Update no.1197

 Update from the Sunland

No.1197

16.12.24 – 22.12.24

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

 

To all,

 

The nights will get shorter and the days longer for the next six months—winter solstice {Saturday, 21.December.2024, 02:21 [T] MST}. Welcome to astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere (summer in the Southern Hemisphere). Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all.

 

President-elect [no name] allowed his malignant narcissism affliction to raise its grotesquely ugly head again. He and his MAGAt believers in the House of Representatives decided to play Russian Roulette with the operations of the United States Government (USG) and rejected a bipartisan short-term funding bill to keep the government running. The last, operative, continuing resolution ended on Thursday, 19.December, which meant without some funding document or another, the USG would begin shutting down operations at 00:01 [R] EST, Friday, 20.December.2024—a big middle finger with his Merry Christmas to all citizens from president-elect [no name]. According to Press reports, he objected to facing the nonsense haggling and threats of every continuing resolution process during his administration. He demanded the debt ceiling be suspended until 2029, so he did not have to deal with it (screw his successor).

Then, we throw into the narcissism quagmire president-in-his-imagination Elon Musk, who condemned the bipartisan Continuing Resolution as too expensive. President-elect [no name] chose to affirm the Musk condemnation. Then, he insisted on removing the Democrat spending provisions but not the MAGAt spending. Like the bipartisan, bicameral, immigration reform bill, MAGAt candidate (at the time) [no name] unilaterally direct his believers in the House to kill the bill because he did not want President Biden to have an immigration reform success during the campaign. He is driven by what he feels makes him look good or benefits him rather than what is best for the United States of America or for We, the People.

Elon Musk bought the former “Twitter” and managed to really screw the pooch with his dicta. Now, Musk is bringing his form of chaos to the USG, and [no name] appears to be quite willing and comfortable abdicating to Musk.

Well, wonder of wonders! More than a few House Republicans chose to defy the president-elect and passed the American Relief Act, 2025. Thirty-four House MAGAt Republicans were the only representatives voting against the bill. The Senate passed HR 10545 at 00:23 [R] EST (after the deadline, but good enough). Interesting footnote: Independent Senator Bernie Sanders voted with 10 Republicans against the bill. President Biden signed the bill later in the day—American Relief Act, 2025 [PL 138-xxx; H.R. 10545; Senate: 85-11-0-4(0); House: 366-34-1-29(5); 118 Stat. xxx]. Crisis averted . . . at least for the moment. To be continued! The bill extends federal funding only to mid-March, so we will be into this nonsense in a few short months.

Given this first month of “transition,” we had better strap in for an all new amplified form of chaos for the next four years . . . unless the 2026 mid-terms yield a Democrat controlled Congress with at least a 60-vote majority in the Senate.

 

Just a little history might be helpful. On 24.September.1917, President Wilson signed into law the Second Liberty Bond Act of 1917 [PL 65-I-043; 40 Stat. 288] that included §1 [40 Stat. 288], which imposed a U.S. federal debt limit of US$7.539B [502, 580, 618]. Congress of the day was well meaning and intentioned. Unfortunately, the purpose of the debt limit law has been lost to corrosive and rabid partisan politics. Revocation of the 1917 law has been long overdue. The current U.S. federal debt is US$36+T . . . that is ‘T’ for trillion . . . not bad, huh. The original debt limit does not even appear beyond the decimal point. Congress figured some three decades ago that they are no longer constrained. They just print more money. To be clear, congressional spending is a feature of both parties; the only question is what they choose to spend the borrowed Treasury funds on. They all spend the Treasury funds (our tax dollars) with wanton abandon. For the last few decades, the congressional spending debt limit has been used as a political bludgeon by one party or the other to force, coerce, cajole, or intimidate their opponents to submit to the dominant party demands. The original intended purpose of the debt ceiling limit has long ago faded into the obscure shadows of history. Revoke this foolishness, and let’s get on with it.

 

Continuing comment from Update no.1195, because I could not get to my eMail late last week:

“Alcoholism is a more complex condition than those not touched by it realize. My instinct tells me that in nominating Hegseth the Chump probably has a subconscious motivation of redeeming his brother.

“I still disclaim homicide as a means of protest, but I understand the response to the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. You and I have the privilege of not dealing with the medical insurance industry. I have Medicaid, which spares me most of it. Many of the people I know aren’t so privileged, and they or their families have been denied treatment altogether or charged outrageous premiums, and still billed more than any ordinary person can pay. I occasionally mention class strife. Here’s your sign.”

My reply:

This response is from last week, since I was unable to respond in a timely fashion. My apologies for the delay.

Perhaps so. It is plausible, but there are many other potential motivations on the part of Little Fingers. Alcoholism is indeed complex.

I do not understand assassination of a CEO . . . in the back, no less. Yes, all the manifestations of the medical treatment and cost coverage in the United States are an outright embarrassment. On the flip side, there must be boundaries, e.g., tobacco use versus effective treatment. Medicare and Medicaid are the beginnings of a single payor system that should be expanded, but it has to mean higher taxes for everyone. The PPACA was a modest attempt but far short of the mark.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Shooting that CEO seems to have achieved its goal of getting attention on the issue. Again, I don't support homicide but I understand this one.”

 . . . along with my reply:

Apparently so . . . although I am not sure in a positive manner.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1196:

“Thanks again Cap. Sorry to hear that you have been poorly mate. Take it that you have taken medical advice.”

My reply:

The odd thing is, I feel fine. It is the side effects of treatment for an admixture of maladies that appear in the data collected on the state of my body that give me the difficulties I must deal with. Yes, absolutely, I trust the small army of doctors who monitor and treat various anomalies, and I do as I am instructed. I survived the challenges without serious or significant consequences. All in all, the adventure last weekend was well worth the difficulties, although swallowing my pride was perhaps the hardest aspect. Thank you for your concern. I am still ticking along and back in the saddle again.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Thanks Cap. Something of a shock to us this side as we didn’t know you were having medical problems. Trust you are on the mend currently. Keep going Bud.

Aren’t we lucky to have modern medics to keep us going. My parents and one grand parent all expired long before my current age. My grandfather who I never met died at the end of WW1 from a ghastly illness that spread through many at that time. He was a sailor on HMS Diamond. Yes I would have liked very much to have met him. Of course we have an HMS Diamond still serving in our current navy I would like go on board one day.”

 . . . my follow-up reply:

I offer my humble apologies, my friend. I did not intend to shock anyone, and I am sorry for the unintended outcome. I think like most (if not all) of us we face medical issues in our old age. I am always concerned about TMI (To Much Information) in these situations, so please allow me some latitude here.

The main part of the difficulties I experienced last weekend were not a product of my afflictions. Rather, they were a direct result of the environment I put myself in to fulfill the family event. My mobility was not as good as I thought it was, and the cold was far more penetrating than I anticipated. Both facets were a direct consequence of the environment. I took extra precautions (e.g., facial mask) to protect myself. I also had multiple layers of clothing over my torso (but not my legs). When I got back to the hotel after the game, and after I called Jeanne, I took an extended progressively hotter shower, and the warm water worked wonders to thaw me out. All in all, the positives far outweighed the negatives, and I am immensely grateful to have had the time with the boys in the special event. I also hope they feel my presence and participation enhanced their experience throughout the whole weekend. We have great memories together. At the end of the day, I am back home, in my support structure (Jeanne & home), and as I said, I am in fine fettle, now.

I feel no detectable symptoms of my various medical anomalies. All my symptoms are associated with the medical treatments. To be frank, there is nothing to mend, only to suppress and maintain quality of life. My mind still works just fine, and writing is a rather solitary, sedentary endeavor. I am warm, comfortable, and in my routine, again.

I hope you will be able to board HMS Diamond and enjoy an excellent tour. The ship is a magnificent contemporary destroyer. I assume your grandfather’s ship was H22 designated HMS Diamond (predecessor).

Rest assured. All is well. No harm, no foul.

 

Comment to the Blog:

“I thoroughly enjoyed your story about the Army-Navy game. All of you have a great story you can tell and pass along to future generations.

“The power of narrative is the theme of a Robert Reich series I’ll be forwarding. He gives a clear picture of how the parties use storytelling to win elections and validate policies.

“I’m sad that your publisher has passed away. I hope you find your new publisher soon.

“I’m less upset at the death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO than I am at a typical homicide anywhere. That CEO is an established villain whose work leads to the deaths of many innocent Americans. This particular killing is far less than “an eye for an eye” vengeance. I support the legal system bringing the killer his consequences, but I admit to having no enthusiasm about it, and I’m grateful for the attention his act has brought to the health insurance deaths and bankruptcies.”

My response:

I am glad you enjoyed our weekend adventure story. It was a grand experience to enjoy the weekend with our two youngest boys (both into middle age, I must add). I hope the story is maintained by future generations.

There are a wide variety of techniques utilized by political candidates and parties to win elections, some of them proper and reasonable, and others verging upon nefarious.

Thank you for your condolences. He was a very good man, and we had a long friendship as well as a professional relationship. I cannot predict future publication, but there is always hope. Nonetheless, I keep writing even though the potential exists that very few may read my words.

The CEO assassination event has many peculiar facets. I must condemn the murder as I do any homicide. It was wrong, period, full stop. A positive element could still be derived from the terrible crime if we use the tragedy to improve our health care cost coverage process for all citizens.

 . . . Round two:

“The stories of shared experiences are the real legacy we leave.

“Narrative is a tool much more than it’s a moral value. I suspect only writers and public relations people understand how important storytelling/narrative is in public life. Presidents’ careers have risen or fallen on their skill with that tool. Lincoln, both Roosevelts, Reagan, and the Chump stand out in that respect in my mind.

“The CEO assassination isn’t the least bit odd if seen as a political act. It achieved the objective, and the public has little empathy for the target.”

 . . . my response to round two:

Quite so. That was certainly the expectation.

A very good observation from my perspective. During the Dark Ages, those experiences were usually passed down by word-of-mouth and song; they were celebrated in many different ways. Generational leaps forward, modern technology enables a far broader transmittal of those living experiences. Communication has always been a dominant mechanism of influence, and likely, it always will be . . . for presidents and common folk. I am doing my part.

Not ‘the least bit odd’ as a political act or not, murder as a political action is another step toward anarchy and chaos. What happens when political opponents resort to violence to achieve their objectives of influence? What happens to society? We cannot and must never accept violence and especially murder (or other injurious actions) as a political instrument. Murder is a de-civilizing action, regardless of reasons. We cannot not sugar-coat what that perpetrator did two weeks ago. It was wrong, wrong, wrong, in every possible way. I understand the frustration with our sad ‘for profit’ health care payor system, but that can never be justification for cold-blooded, calculated, planned murder . . . period, full stop, end of story.

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

 . . . Round three:

“Murder is a de-civilizing influence, but why is this murder more heinous than school shootings, legions of domestic violence deaths, and many others with targets less villainous than that CEO?”

 . . . my response to round three:

Murder is murder, period. The CEO assassination crime is just as heinous and tragic as any other murder for any reason. They are all bad and unacceptable, and should be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Other murders are executed for myriad reasons; some are crimes of passion, some are self-defense, some are opportunity. This was a stone cold, calculated, planned, and executed assassination. We saw the whole event on video (multiple times). Now, that said, there are other such heinous crimes. What separates this particular crime from virtually all other murders is the virtual canonization of the killer by a significant segment of our citizenry. “Free Luigi” . . . really! No, absolutely not, he deserves the same punishment as any other stone cold killers.

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

 . . . Round four:

“You know better than that ‘murder is murder’ statement. In law and in morality, there are mitigating and aggravating factors. Also, if each murder is equal to all others, how come society put so many more resources into finding the CEO’s killer than they do into any ordinary shooting?

“In this case, I didn’t discuss the legal issue. I merely stated that, like millions of other Americans, I have less feeling about this particular homicide than I do about most. Apparently, UnitedHealthcare didn’t have any more feelings about it than I did. They went right on with the investor meeting as scheduled as he died on the sidewalk.”

 . . . my response to round four:

I am not going to parse degrees of bad; they are all bad. Yes, there are mitigating and aggravating factors in nearly all criminal laws. If I had to pen an answer to your query, I would say the brazen, stone cold, pre-meditated aspects of this murder. That said, I will note here that as we learn more about the perpetrator’s motivation, he had beef against Thompson or even United Healthcare beyond a generalized grievance against the broad health care payor system and a target of opportunity, not much different than a random choice, gang initiation homicide.

I am sorry you feel as you do about this murder, but thank you for your frank, candid acknowledgment.

We are agreed (I think). The U.S. health care payor system begs for reformation and removal of the profit motive in that industry specifically.

 

A different contribution:

“I am happy you made it to the Army/Navy game. I was delighted to see Navy won, especially since I am such a F-14 Tomcat fan, and born/raised in San Diego (Navy Town). Plus, I was a big fan of PSA (airlines) in town, and the majority of their pilots were ex-Navy. Hopefully Ward Carroll is reading this column of yours and will be delighted in my delightment (not proper English with last word).

“I'm sorry to read about your publisher's founder and his passing on. It is unfortunate that your projects will need to be submitted to a new replacement publisher. I am sure you will be successful in finding one. I am sorry you lost your friend the publisher/founder at Saint Gaudens Press.

“In total agreement with you on the shooter of the United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. As you noticed, I did not mention the shooter's name. The news media has mentioned the name of the shooter about 50-1 opposed to victim Thompson. What is the reason the murderer has been elevated to a near hero archetype, I have no clue either, and find it dangerous that those too easily influenced by the news, would be offering to pay for the defense of the shooter. The murderer was not brave in any way, he shot a man in cold blood from behind, without any challenge. It was an act by a very mentally disturbed predator. I did manage to read the short manifesto by the shooter. It was not anything greater than what a 15-year-old could pose.

“The news media helped create the hysteria, distraction and celebrityhood the murderer seemingly has achieved. I suppose it could be strategic on their part as they will cover ad nauseum 24/7 the court battle forthcoming once that milestone is reached. O.J. comes to mind.

“The fact that so many people apparently are applauding the murderer is a disturbing symptom in our society. And, it has brought to light the sick condition the healthcare industry is in, that disgruntled clients of these conglomerates are posting names of other CEO's on-line suggesting they too should be targeted. Our SickCare industry is in much disarray, as is the medical insurance corporations that seem to seek profits prior to customer satisfaction and quality of service. Where these companies go very wrong, I am reminded of Boeing.

“Not sure what the overall MEME for the masses is from this shooting of Thompson, but it sure is scary how large groups of our country can be swayed in the way that is morally very wrong. The shooter with his alleged intelligence (two college degrees), and family with a fortune, would have been better to have started a non-profit advocacy group to educate the insured (medical), advocate for them through collective efforts to challenge insurance companies denials medical expense coverages, and lobby state and federal politicians capable of change/improvement within the subject industry. Instead, the young man wasted talent-opportunity by murder, where he devastated Thompson's family, and his own.

“It would be interesting to get your take on the many drone flights unnerving many, and the news response to that as well. And the reportage of various theories like ‘nuke sniffers’ or China surveilling our military bases.”

My reply:

Thank you so much for your contribution and distribution—always welcome.

We share many things in common, my friend. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area (San Mateo, to be precise). Not exactly a Navy town, but the Navy was certainly prevalent in the Bay Area. I also grew up with the Blues. My father took me to my first airshow at NAS Alameda when they were flying F-11 Tigers.

Thank you so much for your kind words of condolence. He was a very good friend, who helped me be a better writer (at least I think so). Whether I find a new publisher is yet to be seen. There is always hope.

Yes, we share more in our views of the CEO assassin. I will not use his name either. It is the virtual canonization of the assassin that I find almost as contemptible as the murder itself. My opinion: a lot of citizens are deeply frustrated with our “for profit” health care payor system. I understand that frustration even though I have not experienced that trauma (yet, I suppose I should add). No matter how deep the frustration that does not justify or rationalize assassination or any other form of violence. I have not bothered to read his manifesto, so I shall take your assessment prima facie.

I do not agree that the Press created this SNAFU fiasco. I think it was the people who lionized the killer. Thompson did not create the system to which so many people object.

An “O.J.” outcome in the killer’s prosecution would be comparably tragic. There is not a sliver of doubt in my little pea-brain that O.J. was guilty of his crime. We saw this killer on video (repeatedly). I hope and pray they can find 12 un-biased jurors for his trial. The O.J. prosecution was a connection of facts (some may have had difficulty with those connections). This killing was graphically carried out on video.

It is the “for profit” aspect that is the root cause of the “Delay, Deny, Defend” mentality of the health care payor system at the center of our medical establishment. Our payor system must change.

The drone kerfuffle . . . now that is a good flip. Drones of various forms are a fact of life in our times, and they will grow in utility and usage. The hysteria associated with the current phenomenon is just that hysteria; it is not rational. Some of the video clips are clearly airplanes on approach somewhere. What is troubling is the absence of known USG action to determine the source and purpose of the more problematic drone incidents, e.g., flying near sensitive facilities. I would like to think the USG has taken non-public action (probably highly classified by means & methods) and knows more than they have made public . . . but I do not know that is true. One aspect seems quite troubling, the hysteria is spreading and growing . . . not good. The absence of facts contributes to these damnable conspiracy theories that bloom in such circumstances; they are not helpful, but they are understandable. A void of facts leads to rampant speculation.

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

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)