – 23.4.23

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

 

To all,

 

After a three-day delay to correct a faulty pressurization valve, SpaceX launched their massive heavy lift booster and Starship at 08:34 [S] CDT on Thursday, 20.April.2023, from SpaceX Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas. The mission was an unmanned, suborbital test flight. The flight plan called for a flight with less than one orbit and Starship re-entry and “soft splashdown” north of Kauai, Hawaii. The stack up for this mission included Starship 24 on top of Super Heavy Lift Booster (SHLB) 7—the first flight of the combination.

The SHLB is nearly 400 feet high and 30 feet in diameter, with 33 Raptor engines arrayed in three concentric circles. The SHLB develops 16M pounds of thrust at full power, two times the thrust of the Saturn V first stage booster. The design is intended for both the SHLB and Starship to be reusable—another first for space flight.

It was reported that five (5) of the 33 SHLB engines failed to light off at launch. From observation, between max Q (maximum dynamic pressure) and planned Main Engine Cutoff (MECO) and before booster separation, two more engines were lost. All seven engines were in one hemisphere of the array. Several flashes were noted among the exhaust plume suggesting there were other engine problems as well. It appears to me that the loss of those engines on one side exceeded the gimbal limits of the control engines resulting in the loss of attitude control. The stack tumbled several times before the Flight Termination System (FTS) was activated, which destroyed the booster and starship over the Gulf of Mexico in what was referred to as a “rapid unplanned disassembly.”

While SpaceX seeks to portray this test flight as a success, neither the booster nor the Starship landed where they were expected to splashdown. The loss of attitude control is clearly a failure by my reckoning. On the positive side, no one was injured or property damaged. SpaceX will analyze the data, learn precisely what happened when and presumably why, so that corrections can be made. 

 

The follow-up news items:

-- On 8.January.2020, the Islamic Republic of Iran fired 17 ballistic missiles at Allied airbases in Iraq [939]. No one was killed in the attack, but 50+ were injured and substantial property damage done. A few hours later, expecting retaliation, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired two SA-15 missiles and destroyed Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 two minutes after takeoff from Tehran [939], killing all 176 people on board, including 82 Iranians and more than 50 Canadians. On Sunday, 16.April.2023, the IRI announced the conviction and sentencing of the SA-15 battery commander and nine others for the dreadful mistake.

-- Dominion Systems and Fox News reached a settlement in the defamation case against Fox News— Dominion v. Fox[DE SupCt Case No.N21C-11-082-EMD (2021)] [1101]. Dominion agreed to accept the settlement of US787.5M to abandon their original claim of US$1.6B. The jury had been selected and sworn in. The opening arguments were set to begin when the judge announced the settlement.

I regret that Dominion decided to take the settlement. History needs a trial and judgment by a jury of our peers to set in stone the facts of Fox News malfeasance. Now, Dominion has their money, and We, the People, will be subjected to the incessant spin by each side. I am delighted Dominion received substantial compensation for the damage cause by the persistent lies broadcast by Fox News. Unfortunately, the settlement does not punish Fox News for incalculable damage done to election integrity of this once grand republic. Whether we can recover from Fox News’ lies is yet to be seen.

Of course, what would contemporary events be without the drivel comments from Marjorie Taylor Greene (AKA MTG).

Marjorie Taylor Greene

We have food critics that criticize restaurants, consumer reports that criticizes products, auto critics that criticize automobiles, and conservative Americans have just wrapped up a week of nuking a beer company, but you can’t criticize a voting machine company or you’ll get sued for millions and millions of dollars.

3:35 PM · Apr 18, 2023

MTG aside, next up for Fox News in Smartmatic suit, which is a similar defamation suit seeking US$2.7B from Fox News for the channel’s lies about their voting machines and malfeasance in the 2020 election. The cost for Fox News is not done. Perhaps Fox News will eventually feel the full weight of justice for what they have perpetrated on the United States of America.

-- In the continuing saga of the rogue social conservative judge and the banning of RU-486 for everyone {Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration [USDC ND TX Amarillo Div. 2:22-CV-223-Z (2023)] [1109], the Supremes issued a stay of Kacsmaryk’s order [7.4.23; 1109]—U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine [598 U.S. 22A902 (2023)]. Two justices dissented (Thomas & Alito). Justice Thomas simply stated that he would deny the petition for a stay (and allow Kacsmaryk’s injunction to go into effect. At least, Justice Alito had the courtesy to give his rationale . . . for what that’s worth. He offered his opinion, not a judicial judgment, and he would deny the application for a stay just because he does not like abortions. The Supremes agreed to the stay, pending the assessment of the case by the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals that is expected next month. I am grateful the wiser minds prevailed in this instance, at last until the final decision is rendered.

 

The world is a diverse and magnificent place. I read a comparably diverse spectrum of opinions, views, beliefs, and perspectives from the far right to the far left on a wide variety of topics. Every once in a while, an opinion stimulates me to tickle the keys. Here is one such opinion.

“Choose”

by Nancy Plencner

Fountain Hills Times

Published: Apr 12, 2023

https://www.fhtimes.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/choose/article_7225d24c-d890-11ed-83dd-53cda10932c2.html

"Independents are a mystery to me. Exactly what do they believe? The unaffiliated non-partisans speak in holier than thou tones that really turn me off. Apparently, they did not take their civics or government classes seriously.

"America is a Constitutional Republic with two distinct parties, which in my lifetime have become further and further apart, thus making it easier to choose.

"Either you are for a massive, centralized government that restricts and bans or you embrace the rights guaranteed under the Constitution. As a Republican I choose personal responsibility, believe in work there is honor and having choices, about how to live free to make my own decisions. I do not want, nor need, the government “protecting” me, or “making investments for me,” or parenting my children. So, how could I ever be supportive of a party that advocates for things I don’t believe in or would ever tolerate?

"If you honestly think the past two years have been great, that the border is secure, the banks just fine (what inflation?), the economy is great, that we are not on the brink of WW3, then go and make nice-nice with the local Democrats. I’m unabashed about what I stand for. I don’t hate Democrats, I just hate their policies and what they are doing to the country.

"While enjoying all the freedoms, Independents won’t join in the process or stand up for some basic ideals. How do they determine who to vote for if not based on some principles? So, if you are an Independent, I invite you to check out the Republican Club. April’s meeting is on April 15 at the Community Center, 8:30 a.m. You would find our values to your liking. Sheriff Mark Lamb is our speaker."

All submittals to the Opinion column of the newspaper were limited to 300 words. I had to had to edit my draft to comply. In this forum, I can share my draft prior to trimming it down for submission to the newspaper.

Fountain Hill Times, April 12, 2023, Opinion

An answer to Nancy Plencner’s letter:

Ms. Plencner asked, “Exactly what do [Independents] believe?”

I do not and cannot speak for all independents. I have been and remain an “unaffiliated non-partisan” since I entered adulthood and gained the right to vote. I believed it was most appropriate to register to vote as an unaffiliated non-partisan, since I was a lieutenant of Marines, and the military of the United States of America is apolitical. Thus, I can answer Ms. Plencner’s query as just one independent citizen.

I believe in We, the People, democracy, the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the common laws of this grand republic. I do not believe in political tribalism. I do not swear allegiance or loyalty to any political party—only to the U.S. Constitution. Political parties are not mentioned in the Constitution or any other of our founding documents. Political parties are the exception not the norm. We are all Americans . . . not Republicans, Democrats, Greens, Libertarians, or any other political party members. In fact, political party affiliation is a social affectation and evolved many years after the ratification of the Constitution.

I could address each of Plencner’s ‘Republican’ statements; however, I do not want Ms. Plencner to feel I am attacking her tribe or political beliefs. She is entitled to believe whatever she wishes for whatever reasons she wishes. What she is NOT entitled to do is impose her political beliefs on any other citizen. The tribalism of ‘us’ or ‘them’ is exactly why we are in the political predicament we are in today. I will only state, as an independent, that I vote for the best candidate on the ballot no matter what political party s/he may be affiliated with.

Lastly, I will suggest Ms. Plencner would be well-served to read (or re-read) the U.S. Constitution. It is worth the time and effort. American democracy is not pretty. It is messy, ugly, wasteful, and grossly time consuming, but it is the best form of governance in the world, infinitely better than autocracy or any other form of authoritarian governance. I appreciate Ms. Plencner’s invitation to attend the Republican Club, but I shall respectfully decline. I will most emphatically not join and will vote against any political party that bans books, denies a woman’s fundamental right to privacy, denies the process and results of elections, and otherwise attempts to impose its values, beliefs, and opinions on everyone else. Instead of fighting each other, how about let us try working together to improve this grand republic. Respectful dissent and debate are essential to any viable democracy.

Thank you for reading and thinking. Have a great day.

Cheers,

Cap

To the other Independents out there, what is your answer to Ms. Plencner’s query?

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1109:

Comment to the Blog:

“Why is the Comstock Act of 1873 still US law? Judge Kacsmaryk is known to litigators for making conservative rulings, fact and law notwithstanding.

“You didn’t say why Liz Harris’s witness was offensive.

“I read Stormy Daniels’ memoir. It’s well-written and insightful.”

My response to the Blog:

Very good question. My answer: Congress never got around to repealing the law, despite the fact that it was superseded by numerous Supreme Court rulings. Unfortunately, the Supremes never dealt with the Comstock Act directly . . . just its effects in piecemeal fashion. The Comstock Act was a ridiculous and grossly inappropriate law when it was passed in 1873. Whether Congress gets around to repealing the foolish law is yet to be seen.

That was precisely my point. Kacsmaryk is the go-to federal judge for social conservatives seeking to impose their opinions on everyone else. The Supremes are expected to render judgment on Kacsmaryk’s Alliance v. FDA ruling in the next two days.

You are correct. I did not think it necessary beyond my ‘fellow travelers” descriptor. The witness in question was a female insurance agent Jacqueline Breger, a woman from Gilbert, Arizona, who was also a publicly professed QAnon believer and wild conspiracist. Breger had made myriad accusations without a shred of physical evidence—just accusations. A number of Breger’s (and Harris’s) accusations are patently false and easily proven false. The Republican-controlled Arizona House objected.

Likewise, I also read Stormy Daniels’ memoir. I agree. It was well written and insightful. I have listened to her public statements in addition to reading her book, and I find her infinitely more believable than Tiny.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)