Mark Robinson is No Donald Trump: Just Stating the Obvious

It's time to Break It Down!

 

Mark Robinson, the ever controversial, recently embattled GOP candidate for North Carolina Governor is quickly discovering what many politicians, especially Republicans who’ve endeavored to mimic Trump’s obnoxious, reckless, devil-may-care attitude and behavior. To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen’s soberingly soul-snatching put down of Dan Quayle, Lt. Governor, you’re no Donald Trump. 

 

Trump, who fervently endorsed, and repeatedly boosted Robinson’s candidacy, has appeared to cool on the Maverick from Greensboro, since a CNN story last Thursday linked Robinson to a pornography website, where among other things, he allegedly characterized himself as a Black Nazi, expressed support for slavery…even indicating he would like to own a few himself, and made an array of lewd and sexually explicit remarks. For his part, Robinson has vehemently denied the report, calling it false lies, and salacious tabloid trash. He added, “You’d better understand I am coming after CNN full throttle.” 

 

Since then, Trump visited North Carolina but declined to include Robinson in his coterie of influential state pols. In fact, at least 10 Republicans and conservative groups have either canceled events with Mr. Robinson, rescinded endorsements, and/or erased their digital footprints to distance themselves from their fellow GOP candidate in the upcoming General Election in just under 6 weeks. It’s fair to say, Mark Robinson is officially politically toxic.

 

Prior to last week’s explosive revelations, Robinson was already a controversial figure, well-known for making sexist, racist, Islamophobic, homophobic and otherwise vile comments. And, for quite some time, he appeared to float above the chaos that would seem destined to result from such bellicosity. Not unlike a certain other public figure whom in the view of some, Robinson may have crafted his public political persona.

 

America writ large, if not the world, is well aware that for nearly a decade, Trump has flouted virtually every known political protocol, and more often than not, still managed to thrive. Liable for sexual assault and an $83 million settlement, no problem. Convicted of 34 felonies, no problem. A classified documents case, no problem. Election racketeering, no problem. Election obstruction, no problem. Trump University $25 million settlement, no problem. Civil fraud case, $354.9 million settlement, no problem. Assert that he could shoot people on 5^th Avenue, and not lose any votes, no problem. Propose a Muslim ban, no problem. Commentary ignited an insurrection at the Capitol, no problem.

 

It would take many more items to complete a Greatest Hits Summary for either of these men. But hopefully, you get the point. Robinson, who pointedly refused to abandon his Gubernatorial bid, has been jettisoned from the GOP Inner Circle. White there is still a chance he might secure the Governor’s Office if Trump wins North Carolina, it was already substantially less than a sure bet, and now looks flat out unlikely. Conversely, Donald Trump is in the thick of the race to return to the Presidency, in a contest that 6 weeks out, appears too close to call. He leads in most of the Sunbelt swing states, though within the margin of error, and trails in most of the Midwest Blue Wall states, though also within the margin of error. Current assessments, 1,500 GOP lawyers, and a host of new GOP inspired state laws make it a foregone conclusion the outcome of the race will not be known by the end of Election Day. Oh yeah, did I say, the majority of Republicans, especially office holders and candidates are sticking closer to Trump than a straight razor shave? “Mark Robinson is No Donald Trump: Just Stating the Obvious!”

 

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 in-box.

 

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

 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/24/politics/mark-robinson-republicans-fleeing/index.html

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2024/09/25/mark-robinson-is-no-donald-trump-just-stating-the-obvious/

Before You Go to Vote: Get Ready

It's time to Break It Down!

 

Yesterday was National Voter Registration Day. For several months now, the nation has, like it or not, been thrust headlong into the 2024 Campaign. By the time this post hits your inbox, text message receptacle, or social media account, only 48 days will separate us from Election Day. Donald Trump, who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, actually announced his campaign for the 2024 U.S. presidential election on November 15, 2022, or more than 22 months ago. On some level, this campaign has been a part of our day-to-day newsfeed for nearly two years.

 

Just so we’re clear, National Voter Registration Day, observed on a Tuesday in September, is a nonpartisan civic holiday in the U.S. creating broad awareness of voter registration opportunities and celebrating democracy. The point of this post is to serve as a PSA.

 

In the wake of all the time, energy, publicity, and of course, money, infused into the business of the General Election, it’s important to recognize and respect the process. Thousands of organizations, and millions of people are involved in GOTV efforts. That’s all good. But, as always, before you can vote, you must register. However, for some, a new dimension has been added to the process. 

 

For some, it’s been in place, but increasingly, the element of having to possess a valid Voter Identification Card is an added step. Forget about the politics, forget the debates, ignore the noise. Register, secure a valid Photo ID Card, plan and execute your voting strategy. There are people counting on millions of Americans not to take those actions. Do yourself, and democracy a favor. Prove them wrong. “Before You Go to Vote: Get Ready!”

 

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 in-box.

 

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

 

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

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2024/09/18/before-you-go-to-vote-get-ready/

Nine-Eleven: Forever Etched Upon The American Psyche Redux '24

It’s time to Break It Down!

 

Spoiler Alert: As the title makes clear, this post is not about last night’s Presidential Debate between former President Trump, and Vice President Harris. There are, of course many outlets, to which you can refer to get an update on those proceedings. 

 

This post appeared originally in this space on September 7, 2011, commemorating the 10th Anniversary of Nine-Eleven. It was re-purposed and presented September 11, 2013, September 13, 2017, September 12, 2018, September 11, 2019, September 8, 2021 (20th Anniversary), September 14, 2022, September 13, 2023, and again today, September 11, 2024.

 

As I re-post this vintage edition of “Break It Down,” today on the Twenty-third Anniversary of Nine-Eleven, I am ever mindful that it’s both, a day America will never forget, and a day that forever changed America’s worldview. In the span of 81 minutes in one late summer’s morning, in the second year of the new millennium, 19 Saudis grabbed America by its collective gonads, and squeezed. Unimaginably hard. We blinked. We gathered ourselves, but regrouping was a process. We fundamentally changed the way we meet and greet the world. We are more guarded, and security has a whole new meaning. We even invented an entirely new federal governmental agency (Homeland Security) to guard our public security, and monitor anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cyber security, and disaster prevention and management.

 

(From the Archives, September 7, 2011)

Do you remember where you were, Tuesday, September 11, 2001? This week we observed the 21^st Anniversary of the day that has come to be known simply as, Nine-Eleven (9/11). That day 10 years ago, America lost, in one fell swoop, any notion of its blissful innocence, its long-standing appearance of invulnerability, and its deeply ingrained sense of security. By some accounts, what it retained is its self-righteous (some would say) belief in American Exceptionalism and entitlement; but that is a conversation for another post.

 

Suddenly we were at war, and the fight had uncharacteristically come to us, straightway.  This battle was personal, and it was on our home turf; no longer some shadowy ideological military exercise, or guerrilla warfare episode, played out on foreign soil, half a world away.

 

U.S. House of Representatives Joint Resolution 71 was introduced with 22 co-sponsors (11 Republicans and 11 Democrats) and approved by a vote of 407-0 on October 25, 2001 (with 25 members not voting).  The bill passed unanimously in the Senate on November 30, 2001.  The Resolution requested that the President designate September 11^th each year as Patriot Day.  President George W. Bush signed the Resolution into law December 18, 2001 (as Public Law 107-89).

On this day, the President directs that the American flag be flown at half-staff at individual American homes, at the White House, and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments, home and abroad.  This year President Biden, as President Trump and President Obama did before him, deemed the day one of National Remembrance and Service.

 

Even after 23 years; more than two decades worth of context building, and development of perspective, the numbers behind Nine-Eleven are chilling.  Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives, and thousands of others were injured, and many more sustained post-event traumas.  Examples of the carnage include:

 

2,977 Victims killed (not including the 19 hijackers)

2,606 Killed at the World Trade Center Towers

87 Killed on American Flight/NYC World Trade Center North Tower

60 Killed on United Flight 175/NYC World Trade Center South Tower

125 Killed at the Pentagon

59 Killed on Flight 77/Arlington – The Pentagon 

40 Killed on United Flight 93/Shanksville, PA

246 Passengers Killed (on four planes)

658 Employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. (Investment Bank) killed; most of any employer 

411 Emergency workers killed at the World Trade Centers

341 FDNY firefighters killed

37 Port Authority Police Department officers killed

23 NYPD officers killed

8 EMT’s killed

2 Paramedics killed

19 Hijackers Killed (on four planes)

2,996 Killed on Nine-Eleven

1,631 Bodies positively identified from World Trade Center Towers

1,122 Bodies (41%) remain unidentified

 

Bone fragments were still being found in 2005 by workers preparing to demolish the damaged Deutsche Bank Building.

 

72 Additional remains found in 2010 by a team of anthropologists and archeologists 

A Medical Examiner will continue to try to identify remains in the hope new technology will lead to the identification of other victims.  The death and destruction of Nine-Eleven led to the so-called Global War on Terror.  Mostly the front lines have been in Afghanistan and Iraq.  However, a central intent of the action has been to prevent a recurrence of Nine-Eleven-like events on U.S. soil.

 

The initial thrust began October 7, 2001 when the U.S., British, and Coalition forces invaded Afghanistan, and in March 2002, when the U.S. and Coalition forces launched Operation Anaconda and the Taliban suffered significant losses, and left the region.  In the interim, involvement in the region has ebbed and flowed, but the war, which the Obama Administration referred to as Overseas Contingency Operation, continues. The War in Afghanistan is officially the longest war in American History.  We have for some time been in the “every day is a new record” era.

 

U.S. Intelligence sources pointed to Al-Qaeda as the probable instigator behind Nine-Eleven.  It’s leader, Osama bin Laden initially denied involvement.  Over time, bin Laden became more emboldened, first conceding involvement, and ultimately admitting that he was instrumental in masterminding the horrific attacks. During his Presidential Campaign, Mr. Obama declared he would not relent in the hunt for Osama.  The elusive terrorist was thought to be hiding in Pakistan.  Mr. Obama stated bluntly that if reliable intelligence pinpointed bin Laden, he would deploy U.S. forces to find and kill him, which he did on May 2, 2011.

 

The good news is, over the course of the past twenty-three years, there have been no repeat Nine-Eleven scale events on U.S. soil.  That result is partly due to fastidiously focusing on prevention efforts, partly a result of fortuitous failures of would-be terrorists, and partly a function of the fateful intervention of alert by-standers. Last year, President Trump negotiated an agreement to end America’s longest (20 years) war by May of 2021. President Biden, who succeeded Mr. Trump, committed to honor the agreement. Ultimately, he pulled American troops out of Afghanistan by August 31^st. a pledge he ultimately honored, despite numerous suggestions, for a variety of reasons, that he abandon it.

 

As we commemorate Patriot Day 2024, and twenty-four years of Nine-Eleven related memories, Americans are still advised to be on high alert for potential incursions by terrorists, most likely of the lone wolf variety, where one person acts in solo fashion. So here we are, “Nine-Eleven: Forever Etched Upon The American Psyche Redux ’24!” I trust you will have a productive Day of Remembrance and Service.

 

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 in-box.

 

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

http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/09/nine-eleven-forever-etched-upon.html

Labor Day: It's All About The Workers Redux '24

It’s Time to Break It Down!

 

This post appeared originally in this space on August 31, 2011. It was re-purposed and presented again September 3, 2014, September 7, 2016, September 6, 2017, September 5, 2018, September 4, 2019, September 9, 2020, September 7, 2022, September 6, 2023, and again today, September 4, 2024.

 

As you know, Monday was Labor Day. As with most holidays, I knock it down a few notches so readers can enjoy their time off, and ease into a vintage post, if they so choose. At its core, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day in the United States was designed to commemorate the creation of the labor movement; dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.  The holiday focuses on contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

 

First observed in September 1882, the event has always been observed on the first Monday of the month of September.  Initiated by the Central Labor Union of New York, the celebration became a federal holiday in 1894.

 

In addition to its formal structure and purpose, Labor Day has several symbolic associations. It is considered:

 

The unofficial “End of Summer”

The last 3-Day warm weather weekend for vacationers

By High Society standards, the last day for which it is appropriate for women to wear white.

The beginning of the College Football Season 

The last weekend before the start of the NFL Season

The conventional kick-off of the hard-core political campaign season

The culmination of back–to-School shopping

 

Labor Day also validates and recognizes an often-controversial mechanism that frequently divides American opinion: labor unions.

 

Scorned by many who fancy themselves as Free Enterprise Capitalists, unions and their members have not only been actively involved historically, in debates that framed public policy for American workers, they have won or forced hard-earned concessions that in the shimmering glow of reflective perspective, must be considered to have fundamentally altered the playing field (known as the workplace), including:

 

Pensions

Health Care Benefits

Paid Vacations

Equal Pay to women

The Development of Child Labor Laws

The 5-Day Work Week

The 40-Hour Work Week

The 8-Hour Workday

Worker’s Compensation benefits

Obtaining the right for Female Flight Attendants to marry

 

These and many other important cherished and beneficial employee rights are attributable to the efforts of the American Labor Movement.  However, this post is not an ode to Labor Unions. For all their well-deserved accolades, unions also have downside effects.  They can create or contribute to:

 

The potential for strikes

Additional costs to all employees (membership dues; whether a member or not)

Loss of individuality (ability to represent oneself in a grievance)

Subject employees to fines & discipline by the Union

Disincentives to productivity and competition

Lack of promotions

Burdensome salary demands (relative to the market)

Loss of profits (and/or pay) due to strikes.

Inefficient & ineffective contracts

Increased unemployment due to failure to reach agreement w/management.

 

The first Labor Day celebration was led by a Labor Union.  The history of the Day has been linked, inextricably, with Labor organizations, ever since.  But it is the American Worker the Day was intended to commemorate.

 

Meanwhile, contemplate, “Labor Day: It’s All About The Workers Redux ’24!” While we’ve got plenty of issues to temper our enthusiasm, we should still celebrate America’s Labor Movement, and the phenomenal workers it represents.

 

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 in-box.

 

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

 

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2023/09/06/labor-day-its-all-about-the-workers-redux-23/

http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/09/labor-day-its-all-about-workers-redux-24.html