Update no.1206

 Update from the Sunland

No.1206

17.2.25 – 23.2.25

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

 

To all,

 

The follow-up news items:

-- President [no name] through his surrogate imitated a direct action to eliminate United States Agency for International Development (USAID) [1205]. To ensure we have the history correct in this matter, Congress passed, and President Kennedy signed into law the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 [PL 87-195; 75 Stat. 424] [609], also known as the Act for International Development of 1961. The Act authorized the expenditure of substantial funds to support international development in conjunction with U.S. Policy. The Act also authorized the president to act as he chose to carry out the provisions of the Act [PL 87-195; Part I; Chapter 3, §301; 75 Stat. 424; 433]. Pursuant to the Act’s stated purposes and in accordance with the provisions of the Act, President Kennedy issued Executive Order 10973 - Administration of Foreign Assistance and Related Functions, which established the Agency for International Development [3.November.1961]. The USAID is an independent agency of the United States Government responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance from We, the People, of the United States of America.

Now, that said, while I strongly disagree with President [no name]’s action to shut down the USAID and all its functions, We, the People, duly and properly elected him to be president and to do the People’s governmental business. I believe he has made a monumental mistake in withdrawing humanitarian assistance to other people not as fortunate as Americans. I understand and appreciate the urge to retreat from the world behind our natural moats and our land borders, but isolationism is not and never will be the correct path. While I may vehemently disagree with the president, he is the person vested with the responsibility to act on our behalf in international affairs, and he has the authority and the power to do what he is doing. Where he went wrong was how he chose to carry out his decision. We can argue whether his actions are illegal or unconstitutional. There is no question in my little pea-brain that his actions are not consistent with the principles of democracy that ground our republic. He is acting precisely like a dictator . . . laws, norms, traditions, practices be damned.

Then, we have [no name]’s wealthy, unelected, wet-work man who is vigorously executing his wannabe dictator’s orders. I watched the 60 Minutes Season 57, Episode 21, broadcast on 16.February.2025. The first segment covered the administration’s evisceration of the USAID. Musk and the administration chose not to participate in the segment, although they were invited to do so. Well, wonder of wonders, Elon Musk was not happy with the treatment his actions garnered in the 60 Minutes segment. Not surprisingly, Musk said, “60 Minutes are the biggest liars in the world! They engaged in deliberate deception to interfere with the last election. They deserve a long prison sentence." Musk’s remarks are consistent with the performance of the current administration. From my perspective, 60 Minutes did a magnificent job reporting on the issue. The administration chose not to have a voice in the program; that was their choice. Musk was categorically wrong and deserves condemnation for his words and actions. At the end of the day, if I have to choose who to believe, 60 Minutes is infinitely more reliable and accurate than [no name] or Elon Musk. Shut the front door!

 

President [no name] blames Ukraine for starting the war with Russia. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, he publicly stated, “I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it’s going very well. Today I heard, ‘oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years ... You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.” He went on to say, "I hear that they're upset about not having a seat, well, they've had a seat for three years and a long time before that. This could have been settled very easily.” He later added, “"You should have never started it. You could have made a deal. I could have made a deal for Ukraine. That would have given them almost all of the land, everything, almost all of the land - and no people would have been killed, and no city would have been demolished.

This is exactly what happens when we put someone in that office who has no clue of history, old or contemporary, and refuses to listen to those experts who do know the history. The man is an idiot, and I apologize for the insult to the mentally impaired among us.

President Zelensky could not leave that idiocy stand, and he observed, “Trump lives in a disinformation space.” Spot on! And, I think President Zelensky is being very generous to [the person who shall no longer be named] {AKA no name}

His level of outright ignorance is appalling especially for someone who was hired to be president of the United States of America.

We could peg the genesis of the Ukraine-Russia War to many milestones in history. Ukrainians have a very long history of resistance to Russian domination. The embers have been glowing for centuries. The contemporary spark that brought the conflagration to full, roaring flame was the Ukrainian Revolution of 2014, AKA Maidan Revolution and Revolution of Dignity. A consequence of the revolution was the ouster and flight of President Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych, who fled to Russia for sanctuary. The situation between Ukraine and Russia was stable as long as the Russian-lackey was president of the country. When the revolution dispatched Yanukovych, Russia lost its indirect control of Ukraine. One month later, Russia’s “Little Green Men” invaded the Donbass region of Eastern Ukraine and the Crimea Peninsula. One week after that, Russia annexed Crimea and recognized the independence of the Donbass provinces. I believe the war started in 2014, and it was emphatically started by Russia. The only thing Ukraine did to instigate the war was remove the Russian-lackey dictator and assert the sovereignty of their country. They continue to fight for their independence to this day, despite the ill-informed, verging upon ignorant, statements from [no name]. Do not be fooled or misled! Russia started the war. They sustained the war. Russia could have stopped the carnage at any time. Ukraine was only defending its sovereignty and territory. I suspect [no name] is headed down the path of forcing (coercing) Ukraine to cede a large chunk of its territory and some portion of its sovereignty to Russia. Let us call a spade a spade!

 

The bevy of clowns continues growing in the White House circus. The U.S. Senate actually confirmed Kashyap Pramod Vinod ‘Kash’ Patel as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) [Senate: 51-49-0-0(0)]. Patel is a degreed lawyer. However, he has minimal, perhaps even marginal, law enforcement experience. He is the first overtly political director. Patel has made multitudinous foolish, unsubstantiated, public statements about the FBI. We can only imagine what he is going to do to the republic’s premier law enforcement agency.

Senator Richard Joseph ‘Dick’ Durbin of Illinois stated, “I cannot imagine a worse choice.” I stand with Durbin on this one.

Watching this disaster play out will be like watching a slow-motion train wreck. This is not going to turn out well. Patel is another wet-work man who will execute [no name]’s declared retribution against the law enforcement agency that investigated his unlawful retention of multiple classified documents, among other crimes [no name] has committed. The Patel nomination is consistent with [no name]’s vindictive, aggressive personality. So it is. So it shall be.

 

Comment to Update no.1204:

“1204 is right on target. I do have one question.

“Regarding the so-called buyout, how do conclude that ‘the underlying objective is to replace all non-believer federal employees with staunch loyalists...’?

“Do you have some facts to support that understandably cynical view? Yes it may well be illegal, unfundable, etc., but I have missed any inference in the news I have observed that would suggest Trump intends the federal work force to stay inflated or to grow in number. Obviously he would favor or appoint loyalists, but keep the federal bloated numbers? I doubt it. Correct me if I am wrong.

“Of course, this is no way a defense of his methods.”

My reply:

Thank you for your contribution

In my continuing effort to understand why he does some of things he does, I have no evidence admissible in court. I only have a history of watching him and trying to understand why. “Inflated” is a relative term dependent upon what each of us defines as necessary or appropriate government activity.

As a background to my reply to your query, I will confess that I gave up a long time ago arguing for reductions in the size of the federal government, which in practical terms means less regulation and governmental services. As an example, since [no name] chose USAID as the vanguard of this “cost cutting” [downsizing] efforts, I will use USAID. For those “America Firsters” [then (1941) and now (MAGAts)], no money should be spent outside our borders, thus USAID is irrelevant and unnecessary. I vehemently disagree. American isolationism is a disaster in progress. I condemn and absolutely disagree with the MAGAt effort to disembowel USAID.

Government is NOT and never has been a business. Virtually all the states must and have operated within their revenue—a balanced operating budget. What makes the federal government fundamentally different from the states is its ability to print money. No business has that capability. Both parties have spent money like drunken sailors. 

The issue with government is what services are necessary. I used to support Republican positions, i.e., strong national security. What I see today, is Republican spending via the Defense Department that is outright corporate welfare, e.g., buying more M-1 tanks that the Pentagon does not need or want, because those tanks are made in a powerful senator’s state and a representative’s district. Or, building a state of the art, high-end airport in rural Pennsylvania in a powerful representative’s district. We need USAID; we do NOT need more M-1 tanks.

Republicans have long been focused on the Department of Education. The current administration is hellbent on eliminating the entire department. They argue that education is a state function, not federal. I adamantly disagree. Education is no more a state issue than our most fundamental rights. I see the Department of Education as the mechanism to raise future generations with a homogenized sense of what it means to be an American. E pluribus unum! I used to be a professed state’s rights advocate. I am no longer. I absolutely refuse to parse our rights by states.

I have gone on too long, and I have probably said too much. My apologies. The current administration is cutting essential American programs. They have provided no evidence whatsoever of fraud, waste, and abuse.

I cannot and will not argue that you are wrong. Is there fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal government. Yes, absolutely! Both parties spend our tax dollars on far too many foolish things. So, let us debate what is necessary. That task belongs to Congress, not DOGE or [no name]. Let us have this debate in a proper democratic manner, not at the whim of a wannabe dictator.

‘Nuf said.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1205:

“My that was a busy write and read! Where do you find the time? Thanks again for keeping us this side in the picture.”

My reply:

[No name] provided a bountiful supply of topics. I feel a duty and an obligation to address those issues.

Oh, I have a routine process that seems to work well. Plus, writing seems to keep me sharp. I think of my writing as therapeutic.

 

Another contribution:

“Muskrat’s attacks on our government have nothing to do with ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’ Those are just cover claims. Muskrat first damaged the agencies that investigated his companies (correlation +1), then expanded into anything that doesn’t benefit him personally. 

“That Oval Office press conference produced horrible public relations imagery of the Felon. Felon voters will have abuse flashbacks from that scenario.

“Tulsi Gabbard is a security risk; who gave her a clearance? Heroin addict RFK, Jr., already seeks to ban psych meds; that’s a whole other threat to millions of Americans. Thanks to McConnell for voting to stop them.

“The Felon and Vance are ruining our foreign relations. They ask obedience from sovereign nations much like an abusive parent asks of children. That’s insane. (Vance, per his book, had an abusive childhood.)

“The courts resist the Felon’s extremes so far. Activists can’t hold out for the midterms to change Congress. Fortunately, April will bring special elections that might tip the balance in the House of Representatives, and there’s always a chance some in Congress will come to their senses.

“I disagree with your other commenter, but I appreciate their civil and lucid voice.”

My response:

We are in absolute agreement on that point. “Fraud, waste, and abuse” is a convenient façade—disguise. I do not trust Musk any more than I do [no name] . . . which is zero. I do not have evidence, but I certainly have an opinion. I suspect there is serious malfeasance underway behind the obfuscation. [No name]’s unilateral extra-congressional actions are focused on the elimination of congressional programs they do not agree with or support. And, more specifically to [no name] terminate anyone not 100% loyal to him, and where they decide, replace those positions with loyalists . . . an activity also in violation of the law.

Yes, indeed, it was a bizarre impromptu press conference only for selected journalists.

That is my opinion as well. I have been gobsmacked by many of her public statements and actions. From my perspective, she is at DNI for one reason—to feed [no name]’s ego.

Yes, they are. If we ever needed an example of how NOT to do international relations, this administration is providing that negative example. They will de facto isolate the United States and default to the dictators.

Yes, they do, but the courts are slow and laborious. He is intentionally overwhelming our judicial processes. Perhaps so, we can only hope. We do not have any here in Arizona, so I have no means to participate.

That is why I embrace all contributions offered with respect. Public debate of contemporary issues is simply too important to the recovery of the health of the Republic.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1205

 Update from the Sunland

No.1205

10.2.25 – 16.2.25

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

 

To all,

 

[No name] and his alter-ego Elon Musk claim there is rampant abuse and corruption in federal spending. Now, it that possible? Yes, of course. Any time you put human beings in charge of writing checks (spending money), the potential for fraud and abuse is real--palpable. Where this goes wrong is, [no name] has a long (very long) history of lying and at best grossly exaggerating anything and everything. We cannot trust a word he says. Further, they tell us they have “discovered” more than a trillion dollars of fraud and abuse. OK, so where is the evidence? We cannot trust their words. We must see hard evidence. Where are the criminal charges? They are accusing civil servants of felonious federal crimes. For we know, they are simply cutting programs they do not like and creating a smoke screen to obfuscate.

To be clear, part of me lauds the administration’s aggressive effort to ferret out and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse. What I strongly object to is the manner in which they are doing this task. They are using a dictator’s approach to fraud, waste, and abuse.

 

A bizarre, surreal, impromptu news conference occurred in the Oval Office on Tuesday. President [no name] sat behind the Resolute Desk like a massive lump. Elon Musk stood behind him with his little son, some might say loomed over the president, and spoke for 30 plus minutes taking reporters’ questions in an effort to defend his actions at DOGE. I do not think the duo accomplished what they wanted to achieve.

 

On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii to be Director, National Intelligence, adding yet another QAnon conspiracy advocate, [no name]-sycophant to the government in a very sensitive position. The Senate confirmation vote was 52-48-0-0(0). Senator McConnell of Kentucky was the only crossover, voting against her confirmation.

On Thursday, Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr., of somewhere, was confirmed by the Senate to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). So, we add yet another QAnon conspiracy whack-o to the clown show. The Senate vote was again 52-48-0-0(0), with McConnell voting against his confirmation.

The insanity of what is playing out in the nation’s capital is beyond description. McConnell voted against both confirmations for all the right reasons. We are going to pay a very heavy price for what We, the People, did last November.

 

An old saying seems to be relevant to the political and governmental turmoil and chaos that is and probably will remain a hallmark of the 47^th administration. “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.”

The administration under the guise of the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) is ransacking the federal government. Their pretentious rationale seems to be the ferreting out of fraud, waste, and abuse. Under that general banner of fraud, waste, and abuse (within the phrase, we will add in corruption and malfeasance), I do believe We, the People, are universally and unanimously in agreement regardless of political persuasion or affiliation. Everyone wants to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse. Unfortunately, or perhaps regrettably, the devil is in the details. I note the saying above.

USAID, by its very definition, concentrates on international aid that is based on a myriad of reasons. If you are of an isolationist (America First, AKA MAGA) mentality, then there is no need for international assistance; therefore, the agency tasked with such distribution does not need to exist.

Like every other American citizen, I want fraud, waste, and abuse in every federal (oh heck, every governmental organization at any level) to be eliminated. Where I go crosswise to the current administration in that effort is, I do NOT trust a word they say. Fraud, corruption, and some levels of abuse are felonious criminal acts. I want to see those criminals prosecuted and punished. What I fear is, the MAGAts are using he broad banners to eliminate programs and agencies they (in their conservative mindset) do not agree with or support. That is WRONG! If anyone disagrees with a program, change the law, debate the issue in congress. Do the task properly in accordance with the law. Do NOT do it by dictatorial fiat.

 

We have absolutely no reason to trust President [no name] and any of his sycophants at any level. That man has a very long history of false statements and exaggerations. He can call a body of water anything he wants. With respect, I shall stick with the proper name that is 400+ years old. That body of water is not some street in Keokuk, Iowa. It is an international body of water and shall remain the Gulf of Mexico for history.

 

In a classic “do as I say, not as I do” parental chastising, Vice President Vance lectured our European Allies on the failings of democracy in Europe at the Munich Security Conference on Thursday. I do believe the vice president piled high onto the peak of hypocrisy with his speech. He is part of an administration of MAGAts that are thumbing their noses at the U.S. Constitution and setting an example as the antithesis of democracy. He displayed grotesque condescension and ignorance throughout the speech. To be clear, democracy is NOT as [no name] and Vance define it; it IS as We, the People, define it. As one American citizen, I condemn Vance’s speech, and I publicly and openly apologize to our European Allies for the absurdity of his words.

One of many principles of good leadership is, praise in public, chastise in private. What Vance did in Munich was exactly the opposite. From the examples he gave, Vance had good reason to criticize some of our Allies. However, it was precisely the wrong forum to deliver such a message. Then, again, I think that is exactly what [no name] wanted—create chaos and put our friends and Allies on the defensive—rattle their cage.

Added to Vance’s absurdities, Hegseth publicly declares that Ukraine will never be part of NATO. Not only is he grossly wrong, immature, and foolish, it is a direct public insult to Ukraine. I ask this whole MAGAt bunch from the pinnacle on down to the gnat’s ass, what was NATO formed for in 1949? We have not sought Ukraine’s membership in NATO. Their membership request has been and remains their free choice. It would be interesting to hear their answer. My answer is: for mutual defense against Soviet hegemonic ambitions. If I am correct, today we simply substitute Russia for the Soviet Union. Ukraine seeks mutual defense against Russian aggression; there is no better reason for Ukraine to be part of the NATO defense shield. If Putin’s Russia had conducted themselves as a peaceful neighbor, there would be no need. But, that is not what Putin and his far-right-wing supporters have done since they solidified power in Russia. Since then, they have sought to resurrect the Soviet Union in all its glory. Ukraine seeks our protection and cooperation against Putin’s hegemony. We should respect and embrace Ukraine’s calls for help. Putin and the Russia right-wing extremists have brought this upon themselves. We did not seek the confrontation. I will argue that we did everything to avoid it and failed in that effort.

 

Why is there so much bias against [no name]? It is an interesting question.

I do not know why others may feel that way. All I can do is express my opinion, my perspective. To me, the answer is simple and is quite akin to that man’s sense of persecution by the Justice Department and other state prosecutors—you break the law; you will be prosecuted. You act like a bully; you will be treated like a bully. You conduct yourself like a dictator; you will be treated as free people treat dictators. It is that simple.

 

On 28.January.2025, eight days after his inauguration, President [no name] sign another Executive Order (EO), titled: PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM CHEMICAL AND SURGICAL MUTILATION. The EO defines a child in the context of the order as an individual “under 19 years of age.” The EO conveniently ignores the age of majority laws in each state. In most states, the age of majority (when a child legally becomes an adult) is 18 years of age. There are exceptions. Alabama and Nebraska set the age of majority at 19 years of age, and Mississippi uses 18 years of age, except for the purpose of child support (21 years of age). The EO further offers a plethora of false statements and ignorance regarding children dealing with gender dysphoria.

The above EO comes on the heels of another controversial EO signed by President [no name] on inauguration day—20.January.2025. The title of that one was DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. The EO states that the federal government will only recognize male and female genitalia.

I acknowledge and appreciate the difficulty conservatives and especially religious zealots have with gender dysphoria. To them, I suppose they truly believe that gender is defined by physical genitalia. They refuse to accept the reality that some human beings are born with ambiguous genitalia. The condition is also known as atypical genitalia and is a rare birth defect where an infant's external genitals are not clearly male or female.

The inhumanity of these two EOs is incalculable, just to placate the far right of our society.  Conservatives have been passing laws for many decades to preserve the status quo, which they perceive as perfect. The assumption implies that all change is bad and only diminishes the perfection of their perceptions. They refuse to recognize science and reality. Non-heterosexual people and individuals with atypical genitalia have existed since humans walked upright.

The anti-gender-affirming medical care EO at the top injects the federal government into the VERY private lives of a small fraction of our society. The arrogance, ignorance, and outright cruelty of both EOs cannot be overstated.

First, doctors do not do emergency medical procedures on children (less than the age of majority) without the permission and consent of the parents or guardian. The implication of the EO that doctors are out mutilating children is an outright lie. Just like conservatives told outright lies about late term abortions, which have always been illegal, even under Roe v. Wade. Both EOs are solutions looking for a problem. Second, this damnable penchant of conservatives to inject themselves into the private lives of citizens is contemptible, disgusting, and outright cruel. Conservatives are NOT the arbiter of morality. Conservatives must stop meddling in the private lives and freedom of choice of citizens, or we must relegate them to the shadowy margins of the dustbin of history.

 

As a crystal-clear sign of the times, seven federal U.S. attorneys resigned rather than comply with an order from President [no name] and new Attorney General Bondi to dismiss federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Leroy Adams. The predominant notion is there was a quid pro quo at hand. As fate would have it, they found a lackey who would fulfill their bidding.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1204:

“Someone published the wording of Musk’s ‘buyout.’ It’s not correctly a buyout and many flaws stand out. The low response rate makes sense.

“I don’t know if the Felon and his henchmen understand the rule of law as well as Hitler did. He might skip that step like the mob boss he is.

“The Felon’s outrageous territorial proposals, especially Gaza, make him the most horrifying real estate developer imaginable.

“Biden appointed one more Federal judge than the Felon, and some of the Felon’s appointees use ethics. I hope they can ‘hold the line’ until special elections and midterms give us a different Congress. Also, look for under-reported protests all over the country.

“Getting rid of U.S.A.I.D. removes whatever vestiges of respect remained for us in the rest of the world.”

My response to the Blog:

Oh, I imagine not. Further, from my perspective, the buyout appears to be unconstitutional in that the offer seeks to circumvent Congress. I suppose they could avoid that conundrum if they funded the buyouts with their own money, but that is not entirely clear to me. Congress created the laws that established and sustains the professional civil service. The buyout offers, while ostensibly voluntary, ignore the established law. Reportedly, 65K federal civil service employees have accepted the buyout offer. The offer is a blatant attempt to intimidate professional civil service employees. The federal government is NOT and never should be run as a business.

Oh, I think they understand it, but they believe the Constitution and the law do not apply to them . . . after all, they tell us 77M citizens told them to do what they are doing. [No name] has repeatedly defied the Constitution and the law, and he has gotten away with it.

Indeed! Among so many other horrifying traits. If he was doing these things in private business, it would be one thing, but he is doing it for the whole United States of America. He claims it is a clear mandate from the people to do what he is doing. He fails to acknowledge that it is a minority of citizens who put him there.

As I stated previously, we have come to the last line of defense—the Judicial Branch. [No name] has already begun his direct assault on the Judiciary. We shall eventually and clearly see whether we have a democracy anymore. This is what happens when a large portion of the electorate decided to abstain from voting. A minority is taking our once grand republic directly toward dictatorship . . . fulfilling the Tytler Cycle.

Quite so, which is precisely why I see it as a very wrong action for a host of reasons. Once again, the Judiciary stands in the breech.

 . . . Round two:

“Everything the Felon does violates the Constitution’s structure for the U.S. Government. The Congress sets policy, budgets and appropriates funds to carry out the policies. The Executive carries out the policies as best it can, but can’t appropriate money or set policy by itself. Even if the money for these actions had been budgeted (it hasn’t), the Executive still couldn’t spend it until it’s appropriated. The same structure outlaws most of the policy moves.

“Some Americans voted for the Felon but they couldn’t vote to set aside the Constitution.

“The Judicial Branch has slowed some of the criminal actions. I still don’t care for blaming voters.

“USAID will rise or fall with the fate of the country.”

 . . . my response to round two:

‘Everything’ is a bit much, but I accept the sentiment. Your summary is spot on correct, which is also the basis of my claim that what he is doing from creating DOGE to the actions Musk is directing is unconstitutional. The problem We, the People, have is, our only remedy in the short term is judicial action. Impeachment (again) is out of the question with the MAGAts infiltration of the House and Senate. We, the People, have given him virtually dictatorial power with the congressional MAGAts aiding and abetting his dictatorial actions. We, the People, did this! He told the world what he was going to do repeatedly, and we still elected him. We, the People, are to blame in all this malfeasance.

Correct. We have not voted to set aside the Constitution. He was very plain and direct in his campaign claims, declarations, and descriptions. He told us repeatedly what he was going to do. We, the People, elected him anyway. He was a convicted felon well before the election. He has been found liable in courts of law for malfeasance. Yet, despite all that public evidence, We, the People, elected him; he won both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote, fair and square in accordance with the Constitution. He is doing what he was elected to do, and We, the People, put him there to do exactly what he is doing, constitutional or unconstitutional, legal or illegal. We did this!

I appreciate that you do not care for blaming voters, but I am not as generous or forgiving as you are. I know exactly who caused this.

I hope you are correct. There is far more good that USAID does than any evidence-less accusations from a man who has a long history of lying and making false statements.

That man has been, is, and always will be a con-man. He is what he is. Far too many Americans have chosen to ignore the facts. So be it! We have what we have. We voted for this (or chose not to vote)!

 . . . Round three:

“If we must assign blame, I’ll come back to something I edited out of my reply. The Democratic National Committee won the Presidency in 2020 and gained Congressional seats in 2022 in instances where their candidates addressed issues that concern most of the voters. Support for labor was a winner. Financial support for families and small businesses during COVID mattered. Healthcare could have been.

“Then they went back to being the weaker party. ‘We’re not him’ doesn’t draw votes, and “look how great it is” is clearly out of touch with about three quarters of voters’ lives.

“The human factor in this is that a majority of voters have never in history done the kind of research that you and I do. Don’t expect it. The Felon drew on voters’ fears, some of which are realistic. His solutions may be lunacy, but at least he talked about their concerns. There is such a thing as ‘left populist’ to counter the Felon’s “right populist”, but the DNC hasn’t come close to it.”

 . . . my response to round three:

I cannot and will not defend or attempt to justify the failings of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). We can ascribe blame to the DNC if we wish. However, to me, the data does not support the hypothesis. When I look at historic voter turnout rates for presidential election since the founding of the Republic, I see a peak plateau at 80 per centum from 1840 to 1890, and then the turnout rate steadily drops to a low point at 50 per centum in 1920. It seems to have stabilized in a new plateau at 60 per centum, with a distinct spike to 66.6 per centum in the 2020 election. We can speculate why we dropped to 63.7 per centum in the 2024 election. To me, the most telling data is the midterm turnout rate that is generally 20 per centum below the presidential years. Your hypothesis for the drop in the 2024 election may well be correct, since every individual has independent and personal reasons for choosing not to vote.

As a side note, the British voter turnout rates have a median of 75 per centum over the last century with a peak of 83.9 per centum in the 1950 election.

The data aside, I will declare directly that there are more than a few American citizens who I would prefer did not vote since they are broadly uneducated. From my respective, they vote for emotional and capricious reasons that are never good. Yet, that is not our system of governance. Poll taxes in all their despicable forms are unconstitutional and illegal, and rightly so. We profess open and free elections. We, the People, vote because we want to vote.

The Felon-in-Chief (FIC), AKA [no name], has quite successfully formed a coalition of right-, extreme-right-, and ultra-right-wing groups, and they have been convinced to vote. Perhaps, the left needs their version of the FIC to mobilize the left.

I believe in my later years that the United States is a moderate, progressive nation. Unfortunately, the con-man-in-chief (FIC) has drawn the right-wing extremes out of the shadows and into the sunlight of the mainstream, making this country seem far right. I cannot (perhaps refuse) believe that is true or accurate. We are better than the right-wing.

As I have written numerous times, I see voting as a duty, an obligation as a citizen of the Republic. Our task as voters (citizens) is to select the best of the lot. If an individual wishes to participate in the selection of a candidate, then join the political party of your choice and vote in the primary elections.

At the end of the day, abstention (for whatever reason) is exactly why we must suffer the shenanigans of the current administration and the clowns who have made the White House a circus.

I agree with much of your assessment of the DNC and that party in general. However, I see voting in a different light. We are voting for the operation of the government, not a financial advisor to improve our lives.

 . . . Round four:

“You offer a fine analysis of the ideals of voting, but it fails to address the mechanics of the situation. The two-party system offers no party of my choice, and that obviously applies to the 34% of voters who are independent. I have found a smaller party that comes closer, but we encounter the same ballot access issues and funding problems disproportionate to size that other small parties always have. You still want individuals by the millions to change rather than address systemic issues that have everything to do with this mess.

“What on earth does the reference to a financial advisor have to do with this? I'm not in a demographic that needs one of those.”

 . . . my response to round four:

For the record, I am all in favor of improvement of our governance including our electoral processes. What sends chills to my bones is the thought that MAGAts will develop and institute those reforms to suit their quest for power. We can embrace and debate the chicken & egg conundrum, but at the bottom line we select our representatives by our votes. If we choose not to vote for any reason(s), we are abdicating to the MAGAts. They vote! So, we have a choice, we can hold out in hope that the system will be reformed, or we can vote for representatives who will deliver positive reform. The choice is still ours.

Not worth the time. Bad metaphor. Voting is not about each of us as individuals; it is entirely about the health and wellbeing of the Republic.

 . . . Round five:

“I'll mention that neither ballot access nor campaign finance are Constitutional issues. The Founders failed to address them.

“You're welcome to all the indignation you're willing to feel at the rest of us. It doesn't change human nature at all.”

 . . . my response to round five:

I must concede that point. True! However, I turn to the principles espoused in the Declaration of Independence. We are all created equal. Ballot access and campaign finance codifies inequality, which violates that basic principle of the Republic.

My indignation is my cross to bear. You (and every citizen) are free to choose whatever your wish for whatever reason(s) you wish. My opinion of your choices and reasons does not matter a twit.

I offer my opinion(s) only for contrast, not for persuasion.

 

Another contribution:

“I am sending to two groups. Anyone who would like to reply to Cap, you can either echo back to me and I will share to all, or you can send your reply directly to, who I have inserted his email into the ‘TO’ field above.

“Cap, as a retort, I might add to your weekly Update, that during the first term (2016) for Trump, and then during the entire Biden presidency, it seemed to me that the tactics and methods you refer to with similarities to Hitler, were collectively being done to Trump, his allies, and pronounced supporters (MAGA).

“Further, during COVID 2020 and beyond, it was experienced by many of us that it was Nazi Germany in America, with the lockdowns, forced masks, and many who were forced with the experimental VAX-JAB, or else, like losing their jobs and livelihood, losing their businesses, homes, marriages and for too many, suicide. This is my personal view, but believe me, it is shared by millions of Americans with many harboring much more radical opinion than mine.”

My reply:

Also, thank you for the wider distribution. I rarely get a response, but you never know unless you ask. All comments and contributions are welcome.

Let it suffice to say at this juncture, I do not agree. Yet, I am humble enough to admit I am not omniscient. I listen to and try to understand all opinions. My disagreement comes from your placing POTUS45 and POTUS46 in the same bucket. Further, we are discussing the current administration. The past does not justify the present or future no matter how hard anyone tries. What happened to [no name] in court is entirely his doing. He broke the law. He was duly and properly convicted of felonious crimes in a valid court of law. He has also been held liable in several judicial civil judgments. The federal indictments (plural) were heavily documented and spot on accurate; Special Counsel Smith would have gained convictions if he had been able to present the case against [no name] in court. A minority of 77M American citizens voted to condone his criminal conduct; so it is; so be it. We have what we have today.

Thank you for sharing your personal view on the pandemic response. I shall remind you that it was POTUS45 who activated and espoused the pandemic guidelines. They were federal guidelines; they were not laws. It was President Biden who ended the pandemic guidelines. Further, I do not agree with your “Nazi Germany in America” analogy. I will certainly listen to your argument in support of such a notion. Lastly, my comparison in Update no.1204 was about the present, the current administration, POTUS47. As I said, the past does not justify the present.

[Well, damn! My ‘puter dumped my response that I was editing before sending. I shall take the time to reconstruct what was lost!]

I certainly recognize and acknowledge that there are many American citizens who harbor far more radical opinions than you have presented. To be frank and blunt, history records that American citizens have held political views at both extremes from the KKK & Aryan Brotherhood to the American Communist Party. Until [no name] arrived on the political stage (2015), those political extremes were largely kept in the shadows. What [no name] managed to do was form a coalition of right-wing groups all the way out to the extreme, and give legitimacy and voice to those fringe groups. And, he convinced those right-wing groups to vote. He deserves malevolent credit for that accomplishment. To be clear, the popular vote totals from the last three presidential elections were:

            [no name]       opponent

2016    63M                66M

2020    74M                81M

2024    77M                75M

Those are hardly resounding mandate numbers. In 2024, only 63.7% of eligible voters chose to vote; that’s 89M who chose not to vote. What [no name] is doing today is telling We, the People, that he is speaking and acting on behalf of the People. He is emphatically not acting on behalf of We, the People. He is, in fact, acting on behalf of his far-right-wing coalition. Yet, that is our system of governance, but that does not mean we have to agree with what he is doing to this country.

[Just for an interesting comparison: the 1932 presidential election results were: Roosevelt – 23M, Hoover – 16M, with a turnout of 57%.]

[No name] was a very long way from that magnitude on the mandate scale.

 . . . Round two:

“Thank you for your thoughtful response. I appreciate your detailed attention to much in the various realms we've discussed, and your insights.

“Because of this late hour, I wanted to at least get your thoughts out to the Group, and please await my response tomorrow (Wednesday).

“Cap, I appreciate your professionalism and civility, no matter the debate/discussion and any differing views.”

 . . . my reply to round two:

I eagerly await your continuing contributions, whenever you can find the time.

I may not agree, but I am driven by the belief that democracy depends upon open debate and disagreement in an effort to find some state of compromise on any particular topic. Productive debate demands civility and respect for the opinions of others.

 . . . Round three:

“Whether we have differences in politics, like many in our divisive climate, we do agree on many items, and I know without a doubt that you care about our nation very much.

“There were some additional items I wanted to add to my response to your Update, and as such, due to other tasks, did not get to it this evening, so Thursday will be a better day.”

 . . . my reply to round three:

We have the beginnings of a mutual admiration society.

Yes, we do agree on many topics. We will also disagree. Yet, we will do so respectfully.

Take your time. Contribute when you are able. The door is always open.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)

Update no.1204

Update from the Sunland

No.1204

3.2.25 – 9.2.25

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

 

To all,

 

No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.

-- Mark Twain

 

When a clown moves into a palace, he does not become a king. The palace becomes a circus.

-- Turkish proverb

 

To our neighbors, allies and friends . . . 

What you see today in the United States of America is NOT representative of Americans in general. We are much better than this. President [who shall no longer be named, AKA no name] does NOT represent the United States. We are much better than this. It is with true remorse, regret, and humility that I urge everyone to ignore this government as best you can. Like good Americans, I must ask you to join us in our struggle to endure the insult that is this administration. This too shall pass!

 

[No name] ordered the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to issue so-called buyout letters. The OPM eMail memorandum reportedly was sent to two of three million federal employees, including the FBI, CIA, and other essential national security agencies. It is not a proposal. He has actually done it. 

The action is reportedly a termination with eight months’ pay. The effort is clearly intended to circumvent employment law constructed to eliminate capricious dismissal. He is doing exactly what he said he was going to do . . . gut and skin the federal government.

I have seen no indication of what a buyout looks like in detail other than inducing the resignation of federal employees. The underlying objective is to replace all non-believer federal employees with staunch loyalists . . . loyal to him . . . rather than to the U.S. Constitution. Sound familiar?

The federal employee union advised members not to trust [no name]’s buyout offer, and rightly so. There is no authority nor funding to enable the buyout termination effort. The president’s effort is being challenged in court and not likely to fair well.

 

After the Night of Long Knives [29/30.6.1934] and the death of Hindenburg [2.8.1934], Hitler declared himself Führer [3.8.1934] and the Germany people approved by plebiscite vesting Hitler with sole executive power as Führer(i.e., dictator for life). Shortly after these events [20.August.1934], der Führer ordered a loyalty oath be administered to the German professional military and federal civil servants. For the purists among us, here is the original German—The Oath. The Nazis developed, printed, and distributed a nifty little card to ensure no one forgot the words or the oath.

Der Eid

Ich schwöre bei Gott

diesen heiligen Eid,
daß ich dem Führer des

Deutschen Reiches und Volkes

Adolf Hitler,

dem Oberbefehlshaber

der Wehrmacht, unbedingten

Gehorsam leisten und

als tapferer Soldat bereit

sein will, jederzeit für

diesen Eid mein Leben

einzusetzen.

For those who need help with the original German, here is the English translation. "I swear by God this holy oath that I shall render unconditional obedience to the Leader of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, supreme commander of the armed forces, and that as a brave soldier I shall at all times be prepared to give my life for this oath." 

What the little ditty above offers us is how incredibly close we live between freedom and democracy . . . and the oppression of dictatorship. What Hitler and the Nazis did quite legal. They followed the law, and a majority of the German people endorsed the changes noted above. They wanted and voted for a “strong leader” who would lead them to a better tomorrow. So how did that work out?

Whether we like to admit it or not, we are walking down exactly the same path. We see proof of that observation daily as [no name] unilaterally strives to dismember the federal government and eliminate the professional civil service. He feels 77M out of 330M people voted for him (oh wait, kinda like Hitler, actually) to be a dictator (in his mind, and I am certain in the minds of a portion of those who knowingly voted for the American wannabe-dictator). We oh so close to repeating history.

 

[No name] stated that the United States was going to “take over” the Gaza Strip and develop the land into the Riviera of the Eastern Mediterranean. He intends to distribute (relocate) two million Gaza Palestinians to neighboring countries that have rejected the notion. One little detail, like ‘W’s huge mistake, who is going to police the area? This is the Ugly American Syndrome [AKA American exceptionalism] gone wild on massive steroids. The rest of the world does not want American domination or even American democracy. Islamic fascists have been striving for decades to drag the United States into the quagmire of the Middle East. [No name] fulfilled their dream in one instant.

 

It is one thing to be an individual QAnon believer. That is freedom of choice. You can believe what you wish for whatever reason(s) you wish.

It is a monumentally different matter to have a QAnon whack-o in charge of a major department of the federal government, oh heck, the whole damn country. Most of us know better and recognize there is absolutely nothing socially and intellectually redeemable about QAnon whack-o nonsense conspiracy theories. Putting those crazies in charge is dangerous and disastrous.

The MAGAts and spineless others in the Senate have abdicated to ihr Anführer, so now it is up to the Judiciary to stand in the breech as the last line of defense against the wannabe dictator.

I have no problem if the president wants to eliminate USAID (I believe he is wrong!). He simply needs to make the proposal to Congress and change the law. Terminating the agency by dictatorial fiat is unconstitutional, wrong. Government at any level is not a business. It is a not-for-profit service entity. The MAGAts may not agree with what and/or how USAID does its work, but the place to change that is in congressional committee rooms and the chamber floors of Congress. The president has no authority to terminate USAID, or the Department of Education, or turn HHS into a QAnon cesspool. We have a Constitution!

 

I do not include [the person who shall no longer be named] among the MAGAts. He believes in only one thing—himself . . . oh, and selling worthless shit to the MAGAts. The whole MAGA thing was a brain-fart of [no name] like a catch phrase associated with his useless snake-oil elixir that MAGAts willingly consumed.

[No name] has been accusing every administration of “weaponizing” the Department of Justice. He knows that is not true—a boldface lie. What he really means when he spews such things is, he intends to do just that –weaponize the Justice Department, i.e., his vengeance tour. To that man, and now his MAGAt believers, enforcing the law is weaponizing the Department of Justice against them. No, you freakin’ idiot(s), if you violate the law, the U.S. attorneys are charged by the Constitution to enforce the laws. Instead of riling up the MAGAts, if you do not like the law, propose to Congress to change the law. Turning to a wannabe-dictator is outright rejection of the Constitution—the only thing that has bound us together for a quarter of a millennia.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1203:

Comment to the Blog:

“No amount of passionate writing can prevent what has already happened. The question now is how to support the resistance.

“Robert Reich today points out that the Felon increases his power by exercising it, hence the scary maneuvers. Aggression is the only tool the Felon owns, but he’s skilled with that one. He always needs an enemy to use it.

“Your statement about the Felon’s supporters ignores well-known facts of political psychology. The Felon isn’t the first or the last dictator.

“Muskrat is the operative danger to the USA and to me personally. His team controls Treasury and other computers that are legally required to be secured against private citizens.

“Reports on the air crash at Reagan National Airport immediately reminded me that Ronald Reagan broke the air traffic controllers’ union (PATCO); now official reports say the tower was understaffed. That’s no coincidence. See above about the Felon’s rants.

“I’m nearly ready to write a glowing book review of Hope for Cynics, by Jamil Zaki. It’s a very credible, concrete discussion of addressing one’s own negativity (justified or not).”

My response to the Blog:

Quite so! What is done is done! But, we can learn from our mistakes and grow as a society. Yes, the resistance is vital and dreadfully necessary these days.

Once again, I would say Reich is spot on. Tiny is intentionally pushing the limits of Executive power. As he so often does, he is flooding the zone with incompetent nominees, outrageous unilateral actions, and nonsense statements. In short, he is doing his utmost to be the bully-in-chief, to intimidate everyone, friend and foe. He wants people to fear him and what he might do.

Oh, I do not ignore the traits and actions of wannabe dictators. He acted like a malevolent dictator in business, and he is doing exactly the same thing as president. He is what he is. We, the People, elected him to be a dictator, so we got what we voted for. Now, we must endure what we have done.

Let us not forget that [no name] enabled and authorized Musk to do what he is doing. Musk is an agent, not the authority. I do agree that he is going far beyond the law, but that as well is not particularly surprising since his enabler is doing exactly the same thing. There is no doubt in my little pea-brain that Agent Musk is a serious threat to the rule of law and to our freedom, just as [no name] is an even greater threat.

Two generations of air traffic controllers have entered service since the Reagan confrontation with the union [1981]. I do not see the connection. The NTSB will deeply analyze the conduct and performance of all air traffic controllers that night. We must not forget that the pilot is ultimately responsible for the actions of his/her aircraft. [No name]’s mindless, ill-informed, foolish statements about that accident are nonsensical to the extreme.

Interesting title and topic. I look forward to your review.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Reich’s assessment, if anything, is understated. Reich assumes that this dictator will fall from overreach, as they historically do. I study history, too, and my question is how much death and destruction must happen before something stops him.

“FOTUS enabled Musk, but Musk must be stopped individually. He amounts to a crude hacker who somehow believes he should destroy government on his own.

“Unions invariably address under-staffing as a major work issue, and it was thus with PATCO. The loss of PATCO inevitably led to permanent staffing issues. Unions are not only about pay issues.

“We shall see where/if I publish my review. I’ve been thinking about that, and my old long-forgotten blog has no audience.”

 . . . my follow-up response:

Precisely the salient question. None of us can predict the future. However, from my perspective and opinion, I am afraid we are facing incalculable “death and destruction.” I do not see anything that will stop him other than 20.January.2029 . . . and even that is doubtful. On the other hand, he is just a mortal human being who will reach his return to dust like all other human beings in history. Death will stop him. Unfortunately, he has created a generation of acolytes that pose a far greater threat to our fragile democracy.

I share your view of Musk’s DOGE activities. So far, Congress had demonstrated its impotence.

I cannot argue with your assessment of the current FAA ATC staffing issues.

If you ever do write it, I would like to read it. ‘Nuf said.

 

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

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)