Update from the Heartland
No.1233
25.8.25 – 31.8.25
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Wonder of wonders! I have seen a lot of spaceflight launches over the course of my life from the Mercury days of the early 60s to the latest event on Tuesday of this week—the SpaceX Integrated Flight Test no.10 (IFT-10). A ground equipment problem that could not be resolved to meet the launch window scrubbed the first attempt a week ago Sunday. A second attempt was made the following Monday, but that effort had to be scrubbed due to a cumulonimbus cell that was too close and not moving away fast enough. The third attempt to launch was the charm.
After several dramatic previous flight failures, the IFT-10 completed all its mission objectives, start to finish. All 33 Raptor engines ignited, lifted the entire stack to hot staging. All six (three sea-level and three vacuum) engines ignited during hot staging. The booster executed its boost-back burn. The first stage executed an intended hover over the Gulf of Mexico within sight of Starbase, Texas, and then landed smoothly in the water. Due to envelope expansion tasks during the return to base portion of its flight, the team decided to exclude a chopstick catch—too much risk.
The Starship continued through its ascent on the desire suborbital trajectory to the planned engine shutdown. We watched the payload door slot open and the sequential deployment of eight Starlink simulators, and then the door closed successfully. Then, one of sea-level Raptor engines was briefly and successfully re-ignited in the vacuum of space. Lastly, we witnessed a complete re-entry through the plasma field to a successful landing flip and smooth, controlled, landing in the Indian Ocean off the Northwest coast of Australia. The re-entry was fascinating to watch since the team had intentionally removed ceramic tiles to test the effects of re-entry heating. Several burn-throughs could be seen, e.g., the inboard trailing edge of the aft port flap and the aft root of the forward starboard wing. Neither burn-through appeared to affect the performance of the surfaces or the control of the vehicle. About halfway through the re-entry phase, a small explosion appeared to occur in the engine bay. While damage could be seen, the event did not appear to affect the controlled landing. The Starship hovered above the ocean for a short time before descending slowly into the sea.
In summary, IFT-10 was a magnificent demonstration of engineering, physics, manufacturing, and teamwork. Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team.
I have long seen [the person who shall no longer be named, AKA no name, the orange one, et al] for what he is and always has been, a con-man charlatan afflicted with an extreme and severe case of malignant narcissism. He has consistently proven his inability to modify or lessen his adverse traits.
For a short time, I held a distant hope that he might rise to the occasion of his extraordinary election to be president of the United States in 2016. That hope was swiftly and irrevocably dashed into a misty nightmare. Lately, I have spent a portion of my cognitive capacity trying to understand those American citizens who voted for him three times and who continue to support his autocratic actions, inclinations, and leanings.
Do the MAGAts really want a dictator, an authoritarian? The best answer I can derive at present is, a qualified yes. The principal caveat: as long as he does what they want him to do. Clearly, the orange one is doing what they want. So, what is it they want? Smaller federal government (as long as the reductions are in areas they approve of). It certainly cannot be fiscal restraint, because he is spending money on his stuff faster than the Treasury can take it in. He has added an enormous amount to the national debt. Republicans have a long history of isolationist thinking. The only difference with the orange one is, he is quite satisfied alienating every ally we ever had. He has consistently demonstrated that he is the consummate ‘Ugly American.’
Perhaps most importantly, why has Congress abdicated its constitutional authority to the Executive Branch? The orange one has managed to cower and intimidate one of the few checks on executive authority provided in the constitution. And now, he is actively working on the last constitutional check—the Judicial Branch. He might find it far more difficult to intimidate the Court than Congress, because judges do not have to face the MAGAt base in elections. I can only conclude that the MAGAts simply do not care.
One last commentary thought on this topic. There is no question that a dictatorship is a far more efficient form of government with the caveat noted above. I will leave this topic with Sir Winston’s famous observation,
‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.’
No name says he has fired Federal Reserve governor Lisa DeNell Cook, who joined the board of governors from the federal reserve bank of Chicago. The orange on has been trying for years to intimidate the Federal Reserve to bend to his will, which is absolutely contrary to established law. Interesting . . . he has accused her of mortgage fraud for claiming two primary residences on mortgage applications. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. The orange one said, “Even the appearance of fraud is cause for removal.” If that was the criterion, he should have been removed from office in his last administration and even more so in the current administration. No charges have been filed against Cook . . . only the accusation of the orange one. If he has cause, follow ‘due process’ and present your charges in court. Him accusing her of mortgage fraud is really rich given the orange one’s long history of fraudulent conduct in his business dealings and during his term as POTUS. By law, he can only remove her for cause. His accusations are NOT cause. He has no authority to do what he says he has done. Cook is properly and appropriately challenging the president’s unilateral action in Court. A few years ago, I would have said she will win. I am not so sure today, given the recent decisions of the Supreme Court.
Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) –a new standard, where QAnon meets the real world! We bear witness today to the destruction that unfounded conspiracy theories can do to the precision of science. What no namehas done in nominating Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be the secretary of HHS is, he has unleashed conspiracy theorists into the real world of science, medicine, health care, and the well-being of ALL American citizens. On Wednesday, on behalf of the president, Kennedy dismissed Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Dr. Susan Patricia Monarez, MD (née Coller), on the job just three weeks. She had been nominated by no name and confirmed by the Senate. Four other senior CDC executives resigned in solidarity with Monarez.
If any citizen wishes to believe the conspiracy nonsense, that is their freedom of choice. If you wish to believe vaccines make you sterile, that is your choice. Where you go drastically crosswise with me and with science is when you start to impart your nonsensical personal beliefs on the entire population. I want—we need—a strong HHS, NIH, CDC, et al.
This interference with science did not begin with no name. Oh NO! There is a long history of such political interference. Nixon’s prohibition of research regarding the uses of THC, the ridiculous “war on drugs,” are prime examples of recent political dabbling. I will also add W’s very foolish prohibition of research regarding stem cell development. However, such political interference dates back at least to 30.April.1633, when Galileo was placed on trial for his seminal scientific work—Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo (Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems: Ptolemaic and Copernican).
What Kennedy did on Wednesday is nearly as grievous and certainly more personal to all Americans today. His actions, under the tutelage of no name, is outrageous to the extreme.
I do not fault Kennedy. He is entitled to believe whatever he wishes to believe. Where he goes dreadfully and catastrophically wrong is the imposition of his wild ideas to ALL American citizens. He is imposing upon me. I need the best science can provide. I absolutely do NOT need Kennedy’s junk QAnon nonsense. No, Kennedy is doing what he believes. Who is absolutely at fault in this instance is no name. He created this terrible situation by his mindless nomination.
As if all of that above is not enough, no name and his minions are dismantling FEMA, CDC, IRS, FDIC, USAID, and so many other vital programs. The affected services are the common good in the spirit of united we stand divided we fall. I have long declared myself to be a state’s right person, seeking autonomy for the states to be the incubator of ideas and approaches to problem solutions. What I am not willing to do is allow our individual unalienable rights to be parsed by states. I also hold similar opinions about those common good programs. We pay our taxes for the common good, not for some parochial political party to remake the government in their image. Yes, there are thousands of reasons I vehemently object to what the current administration is doing to the federal government. They are wrong. What they are doing is wrong.
Once again, we have dysfunctional parents who created and then neglected their child who degenerated into a young killer. The signs were there for years. The parents knew. The school knew. Probably everyone who came in contact with that killer saw the signs. And what did they do? NOTHING! The young killer knew s/he needed help, and no one made even the slightest effort to help him deal with his dark thoughts.
Continuation exchange from Update no.1231:
“On Hitler, yes, I would put him in the category of a dictator and evil man. That is based on the history being reported, as I was not there.
“On Zelensky, the reason I call him Dic-Z many times is it is hard to spell his name. Kidding aside, my intuition built on lots of reading, often alternative type news, would lead me to believe it is fair to continue to say Zelensky is a dictator. How many forced conscripts are on the front lines? Youngsters and old guys. Didn't "Z" suspend any elections once Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022? My intuition (again, based on reading and watching and trying to absorb many various opinions and gauge history) is President Z of Ukraine is behind one of the biggest weapons/money laundering operations in history. He allowed himself to become CEO of a PROXY country so NATO could continue to try to dry out Russia. Russia has been warning U$A and NATO since 2008 not to continue to expand NATO east, which we kept doing. President-Z had to know very well his country was the red line to be crossed for Putin, if Ukraine was forged into a client to NATO and/or the E.U. (E.U. comes first). Other people, not me, have observed President-Z's body language and behavior and suggested he is a coke head. I've done no drug tests, and ‘Z’ is never drug tested, so who knows.
“I too could be wrong, but reckon in time, and history, I will be proven correct. I was correct on the Iraq War of 2003, when I had great pushback because everyone was on a 9/11 frenzy then.”
My reply:
OK, Hitler is on the dictator list. How about Stalin?
If conscription is a requisite criterion, then Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson were dictators, I suppose? Pardon me, but I dare say, perhaps it is the alternative news you are absorbing that is the root. I have seen no evidence or signs that Zelensky is a dictator. Martial law had been declared in the Ukraine when the full-scale invasion began in Feb. 2022. They were dealing with massive infrastructure destruction and wanton population assaults. I think it would have been very hard, if not impossible, to conduct a fair and meaningful election under such circumstances. Further, I have seen no evidence of civil unrest in the Ukraine. To be blunt, the Ukrainians have been literally fighting for their lives and freedom.
Money laundering . . . evidence, my friend. Ukraine, like the former Soviet Union, has been dealing with corruption for decades. I suspect you may be conflating bureaucratic corruption with money-laundering.
One more time, I have seen no evidence anyone in NATO has been trying to expand NATO. The Ukrainians have independently and freely sought the umbrella protection of NATO as a bulwark against Russia, which is precisely why Putin so vehemently objects to the Ukrainian NATO application and vociferously accuses the U.S. of violating the no eastward expansion promise made all those years ago. He wants a vulnerable, not protected, Ukraine. NATO has NEVER threatened the Soviet Union or Russia. It is a red herring. Additionally, I have seen no signs of drug use by Zelensky; I think such an accusation is a figment of a burgeoning imagination.
I will certainly acknowledge that you may be correct, and I may be wrong. Quite possible. That said, based on what I know and have seen so far, I believe I am closer to correct than you, but as you say, time and history will eventually tell the tale.
The 2003 Iraq War is a whole different matter for significantly different reasons. I was writing the Update by that time. We could go back and review my opinions on that topic, if you wish.
Comments and contributions from Update no.1232:
Comment to the Blog:
“I share your rage over the Felon’s racism, homophobia, etc. That orange clown doesn’t care about our rage, though. The New York Times’ ‘The Morning’ newsletter this morning concerns itself with his deeper goals of blocking laws that limit his and others’ fraud and abuse of ordinary people. He has almost ended the rule of law in the USA. Speaking of laws, why are the media and the courts not listening to Epstein’s victims?
“No theocracy (Israel) has the capacity to fairly govern those of other religions (Palestinians).
“The Word of the Day a few days ago was ‘defenestration.’ My mind went instantly to Putin’s former associates.”
My response to the Blog:
He may not have ended the rule of law, but he has most certainly made a mockery of the law. Worse, he has inspired others to do the same, defying the law, taunting law enforcement and the Judiciary. He can and does move much quicker than the adjudication process.
There are undoubtedly complex factors underneath the Epstein affair. There is also zero doubt in my little pea brain that there are more than a few (then) minor girls and boys who were physically intimate with powerful men like the orange one. They excoriated Prince Andrew for one photograph. How many images have we seen of no name partying with Epstein?
I absolutely agree. A theocracy is a very parochial organization. They believe in freedom of religion, as long as it is their religion.
Very appropriate word, I must say. Quite applicable to Putin. Far too many examples. Yet, we barely blink when another Russian oligarch is tossed out of a 16th Floor window, and there are MAGAts who defend Putin.
. . . Round two:
“The ‘they’ who excoriated Prince Andrew are the English. I'm embarrassed to be a USA person about now.”
. . . my response to round two:
To be a little more precise, it was the Royal family and the King that condemned Prince Andrew. My point was, to my knowledge, Andrew was censured and punished for far less physical evidence than is publicly available on the orange one, Bill Clinton, et al. Many things disappoint me about American culture; the Epstein affair is one of many examples. However, I remain a proud American citizen.
. . . Round three:
“Your point about the English Royal Family is correct, and gives a redeeming point about that specific family amid the criticism of recent times.
“I perceive being an American as being one part of the larger whole USA. Right now, the larger USA embarrasses me.”
. . . my response to round three:
Very well. Accepted without rebuttal.
Another good point. I will complement your embarrassment by noting my experience more than a few times in my work and travels outside the United States of America. I cannot count the number of times I have directly witnessed the manifestation of the “Ugly American Syndrome” in simple, everyday events. A man who was vociferously outraged that he could not obtain a hamburger in a restaurant in Milan, Italy. A couple (man and woman) who demanded they go to the head of a check-in line at the Frankfurt, Germany, airport simply because they were Americans. There are so many more across of wide variety of situations, locations, and times. During those moments, I share your embarrassment, and more often than not, I tried to apologize to the gate agent, or the restaurant owner, or the victims of the “Ugly American Syndrome.” Sometimes, Americans are extraordinarily embarrassing. We are a far better nation than the orange one presents to the world. We can only hope . . . this too shall pass, and we will once again return to being a respectful, compassionate and caring nation.
Another contribution:
“Good day young man. Trust you are well, you certainly sound energic in your update!
“What a mess us humans continue to make of our blue planet. We continue to argue amongst our-self’s instead of progressing with increasing love and good will to our planetary colleges. Do we, us humans, deserve the right to inhabit our home? Sometimes I believe no, we do not.
“Keep soldiering on my friend, we like your words.”
My reply:
My mind is a lot healthier than my body, but the struggle continues. I hope and trust all is well with you .
Yes, we have truly made a mess of the big blue marble. Our form of the problem is, we have had a group (WASP = White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) has had a tight grip on power for several centuries in this country. They are losing their dominance, and they are acting out. I do not want to make government harder, more parochial, and rigid. I want a compassionate, sympathetic, inclusive government. Diversity is vital to our ideals. The WASPs are desperately trying to resist diversity, and they have a willing agent in the Oval Office. I am with you on this one.
Thank you for your encouraging words. I will certainly do so.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
