Update no.1199

 Update from the Sunland

No.1199

30.12.24 – 5.1.25

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

 

To all,

 

Here is a quote that struck a chord with me, and perhaps, the words might be useful to others.

“Conservative is one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that. It is a suicidal attitude because one thing is to take tradition into account to consider situations from the past but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box.”

-- Pope Francis I (60 Minutes interview with Nora O’Donnell, S57 Ep17)

I would say that Pope Francis drove the nail home in a single stroke. This is precisely why I abandoned conservatism decades ago. While we must understand the past, I cannot and will not live in the past. I choose to look ahead, not behind us. I do not want to preserve the way things were. Democracy is an ever-present challenge to improve, to make things better. Democracy as it stands today is and never will be good enough. I also espouse knowledge over ignorance. I condemn all efforts to hide history and the lessons learned that history provides us in some terribly lame effort to pretend history does not exist. The United States of America is not and never has been perfect. We have a long history of making tragic mistakes. One of those massive, incalculable mistakes was slavery and the unfortunate efforts to compromise and accommodate slavery (e.g., U.S. Constitution: Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3; Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1; and worst of all, Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 [the Fugitive Slave Clause]). Our children, every single one of them, should (I will say MUST) learn and remember the tragedy that was slavery. We must remember the incalculable cost and consequences of our history, including the Nat Turner Rebellion [1831]—good, bad, or ugly. It is that reality that demands our children learn that history. Yes, it will make them feel uncomfortable, and it should do so. Conservatism, especially as advocated by the MAGAt bunch, seeks to live in the past and worse to ignore history. I will have none of it. Change is a necessary part of life and an essential element of any democracy. We cannot allow the so-called conservatives to pour concrete around our feet. We must improve. We must help the once-grand republic return to greatness by our humanity, not our muscle.

 

On New Year’s Day, 1.January.2025, at 03:15 [S] CST, a rented, white, Ford F-150 Lightning (all electric) pickup truck ran at comparatively high speed down Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 15 (so far) innocent people and injuring 35 others. At 08:39 [U] PST, a rented, silver, Tesla cybertruck exploded under the main entrance portico of Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. Only one person was killed. No one was injured, and very little damage was done to the hotel. The perpetrator ignited the explosives, fireworks, and flammable liquid in the cargo bed as he put a bullet through his head (presumably with a dead-man’s switch).

I am not and have been a fan or believer in coincidences. I know and acknowledge that they are possible, but to me, they are very rare.  In these two incidents, there are far too many “coincidences.” The FBI has publicly stated that they have found no link between these two events, and that may well be true; they have not found the links. That does not mean the links do not exist. Both events occurred on the same day, five hours apart, in widely different cities. Both used rented electric vehicles. Both involved military or former military perpetrators. Both perps died, one by his own hand and the other in a firefight with law enforcement. Both sought to inflict mass casualty attacks; one accomplished that objective, the other did not.

I do not want these two events to be linked. However, as I indicated, there are far too many “coincidences” for my liking. We will have to wait for the investigations to conclude.

 

On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan announced that the sentencing of [the person who shall no longer be named, AKA no name] will go ahead on the 10^th, ten days before his inauguration as our next POTUS. Further, he will sentence the convicted felon to “unconditional discharge.” I confess that I was not familiar with the legal term. As I eventually learned, “unconditional discharge” means his conviction by a jury of his peers [1168] stands for the record, but he will be released from any duty, obligation, probation, prison, or any other conditions.

If we ever needed an example that “Equal Justice under the Law” is a mythical ideal far distant from our reach or reality, this is the perfect such case. He faced up to four years in prison for his crimes. I would have accepted him spending a few months in prison at least and being on probation for four years. But once again, he has escaped justice for his crimes. He incited an insurrection against the duly elected federal government, and 77M citizens absolved him of his crime.

The lesson learned from this sordid reality is, if you are going to break the law, do so in such a grand fashion that you can escape justice like [no name]. Like it or not, we must acknowledge that he is the consummate con-man. I do not know any other criminal who has repeatedly defied justice and gotten away with it.

Just because it is my nature, I point to another historic slippery criminal. Adolf Hitler incited insurrection against the established government in Germany [143; 9.11.1923], but he was not as good (or slippery) as [no name]. Hitler at least spent nine months in prison for his crime (incitement to insurrection). As we know from history, Hitler went on to be elected and installed as chancellor; he cemented his dictatorship by dubious (legal appearing) means and used his position to commit far more heinous crimes. Hitler also defied justice by taking his own life (and the life of his mistress and new wife).

At the end of the day, [no name] is and will remain for history a convicted felon regardless of his sentence.

 

The U.S. Surgeon General announced that there is a link between alcohol consumption and certain types of cancer. I say, No sh*t! [Pardon my French.] The reality is anything can be toxic—too much oxygen, too much water, too much food, too much of anything. The key for the consumption of any substance is moderation. Some substances have a higher threshold than others, but the threshold is always out there.

I certainly understand that some folks hold very strong objections to alcohol consumption in any form. Objection is the right of every citizen. Where objection goes sideways occurs when individuals attempt to impose their choices on other citizens, e.g., Prohibition. I have no problem with an appropriate warning label like cigarettes. Freedom of choice must remain with We, the People.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1198:

“I’ll note the passing of President Carter, who proved that DC can’t cope with decency. He was the most honorable person ever to be President.

“The Chump’s mind strays further and further from reality. Some on the left suggest that Vance et al. will use the 25^thAmendment to get him out of the way.

“The Azerbaijan Airline attack continues a Russian government trait dating back to the Czars. This one could indicate that more former Soviets are turning against Moscow—or cause that.

“I can clarify what I see in the CEO homicide via the ‘trolley problem’ in philosophy. It boils down to the moral question of whether to sacrifice one life to save many others.”

My response:

Happy New Year!

Well said. Jimmy Carter was certainly an honorable man. He set a fine example of what it means to live a life of service. While honorable is an important trait for any president. Honorable does not by itself enable a good presidency.

Perhaps they will use the provisions of the 25^th Amendment at some point. But, I do not see that happening anytime soon. [No name] has been very far from reality for a very long time, but 77M American citizens voted for him and that was enough for him to be president. We must persevere for however long he serves as POTUS. Perhaps this ordeal will inspire more citizens to take their precious vote more seriously.

Perhaps so! It is difficult to see inside Russia.

You may well be correct. So, I suppose the ends justifies the means. How are we to decide what ends justify such extreme means? Can a conservative assassinate a medical doctor who cares for a woman in need? Can a dictator kill thousands in his lame attempt to reconstitute a dominance of the past? Can a cotton plantation owner utilize slave labor because he is convinced of his moral superiority? Where does it end? Who decides what is righteous and what is not?

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Remember Chump’s voters are chum, but his inner circle are sharks. If the Chump doesn't feed their individual goals of wealth and power, they’ll discard him like fish bones.

“Putin’s reign controls the news, but indicators leak out that the regime has the usual problems of brutal dictatorships. One is that assumed allies often reach a parting with the brutal one.

“I see no point in the ‘slippery slope’ discussion here, and I seek knowledge rather than moral judgment. The number of lives lost to healthcare insurance explains the public response to the shooting of that CEO. Historical knowledge shows that this type of incident sometimes sparks dramatic change.”

 . . . my follow-up response:

Oh, I remember! We shall bear witness to how this plays out.

As all dictators do! They exhibit a sense of insecurity often manifested in brutal oppression.

Very well. So be it. Is not moral judgment the seeking of knowledge? I am and will remain an unwavering advocate for knowledge over ignorance. I suppose we should be prepared for more “ends justify the means” events as one disgruntled citizen decides violence is the only way. Perhaps we will learn how the perpetrator was directly affected by the victim. At this moment, it appears to me that the victim was simply a convenient target of opportunity rather than the root cause of the perpetrator’s anger. The trial will be interesting.

 

Another contribution:

“My God that was a complex discussion you had there much of which was beyond my comprehension possibly as we live a long way east of yourself.”

My reply:

I am afraid these are the times in which we live, my friend. [The person who shall no longer be named] is going to give us nothing but chaos and complexity. We must endure.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Yes Cap-I almost said ‘it’s no business of mine’ but I now believe it is. I for one of many this side are not looking forward to his style of leadership. Yes of course we must all endure and survive-we will.”

 . . . my follow-up reply:

If [no name] had been elected mayor of a rural village in Nebraska, your first inclination probably would have been correct. However, he was not a mayor; he was elected to be president of the United States of America. His conduct, behavior, and peculiarities will quite likely affect many others far beyond our borders. As one of our longest and best allies, Great Britain will likely suffer the consequences of his regime more than most others. So, yes, I believe his regime is your business. I would imagine there are MAGAt-equivalents in the UK, just as there were devout fascists in Great Britain in the 1930s, not least of whom was the Duke of Windsor. [No name] is just another rendition of the ultra-right people within all our societies. He represents the American version. We must deal with them all accordingly. I find nothing even remotely beneficial or redeeming about that con-man, and stated bluntly, he is the closest to the anti-Christ we have witnessed in our lifetime. We shall overcome.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)