Congressional Immunity and the Constitution; the Egregious Frum; space development; and other mail.

Mail 710 Monday January 22, 2012

A few recent mail; I will do a big catchup when I have time to make more comments. It’s late now. I’ve been catching up today.

Article I, Section 6.

‘They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.’

<http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/content/view/print/454944>

—

Roland Dobbins

This of course is very much relevant to the TSA’s treatment of Senator Rand Paul. But this Administration does not seem to take Constitutional issues seriously. Or perhaps the President hasn’t read the document lately.

Sen Paul and TSA

Hi Jerry,

By this hour you’ve probably been sent this story 75 times already. I am looking forward to your treatment of the item.

–Mike

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10216573-tsa-critic-sen-rand-paul-has-run-in-with-tsa

By NBC News and msnbc.com news services

Updated at 4:25 p.m. ET: Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., clashed with the Transportation Security Administration at a Nashville airport on Monday morning and says that was was "detained" by the government agency.

NBC News reported that he set off a full-body scanning machine while going through airport security. Paul reportedly raised his right pant leg, which may have set off the scanner. Paul, according to aides, said it was “clearly a glitch” and asked to proceed through the machine a second time. The TSA demanded a full-body pat-down, which Paul refused.

"I was told I couldn’t leave, that kind of sounds like you are being detained," Paul told NBC News. "I was put into a small cubicle and told not to leave."

NBC News’ Tom Costello reports that, according to sources at the TSA, Paul was not detained, but was escorted by police out of the checkpoint.

In a statement to NBC News, TSA spokesman Greg Soule said, “When an irregularity is found during the TSA screening process, it must be resolved prior to allowing a passenger to proceed to the secure area of the airport. Passengers who refuse to complete the screening process cannot be granted access to the secure area in order to ensure the safety of others traveling.”

Paul was eventually permitted through airport security, according to Soule. “The passenger has since rebooked on another flight and was rescreened without incident,” he said in a statement at about noon on Monday.

Paul, who has previously called for the TSA to be abolished, told NBC News that passengers should not be subjected to pat-downs.

"I really think no American should have to go through all of this," he said. "I think if the screener goes off and you don’t want to have a pat down search, you ought to be able to go back through the screener." Paul says he was sent back through the screener when he went to board his re-booked flight

I really haven’t time to give this the commentary it deserves because it is so stunning. To begin with of course is the plain language of the Constitution regarding Senators and Members of Congress travelling to or from the national Capital. I can understand Senator Paul’s reluctance to invoke his Constitutional immunity from this sort of treatment but he should have done so. TSA ought to know that there are at least some Americans immune to their arrogant security theater.

Of course Senator Paul’s father wants to abolish the TSA in its entirety.

Most Americans are intimidated by TSA and well they should be; you must kiss their boots and salute their hats if you want to travel.

I wonder if a fiction scene in which the US Army overpowers a local TSA despoty on Constitutional grounds would be good reading? It would certainly be fun to write.

Ah, Frum…

"Oh dear. We must unify against Gingrich!"

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/23/opinion/frum-gingrich-enthusiasm/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Methinks the Egregious Frum has decided to go back to being a liberal. Romney is a RINO, and likely to have Wall Street’s hand up his backside like a sock puppet. But he’s inoffensive. Gingrich is bright, as Clinton was, but has about half of Clinton’s personal charm and shows signs of being about as amoral, which is less palatable to Mainstream Republicans. Santorum will get obliterated by the media for his willingness to cuddle up to social conservative platforms and positions. (They’re already warming up the American Sharia narrative for him). With the exception of Paul, everyone regards the Tea Party clique as a basket of snakes. Useful to handle to prove your faith, but not something to clutch to your bosom.

If our mandate here is to get the strongest, brightest leadership we can manage, the choices are Gingrich and Paul. If our mandate is to get the closest thing we can get to a President not entangled by Wall Street, our best bet is Paul.

Isn’t it fascinating that the two best choices cause Frum to froth, wroth with dismay and concern about the dismantling of the party of George W. Bush?

I had not noticed that the egregious Frum had ever ceased to be liberal, but then he did read me out of the Conservative movement long ago. Ah well, I have endured.

Incredible News

This is belated and welcome: a defense against a big rock or ice ball hitting our sphere.

http://www.infowars.com/international-plan-protecting-earth-from-comets-asteroids-means-billions-for-contractors/

Of course, the article discusses the billions that will go to contractors. It’s sad that people seem to lack vision and an undestanding of time and their place in history. I wonder how many of my intellectual opponents must believe the same about me? Whatever the case, this is something we need to be thinking about.

I was considering how much we know about where we are and what is going on and we haven’t done much to change our behavior, social structures, and goals. This is a step in the right direction. This planet is vulnerable to a strike from meteors. This is a step toward preserving the planet; this represents the only "Green Economy" initiative that I can get behind so far. Protect the planet and the lives on it with an earth defense system.

Next step: Get space ships that will allow us to colonize planets and moons, mine asteroids, moon, planets, etc., and continue exploring space. I suggest we develop first contact protocols and prepare ourselves to meet other sentient beings; astronomers in 2012 believe we have more planets than stars in the galaxy. I believe we need to get our act together. We do not need to export barbarism to the stars.

—–

Most Respectfully,

Joshua Jordan, KSC

Percussa Resurgo

I point out, once again, there is no money spent in space; it’s all spent on Earth, most on skilled labor. Development of space resources will take more than one generation, but it remains true that 90% of the resources available to mankind in this solar system are not on Earth. For more on that see A Step Farther Out. At least one of the candidates understands this.

Another reason to get rid of Obama

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577178830739157386.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews

Notice who complained:

" But U.S. authorities and entertainment executives say in court documents and interviews that cyberlockers are at the vanguard of online piracy."

You don’t hear too many complaints from software developers anymore. The Apple app stores and their Google counterparts have made it easy to develop and make money on software. The low selling prices make it unlikely that people will steal it. In the book business, eBooks are enabling the same scenario to play out with authors. What’s left but good old holly wood and Nashville? Hopefully, it won’t take too much more time for them to go bye bye. In their current form, good riddance.

Phil

The entire subject needs a long essay. I am working on that, but I am not sure there is much urgency. The market seems to be working.

Iraq Reverts

hmmm

<.>

Iraq is falling back into authoritarianism and headed towards becoming a police state, http://topics.breitbart.com/police+state/ despite US claims that it has helped establish democracy in the country,Human Rights Watch http://topics.breitbart.com/Human+Rights+Watch/ said on Sunday.

</>

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.f4b3121d53c9061ef3bd59387255abe5.51&show_article=1

—–

Most Respectfully,

Joshua Jordan, KSC

Percussa Resurgo

No surprises. I do not know what the US is doing to protect our only genuine ally left in Iraq, namely Kurdistan Iraq, where we are popular and there is rule of law. I am not sure that the President understands this.

It was always the case the Iraq would fragment; it was artificially created to give the Hashemites a Kingdom, and the monarchy was the only thing holding it together. Without the authority of the hereditary Protector of Mecca as ruler there was no reason for loyalty except along tribal and confession lines. But then I said as much before we went in, but they were not listening to people like me in those days.

“What if we forget about the current theories about the non-existence of life on Venus, let’s boldly suggest that the objects’ morphological features would allow us to say that they are living.”

<http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2012/01/venus-ufo-photo-1982-russian-probe-photos-proof-of-aliens-on-venus/>

The object in the photo looks like part of the Venera re-entry shroud or a fragment of one of its landing pads, to me.

—

Roland Dobbins

The Zen of Firefly and Serenity …

Updated (and corrected) the post with a few new pictures,

for those who like such things. 🙂

> http://paulinhouston.blogspot.com/2012/01/firefly-and-serenity.html

>

> The Zen of Firefly and Serenity …

> "… I aim to misbehave."

>

>–

>Paul Gordon

I do miss that show.

Scientific American: The weaponry of 1912

http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=warfare-1912-weapons-technology

Its interesting how many things have changed and how many really haven’t.

John Harlow, President BravePoint

Cheap, plentiful energy

Hello Jerry,

"Cheap, plentiful energy is the key to freedom and prosperity."

Jerry Pournelle, often

That is certainly a fact, and obvious, and you are not the only one

to notice it.

Alan Caruba has noticed and, with that in mind, provides some

commentary on the energy policies of the US Government and what they

are designed to achieve.:

http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2012/01/destroying-america-by-denying-access-to.html

You may or may not agree with his last sentence; I do.

Bob Ludwick

I can only repeat that cheap, plentiful energy is the key to prosperity; and as I said in A Step Farther Out, there are no pollution problems that cannot be overcome with suitable applications of energy. I know of one candidate who understands this because I met him when he called me to discuss A Step Farther Out.

China’s Future

The future of China looks most interesting for the communists:

<.>

The Chinese government is taking notice of recent economic and social successes in the inland city of Chongqing. Anchored by economic initiatives that promote domestic consumption, as opposed to the traditional export-oriented focus of China’s coastal region, the so-called Chongqing model has been seen as responsible for the city’s prosperity as growth slows in the rest of the country, and it appears to be under consideration for widespread implementation. However, a number of issues inherent in the model, including strong central control and massive government investment, will need to be addressed before it can become a viable, nationwide plan.

</>

http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/china-viability-chongqing-model

I like that last line. The issues of central control and government investment tend to kill domestic consumption as these cannot keep pace.

—–

Most Respectfully,

Joshua Jordan, KSC

Percussa Resurgo

Mussolini was probably the most economically successful socialist, and many of his measures were models for New Deal policies. Fascist Italy was a combination of command economy, free enterprise, and lots of motivational manipulation. It did not export well, as Argentina proved, but then Peron wasn’t as smart as Mussolini.

This is good news:

<.>

The scientists who altered a deadly flu <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/the-flu/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier> virus to make it more contagious have agreed to suspend their research for 60 days to give other international experts time to discuss the work and determine how it can proceed without putting the world at risk of a potentially catastrophic pandemic.

</>

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/science/scientists-to-pause-research-on-deadly-strain-of-bird-flu.html?_r=1&hp

Probably, nobody heard of this and when it happened the media would offer some bs excuse like you always hear people repeating. So, if a pandemic comes, remember this.

—–

Most Respectfully,

Joshua Jordan, KSC

Percussa Resurgo

And as computers get more powerful? Perhaps it is time to reread Budrys’s Some Will Not Die.

fascinating video on numbers

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1957179570191443503

—

Recent work from Michael Z. Williamson

ROGUE, Sep 2011 from Baen Books

CURIOSITY:  ALIEN INVASION, Discovery Channel, August 2011

Obama’s TV Ad on Energy — IT’S GOING TO BE A LOOOONG YEAR!!!!

http://news.investors.com/Article/598518/201201201917/obama-energy-claims-celebrate-recession.htm

****************

John D. Trudel, Consultant Emeritus, Inventor, Engineer, Author, retired Adjunct Professor (U. of Oregon), and Novelist.