Update no.1187

 Update from the Sunland

No.1187

7.10.24 – 13.10.24

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

 

To all,

 

I must thank everyone for their kind and generous words of condolence to Jeanne and I for our loss of our precious Bella Rae. She had a delightful personality that was so joyous to play with. She is sorely missed. God bless you, Bella Rae.

 

I am speechless and beyond words! Sunday morning, at 07:25 [S] CDT, 05:25 [T] MST, SpaceX launched its Integrated Flight Test number five (IFT-5) with its massive first stage booster and Starship reentry vehicle stacked on top. Liftoff was flawless with all 33 Raptor engines lighting off and performing nominally.

The awesomely amazing part was the first stage boost returned to base and was caught by the launch tower chopstick. Watching the whole sequence literally brought tears to my eyes at the phenomenal demonstration of engineering and physics. It was picture perfect, even better than the advance animation. The landing gear on the booster was two small studs on opposite sides of the booster just under the grid fins. I exclaimed to myself, “I’ll be damned! They did it!”

The Starship continued on its suborbital trajectory to splash down in the Indian Ocean just off Australia. We were able to watch the entire reentry. The thermal protection system appeared to work perfectly except for one root hot spot on one of the four fins. All of the fins performed properly and maintained attitude control of the vehicle to splash down.

Given the success of IFT-5, I suspect SpaceX will attempt to catch both the booster and the Starship on the next test flight.

Profound congratulations to the SpaceX team for their accomplishment! We looked forward to great things in the future.

 

In an important local Arizona election race, Wednesday evening, we watched the one and only debate between the two principal candidates—Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake (who by the way still beliefs [and public says so] that she was elected governor in the 2022 election; sound familiar?). The debate was hosted by the nonpartisan Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. There were plenty of insults and not much new in their one-hour debate to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Kristen Sinema, who turned independent and decided not to run for re-election. Gallego tried mightily to keep the debate respectful and orderly. But, the junior “you know who” was going to have none of it. Repeatedly, I found myself shouting at the television, “Shut the F**k up!” Like her hero and oh dear leader, Lake will accept the result if she wins, and condemn the election as rigged against if she loses. You can probably figure out who I will vote for. 

 

We finally received our official mail-in ballots—two full pages, front and back, of candidates for public office, confirmation of state judges at all levels, and 15 propositions of one form or another. It is the latter two categories that will take the most time.  We have only two weeks to submit our mail-in ballots, so I will have to take time away from my writing to research each judge and each proposition. I’ll get it done.

 

I suppose we have at least one matter to be grateful to [the person who shall no longer be named] since he entered politics in 2015. He has brought the far-right-wing within our society into the bright sunlight. We can see them in all their forms—white supremacists, militia anarchists, Christian nationalists, staunch moral projectionists, and all the other variants. We can see them. We can hear them. Now, we know who they are. For so long, that body of citizens within this country existed largely in the shadows. Every so often, we would see glimpses of their existence, but they remained largely away from controlling the instruments of state, expect perhaps in isolated local areas. They were predominantly contained. Little Fingers changed that status quo for a very long time, perhaps for a generation or two. We have long known, and most of us have recognized, that that man suffers from malignant narcissism, is an unrepentant confidence man (AKA conman), and only cares about himself, not another living soul, including his children and family. So, thank you Donnie . . . at least we can see those who do not believe in the U.S. Constitution and seek an oligarchy, autocracy, or dictatorship to give that far-right-wing a sense of status quo ante, when more of their ancestors in fact controlled the instruments of state through Jim Crow laws, morality laws, segregation, and all the other means available to them to dominant others not like them. We will find out in a few weeks whether the majority in the country intends to protect the U.S. Constitution and the noble principles reflected in the Declaration of Independence. I know precisely where my interests lay. I will vote accordingly.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1186:

Comment to the Blog:

“This vice-presidential debate mattered more than most, because Vance will succeed the Orange Menace if he wins. Vance/Hamel/Bowman has hatred and a Yale Law School presentation. Walz has one of the best personalities in politics and a sound history governing Minnesota. 

“Are you looking forward to World War III? I’m not.

“No logic excuses charging property with crimes as if it were a person, history or no history. Meanwhile, people not charged lose their property. Sometimes, real estate or cars have been seized from family or others by a claim that the property was used for criminal purposes even though the owner was not even suspected of any crime. Civil asset forfeiture supports small-town law enforcement—or the crooked people involved in it. The Sheriff’s Department of a county I know used at least two forfeited vehicles openly when I lived there. In other cases, the assets just go away.

“The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, sponsored by Strom Thurmond and Hamilton Fish IV, still harms our nation today in several ways.

“We have a Senate campaign here in Ohio that has me wearing out my mute buttons.”

My response to the Blog:

Thank you for your kind words. She has left a big hole in our lives.

Agreed . . . for reason you offer. Agreed on Vance; he comes across far smoother and ‘presidential’ than his running mate, but he bears disqualifying traits, not least of which is his advocacy of the BIG LIE. Also agreed on Walz.

No, I am not. War is the choice of last resort. But, sooner or later, we must stand up to the Bully.

We watched an interesting movie about that very topic last night—Rebel Ridge. The law, as invoked by President Reagan, unleashed a torrent of abuse without due process of law. It was originally intended to fight the war on drugs against major drug lords and dealers. The law has been extended far beyond the original intent, which is abuse in itself.

Agreed absolutely. I would change ‘several’ to ‘many’ in your statement. Like so many (if not all) morality laws, they may have been well intended, but they quickly become very ugly instruments of state. We must rein in all morality laws to maintain our freedom of choice.

I can only imagine. We have a different but similar version in Arizona.

 . . . Round two:

“(Long sigh) That whole us versus them mentality always bothers me, and I see its source as either Abrahamic or Viking (Asatru) religion. Please tell me who the ‘Bully’ is that you refer to in justifying war.

“Last night, we had a news report about a street racing and “stunting” bust here in Columbus. I could see that as justification for seizing the cars in question, but taking them from the drivers, not attacking the cars themselves.”

 . . . my response to round two:

I am not keen on the ‘us vs. them’ nonsense. Cooperation and compromise are essential to the workings of any democracy. I do recognize that there are bad men among us. The fact that they choose to do bad things makes them a ‘them’ I suppose. That division is unavoidable, and it is the choice of bad men who induce and sustain that division. In the context of my previous remarks. Putin is a Bully in this context. Xi is a Bully. It is a little more difficult to label Hamas and Hezbollah as Bullies, because Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition complicate the discussion. When a burglar enters my house, he has chosen to be a bad man; he will be treated accordingly and not likely to walk out alive. The violence and violation of bad men must be checked and stopped. If we do not do so, we have chaos and anarchy—everybody for themselves; survival of the fittest.

To your second paragraph, I will only say, the car is not the problem, the driver is. As a citizen, the driver is entitled to due process of law.

Round three:

“That whole ‘bad men’ discussion comes from moral judging rather than problem-solving, like the people you call ‘moral projectionists’ on a different scale. I occasionally quote the Bible verse, ‘Judge not lest ye be judged,’ but it falls on deaf ears. It seems to me that if people can find someone to blame for troubling events, they feel they escape their responsibility to participate in the human race. That applies to society at large as well as personal situations.”

 . . . my response to round three:

Wise words. I am not deaf. I use the same quotation among others from the Great Book. However, sometimes it is very difficult to abide when a masked man is in your living room in the middle of the night with a train tunnel pointed at your chest.

Your observation is appropriate. Such empathy depends upon a minimum level of safety to enable the empathy to shine through. “Turn the other cheek” and “love thy neighbor” are also wise words but again require a minimum level of respect or at least reciprocity.

I use the term “bad men” not to divide but only to describe individuals who choose to offer no respect or reciprocity. When faced with such men, some action is necessary unless you intend to submit and sacrifice your life for an ideal. I’m just sayin’.

 . . . Round four:

“Problem-solving is the only sane response to an intruder, and I don’t apologize for self-defense. I wouldn’t judge myself for a fatal response, although others do. That has nothing to do with the moral judgment involved in condemning others for not measuring up to your standards of words or behavior, especially when you can’t know their lives or minds. For example, assuming the homeless are addled, addicted, or lazy is a moral judgment. 

“To return to the original topic, assuming all Palestinians or Israelis are evil based on current news reports about Hamas or Netanyahu is also a moral judgment. I’ll note, though, that the individuals you label ‘bad men’ don’t exist in a vacuum. Their power depends on others helping them do the deeds that get your attention. Problem-solving/empathy would involve a sober look at the entire situation, including its long history, and then deciding the least harmful course of action.

“If your moral values depend on others’ actions, examine that. I use that ‘love thy neighbor’ precept, but I’ll note that “love thy neighbor as thyself” depends on my first loving myself.

“‘Respect’ is a grossly overused term denoting ‘high regard’ for its object https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respect. There are any number of people and organizations that have not earned my high regard. Reciprocity is a concept you ought to use with great caution about Netanyahu and his kind.

“This morality is the foundation of all my positions.”

 . . . my response to round four:

I am all for problem-solving, negotiation, compromise, and saner responses. I am also a line I found very poignant from the movie “The Darkest Hour.” Under considerable amount of pressure to seek terms with Hitler as France was on the verge of collapse, Prime Minister Winston Churchill [Gary Oldman] admonished Lord Halifax, “You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth!” That is exactly my point. For problem-solving and negotiation to work, a minimum level of safety and respect is required. Short of that threshold, we are trying to reason with a hungry tiger. I do not generalize for homeless any more than I do for MAGAts. Generalization is rarely appropriate. As I tried to portray in my book “Indulgence,” I try very hard to respect the freedom of choice for a MAGAt fanatic or a homeless, addled, addicted citizen. I respect their freedom of choice as long as they do not cause injury or harm to any other person or property. I want the homeless person to be as safe as the billionaire. Unfortunately, at least for now, it does not always work out that way.

I cannot ascribe “evil” to either the Palestinians or the Israelis. I can do so to the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIL, the IRI, Russia, the PRC, the DPRK, et al. They do not respect the rights of other people. All of them seek to impose their will on other people who do not wish to submit. I have met and broken bread with more than a few Russians. They were all generous, amicable, and respectful. I cannot extend those attributes to the current leaders of Russia, or the Palestinians, or the Israelis.

Nobody exists in a vacuum. Most citizens respect the rights of other citizens. I laud those who do. My concern is with those who do not. Chamberlain tried desperately to feed the tiger. We know the result.

All that said, I am with you. I would prefer solving the problem. Yet, I am reminded by the reality that negotiation and compromise are a two-way street. Unilateral demands or dictation are not negotiation.

My point was “love thy neighbor as thyself” depends upon at least a minimum level of respect and safety. Moral values have very little meaning when your head is in the tiger’s mouth.

Perhaps I am overusing the term “respect.” If you have a better word, please offer it for this discussion. I also use “reciprocity” with considerable caution. It still comes down to a minimum level of “whatever,” for negotiations, problem-solving, and compromise to yield any positive return.

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

 . . . Round five:

“I'll let the philosophical discussion rest for now with my first point that ‘good versus evil’ is not a useful lens through which I can see reality.”

 

Another contribution:

“Cap, I am sure most of your fans can and do relate to and even feel your well described pain at the loss of a friend. Most of us have loved and lost loyal pets. Thanks for sharing such a personal and beautiful life experience.”

My reply:

Yes, indeed, we are not alone in such loss. We have a garden of stones in tribute to recent fur babies lost. For all of those who have suffered such loss, I say God bless you for having loved those who love us unconditionally.

You are most welcome. I try to offer well-rounded comments. As always, take what you wish.

Thank you for your contribution. It is always appreciated.

 

A different contribution:

“She was a large hound and a good pet for sure. 

“My RAF career made having pets somewhat problematic when on the move. Although once in Cyprus we did inherit a large bird cage with 20 plus budgies who would wake up the street in the mornings! We found a home for all those with our fire department! Since then we’ve just admired others.”

My response:

Yes, she was a big girl . . . but so special, unique as they all are.

Quite understandable. It is very hard to take proper care of a pet while on active duty with the incessant travel and deployments. So glad you found a worthy solution for the birds you inherited.

Yes, we join you in that admiration. Some are far more capable to rescuers. We do the best we can. One thing for certain, we love what we have.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)