Update no.1131

 Update from the Sunland

No.1131

11.9.23 – 17.9.23

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

 

To all,

 

This week, on the 15^th of September, we remember Battle of Britain Day. On this day, 83 years ago, when a comparatively few British fighter pilots, augmented by Commonwealth and Allied pilots including seven American volunteer pilots, turned the tide. The German leadership recognized that they were not going to achieve air superiority over Southeast England before adverse autumnal weather set in, which practically made a cross-Channel amphibious and airborne operation impossible. German Chancellor Hitler postponed Operation SEALION, the invasion of England, until at least the following spring. As history recorded, he unleashed The Blitz through the winter and eventually turned his attention to the Soviet Union.  The Few, as they became known, defied all of the odds to hold the much larger and more experienced Luftwaffe and staved off the Wehrmacht cross-Channel invasion widely considered inevitable and unstoppable. While the epic three-month air battle over Southeast England changed the course of the war and arguably saved Great Britain from Nazi subjugation, the great air battle stands in the annals of history as one of the most ‘against all odds’ pivotal battles in human warfare. Without England for staging the OVERLORD invasion, the liberation of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany would have been monumentally more difficult. The war would have been much longer and costlier. All freedom-loving people owe an unpayable debt of gratitude to those Few fighter pilots who stood to the ramparts and held the enemy at bay.

 

Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin Owen McCarthy of California finally caved in to the threat from the fBICP ultra-right segment apparently led by Representative Matthew Louis ‘Matt’ Gaetz II of Florida. McCarthy announced on Tuesday that he had directed several committees of the House to open impeachment inquiries against President Biden. The inquiry will be led by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in coordination with the Ways and Means Committee and the Judiciary Committee.

Like the BIG LIE, the fBICP have no discernible public evidence, only conspiracy theories, innuendo, and accusations. The BIG LIE has no facts. This action has no facts. The move appears to be juvenile retribution for a perceived wrong.

Now, that said, if they believe they have the evidence, present it, but stop these damnable accusations, innuendo, and suggestions. We are not interested in your opinions and beliefs. Hard evidence! If the president committed high crimes and misdemeanors, then he should be impeached. However, if this is just political retribution to feed ihr Anführer, then damn you all to hell for wasting our time and money.

 

On Wednesday, 13.September.2023, Senator Willard Mitt Romney of Utah announced he would not stand for re-election next year. He had some very poignant and incisive observations to share. Mitt noted, “A very large portion of my party really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.” My observations say spot on, Mitt. That is precisely how I see things, I am sad to say. The fBICP is embracing autocracy and even dictatorship in order to retain their dwindling power and influence.

In two years’ worth of interviews with Romney. American journalist McKay Coppins observed that Romney was wrestling with the related questions, “Was the authoritarian element of the GOP a product of President Trump, or had it always been there, just waiting to be activated by a sufficiently shameless demagogue? And what role had the members of the mainstream establishment—people like [Romney], the reasonable Republicans—played in allowing the rot on the right to fester?”

To me, the answers are simple. Despite the protestations and shenanigans of Florida Governor DeSantis, discrimination, segregation, xenophobia, and all the other ‘not like me’ phobias have been a part of our history. The far-right has existed in this country longer than the Republic in many forms like neo-fascists, neo-Nazis, KKK, Aryan Nation, Sovereign-Citizens, Tea Party, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, et al ad infinitum ad nauseum. We can go back in history to see established laws that banned all religions other than Protestant Christianity, imposed indentured servitude (slavery), prohibited Chinese and Japanese immigration, segregated whites from all other races, et al ad infinitum ad nauseum. Far-right beliefs and conduct have been passed down from parents to their children since colonists arrived on this continent. [The person who shall no longer be named] did not invent or create such far-right ideology; it has been among us for centuries. What he did accomplish was bring his skills as a conman, huckster, grifter, and snake-oil salesman to harness those disparate but like-minded far-right extremists and gave them a voice . . . public voice at the highest levels of our government. Tiny gave them respectability, and they returned his advocacy with their unwavering loyalty and support. So, yes, Mitt, you are spot on correct; from Tiny himself to his loyal far-right supporters, none of them believe in the Constitution. Further, despite the solemn oath of office sworn under God by many of them, none of them defend the Constitution.

Nonetheless, another moderate Republican voice steps aside. We shall see if a radical picks up the gauntlet and whether Utah becomes more divisive and farther to the right. The World turns.

 

On Wednesday, U.S District Judge Andrew Scott Hanen of the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division, issued the latest judicial ruling in years’ worth of judicial pronouncements on the matter of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program—Texas v. United States [USDC TX SD, Brownsville Division Case 1:18-cv-00068 (2023)]. The case has been up and down the judicial tiers several times. Judge Hanen summarized the genesis of the DACA program as well as the litany of litigation that ensued. In articulating the problems with the DACA program, Judge Hanen observed in his conclusion, “The solution for these deficiencies lies with the legislature, not the executive or judicial branches. Congress, for any number of reasons, has decided not to pass DACA-like legislation.” The Dreamers, as the qualified individuals are popularly known, have been in legal limbo for decades. The reality is, that this is the only country they have known, and they have been a political football being kicked this way and that for decades.  President Obama sought to put a bandage on the problem as was his responsibility. Of course, the fBICP objected, as is their right. Congress’ blatant and persistent inaction leaves the Executive with little to no alternative but to act for the public or common good.

The people affected by the DACA program are human beings who followed their parents into this country. They committed no crime or offense against the United States. After years of inaction by Congress, President Obama took appropriate executive action to alleviate the crisis and provide some stability for the Dreamers. God bless him. The common public good cannot and must not be held hostage to the ridiculous tribalism of a willful minority—the far-right Freedom Caucus. Nonetheless, Judge Hanen has chosen to throw the DACA issue back into uncertainty, instability, and intransigence. This latest ruling will undoubtedly be appealed to the Circuit Court of Appeals and ultimately the Supreme Court . . . again! We are waiting for a permanent resolution.

 

On Thursday, Special Counsel David Charles Weiss filed a three-count indictment against Robert Hunter Biden, the president’s son—United States v. Biden [USDC DE Case 1:23-cr-00061-MN (2023)]. All three charges stem from Hunter’s application for a firearm purchase in October 2018 while he was allegedly addicted to crack cocaine, a federal crime. Weiss felt the pressure of the statute of limitations, which would run out this coming October 12^th. 

From the indictment, Hunter broke the law. He deserves to be tried and punished for his crimes. It does not matter who his father is or parents are. However, there are more than a few aspects of this case that bother me. 

First and foremost, he possessed the pistol for 11 days. He committed no crimes with that pistol. He did not intimidate or threaten anyone while in possession of that pistol. The weapon was apparently never even loaded while he possessed it. Second, his drug use was not a matter in the public domain. By all public information, he was a functional addict, who committed no other crimes nor inflicted no injuries on anyone else. Third, the particular laws cited in the indictment are very rarely used by themselves; they are usually attached to other more serious crimes, e.g., robbery, burglary, assault. Fourth, the sequence of events surrounding this case leaves me very suspicious. Weiss was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for Delaware by POTUS45 and immediately began investigating Hunter Biden. President Biden retained Weiss largely due to the ongoing investigation to avoid any accusations of favoritism toward his son. Weiss was the one who reached the earlier plea deal with Hunter. After the deal collapsed in court and under considerable political pressure from the fBICP in Congress, the Attorney General appointed Weiss as special counsel, again to avoid any sense of impropriety. Lastly, the far-right Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives has been the most vociferous in demanding this prosecution, which makes me inherently suspicious. I find very little I can agree with or support that is espoused by that bunch in Congress.

All that said, at the bottom line, Hunter Biden appears to have broken the specified laws. If the charges are prosecuted and proven in court, then Hunter deserves to be punished. However, the whole case leaves me with a very vile aftertaste of selective prosecution for political purposes. What are those purposes you ask? To give Tiny a tit-for-tat talking point to extend his grift of the American people. It is what it is; so be it.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1130:

Comment to the Blog:

“I’d be happier if the ‘wheels of justice’ ground a bit faster, especially in the January 6, 2021, cases. It’s already been 2 ½ years; by this time the punishment isn’t associated with the crime in the minds of MAGAts.

“Someone pointed out that Tiny uses Vince McMahon of professional wrestling fame as a role model and that makes sense. Also, it’s not really important whether Tiny’s sincere and insane or just a con man. Countering his actions is what counts.

“Your other commentator is confusing. Does he have some evidence that “the community feels a parent is incompetent or incapable” in the case of a transgender child? That makes no sense.”

My response to the Blog:

Likewise, my friend. The wheels of justice turn oh so slowly. Respectfully, for the MAGAts, the potential punishments were never associated with his multiple crimes. They never recognized those crimes for ihr Anführer.

Yes, it does make sense—pretend & fantasy for entertainment. Truth and knowledge are the only counters I can think of.

I believe s/he was hypothesizing as to the reason for conservative legal action to interfere. They seem to have a perception that anyone who holds transgender thoughts cannot be sane or rational, and must be “protected.” As the social conservatives seek to do in so many instances, rejection and denial are the go-to position; status quo or even status quo ante are preferred. They seem to refuse to understand the medical matter of gender dysphoria. Superimposed on this personal private matter is the penchant to dictate conduct to all people based on their beliefs, feelings, and values. Freedom of choice seems to be only applicable or acceptable when you choose or behave as they wish. I still do not understand why social conservatives feel compelled to use the law to impose their beliefs on everyone not like them.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“I have a thought rather than an argument. Judging others’ thoughts and decisions about their own lives or those they’re responsible for, especially when those others have sought professional advice, ought to be a named disorder. Instead, we just call it ‘obsessiveness’ or ‘control issues.’”

 . . . my follow-up response:

“OK; thanks for that. I tend to agree.”

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)