The Queen Is Dead: Long Live The Queen's Music!

It's time to Break It Down!

Today we observe the King of Pop’s 60^thbirthday. I memorialized his transition in a blog post July 1, 2009. He died June 25, 2009, after having taken several drugs prescribed and/or administered by his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray. In the 12 months after his death, Jackson sold more than 8.2 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide, making him the best-selling albums artist of 2009. Even in death, he was still the King.

Twenty days ago, we observed Whitney Houston’s 55^thbirthday. I memorialized her transition in a blog post February 15, 2012. She died February 11, 2012, having drowned in a bathtub. The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office reported that an autopsy of Ms. Houston’s body also showed the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use" contributed to her death.

This Friday, Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul, will be funeralized in Detroit, Michigan, her hometown. Ms. Franklin died August 16, 2018 due to Pancreatic Cancer. She was 76 years old. Today is the second of two days that she will lie in state at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in the Motor City. Friday’s funeral will take place at Greater Grace Temple, also in Detroit.  

Various reports note that long lines have been queued up for an opportunity to view the legendary singer's remains. Unlike Mr. Jackson or Ms. Houston, Ms. Franklin was exceeded the Biblical standard of three score years and ten. She was not only blessed with a modicum of longevity; she also enjoyed a musical career that spanned over six decades. Her successful musical portfolio includes numerous awards and nominations. Below a number of her awards are listed:

·     Won18 Grammy Awards

·     Won 3 Grammy Special Awards (Legend Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, MusiCares Person of the Year)

·     Won 3 American Music Awards

·     Won 3 NAACP Image Awards

·     1987 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (First Female Inductee)

·     1994 Kennedy Center Honors

·     1999 National Arts Medal

·     2005 Presidential Freedom Medal

·     2005 UK Music Hall of Fame Inductee

·     2012 GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame Inductee

·     2015 Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame Inductee

·     2018 YouGov US Poll – Voted The Most Popular Female Artist in America

I could go on, of course, but instead of writing more about the Queen of Soul, I will instead leave you with a compendium of her very best work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6dQ2Qi0r78. The Queen Is Dead: Long Live The Queen’s Music!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your inbox.

Consult the links below for more detailed information relating to a variety of aspects relating to this post.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/entertainment/aretha-franklin-funeral/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin

https://hollywoodlife.com/2018/08/28/aretha-franklin-casket-photo-memorial-funeral/

   .be/J6dQ2Qi0r78

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5516202214514810687#editor/target=post;postID=8436418957177793223;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=317;src=postname

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston

https://youtu.be/eH3giaIzONA

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5516202214514810687#editor/target=post;postID=2307689826287035379;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=454;src=postname

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

https://youtu.be/ctinmprZxLw

Trump, His Friends And Supporters Had A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

It's time to Break It Down!

There are millions of Americans who consider themselves patriots, and who believe Donald Trump is heroic. Michael Cohen used to be one of those people. He was so enthralled by The Donald that he spent years as his “fixer,” and on at least one occasion, he declared he would “take a bullet for Mr. Trump.” Yesterday, in an about face, Cohen admitted he made illegal campaign contributions…at Donald Trump’s behest. Oh yeah, that was after he pled guilty to campaign finance violations.

And if Trump’s former personal attorney pleading guilty and implicating him in the process didn’t make for a bummer of a day, another one of Trump’s best people (he hires only the best people), Paul Manafort, his former campaign manager, was convicted in a Northern Virginia courtroom on 8 counts of financial crimes. The breakdown of the counts included:

·     5 Charges of tax fraud

·     1 Charge of hiding foreign bank accounts

·     2 Charges of bank fraud

The maximum sentence for each charge would yield Manafort, who is 70 years old, 80 years in prison. Sentencing experts say it’s unlikely he’ll receive the max, and that he could get as little as 10 years, which for a 70 year-old, is no small matter. Federal sentencing guidelines require serving at least 85% of the term, which for a 10-year sentence would translate in to 8 and half years. These numbers are not indicative of actual sentencing decisions; just an example of terms that might be applied in Manafort’s case. Of course, the reality is Manafort may be banking, no pun intended, on a Presidential pardon.

In his best deflect, divert, and yes, deceive style, Donald Trump revels in calling any reporting he doesn’t like, especially reporting about himself, fake news, hoaxes, witch hunts, or as Kellyanne said, alternative facts. Clearly that applied to virtually every story that emanated from any media source other than Fox News, if those stories covered Cohen, Manafort, and Trump’s relationship with either or both, as well as reports about George Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn, and Rick Gates. Just for the record, all five of those President’s Men have either pleaded guilty, or been convicted of a variety of crimes that render them all felons. 

The temptation, or perhaps in reality, self-centered rationalization of Trump supporters is always…it doesn’t have anything to do with Trump, or with collusion, or with conspiracy, or with Russia…or with the price of tea in China. OK, I threw in the last one for levity. Well, Mr. Cohen, who likely knows better than most where the various skeletons are hidden, has proffered a different a different possibility.

Oh, I know his word will not suffice for the denizens of TrumpWorld, at least one of whom admits he’d take Trump’s word over that of Jesus. Frankly, I’m not that concerned about the reticence of the Trumpophiles. I tend to believe over time, that the steady drumbeat of factual revelations will persuade a majority of reasonable people that “The Emperor Has No Clothes.” 

The entire episode known as the Trump Presidency is a farce that will eventually implode and fall from the burden of its own weight. The politicos and citizens who insist in supporting him, despite his corrupt tendencies, constant misstatements, cyber bullying, and uber casual belligerence, will find themselves on the wrong side of history. And lest anyone think this represents some kind of endpoint, I don’t know how to put it to you, other than to just come right out and say, it doesn’t. While prosecutors must decide whether to re-try Manafort on the 10 charges for which the jury couldn’t reach a verdict, he actually still faces a September trial in Washington, DC. There the charges include:

·     Conspiracy to defraud the United States

·     Failure to register as a foreign agent

·     Money laundering

·     Witness tampering

·     Making false statements

Early prognostications are that charges stemming from any possible D.C. Court convictions could be even lengthier than those from Alexandria. The array of charges and the way sentencing guidelines are applied will affect the final outcome.

Yesterday, at about the same time Manafort was learning his fate, that he was found guilty on 8 charges, In Alexandria, VA, Michael Cohen was pleading out in NYC on his own 8-pack of charges, including:

·     Tax fraud

·     False statements to a bank

·     Campaign finance violations

Cohen faces up to 65 years in jail. In light of Cohen’s decision to plead, he and the prosecution avoid the specter of a trial. Alternately, the deal creates a significant complication for Donald Trump. As part of Trump’s inner circle for more than a decade, Cohen served as Trump’s personal counsel at the Trump Organization, and continued to advise him after the election. The relationship began to fray after the FBI raided Cohen’s office, hotel room, and home in April. Earlier this summer, the man who once said he’d take a bullet for Trump told ABC news that his loyalty is to his family and country first, not the President.

It is worth noting that Cohen’s plea deal does not include cooperation with Mueller. Because of this, it is unclear whether he will follow through with previous assertions that he would talk to Mueller.

In the hours following their respective legal revelations, Mr. Trump had a lot to say about Paul Manafort, and zero, zilch, and zip to say about Michael Cohen. While it may be conceivable that Cohen will seek to repair his relationship with Trump in hopes of gaining a Presidential pardon of his own. It seems like a long shot, but if, in the final analysis, it works for Donald Trump, in the view of Donald Trump, it is certainly still a possibility. 

Some observers might consider yesterday the worst day of the Trump Presidency; in one news report, the contemporaneous Manafort/Cohen conviction/plea was characterized as the single worst hour of the Trump Presidency. Those things may or may not be clear. Meanwhile, what is certain is, yesterday, “Trump, His Friends And Supporters Had A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!”

I’m done; holla back!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-21/michael-cohen-appears-in-court-over-hush-payments-plea-update

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/21/michael-cohen-former-trump-lawyer-feds-reach-plea-deal/1053562002/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-michael-cohen-plea-deal-fraud-case-20180821-story.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/21/trumps-ex-lawyer-michael-cohen-strikes-plea-deal-nbc-news.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/21/michael-cohen-trumps-former-lawyer-to-appear-in-court-in-new-york

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/21/politics/paul-manafort-trial-jury/index.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/manafort-convicted-8-counts-n901231

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2018/aug/21/michael-cohen-latest-live-news-updates-trump-lawyer-plea-deal-charges

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/21/jury-announces-partial-verdict-in-manafort-trial-cannot-decide-on-several-counts.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/paul-manafort-jury-trial-verdict-day4-1534861860

Did He Really Write That? Yes He Did. Sad, Right?

It's time to Break It Down!

In a tweet, the man who claims he hires only the best people called one of his former employees a crazed, crying lowlife. He didn’t stop there. More about that in a moment. The subject of those acerbic assertions is Olmarose Onee Manigault-Newman, familiarly known as Olmarosa. She served in the Trump White House, until last December as one of Trump’s most highly paid staffers.

In one of the administration’s numerous media spectacles, Olmarosa was fired by Chief of Staff John Kelly. She, in turn, has written a book, “Unhinged,” released, yesterday, that purports to reveal a number of details about the inner workings of Team Trump. Not surprisingly, many of the tell-all momoir’s assertions are gossip-filled and unflattering to Mr. Trump.

In the reflexive way that Trump does, naturally he fired back. Even had he stopped at crazed, crying lowlife (he did not), there are critics who would insist that this is yet another example of the Racial-Slurer-in-Chief spouting one more takedown of a prominent African American. And said critics would have a substantive argument. Did I mention, however, that he did not stop there? He went on to tie a bow of closure on the tweet by calling Mrs. Manigault-Newman a dog.

Just so you can see the tweet in its entirety for yourself, here it is:

Donald J. Trump

✔

@realDonaldTrump

 “When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”

7:31 AM - Aug 14, 2018

66.8K

71.5K people are talking about this

This one is pretty basic and just as clear. Did Donald Trump just call a black female a dog? Let’s understand that there is specific nomenclature for female dogs. Before you suggest that may be reaching, fall back, and consider his calling black football players sons-of-bitches…who should be fired. You can decide for yourself what he meant when referring to Olmarosa. I won’t even deign to debate the point.

Meanwhile, in a White House administration that we now know has never even had an African American with an office in the West Wing (Thanks for the clarification Parris Dennard), yesterday the press secretary was unable, or at the very least, unwilling, to assert that there are no recordings of Trump using the N-word. In the words of Childish Gambino, “This Is America!”

During the course of yesterday’s press briefing, Sarah Sanders was asked if any recordings exist on which the Trump is recorded using the N-word? Sanders said Tuesday that she could not "guarantee" that there are no recordings of President Donald Trump using the N-word. 

"I’ve never heard him use that term or anything similar," Sanders said in response to a series of questions from NBC's Kristen Welker about whether he's ever used the racial slur. Asked if she could promise that Americans would never hear him say it on a recording, she declined. "I can’t guarantee anything, but I can tell you the president addressed this question directly," she said, though she acknowledged that she had never asked him the question herself. If you have watched many of Sanders’ press briefings, you might be surprised at the number of questions she acknowledges she has never asked Mr. Trump. In the grand scheme of things, I’m not sure whether that ritual is a function of a timely game of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, or more broadly, a question of both of them assuming a posture of “ignorance is bliss.” In any event, it’s a curious thing.

There are a great many people who support Donald Trump. Some of them support him enthusiastically, and many of those support him regardless of what he does, or says, and a sizable segment of those, when confronted with deeds and words even they cannot defend, just pivot, and adopt the Trump mantra, calling any such examples fake news, and or hoaxes. God bless America…and God help those people.

"Did He Really Write That? Yes he did. Sad, Right?" I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your inbox.

Consult the links below for more detailed information relating to a variety of aspects relating to this post.

https://video.foxnews.com/v/5821962967001/

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sarah-sanders-says-she-can-t-guarantee-there-s-no-n900701

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/09/23/trump_nfl_owners_should_fire_the_son_of_a_bitch_player_who_disrespects_our_flag_by_kneeling.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-referred-haiti-african-countries-shithole-nations-n836946

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/06/25/maxine-waters-trump-exchange/732505002/

https://www.daytondailynews.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/cnn-don-lemon-pushes-back-against-trump-calling-him-dumbest-man-television/xaAWDwNc3jUGIktDVhpIHN/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/08/14/times-president-trump-comments-called-racist/985438002/

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/04/politics/trump-lebron-james-tweet/index.html

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-insults-lebron-james-and-calls-cnns-don-lemon-dumbest-man-television-1057105

https://youtu.be/eKwps5fjjCY