Update no.1167

 Update from the Sunland

No.1167

20.5.24 – 26.5.24

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

 

To all,

 

The follow-up news items:

-- “The Defense rests.” On Tuesday, the Defense in the criminal fraud case against [the person who shall no longer be named]—People of New York v. Trump [NYSC, Cty of NY Indictment No. 71543/2023] [1107]—concluded their presentation to the jury. The court was adjourned giving the jury a long holiday weekend. Both counsels are in negotiations with the judge on the instructions that will be given to the jury, presumably next week. The talking heads are going wild in their armchair analysis of the state of the jury and the likelihood for conviction, acquittal, or mistrial. We shall soon know one way or another.

 

On Wednesday, in an unusual and precipitous move, Spain, Norway, and Ireland unilaterally announced they would recognize the Palestinian state in a few weeks. There are many odd and troubling aspects of this move. But first, I have long advocated for a full-fledged Palestinian state to serve the Palestinian people. Where I think this unilateral action is misguided at best and poorly timed is how do you have a Palestinian state with no functional government. How do we recognize Palestine, when the de facto rulers (Hamas) have attacked another sovereign state, killed more than a thousand of their innocent citizens, and kidnapped hundreds of their citizens? Recognition of statehood for the West Bank Palestinians would have been more appropriate. The Palestinian Authority is woefully corrupt and barely functional, but they are functional; they are the government chosen by the West Bank Palestinians. Gaza can be brought up to that qualification level, but not now. Hamas is cheering the actions of Spain, Norway, and Ireland, and rightly so; it is a major win for their policy of terrorism and violence.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1166:

Comment to the Blog:

“We’re still thrashing on the abortion issue here, despite passing a referendum that amended the State Constitution in favor of freedom.

“The NTSB report on the MV Dali collision with the Key Bridge interests me.

“Little Fingers’ distractions continue.

“I accept the verdicts of juries even if I do so skeptically. Little Fingers’ insane troops may not have the mental capacity for that. (See January 6.)

“One point of that article was that the police don’t exist “to protect and to serve” all of us, regardless of sloganeering. The Supreme Court decisions the article cited make that point.

“I made a comment on Robert Reich’s blog that I’ll repeat here. The hazard for Biden and Little Fingers isn’t each other. It’s voter doubt. Most of us don’t believe either of them will serve the masses well, and probably neither will survive the next term healthy enough to try.”

My response to the Blog:

I expect Arizona voters to make a clear statement this coming November. I suspect we shall enter a period of thrashing like Ohio. We must overcome and move to a more enlightened tomorrow.

Interests me as well. They dislodged and moved MV Dali back to the container dock to offload the ship, so they can make repairs to the vessel and return it to service.

Oh my, yes . . . as is his modus operandi. Closing arguments have been moved to next week to accommodate Memorial Day. So we are at least a week or two, maybe longer, before we have a verdict, even longer for a potential sentence.

Perhaps not, but we shall have to deal with the outcome of the trial one way or another. And that is what we shall do piece by piece.

That is not what the cited SCOTUS decisions said. They were about limited immunity or liability. I do agree that we can argue whether those rulings separate and do not support protecting the citizenry, but that was not the object of the Court’s pronouncement.

Yes, there is that doubt. As for me, there is no doubt that Biden is and will be orders of magnitude better than Little Fingers even if he does nothing. I would prefer nothing to the destruction that is sure to come if Little Fingers gets his slimy hands on the instruments of state again.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1166

 Update from the Sunland

No.1166

13.5.24 – 19.5.24

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

 

To all,

 

The follow-up news items:

-- At the request of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, the Arizona Supreme Court granted a 90-day stay to their order Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes [AZ SC No. CV-23-0005-PR (2024)] [U-1161], solving the gap problem [1164]. The action, while positive, still leaves inconsiderable uncertainty to every woman’s fundamental right to privacy and the reproductive rights she has available to her. The referendum on the November election ballot will clarify those right, hopefully.

-- Engineers working on the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse [1159] explosively cut a major problematic section of the bridge structure trapping the massive MV Dali cargo ship. The action is expected to allow the ship to be moved and hasten the clearance of the main channel serving Baltimore Harbor. The ship is expected to return to dock in Baltimore to off-load its containers and undergo repairs to make it seaworthy. I sure hope one of those repairs is the electrical system. We await the NTSB final report 

-- On Tuesday, the second day of testimony in the business fraud case, People of New York v. Trump [NYSC, Cty of NY Indictment No. 71543/2023] [1107], [the person who shall no longer be named] paraded out a bevy of Senate and House sycophant acolytes to New York City to do what he was forbidden to do by Judge Merchan’s gag order. Among those genuflected and kissing the ring that morning was the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. The others I can kind of understand, they want to remain on the good side of the Orange Jesus, but the Speaker of the House is the speaker of the House, NOT the speaker of the Republican Party and especially not the speaker of the MAGAts or even the Freedom Caucus. Republicans are apparently so bloody desperate to retain what power they have and some semblance of relevance they are readily willing to turn their backs on the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution itself. A very sad reality to watch. Those principles that have sustained us for centuries only matter as long as they win or get their way. Judge Merchan has gone out of his way to show deference to the defendant as the former president and current Republican presumptive nominee; I will argue the judge has gone far beyond what he would do with any other defendant. And yet, the defendant accuses the judge of being corrupt and the district attorney of being politically biased.

Little Fingers is not in the position he is in because of the judge, the district attorney, the president, the Justice Department, the deep state, Rocky & Bullwinkle, or anyone or any agency other than himself. He alone put himself in his current position as an accused felon criminal. He believes he is above the law. He is before the bench and a jury of his peers to be held accountable for his crimes. [The person who shall no longer be named] has only ONE person to blame for his predicament—look in the mirror—himself—no one else, period, full stop, shut the front door.

If he is found not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, I will accept the findings of the jury. If he is found guilty, I will accept the findings of the jury. Will Little Fingers do the same? That court room is exactly where he belongs for the charges he is on trial for committing. Several layers of judicial review have decided that the evidence is sufficient to establish probable cause. Now, the jury must decide his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, or not guilty. As for me, from the evidence I have seen, he is guilty. But hey, I thought exactly the same thing in the O.J. Simpson criminal trial [3.October.1995]. We await the jury’s verdict.

 

A reliable contributor to this humble forum sent this message:

“I'm forwarding this because you have the resources to research the Supreme Court decisions involved and because it makes some important points about mental health and law enforcement.”

with the link:

“How Many People Realize Police Have No Legal Duty to Protect Us? – This isn't clickbait, it's established Supreme Court precedent, and we need to talk about it if we're serious about public safety”

by Qasim Rashid

published May 17 [2024]

https://qasimrashid.substack.com/p/how-many-people-realize-police-have?r=mj11&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true

My response:

Thank you for forwarding the latest Rashid Blog post. An interesting, thought-provoking article I must say. First, per your message, his citation of two U.S. Supreme Court cases is accurate.

Deshaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services [489 U.S. 189 (1989)]

Castle Rock v. Gonzales [545 U.S. 748 (2005)] [186]

Where I differ with Rashid’s use of the cases is both decisions deal with liability within the context of the law. Like most government agencies, law enforcement enjoys limited immunity, largely with the intention of preventing the law enforcement and judicial structure from being overwhelmed by frivolous lawsuits. We see the phenomenon in reverse with the legal actions of Little Fingers, i.e., using his wealth to overwhelm opponents or entities he disagrees with. What Rashid comes close to connecting is the issue of liability with the serious matter of mental health services. Law enforcement exists to enforce the law; the law does not focus on mental or economic health matters. Thus, the issue is not law enforcement, it is the law. As a consequence, I think Rashid is pointing an accusatory finger at the wrong agency.

That said, Rashid makes some very good points with which we are in broad agreement. He cites the Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) pilot program deployed in Denver, Colorado, that provides limited services short of law enforcement for incidents of suspected mental health problems. By all accounts, the program has had palpable, demonstrable success in improving services to the community. All large cities have much to learn from the STAR program in Denver. We have agreed numerous times that mental health services intervention in numerous situations is a far more positive response than law enforcement. To that end, most cities are woefully deficient in creating and deploying such intermediate intervention services.

I offer a simple caution, mental health difficulties do not provide rationale or mitigation for offenses against public safety. When individuals threaten or cause damage or injury to others or property, a mental health incident becomes a law enforcement matter. No one can offend the public safety (break the law). Mental health problems can never be an excuse for such behavior.

At the bottom line, I would strongly support the establishment of STAR-type intermediate services to avoid using law enforcement for mental health incidents before they become public safety matters.

“That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”

With this follow-up comment:

“Law enforcement exists to maintain order. As those decisions illustrate, not to enforce the law.

“I will add a personal experience. Law enforcement officers can be trained in de-escalation. That is largely a matter of nonverbal communication, and I have seen it in action. I was on a bus a few months ago when an individual boarded who clearly had mental illness issues and also was a potential danger. When a local deputy arrived, he behaved very differently from traditional policing procedures, and he defused the incident with no harm to anyone. I’d love to see that kind of training become standard.

“The STAR type of service is also a proven practice. We can make law enforcement less dangerous to the public. Society has a duty to do that.”

And my follow-up response:

Well, that is difficult to argue against. Yes, absolutely, the law is configured to maintain order, to keep public intercourse within constraints to protect public safety. I do not understand why you apparently believe maintaining order is not enforcing the law. That said, we have far too many examples of selective prosecution by the justice system. That reality has existed since the founding of the republic. Our justice system and the government itself are administered by human beings, all flawed and vulnerable. Our republican, representative democracy was constructed as a valiant attempt to emplace checks and balances to minimize transgressions, but those transgressions still occur to this day.

I join you in advocating for a STAR-type community service operations agency. I also agree that society has a duty to institute such intermediate services. Mental health intervention is not a task for law enforcement until the safety of the public domain is threatened. Sometimes, there is a very fine line.

The next exchange in this thread:

“Mistaking ‘law’ and ‘order’ for the same thing is a fallacy.
https://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2018/7/9/17550116/trump-tweet-law-and-order

“STAR-type mental health intervention is shaping up to be a best practice. However, as you point out, some situations involve both mental health issues and the risk of violence. That is where de-escalation training shines. If the officer in the situation I experienced had responded from traditional police training, at least one person would have been injured or killed. That didn’t happen, and I appreciate that fact.”

With my response:

They are related, not separate. Ms. Smith offers an interesting argument. Yet, from my perspective, her rationale is the inverse of the far-right, deep-state-is-against-us drivel they continuously spew on all of us. I am somewhere in the middle. There is no debate that our justice system is imperfect, a work in progress at best.

That is how it seems to me. Results have been very positive from my perspective. I am glad the situation you witnessed turned out positively. We need many more of those positive outcomes. STAR-type community services are not a law enforcement matter; they are solely in the domain of the legislative function of government—Congress, legislatures, county commissioners, and city councils.

 

Thenauseating juxtaposition of the two staunchest strict constructionist, social conservative, associate justices on the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court being the least ethical of any person I have yet seen in government. Their righteous indignation rings hollow when we realize they have both accepted millions of dollars in benefits from wealthy conservative donors, and a U.S. senator is on trial for far less corruption. Alito is so bloody unethical that he throws his wife under the bus for flying at his home the United States flag upside down, a universal symbol of distress or surrender but in this case, an misappropriated symbol of the BIG LIE—“Stop the Steal.” Worse yet, they claim they have done nothing wrong and have shown absolutely no remorse or regret. Shame on them both.

 

A Word to the Wise: The election is six months away, and [the person who shall no longer be named] still leads in most (not all) national polls. The twice impeached, four times indicted, perpetrator of the BIG LIE, on trial for felonious crimes conman might still win the Electoral College vote in December despite the popular vote in November. We would be well advised to gird ourselves for another four years of boundless chaos, constitutional crises, and attempts to subvert the constitution that has sustained this once grand republic for 237 years. At the time, I thought the 60s and 70s were threatening the very fabric of the republic with the Vietnam War protests, the Cold War, civil rights protests, disrespect for the military, et al. But those days pale in comparison to the challenges we face today with Little Fingers, the MAGAts, the Freedom Caucus, et al. We must be prepared for what might happen.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1165:

Comment to the Blog:

“Little Fingers will need a very large jumpsuit if he keeps posting/talking.

“Judge Cannon would recuse herself from Little Fingers’ case or resign if she had ethical values.

“Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) has, probably unwittingly, finally forced the Republicans into bipartisan action. Your post points out that both parties have internal divisions.

“More importantly, several rule changes are overdue in Congress. The filibuster stands out and some of the committee chair rules are at least as important as MTG’s game.”

My response to the Blog:

Indeed, quite so . . . very large. He continues to probe the boundaries of the gag order. Today, he paraded out some of his sycophant acolytes in Congress, including the Speaker of the House, to circumvent the gag order for godsake. To me, all of these antics scream . . . guilty, guilty, guilty.

Agreed. Apparently, Cannon has no ethical values other than loyalty to ihr Lieber Anführer. The bill will come due.

I suspect MTG has many more unintended consequences of her insane machinations.

I would agree with that as well. I have long defended the filibuster as a means to induce cooperation and compromise. My enthusiasm for that task as been seriously and deeply corroded by the MAGAts. I am nearly to the point that the principle of the filibuster may well need to be sacrifices to break the contemporary insanity.

 . . . with follow-up comment:

“I could modify the filibuster to a continuous physical stand in the Senate Chamber. The current situation allows one Senator to submit a paper; that's not enough commitment. Various other procedural rules need to be modified or eliminated as well, such as the current method of getting rid of the Speaker of the House. A small minority ought not to be able to stop majority rule in ordinary circumstances.”

. . . my follow-up response:

I can accept that; the current rules are no longer acceptable. I will further argue the current rules are anti-democratic. The long and the short of it is, we need an overwhelming Democrat (or something other than Republican) Congress and White House to fix many of these issues. There is no form of democracy where a very small minority can stop the government’s operations. We see much more of just that as the former Republicans become progressively more desperate to retain their dwindling power, e.g., the MAGAt embrace of Christian nationalism (AKA white supremacy). Many portray the November election as a defense of democracy itself, and I could not agree more with those statements.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1165

 Update from the Sunland

No.1165

6.5.24 – 12.5.24

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

 

To all,

 

The follow-up news items:

-- [The person who shall no longer be named] was fined for two more violations of the gag order in the New York business fraud case—New York v. Trump [NYSCEF Index No. 452564/2022] [1134]. The judge said the fines have not worked. If the defendant continues to violate the gag order, he would order jail time for the former president and candidate for president if he did not cease and desist. After the admonishment on Monday, Little Fingers went to the Press and stated, “I would rather go to jail than comply with the gag order.” He is daring the judge to put him in jail. So the line has been drawn. He has not gone to jail yet. I guess he wants to be a martyr to further his grift of the American people. This insanity must end.

-- Judge Cannon, the presiding judge in the classified documents case against [the person who shall no longer be named] {United States v. Trump [USDC SDFL Case no. 9:23-cr-80101-AMC] [1117], indefinitely postponed the start of the trial citing too many serious motions she has not yet ruled on. The judge has given the principal defendant exactly what he sought—delay, delay, delay.

My opinion, for what it is worth, Judge Cannon is incompetent and quite likely a case of biased incompetence. She should be replaced as soon as possible. From my perspective, she is way over her head. If her postponement holds, Little Fingers has achieved his desired state. He is gambling that he will win the November election, and then as he has clearly stated, he intends to immediately dismiss this case and other federal cases against him. If he makes it that far, his action will surely by challenged in court. Whether his self-protection effort will hold up is highly questionable, plunging us into yet another constitutional crisis, as if we do not have enough of those crises already. The only sure way to stop him is to vote him a humiliating electoral defeat, not just beat him but embarrass him.

 

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) of Georgia, the loudmouth firebrand, Little Fingers acolyte, finally pulled the trigger and introduced her motion to vacate the speakership—H. Res. 1209. Before the resolution could be brought to the floor, a motion to table (dismiss) was brought to the floor for a vote. On the motion to table H.Res.1209, the House voted resoundingly to table the resolution [House: 359-43-7-21(5)], so ending the Freedom Caucus rebellion, at least for now. Only 11 Republicans voted against the motion to table the resolution. MTG failed. So now, the House can get back to real work doing the People’s business. I am not a fan or supporter of Speaker Johnson, but at least he recognizes reality that compromise is essential within any functioning democracy. Surprisingly, 163 Democrats voted in favor of the motion to dismiss the MTG initiative to remove Speaker Johnson. The new Congress next January must remove that damnable rule; these vacate dramas [1134] are ridiculous and a total waste of time and money.

 

A reliable, regular contributor and good friend sent along the following message: “I'm not sure the blog is ready for this, but it's a cogent and coherent argument.”

about this article:

“Expand SCOTUS & Save Democracy—While We Still have a Democracy to Save – The American people have repeatedly expanded the Supreme Court throughout our nation's history, and there's no valid reason today to delay further expansion for the same reasons”

by Qasim Rashid

dated: May 8 [2024]

with this URL:

https://qasimrashid.substack.com/p/expand-scotus-and-save-democracywhile?publication_id=2550223&post_id=144294656&isFreemail=true&r=a27i&triedRedirect=true

 . . . to which I responded:

Oh my, yes . . . quite appropriate for the Blog. I have not been able to find a URL for the article. However, in searching for the link, I found news from other similar articles in traditional news sources. I will figure out how to introduce the topic.

I like Rashid’s argument. The Court has been stable for a long time; it is kind of like stare decisis. As such, I am cautious about altering a stable system. That said, Mitch McConnell chose to unilaterally alter that stable system twice in an example of extraordinary hypocrisy that he does not lose sleep over. He unilaterally removed all constraints. In a form, by McConnell’s actions, the far right has packed the court and did so masterfully by choosing comparatively young, socially conservative justices. The only way to restore balance to the Court in any reasonable time is by expanding the size of the Court; 13 seems like a reasonable number.

Unfortunately, I think we are out of time with this administration and Congress. Can you imagine if we expand the Court and Little Fingers wins a second term? We absolutely must vote to prevent him from attaining another term as president, AND we must elect a dominant Congress (both chambers) in order to get important legislation like this Court size matter passed through both chambers and to the president. We must vote for our future. Two can play that game.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1164:

Comment to the Blog:

“The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) was a product of the Nixon Administration, and parts of it were intended to attack Nixon’s perceived enemies they suspected of using marijuana (hippies) and heroin (black people). The CSA has done considerably more damage than other approaches used elsewhere. It’s notable that the Shafer Commission (set up under a related statute) first recommended the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana in 1973. There’s much more at 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act.

“You’re right that the MAGAts are afraid of others treating them as they treat the others. That goes back to slavery and probably to the beginning of history.

“Let’s not confuse Palestinians in general with Hamas, nor Israel’s government with its citizens. Nobody’s protesting to favor Hamas, nor are they antisemitic. Indeed, many of the protesters are themselves Jewish. However, the entire Establishment is promoting that confusion. Your compunction about property damage, etc., prompts me to remind you that slavery and most social ills were legal until those laws were overcome by advocates, not by conservatives. Homelessness is illegal still.

“I have even less respect for Biden after the speech you mentioned.”

My response to the Blog:

Oh my, don’t get me started. I could argue that the CSA has exceeded the Comstock Act as the most destructive law in our nation’s history. While some elements are probably warranted, the basis, foundation, and essence of the CSA has been wrong from the get-go. Yes, the CSA was a Nixon era law that violated one of our most fundamental inalienable rights—freedom of choice. Just because some people disagree with our choices does NOT give them the right to impose their views on other people to get them to conform to their beliefs. Imagine if we had taken a different approach back in the 60s and 70s to make consumption safe for those who so choose and safe for our communities. I remain guarded optimistic we shall one day grow up and mature as a society and stop this damnable moral projection nonsense and focus on the original objective of this once grand republic—make the public domain safe for all citizens with equality and justice for all.

We are completely agreed. The MAGAts must be returned to the distant, shadowy margins of our society—the sooner, the better. We can take a large step forward this November, if we have the will to do so.

Absolutely, Hamas is not the Palestinians, and I dare say the Netanyahu administration is not the majority of the Israeli population, just like the MAGAts are a comparatively small minority of a political party that has been led dreadfully astray by their embrace of extremism. In some narrow aspects, those right-wing extremist groups in so many countries have exerted inordinate pressure on the political structures, and they all deserve the same fate. The Palestinians must do what must be done, just as we must do so. We need to help them as best we can.

I will not go that far. I think he was spot on correct with what he said in that speech; he just did not go far enough, and he missed the opportunity.

“That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”

 . . . Round two:

“At this point, the Palestinians aren’t changing their government, just trying to survive, and they’re having a horrendous casualty rate due to Israel’s use of American munitions, their blocking of humanitarian aid, etc.

“Biden attacked the protesters in that speech, and he made no distinction between the mostly nonviolent pro-peace protesters versus the attacking counter-protesters or the raging police. He’s also using the Establishment’s false claim of antisemitism. Plus, he never addressed the fact of genocide in Gaza. Israel has some kind of leverage on the U.S. Government.”

 . . . my response to round two:

The Israelis are not changing their government either, yet. President Biden has taken unprecedented steps to influence Israel’s actions in Gaza. We will see if it works. As Israel helped us with al-Qa’ida and ISIL, we must help them with Hamas. Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in control of Gaza.

Oh my, that is not the same speech I heard. I do not agree. I think he was careful to distinguish the constitutional right to peaceful assembly (protest) from the violence of criminal agitators. We have previously disagreed on the use of the word ‘genocide’; I suppose that disagreement persists. If there is genocide, it is Hamas. They do not fight like warriors; they kill like cowards hiding behind innocent men, women, and children. One of the essential principles of warfare since before Sun Tzu documented those principles in 512 BC is surprise. Israel sacrificed that principle to alert the people to move, giving exactly where their offensive operations were going to work. Some chose to heed the warning; others did not. The IDF was dealing with an underground network where Hamas kept their rockets, weapons, ammunition, and other supplies. That network was buried beneath apartment buildings, hospitals, roadways with access inside those buildings. I do not know whether you have ever executed tunnel warfare, but it is deadly, slow, tortuous work. They purposely kidnapped innocent people inside Israel to hold as hostages / shields to seriously complicate any tunnel operations by the Israelis. Hamas is not some honorable militia defending their people; they are a terrorist organization bent upon the eradication of Israel; and, they will do any inhuman thing to further their objective. I say all this to keep things in perspective.

 . . . Round three:

“The situation in Gaza has nothing to do with ideals. Israel has some hold on the USA much stronger than past favors.

“Genocide has nothing to do with the mode of attack. It’s targeting an entire population for death or dispersion. The Gaza situation is genocide, like the Sand Creek Massacre expanded and repeated daily. I’m not sure why you say Hamas is ‘bent upon’ eradicating Israelis when Israel is currently doing that to the Palestinians.

“Your comment about Hamas’s mode of combat is odd. It echoes the British complaint about the various colonials’ mode of revolution and ours about the Viet Cong. Hamas, like any other military, fights to win. Think My Lai. That’s about the time I became an anti-war person.

“Israel’s warnings direct the population of Gaza to the next combat zone. There’s nothing humane about that.”

 . . . my response to round three:

Perhaps so. I have no evidence of such leverage. If such leverage exists, my guess it is the abysmal treatment of Jewish refugees by the U.S. State Department during WW2.

I do not understand how you can separate Hamas from the population. It was much easier to do so during WW2, but that did not stop Hamburg, Dresden, or Hiroshima. Sand Creek is an inappropriate analogy in my humble opinion. I go by their public statements. What was the military objective of the 7.October attack? What was Hamas trying to achieve?

My Lai was a frustrated rogue unit with terrible leadership. It was not U.S. policy, rules, or instruction.

They are not coincidental. They divided Gaza into districts. They are trying to manage the innocent population as best they can. They are destroying the infrastructure that enables Hamas to operate in Gaza. I have no idea what you expect the IDF to do given Hamas’ cowardly use of innocent civilians to shield their operations. Just as we have rendered al-Qa’ida and ISIL ineffective, we must do so with Hamas.

 . . . Round four:

“Going by events, Israel has some means of controlling USA policy. Israel’s leverage has nothing to do with World War II. Let’s not mistake feelings of guilt for a concession of power. There’s some possibility Epstein’s operation is involved or some other practical form of leverage that I know nothing about. As always, ignore official statements.

“My Lai is typical of all wars.”

 . . . my response to round four:

That sounds conspicuously like a conspiracy theory. I cannot not accept the premise. No evidence. Sorry.

Perhaps, but that does make them correct or acceptable. The morality of battlefield killing will remain an active topic of debate. I shall leave it at that.

 . . . Round five:

“I think you mean ‘suspiciously’ like a conspiracy theory. It does, but I can't see a more reasonable explanation.

“My Lai and most of the Gaza deaths aren't battlefield killings.”

 . . . my response to round five:

Yes, ‘suspiciously’ is indeed a good word, but no, I chose conspicuously with intent. I certainly understand and appreciate your concern for the motivation behind U.S. policy toward Israel. But there is no evidence to support your argument.

I suppose this topic of debate depends upon our definition of the word ‘battlefield.’ To me, a battlefield is a location, area, or region where combat between opposing armed forces occurs. Hamas has chosen the battlefield. Israel is conducting operations against their opposing force within the defined battlefield.

 . . . Round six:

“In re ‘battlefield,’ it's important to note that most of the dead clearly presented no threat to the Israeli forces.”

 . . . my response to round six:

Yes, agreed, it is important to note. Where I diverge is the combat infrastructure Hamas has been using to shield their operations. Innocent people reside and work in those buildings. The IDF/IAF warned people to vacate those buildings. Some folks chose not to heed the warning. They became unfortunate but understandable collateral damage. If we want to vilify someone for those unfortunately innocent deaths, the clear culprit is Hamas. Let us place blame where blame belongs. Israel did not seek nor instigate this war; they are executing their counteroffensive. There is unfortunate collateral damage.

 . . . Round seven:

“As stated, most of the dead were no threat. They weren't involved in combat; they were simply shot and/or brutalized in the area, much like My Lai.”

 . . . my response to round seven.

On that, we shall respectfully disagree.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1164

 Update from the Sunland

No.1164

29.4.24 – 5.5.24

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

 

To all,

 

The follow-up news items:

-- To clarify my note in last week’s Update regarding the foreign aid supplemental legislation [1162/3], the congressional record finally caught up with last week’s activity. The Senate collected the separate bills passed by the House under one title. President Biden signed the bill into law on the 24^th. For those who may be interested in the proper data, here ya go:

Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes [PL 118-050; H.R.815; Senate: 79-18-0-3(0); House: agreed without objection; 138 Stat. xxx]. The salient provisions include:

>> Division A. – Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 
[formerly H.R. 8034]

>> Division B. – Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024
[formerly H.R. 8035]

>> Division C. – Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024
[formerly H.R. 8036]

>> Division D. – 21^st Century Peace through Strength Act. [formerly H.R. 8038]

>> along with 16 other acts (Divisions E through T)

We can rest assured that the USG has already begun executing the provisions of the new law. I just hope the ammunition and equipment for Ukraine is not too late. Time shall tell the tale.

-- Judge Merchan finally issued his ruling (written) regarding the gag order violations by [the person who shall no longer be named] in People of New York v. Trump [NYSC, Cty of NY Indictment No. 71543/2023] [1107]. In the court order, the judge fined the defendant US$1,000.00 for each of nine violations so far. He dismissed one accusation. There are four more that he will hear arguments on Thursday. The judge also ordered the defendant to remove the offending posts by 14:15 [R] EDT, Tuesday, 30.April.2024. The judge further cautioned the defendant that he would not hesitate to incarcerate the defendant if he fails to comply with the court order and/or violations continue.

-- Well, well, well, surprise, surprise! The Arizona legislature passed House Bill 2677 [Senate: 16-14-0-0; House: 32-28-0-0] that simply repealed the 1864 anti-abortion law [1161]. The law was codified in contemporary law as ARS 13-3603, which read in its entirety:

A person who provides, supplies or administers to a pregnant woman, or procures such woman to take any medicine, drugs or substance, or uses or employs any instrument or other means whatever, with intent thereby to procure the miscarriage of such woman, unless it is necessary to save her life, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two years nor more than five years.

Governor Katie Hobbs signed the repeal law on the 2^nd of May. The HB2677 actions leave Arizona women in a strange, ill-defined limbo where they do not know what the law provides. It is believed that the ARS 13-3603 statute will prevail until HB2677 takes effect in 90 days. Then, with the repeal of ARS 13-3603, the law reverts to a subsequent law that establishes a 15-week decision threshold; however, given the Mayes ruling [1161], some question whether that law is valid anymore. On top of all that, we have a referendum vote of the people in November that may change the applicable law entirely. I am glad the legislature passed the repeal, but it is predominantly a ceremonial action.

 

The DEA announced they will seek reclassification of cannabis from a Class I to a Class III drug. This is what the physicists call ‘progress by jerks.’ The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) {Title II [84 Stat. 1242] of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 [PL 91-513; 84 Stat. 1236; 27.10.1970]}is the controlling law. The DEA request is long overdue change and does not go far enough. Cannabis should not be covered by any class of the CSA. I have long held and advocated for cannabis to be removed from the CSA altogether. It does not belong.

I appreciate and acknowledge that some folks do not approve of and do not use cannabis in any form, which is their right. What they do not have a right to do is deny the freedom of choice to all other citizens. Cannabis is no different from other substances. Too much alcohol, tobacco, sugar, even water or oxygen can cause debilitating effects, injury, or even death.

I suspect the DEA request will not be high on the congressional agenda, but there is hope. I cannot imagine such action even being mentioned set aside considered just a few years ago, and CSA has been the law of the land for six decades. I do not know if the formal request has been made, but I, for one, hope they take up the legislation and pass the long overdue repeal.

 

My humble apologies are offered to all for my naivete. I have come to realize that the MAGA/far-right embrace white and Christian nationalism because they are afraid . . . fearful of non-white citizens becoming the majority in this country, and then imposing restrictions on whites in a form of reverse discrimination on them. The realization answers a lot of questions about what drives that bunch to be so zealous in their resistance to progress. I absolutely believe genetic and cultural diversity makes us stronger and more resilient like mixing manganese, nickel and chromium (among other elements) with iron to produced steel—a stronger, more durable metal than iron. Further, we are not producing children at a rate sufficient to sustain our population, set aside grow and strengthen our society. We need steel, not iron. We need immigrants. We do not need the status quo ante advocated for by the conservatives among us.

 

Some thoughts on these pro-Palestinian university campus protests might be useful to a vigorous public debate.

The energy and focus of these protests are honorable and well-intentioned, but with respect, they are misapplied. I am all for advocating for the Palestinian people, especially those trapped in the Gaza enclave. Yet, I am left with the nagging question, who advocates for those kidnapped, held hostage and killed by Hamas? Who protects the indiscriminate killing and raping of innocent civilians at the hands of Hamas terrorists? I would place more credence in the Pro-Palestinian protests if they took a more balanced approach to their protests. Alas, they do not, which in turn makes the protests appear anti-Israel and even antisemitic. Jews are NOT the problem in Palestine. The ultra-conservative government in Israel IS the problem, just like the Russians are NOT the problem in Ukraine, PUTIN and the ultra-conservatives that support Putin ARE the problem.

Then, as is so often the case with mass, peaceful, legitimate protests, they are contaminated and infected by extremist from both ends of the political spectrum for opposite purposes but the same objective—chaos. Who brings a hammer to a peaceful political protest? Answer: a troublemaker, an anarchist, a criminal; certainly not a peaceful protester. Damaging private or public property is absolutely not acceptable in any form for any reason; it is illegal, against the law. The New York Police Department has confirmed that those who broke into Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus were not students or faculty; they were outside agitators seeking to take advantage of the protest to cover their nefarious criminal activities. At Columbia, nearly half of those arrested inside Hamilton Hall were not affiliated with the university in any form; they were confirmed to be outside agitators. The same was true at UCLA. At Portland State University, they found makeshift weapons of various forms among those arrested for trespassing.

This is the silly season after all that Little Fingers has made orders of magnitude crazier. And, we have at least another six months of this insanity. The notion of college students, who are supposed to be educated, are protesting in favor of Hamas, a well-known terrorist organization, is the craziest. These so-called protests for Gaza Palestinians have long passed the threshold of intellectually validated or sustainable.

President Biden made a nationally televised speech on Thursday. He talked about our freedom of speech and our right to assembly in protest. The president was spot on the money in his message. However, I think he missed an important if not critical opportunity to address and clarify the government’s position on the Gaza situation. The very essence of these student protests was missing from his address. He did nothing to quell the protests by explaining the issues and the government’s actions. He needs to address the root matters since the protesters’ misconception about Gaza fueled much of the passion.

 

We have a new additional moniker courtesy of Michael Cohen for Little Fingers, AKA Tiny and [the person who shall no longer be named]—'von ShitzinPantz.’ Cute! But, I’ll stick with my current list of labels for that despicable man.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1163:

Comment to the Blog:

“Little Fingers behaves exactly as expected for a (guilty) business fraud defendant.

“Nobody has a right to make medical (or other) decisions about vaginas but the person with the vagina.

“It’s truly bizarre that you have conflicting information about whether a bill has passed and been signed by the President.

“TV news tells me Little Fingers is an unindicted co-conspirator in Michigan as well as Arizona.”

My response to the Blog:

Oh so true. He behaves as he has done for all his adult years and probably most of his years on the planet, enabled by his now deceased parents. They created the monster he is today. He has no morality, conscience, or sense of respect for others. Yes, exactly, he acts precisely as a mob boss on trial for crimes denied. The court sorted out the facts with John Gotti; they will sort out the facts with Little Fingers as well. I remain guardedly optimistic that he will eventually feel the full weight of justice for his actions.

Amen, spot on, and precisely correct, which is strictly why I have long believed and espoused that Roe v. Wade [410 U.S. 113 (1973)] [319] was all about a woman’s fundamental right to privacy and freedom of choice rather than the popular emotional topic.

It was an artifact of Congress taking recess last week, so many normal functions were left undone. I have the data and have corrected the record in this week’s Update.

I have not read the Michigan indictment, only the Arizona and Georgia versions, but I suspect you are correct. Little Fingers must be at least a coconspirator of some form in the Michigan case, since he was and remains the principal voice and conductor of the false elector, election interference scheme.

 . . . Round two:

“Little Fingers’ parents make an interesting study. The corruption is generational, and so is the use of immigrants as mothers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anne_MacLeod_Trump.
Wikipedia notes that Fred Trump’s untaxed gifts to his children amounted to over $1 billion in 2018 dollars. Fred’s father, Friedrich, made the fortune all this was based on by running a brothel in the Klondike Gold Rush.

“Meanwhile, the Green Party’s likely nominee for President, Jill Stein, was violently arrested at one of the protests. If the two parties continue their path to failure, that could become a valuable credential.”

 . . . my response to round two:

Little Finger’s ancestors certainly made lots of money. Judging from the destructive traits of the man we see today, they did a lousy job of raising children. Little Fingers grew up with a sense of entitlement that enabled his malignant narcissism.

I have not seen Stein’s arrest. I do not know the circumstances of the incident. I suspect she failed to comply with police instructions. She is the presumptive Green Party nominee; we’ll see how she fairs in November.

Crazy times in which we live.

 . . . Round three:

“Ms. Stein's version of her arrest, backed up by video, is that she was simply standing together with the other protesters and was attacked. Among other things, a police bicycle was used against her. If the Democrats continue failing, look to see that video on a TV near you.”

 . . . my response to round three:

I did find different versions of the Jill Stein incident. None of those clips give me enough context. We cannot hear the commands being issued to the protesters or why those commands were issued. The visual alone suggests they were told repeatedly to disperse. They refused to do so, and the police did what they were trained to do. It looked like the protesters grab the police bicycle, which brought the object into play.

Your words suggest you are falling victim to the MAGA/far-right propaganda . . . if there is lawlessness, it must be the Democrats fault. How do you explain these protests in Republican states like Texas?

 . . . Round four:

“What do the Democrats have to do with police violence?”

 . . . my response to round four:

The answer to your query, nothing. My points was, the Republican talking points against Democrats among other things is they are “defund the police,” anti-law-enforcement, bleeding heart liberals who allow and enable lawlessness. The Republican political rhetoric is not only false in every respect, but also destructive to their ends—a sort of scorched earth policy meant to favor them. Worse, a large chunk of our voting populations actually believe their drivel. Thus, the mantra comes out every time there are large scale protests that are subverted by radical anarchists, which by the way, I believe are right-wing agents of various forms. The peaceful pro-Palestinian protests did not break into Hamilton Hall; criminals did, and my guess they are affiliated with right-wing groups. That observation seems to be true for virtually every large-scale protest.

 . . . Round five:

“‘Subverted by radical anarchists’ is another phrase/concept I've always heard used against protesters. The fact is, the current protests were 100% peaceful until the police arrived. University administrators brought the police in knowing they commit brutality, and I hold the administrators responsible.

“I wouldn't ‘defund’ the police exactly, but I would restrain, retrain, and otherwise change them.”

 . . . my response to round five:

The protests may have been peaceful, but they became illegal. It is the latter factors that caused universities to seek police assistance. It is similar to the latest “I can’t breathe” fatality. If they abided the law, respected other people and property, they could protest all they want. They have no right whatsoever to occupy land or property. I do not know what the university administers thought, but having been one of those administrators, I highly doubt they knew or even imagined there would be violence. Further, if the protesters simply complied with lawful instructions and dispersed, there would have been no violence. If they had not resisted, there would have been no violence. This is not a chicken-or-egg conundrum. I hold the resisters and agitators responsible.

I am all for training. It is hard to get too much.

 . . . Round six:

“Of course the protests became illegal. The Establishment can always find a legal maneuver so they don’t have to consider other viewpoints. I’m really not interested in the false comparison to other police brutality. Furthermore, we’ve had plenty of police brutality in the U.S.A. for everyone to realize it’s a default mode. The protesters are doing nonviolent resistance as best they can, and I’m not interested in whether the Establishment can use a law against them.

“We can’t afford to give up law enforcement, but we need a long look at what society wants from it and how to go about getting that, not merely another hour’s classroom training.”

 . . . my response to round six:

Pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses this spring morphed from political protests to occupations; that is the moment they became illegal. In most cases I am aware of, the police did not initiate the clearing action; the owner or supervisor of the property did so. In such discussions, it seems we emphasize the outcome rather than the stimulating event(s).

You are casting a very wide net with all law enforcement. Most jurisdictions never have to deal with mass assemblies set aside occupations. I think the large jurisdictions have learned and improved a great deal from Chicago 1968 and Kent State 1970 to today. The videos I have seen display considerable restraint and clever ingenuity in dealing with criminal conduct. But hey, that’s just me.

 . . . Round seven:

“The phrase ‘criminal conduct’ covers a great deal of territory. As I already explained, in the current events, it doesn't concern me. In any case, it's difficult for me to see significant improvement in police conduct since Kent State, other than the State of Ohio has not yet called in the National Guard this time.”

 . . . my response to round seven:

Indeed, quite so; nature of the beast. Criminal conduct does concern me, even criminal conduct in the guise of peaceful political protests. Please do not take my observations as truth. I only offer my observations and opinions as juxtaposition for debate.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)