A Time for Giving Thanks, Redux '24

It’s time to Break It Down!

 

This is a vintage post, originally pinned November 24, 2010, and subsequently edited and re-posted every year since 2013, including November 27, 2013, November 26, 2014, November 25, 2015, November 23, 2016, November 22, 2017, November 21, 2018, November 27, 2019, November 25, 2020, November 24, 2021, November 23, 2022, November 22, 2023, and today, November 27, 2024.

 

Still, it was not a given that I would re-share this post today. As I weighed recent events, numerous options presented themselves, including, the still relatively new Speaker of the House, the recently approved agreement to forestall a government shutdown, POTUS’ 81st Birthday, Monday, the dueling criminal charges of Donald Trump and Hunter Biden, the GOP impeachment inquiry into President Biden, Clarence Thomas’ protégé-led federal judge panel striking down another tool in the arsenal of civil rights enforcement, and finally, of course, the brand new hostage release/prisoner exchange deal, between Israel and Hamas. No dissenting opinions were registered. After earnestly deliberating the question of today’s topic, I put the matter to a vote. It was unanimous; me, myself, and I decided to go with Thanksgiving.

 

As in the past, since it is Thanksgiving Week, this post will deviate from the standard fare. I know that travel schedules (in some cases impacted by weather events, and COVID-19, again this year), meal planning, family time, shopping, football, basketball, parades, and if there is any time remaining, relaxation, will be the dominant theme this week.

 

However, it is Wednesday, so there shall be a blog.

Those among us who have perfected humility, and ascended to a genuine Nirvana state, have no doubt also elevated giving thanks to an art form. The rest of us must fully invest our appreciation in the notion, “That’s why we have Thanksgiving!”

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, which kicks off what we commonly refer to as the Holiday Season. Almost instinctively, Thanksgiving and Christmas come to mind. Yet, there is so much more than that to the Season.

 

Over the next 54 days, many of us will enjoy succulent feasting at Thanksgiving, exchange gifts and contribute to the needy during Hanukkah. We will buy, give, exchange, and/or receive, and (in far too many instances) return gifts at Christmas, eat, drink, and celebrate the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa, and party and toast the dawn of 2022 on New Year’s Day. We will honor the life and works of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on MLK Day. In addition, even in these tough (though improving) economic times, further complicated by soaring inflation, this weekend, millions of Americans will pay (literally) homage to our most celebrated of shoppers’ holiday weekend, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, by rising early, and proceeding to scour the aisles for those perfect gifts…and if not perfect, at least cheap, relatively speaking. There are even some precociously enterprising businesses that will start the shopping clock Thursday (though, fewer than in the recent past). Sigh!

 

In some previous years, I have recounted my reasons for being thankful. This year, like most, I find that I have more reasons than ever to sit contemplatively in humble repose, and affirm boldly, that I know, without caveat, not only the goodness, no the greatness of God, but also of his inestimable and inexhaustible beneficence. I thank Him for deliverance, and for imbuing me with the sense and sensibility to discern the distinction between Kairos and Chronos, Greek concepts for God’s time, and man’s time, respectively. 

 

In this the Year of our Lord and Savior, 2024, I have again been reminded, God really does have a sense of humor. Welcome back Donald Trump. I Thank you God, dearly and daily for your gloriously ineffable wit. Hallelujah, Amen!

 

Eons ago, when I was a college student, I pledged a fraternity. It is familiarly known as the Oldest, Boldest, and Coldest, but I digress. The point of this reference is that during the erstwhile pledge process, as prospective initiates, we were required to learn and recite several classic poems. There were many, each selected to convey a specific life lesson. Some of them have stayed with me, but none more than Invictus, written by English poet, William Ernest Henley (1849-1903).

 

The Latin translation for Invictus is Undefeated. You may recall it, but just in case, see it below:

 

Invictus (Latin for Undefeated) By William Ernest Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

 

So, as you go about your way tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow, recognize that Thanksgiving, at its core, is not simply a day on the calendar, or of the epic epicurean experience. It is a spirit that dwells within each of us, an impulse that prompts us to thank God (for enabling us to be undefeated), and a level of insight that compels us to graciously share His blessings with our fellow men and women. Indeed, every day is “A Time for Giving Thanks, Redux ’24!”

 

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: https://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. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ernest_Henley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invictus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year’s_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)

http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-time-for-giving-thanks-redux-24.html

To the Victor Go the Spoils: Trump Takes a Victory Lap

It's time to Break It Down!

 

Donald Trump, the former and future President has been the President in waiting for two weeks now. He, along with those who supported him are exuberantly immersing themselves in the moment…as well they should. That’s how democracy works. There will be, and always would have been, a peaceful transfer of power…as long as Trump won. Remember January 6, 2021? Trum’s supporters all emphasize he won, so let’s look forward, not backward. That would be a fair, and much more resonant point, if only Mr. Trump had embraced that outlook back in late 2020, and early 2021. Hell, even to this day, he has refused to concede he lost the election. But I digress.

 

Trump’s supporters claim Trump had a massive win, and with it, a mandate. Well, yes, sort of. Why sort of? He did win all 7 of the swing states. That is a compelling argument. However, even though he did amass more votes than Kamala Harris, it was technically, not a two-person race. In addition to Ms. Harris, Jill Stein, Cornel West, and even Rober F. Kennedy, Jr. appeared on some ballots. The result is, at the end of the day, Trump failed to reach 50% of the vote. He won by a plurality. So, in some ways, it’s not the dominant performance that it may have appeared to be two weeks ago. He massed 312 Electoral votes; just 5 more than Joe Biden did in 2020. But to draw a finer point on putting the matter in context, Barack Obama won 365 Electoral votes in 2008, and 332 Electoral votes in 2012. You know what, I don’t recall a single Republican proclaiming Obama had a mandate, in either year and he bested Trump’s Electoral vote total by 20 in 2012, and by 53 in 2008, so miss me with the faux narrative.

 

Trump won, and many Democrats seem surprised by that result. But surprise doesn’t equate to mandate. As it currently stands, his actual margin of victory is the 44^th worst out of 51 elections since 1824. He won. Let’s leave it at that.

 

Winning does have its privileges. And Trump is taking full advantage. He has moved quickly to build his cadre of appointments and nominees. So far, they include: 

 

Chief of Staff – Susie Wiles

Steven Cheung – White House Communications Director

Karoline Leavitt - White House Press Secretary

Matt Gaetz – Attorney General

Todd Blanche - Deputy Attorney General

Dr. Mehmet Oz Administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Linda McMahon – Education Secretary

Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – Department of Health and Human Services

Pete Hegseth (Fox News) – Secretary of Defense

Stephen Miller – Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy

Tom Homan – Border Czar

Mike Huckabee – U.S. Ambassador to Israel

Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy - Heads of the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) Musk is likely to serve as an outside consultant, evading a requirement for Senate approval 

Sean Duffy (Fox News) - Secretary of Transportation

Marco Rubio – Secretary of State

Elise Stefanik - Ambassador to the United Nations 

Lee Zeldin Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

Howard Lutnick – Commerce Secretary

Brendan Carr – Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission

John Radcliffe – Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Kristi Noem – Secretary of Homeland Security

Doug Burgum – Secretary of Interior

Doug Collins - Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs

Chris Wright - Secretary of the Department of Energy

Mike Waltz – National Security Advisor

William McGinley – White House Counsel

Jay Clayton – U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York

 

During the campaign, Trump promised to visit vengeance on those he felt opposed him. His has offered several appointments that push the upper limits of reason. He has signaled that he fully expects the Senate to confirm them, or provide him the option to make recess appointments, a kind of wonky exception to regular order, whereby, when the Senate is in recess, the President can make appointments that would normally be subject to advice and consent.

 

To be clear, not all of Trump’s appointments are controversial in nature. But some are. Below are a few of the ones that are.

 

Gaetz, Musk, Hegseth, Kennedy – allegations of sexual improprieties, including lawsuits, and Congressional investigations

 

Tulsi Gabbard – Democrat turned Republican is suspected of being a Russian sympathizer, and a Bashar al-Assad (Syrian President) apologist. 

 

Mehmed Oz – Promoted several weight loss products, deemed false advertising, and drawing Congressional scrutiny.

 

Marco Rubio – Forever Little Marco

 

Kristi Noem – In her book, No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, tells a story about killing her 14-month-old female dog, “Cricket,” which she shot and killed because the dog did not submit to training for pheasant hunting, due to an aggressive personality. Michael Vick is giving this one the side eye.

 

Sean Duffy – Like Pete Hegseth, a Fox News alum.

 

Mike Huckabee – Asserted “There is no such thing as a Palestinian. Peace in the Middle East?

 

The argument that Trump won, and therefore deserves to get to pick the Cabinet he wants will probably prevail in most of these cases. Like it or not that’s politics. It underscores the crucial nature of voting in every election. But it is what it is. We are here now. Whether you like it or not, “To the Victor Go the Spoils: Trump Takes a Victory Lap!”

 

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.

 

Consult the link below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/11/to-victor-go-spoils-trump-takes-victory.html

The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month Redux '24

It’s time to Break It Down!

 

Fifteen years ago, I wrote a post in recognition of Veteran’s Day, and the service personnel we as a nation honor on that day. In 2009, and again in 2015 when I reprised this post, Veterans Day fell on Wednesday. In 2018, the day fell on Sunday. In 2019, on Monday, in 2020, on Wednesday, in 2021, on Thursday, and in 2022, Friday, 2023, Saturday. This year, the day fell on Monday. So, although Veterans Day was a couple of days ago, I’ve decided once more, to edit/re-post the Veteran’s Day Edition of “Break It Down!”

 

That also means, back to my holiday norm. Many of you may know, or at least faintly recall that I frequently alter the blog format to integrate holiday traditions into the discussion. Often holidays are expanded by days away from work, long weekends, travel, and a host of leisure activities. In those cases, I prefer to scale back in recognition that aside from road map directions, GPS instructions, and the like, most of us do very little reading.

 

As most Americans know, this year marked the 106-year Anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I, AKA “The Great War,” and/or “The War That Ended All Wars.” At first, it was known as Armistice Day. It later became known as Veterans Day. But what do we really know about this day that has been set aside to honor real American heroes and sheroes?

 

Well, first, Veterans Day is not Memorial Day, and vice-versa. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Day is intended largely to honor Living veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served – not only those who died – have sacrificed and done their duty. Memorial Day honors those veterans who died in the service of their country, particularly those killed in combat, or because of wounds sustained in battle.

 

We also know that Veterans Day is a different kind of federal holiday. Except for Sundays, it falls on its actual date. In 1968, Congress approved the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This law, which took effect in 1971, amended the observance of certain federal holidays so that Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day would be observed on Mondays instead of on fixed dates.

Congress passed the Act to increase the number of three-day holiday weekends for federal employees. After a loud and persistent outcry from Veterans and Veterans’ groups, who argued the historical significance of November 11th was compromised by the change, Veterans Day observance was returned to November 11th in 1978.

 

So how did this affinity for November 11th come about? As with many historical facts, it evolved. As noted earlier, Veterans Day began as Armistice Day. The significance of Armistice Day is that it was the day of the signing of the Armistice that terminated World War I (WW I). In effect, WW I ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. That was when the Germans signed the document, ending hostilities that had begun in 1914. President Woodrow Wilson subsequently proclaimed the first Armistice Day, November 11, 1919.

 

WW I was deemed The Great War, and was thought by many, at the time, to be “The War That Ended All Wars.” It was, as the numeric designation suggests, the First World War. Of course, more wars would ensue. There was World War II (WW II), later the Korean Conflict, and then Vietnam.

 

In 1953, a storeowner in Emporia, Kansas, Al King, launched an idea to honor all Veterans, not just those who served in WW I. The idea took root, sailed through Congress, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law May 26, 1954. Congress amended the Act November 8, 1954, changing Armistice to Veterans, and thus it has been ever since.

 

So now, especially remember…”The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month Redux ‘24!” To augment a popular bumper sticker, “If you can read this, thank a teacher”…and a veteran.

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.

 

Consult the link below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-eleventh-hour-of-eleventh-day-of.html

Don''t Hate the Messenger: It's Not Over, But It's Over

It's time to Break It Down!

 

At midnight EST, Wednesday, November 6, 2024, I am calling Election 2024. It’s Trump again. Is it mathematically impossible for Vice President Harris to rebound, and pull out an improbable win? No, it’s not impossible. But the reality is, it ain’t happening. The News Agencies, and Networks haven’t called the race over…but it is.

 

Kamala Harris ran an impressive race; every step of it, against the odds. Kudos for a job well done. It simply wasn’t enough. I don’t like to profess profundity or inject I-told-you-so’s into the discourse, but the truth of the matter is, I’ve been telling friends of mine, actually arguing with friends of mine, since January 6, 2021, that Trump would run for, and likely win another term as President. There were numerous bases for my contention. 

 

First, and foremost, I believe Trump, quiet as it’s kept, reflects the values of a plurality, if not a majority of Americans. The results of the 2024 Presidential Race seems to confirm my postulation. Secondly, Democrats cannot resist eating their own. Many of them, basically opted, in the absence of perfection, to choose the option that least served their interests. Finally (there are other reasons, but I am only enumerating three), African Americans, who were still the stoutest Democratic voting bloc, gravitated toward Trump. The lack of African American support is not why she lost, but it certainly didn’t help her cause.

 

While I’m not including it in my Democrats eat their own list, I would be remiss, if I didn’t articulate my firmly entrenched belief that the American psyche is unready to embrace the idea a woman president.

 

As I noted in 2016, “We The People” have spoken, and now, as then, Donald Trump will undoubtedly accept the results. This will likely be the most successful of Mr. Trump’s runs, as he appears headed to capture the popular vote for the first time.

 

I cannot wrap up this post without making one final statement. In my own canary in the coal mine kind of way, “I tried to tell you.” OK, I just needed to say that. Again! “Don’t Hate the Messenger: It’s Not Over, But It’s Over!”

 

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/2024/11/dony-hate-messenger-its-not-over-but.html