Break It Down!: May 2021

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Racism Is Real: Get Beyond Denial

It's time to Break It Down!

If there is one thing, I’m certain of, it’s that a lot of White people are tired of the nearly inescapable national discourse on racism. I know a number of them don’t believe it exists, and a good many more believe White people are the victims. Not really! At least not in the deeply entrenched systemic way, that needs to be, and has needed to be, addressed for eons.

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. Derek Chauvin, a local police officer, killed him near the intersection of East 38^th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd died as a result of Chauvin applying a knee to his neck for 9 minutes and twenty-nine seconds…until death did he depart this life. The incident sparked a national and international movement emphasizing social justice, and underscoring in a most persistent way, the ideal that, Black Lives Matter. During a global pandemic, we experienced, yet another long hot summer.

Now there are individuals who posit, the real problem is Black on Black crime. Whenever the conversation about police officers killing “frequently unarmed” Black men arises, many people I know default to the classic whataboutism of Blacks killing other Blacks being ignored, or being OK, or being underreported. Stop it! It’s none of those things. It is regularly reported. I see it on the local and national news on a near nightly basis. They are not the same. Law enforcement officers have the advantage of the power of local, state, or federal government behind them, plus firearms, Tasers, nightsticks, and an array of tools they are authorized to use to neutralize suspects. Oh yeah, purportedly, they are also equipped with advanced training and skill sets, including de-escalating conflict, and subduing uncooperative detainees. When it comes to Black folks, you wouldn't know it.

Suffice it to say, the space in which we find ourselves is not new. In 1968, LBJ’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders -- better known as the Kerner Commission -- put out a report that attempted to address systemic racism in the US, including police violence against Black people. That was the year Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed; more than 50 years ago. Perhaps, one of the most notable elements of that study was the willingness of a White guy to cite racism aimed at Black people as quintessentially problematic.

In fact, the report pointed to the scourge of racism as a major cause of economic and social inequality for Black people. It also added that it was moving the country towards two societies: "One Black, one White, separate and unequal." That, coupled with the brutal police treatment of people of color and poverty, helped spark the race riots of the 1960s.

This was the first time “White racism” was expressly identified in the public policy square as a major cause for inequality in status and living conditions of Black Americans. That was great, as far as it went. Unfortunately, the recommended prescriptions and remedies were not executed.

Former Oklahoma Senator, Fred Harris, the only surviving member of the Kerner Commission, said, change will only come when the people have the will, and the government is truly honest about what must be done politically, socially and economically to address racial inequality. Easier said, than done.

As Jelani Cobb, historian and co-editor of "The Essential Kerner Commission Report," said, people and institutions already know what the problem is and that the only action that needs to be taken now is actually following the recommendations of the commission, and pay the price that comes with it.

"The actions are laid out; you really don't need more recommendations. The fundamental observations (of the commission) have never been acted on."

So, what exactly, were those proposed solutions?

The enduring query for the Commission was: What can be done to prevent race riots from happening again and again?

The Commission recommended:

A great, new federal program

Vigorous enforcement of the newly enacted Civil Rights laws

New jobs programs

New housing programs

New Health and education programs

Unfortunately, former Senator Harris noted, the commission coincided with what historians call "a political moment." President Johnson was facing heat from the left to provide more support for civil rights and systemic racism issues, while the right wanted to roll back that funding, and redirect it to funding for the Vietnam War. In the final analysis, Johnson opted not to seek re-election and the Commission’s recommendations went nowhere.

There have been other commissions. None have stepped up to the challenge. Some of President Biden’s supporters are trying to frame him as a potentially transformative President. We’ll see if he can find the wherewithal to address systemic racism head-on. If his colleagues on The Hill can successfully marshal their forces and navigate to fruition the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, he will have made an auspicious start. “Racism Is Real: Get Beyond Denial!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

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For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult the links below:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/25/us/kerner-commission-report-predicted-racial-divide/index.html

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2021/05/racism-is-real-get-beyond-denial.html

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Mi Familia: This One's Personal

It's time to Break It Down!

If you follow my work, you know that every now and then, I write about the intricacies of my personal life. Today is one of those posts. No links, no footnotes; one hundred percent first person accounting.

Forty-eight years ago, I lost my brother to a violent crime. He lived in the Capital of The Empire State. We were close, at least for siblings born twelve years apart. He was the eldest (there were only two of us), and broke camp soon after high school. He started a family and made a life in Albany. I visited a couple of times growing up. He came back home about the same number of times.

My mother died of cancer in 1962. He spent some time at home during the final stages of her illness. We bonded over our deep appreciation of comic books. At least that’s was the pretext. I think we knew, in our heart of hearts, this was the advent of the next phase of our individual, and collective lives, living without the physical presences and love of Gertrude Wiggins Miller. Our mom.

After that uniquely life altering experience, I moved about a bit. I was adopted by an aunt and an uncle, and spent a couple of years with them, living as a military brat, in Washington, DC for a semester, and in Ft. Belvoir, VA for a year and a half. I hung out with my dad in Brooklyn during the summers. I made it to Albany during one of the summer stints. Didn’t make it back again until Christmas Break of my Freshman Year in college. It was a great reunion after 7-8 years, albeit unavoidably short.

In retrospect, it turned out to be the last time we would see each other. Two and a half months later, I was pulled out of an afternoon class, to be greeted by devastating news. My big brother, mi amigo y compadre, had been murdered. It was an unfathomable sequence. While my rational mind understood the premise that people of all ages die, it simply never occurred to me that my brother, or I, would meet death’s angel before our father. Or my adopted parents, for that matter. While in later years, my dad would clearly establish himself as my unparalleled hero, in those days, the sun rose and set on my big brother. The abrupt and unforeseen end of our mutual admiration alliance, simultaneously ended my connection with the life my brother had made in Albany, including with his family…my family.

Over the past 10-15 years, I have often wondered what ever happened to my Albany family. As it turns out, though I had no bead on my brother’s family, his brood was not my only family in town. On Mother’s Day weekend, a cousin here in NC traveled to visit her sister and brother-in-law…in Albany. While there, she did some on-the-ground reconnaissance. She returned to NC with a nephew’s phone number. I subsequently called and spoke with him, and with a brother and a sister. Just like that, after decades, I was able to reconnect with a long lost (to me) part of my family.

Over the past week, we have begun the process of forging a proper and lasting familial bond. I look forward to escaping the confines of Covid, and spending genuine quality family time, catching up on what all of us have missed. Willie, Maurice, and Nicole, thank you for embracing me; I love you. “Mi Familia: This One’s Personal!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult the link below:

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2021/05/mi-familia-this-ones-personal.html

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Cancel Culture GOP Style

It's time to Break It Down!

This shouldn’t take long. So if everything holds to form, the GOP will remove Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney from her position as the Number 3 Republican in the House when her conference votes later today. According to a variety sources, this open secret is the expected outcome.

For weeks now, Cheney, who has survived one episode designed to separate her from her position, has reportedly been on a non-stop collision course with cancellation. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and a host of his fellow Republicans have referred to Cheney as a distraction. In an on-air interview last week, he noted that he supported NY Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who ironically nominated Cheney, for the post. People who follow such things have observed that Stefanik has a considerably less conservative record than Cheyney. She also voted with 45 less frequently than Cheney.

The GOP has consistently and fervently ranted and raved against what it calls cancel culture. McCarthy even recently boasted that Republicans are a party that has room for dissenting voices. All of this serves to only heighten what even some of their own members consider hypocrisy. This sentiment flows from the fact that it is apparent the reason for Cheney’s impending exile is that she voted to impeach 45, and readily admits that 45 inspired the January 6 insurrection. She has told friends she "does not believe 45 will just fade away" and that she's planning to wage a protracted political war -- through public statements and in the media -- against the former President.

The fact that the attack on the Capitol played out on TV, complete with 45’s remarks as a prologue, has not proved sufficient to induce most Republicans in Congress to trust their lying eyes. Moreover, some of those who admitted it later January 6^TH, including McCarthy, and Mitch McConnell, have effectively recanted. There is polling that suggests 70% or more of all Republicans do not believe the election was free and fair. In other words, they believe the 45 inspired “big lie.”

Cheney is among a small group of Republicans in Congress who have shown the temerity to speak truth to 45’s power. In addition to Cheney, Adam Kinzinger in the House, and Mitt Romney in the Senate, have called out 45 for his shenanigans. Obviously, that’s not nearly enough.

Last week, Cheney published an op-ed in The Washington Post that foreshadows her likely tack. In it she wrote:

"Trump is seeking to unravel critical elements of our constitutional structure that make democracy work -- confidence in the result of elections and the rule of law. No other American president has ever done this. The Republican Party is at a turning point, and Republicans must decide whether we are going to choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution."

Today is a big day for Liz Cheney, for the GOP, and for American Democracy. Congressional Republicans, apparently, have made their decision. They are rolling with 45. Congresswoman Cheney has made her position clear; she’s repping for the Constitution. Democracy hangs in the balance. Get ready for…”Cancel Culture GOP Style!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult the links below:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/11/politics/liz-cheney-republican-party-trump-long-game/index.html

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2021/05/cancel-culture-gop-style.html

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

As Many Already knew, There's More Than One Big Lie

It's time to Break It Down!

Slowly, surely, inexorably, the wall of obfuscation, deception, and flat out lies will tumble. It may take much longer than it should…but it will happen.

Yesterday, Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected the Justice Department's attempts to keep secret a departmental opinion to not charge 45 with obstruction at the end of the Mueller investigation. She called the administration’s lawyers “disingenuous.”

The Justice Department had argued before the court that the largely redacted March 2019 memo was legal reasoning that aided AG Barr make a decision about Trump. However, Judge Jackson said she believed Barr and his advisors had already decided not to charge 45 with a crime before he got the written advice. Instead, the memo was more strategic planning than legal reasoning. As a result, it can be made public.

Jackson’s decision adds to other criticism that federal judges and others have leveled at Barr for the way he handled the end of the Mueller investigation. There have been persistent questions about Barr’s motives for keeping documents related to the investigation – including Mueller’s findings and Barr’s reactions to them – secret or delaying their release.

In a 35-page opinion, Judge Jackson noted, “The agency’s redactions and incomplete explanations obfuscate the true purpose of the memorandum, and the excised portions belie the notion that it fell to the AG to make a prosecution decision or that any such decision was on the table at any time.”

She went on to add, “The fact that [Trump] would not be prosecuted was a given.”

The government transparency group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has sought access to DOJ documents in this case through the Freedom of Information Act. The judge’s opinion is a part of that case.

CREW is one of several groups still seeking the release of new records from Mueller’s investigation. The specific case Jackson is hearing this week deals with documents around Barr’s decision not to charge 45. This matter is still acutely important. From the outset, 45 supporters have defaulted to bolster the assertion that Trump not being charged as evidence on its face, that he was innocent. At the very least, these new developments poke holes in that argument. As Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for CREW said, “We requested these records and filed this lawsuit due to serious doubts about the official story coming out of Barr’s DOJ. While we do not yet know what is in the memo, the Courts opinion gives us confidence that we were right to have questions.”

The 9-page memo was crafted by two top political leaders in the Justice department – Steve Engel of the Office of Legal Counsel and Ed O’Callaghan, a top adviser in the Deputy AG’s Office – the same day Barr briefed Congress about Mueller’s findings on Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trump’s attempts to obstruct justice. The DOJ had argued that much of the memo should stay blacked out, because it was protected internal discussions about policy and the law. Another lawyer, Paul Colborn, had told the court the memo was meant to help Barr decide whether to prosecute 45. Engel and O’Callaghan’s memo recommended no prosecution, positing that Mueller’s findings weren’t evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.

Judge Jackson, who has read the document disagreed. She concluded that the document was strategy, and not citing that in court, equated to pretending the strategy discussion didn’t exist.

The Judge issued a strongly worded opinion that, comes close to accusing the DOJ of a cover up. She noted that while officials at DOJ prepared the legal opinion that gave Barr cover not to prosecute 45, they were simultaneously emailing about a higher priority to inform Congress the President was exonerated. Mueller thoroughly investigated several episodes of 45 trying to impede or end the inquiry into his campaign’s ties to Russia. However, he left the indictment decision to the AG and his political appointees. Still, after closing shop, Mueller later told to Congress that an ex-president could be prosecuted for obstruction after he left the office, yet Barr had already reached a definitive conclusion in 45’s case.

Judge Jackson took a close look at how that decision came about, including reviewing court statements from department lawyers, and internal emails between Barr’s top advisers. She noted, DOJ officials’ “affidavits [in court about the memo] are so inconsistent with evidence in the record, they are not worthy of credence.”

It is worth noting that another federal judge had previously slammed Barr in a public records case following the Mueller investigation, observing the attorney had a “lack of candor” that was helpful to 45 politically when the AG told Congress and announced to the public what Mueller had found, without releasing the nearly 500-page report. In conclusion, “As Many Already Knew, There’s More Than One Big Lie!”

I’m done; holla back!

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