Update from the Sunland
No.1198
23.12.24 – 29.12.24
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
President-elect [no name] is not yet president, and he has already renewed his hegemonic ambitions with his public statements to re-assert American domination of the sovereign territory of Panama as well as the acquisition of sovereign territory of Canada and Denmark. Apparently, his ambitions are a lot closer to Vladimir Putin’s and Adolf Hitler’s . . . just take what you want.
[no name]’s supporters, sycophants, believers, and excuse-makers like to say, “Oh, he was only kidding,” or they rationalize such public statements as, “It’s only a negotiating tactic.” To be blunt, I say, “Bullshit!” No decent, reasonable, rational, human being talks in such terms. Panama, Canada, and Denmark are sovereign countries; they are not businesses or commercial entities. Beside the commonality with the words and actions of other hegemonic dictators, such statements are quite akin to his ‘shoot someone’ declaration [1112, 23.1.2016]. His statement shows no respect for other sovereign nations.
This is just the bitter foretaste of what is ahead for We, the People, and this once grand republic we inherited. We must do our best to endure his chaos and nonsense, and pray our Allies take the long view. This too shall pass.
It appears the Russian bear is at it again, demonstrating its paucity of sophistication and discipline.
On Christmas Day, 25.12.2024, at 10:30 [D], AZT, Azerbaijan Airline Flight 8243 crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Aktau International Airport, Kazakhstan. The scheduled commercial airline flight, an Embraer 190AR aircraft, took off from Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku, Azerbaijan, at 07:55 [D], destined for Kadyrov Grozny International Airport, Chechnya, Russia. The flight was planned and scheduled to land 20 minutes later. At 08:16 [D], the crew reported to local air traffic control that they were experiencing control difficulty, perhaps due to a bird strike. Rather than attempting to land at Grozny, the pilot decided to cross the Caspian Sea and try to land in Kazakhstan.
At first, the Russians tried to claim the aircraft was brought down by a bird strike. That cause would have been plausible until the video and photographs of the tail section wreckage made it into the public domain. When that did not work, the Russians suggested they were dealing with Ukrainian attack drones near the Grozny airport, implying that Flight 8243 might have been collateral damage. Perhaps they were, but then, that means they could not distinguish between a remote-controlled drone and a much larger airliner. Further, all international commercial flights utilize Mode C Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems, squawking a unique four-digit code, for ready identification and air traffic control. The IFF system have been in worldwide use for many decades.
The physical evidence, as displayed in the video and photographs from the crash scene, shows a shotgun blast of comparatively small penetrations scattered across virtually the entire empennage. Such penetrations are precisely characteristic of a good size air defense missile, which suggests the aircraft was shot down by a Russian lower end air defense weapon. In short, this incident appears to be quite similar to another civil-use commercial airliner shootdown with one of their air defense systems. This incident has many similarities to Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 [657 & sub; 17.7.2014 (thus my accusation at the outset)].
That said, last Sunday, 22.12.2024, the U.S. Navy cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly fired two (2) SN-2 Standard missiles at F-18 aircraft clearly and obviously lined up five miles apart on approach to their carrier, USS Truman, during nighttime recovery after an attack mission into Yemen. The crew from the first F-18 wisely and rightfully ejected once they recognized the SN-2 was tracking on them. That split-second decision saved the lives of both aircrew—pilot and weapons system operator. A second missile had also been fired and began tracking on the second F-18 in line on approach. The second pilot took evasive action. We do not yet know, but I suspect the cruiser terminated guidance on the second SN-2, causing it to impact the water. It will likely be a year or more before the Navy completes its formal investigation of the incident.
There is one monumental difference between the two friendly fire incidents. Azerbaijan Flight 8243 was a commercial passenger aircraft on an established flight plan and under air traffic control, while the two F-18s were military combat aircraft returning to an aircraft carrier from a combat mission at night. I do not know but given the warfare intensity in the Red Sea region, I suspect they may not have been squawking an ID code at some level of emission silence common to combat operations.
As demonstrated by Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 and now by Azerbaijan Airline Flight 8243, the Russian air defense operatives are rather quick on the trigger, as in “shoot first, ask questions later . . . much later, or maybe never.” Putin is doing his best to make Russia more of a pariah state than it already is. We will witness the Russian government doing everything it can to influence, suppress, and otherwise deflect the investigation into this incident. We must now hope that stronger moral forces prevail and the truth will be documented for all of us to read and understand. What the Russians did near Grozny on the 25th cost 38 innocent lives (so far), and it was wrong in every possible way. No obfuscation, subterfuge, propaganda, or deceit can lessen seriousness of their transgression.
Here is a personal opinion, what Putin deserves after all he has done in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere . . . we should admit every peripheral state bordering Russia into NATO (or some other replacement organization). Russia deserves to be totally isolated from the world, until the Russian people rise up and banish Putin and his ultra-right-wing fanatics to the scrapheap of history. Other sovereign nations bordering Russia deserve to live in peace and prosper rather than be bullied, intimidated, and dominated by hegemonic ultra-right-wing extremists that control the Russian government today.
Comments and contributions from Update no.1197:
Comment to the Blog:
“Muskrat paid hundreds of billions of dollars for the Chump’s re-election, and he wanted what he thought he paid for. Unlike in MAGAt minds, Presidents don’t have unlimited power, but it made an interesting fiasco. Speaking of fiascoes, have you heard about Kay Granger?
“Robert Reich posted about an encounter with a friend who sees MAGAts as pus in a boil on the butt of America. The conclusion is that it has to hurt too much to sit still before anything happens.
“You and your other friend (and the Democratic Party) appear to be out of touch with the mass of Americans who realize just how bad conditions have become in this country. That’s why Luigi is a hero. The Republicans are in touch with that, but many of us aren’t foolish enough to vote for them. Also, when you are affected by something, you seem to individualize it (the Chump, for instance), but when you don’t have a personal stake in it, it’s “the system”. Clearly, Luigi has the same approach. Is your friend aware that several such foundations exist with little or no success?”
My response to the Blog:
Yes, I agree with your assertion of Musk’s quid pro quo with Little Fingers. No, I have not heard about Kay Granger.
I am not sure what Reich is implying by his reference to his friend’s opinion.
I will accept your criticism for my views. I cannot do so for the Update contributor or the Democratic Party. From my perspective, the Thompson assassin can NEVER be a hero or even a martyr. Yes, you are of course correct (as I have publicly confessed), I have been blessed (actually worked very hard) to earn the medical cost coverage I have. I make no excuses or apologies for that reality. Cold-blooded murder is NOT how we deal with societal issues . . . no matter how anyone wishes to rationalize such uncivilized conduct, period, full stop, end of story.
Like you, I do not “blindly obey” the medical establishment. I do my own research and thinking. The accomplishments and successes of the modern medical establishment are enormous and laudable. However, they are human beings constrained by the boundaries of their knowledge. No one can know everything. My only admonition is, do your homework.
. . . Round two:
“Reich is implying, in a fairly direct way, that the MAGAts are a painful development in American life that will be excised when the pain gets the patient’s attention.
“I still haven’t excused homicide, but I’ll point out that no form of advocacy, protest, or politics has brought nearly the attention to this issue that the CEO’s execution did.
“I do my homework, including learning more this weekend about what bothered me. One aspect of being a complex patient is that nobody outside my body can evaluate my interacting variables as well as I can. The most likely key to this one is that my perception of pain was permanently skewed decades ago by cluster headaches, leading to my dental pain not getting my attention. I usually have to find the right starting point for the next issue to treat as well as studying the treatment options. It’s good for me that I’m a student by nature.”
. . . my response to round two:
The pain is way beyond the tolerable threshold for me. Apparently, I am not in the majority. I am also afraid the MAGAt situation is going to get far worse and painful for however long the next administration lasts.
I will not argue with your contention. Unfortunately, I see your rationale as building the mitigating factors aspect of the defense case. I confess to my reluctance to accept the mitigation process for a stone-cold killer.
The difficulty with using second person references is the application. I intended second person plural rather than singular. I am judging based on indirect, non-specific comments from medical treatment staff in my life. From their collective observations, the majority of patients they treat do not do their homework and inquiries. Kudos to you for being an exception. I do not have the same afflictions, but I certainly utilize a similar process in assessment my health and treatment options.
. . . Round three:
“Have you tied the two issues together yet? The people celebrating the CEO shooting are experiencing the results of the oligarchs who use the MAGAts as tools. None of this is abstract or theoretical. Hundreds of millions of Americans are suffering from the failures of health insurance companies. They and others experience the healthcare ‘system’ and housing, labor, retail, and other ripoffs. Luigi is seen by many as having attacked that issue in the only way with some slight hope of working.
“In much of my medical history, medical people, primarily doctors, are the problem rather than the solution. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants often do better, but Medical Deities hold too much authority and too little wisdom.”
. . . my response to round three:
The two issues are linked in this single event. I just hope there are no copycat crimes. I must acknowledge that you may well be correct in your assessment of this particular incident. However, I persist with my contention that it is yet another extraordinarily sad statement of how American society has devolved. I condemn assassination as a tool of political influence; it may be a short-term positive at a terrible long term cost. At the same time, I remain an advocate for health care reform. To me, health care is quite akin to food, water, air, and other elements of life. We cannot claim we are “pro-life” as long as we allow this abysmal “for profit” health care payor system to persist. PPACA made a minimalist attempt to resolve the problem by engaging the “for profit” health care payor system. And, of course, what did the Republicans and then MAGAts do, they practically fell on their sword to terminate PPACA without even a whiff of a better solution. And, worse, millions of citizens actually voted for candidates with that mindset.
I am sorry that you have such a cynical (but understandable) view of the medical establishment. I do not share your assessment. In fact, my view is exactly the opposite. That said, I acknowledge that you are not alone. Catch-22!
. . . Round four:
“I have long advocated for healthcare reform among other health-related issues. My efforts have achieved about as much as yours. I oppose homicide in all its forms, but I recognize it as a political tool. My youth was a few years later than yours, and my politics then and now was focused by the State killing people at Kent State. In my rural, very conservative high school, I heard a brief debate over whether someone should assassinate Nixon—the political factor in all that continues.
“My view of the medical industry is shaped by my experience and those of my friends and family. Each one of us has at least a couple of stories of medical people endangering us, and I have several. The ‘healthcare’ experience is very different for Medicaid patients, especially rural ones. I had a brief experience with military medicine, too, but at least it got me a quick honorable discharge.”
. . . my response to round four:
When I see and read “oppose homicide” and “recognize [homicide] as a political tool,” I think the ends justify the means. My humanist side believes such a position is morally reprehensible, and yet, I rationalize the employment of a fission device that took 100,000 lives to save several million lives. I guess I should just accept the reality that we will continue our devolution to an “every man for himself” attitude toward human intercourse and the chaos that attitude inherently induces.
I am sorry for your negative medical experience. I have never felt that treatment, so I suppose I am a reflection of hope. I am also troubled by the implied connection between Medicaid (a federal single payor system) and bad medical treatment. Perhaps a single payor system is not the correct path.
. . . Round five:
“Recognizing the history of homicide doesn't support it. My moral values remain intact.
“My problem with the medical establishment isn't a personal issue. The underlying problem for the people I know is that we're of lower status in a stratified society. A single-payer medical system would address that.
“The single source for all the money eliminates the patient's status as a factor in treatment and makes many other improvements. As you've experienced, the question isn't whether ‘the government’ pays for healthcare. Military officers get good care; Medicaid patients not so much. Medicaid isn't a single-payer system; it only serves specific patients. Compare U.S. outcomes to advanced nations that have single-payer systems. The Veterans Administration might be worth studying as well.”
. . . my response to round five:
As do my moral values!
Agreed . . . for a host of reasons. It is that reality that convinced me to advocate for universal health care, since it is essential to quality of life like clean water, clean air, and safe nutritious food. The USG regulates those essentials (or tries to do so) for all American citizens regardless of economic status. Health care should not be different.
Exactly the point. I continue to hold onto the hope that one day we will mature as a nation as ensure all citizens have the essentials of quality of life.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
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