tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55162022145148106872024-03-15T21:12:33.408-04:00Break It Down!A conversation about what's going on in the world at any given point in time...and what I think about it. Occasionally, guest bloggers may appear.
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Peace!
Alpha HeelAlpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.comBlogger846125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-14847452106528751582024-03-13T01:03:00.004-04:002024-03-13T01:06:09.160-04:00Biden-Trump 2.0: It's On<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Yesterday, like last Tuesday, Super Tuesday, several U.S. states conducted Primary Elections. Nikki Haley bowed out of the GOP Nomination process a week ago today. At that point, technically, there was no remaining mystery related to who would represent the Grand Old Party in the 2024 Presidential Election. While the reality is, we’ve known for some time who would be the two principal candidates. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">But, as is often said, the job is not done until the paperwork is complete. Wrapping up the job requires a candidate on each side to reach the required numerical threshold. For Biden, that number of delegates required to clench the Democratic Nomination is 1,968. Biden exceeded that number early last night, almost as soon as the polls closed at 7:00 p.m. in Georgia (ironically), and News agencies projected Biden’s win in the Peach State. Within 10 minutes of the polls closing at 11:00 p.m., in Washington State, Trump, who needs 1,215 delegates, was declared the winner. States voting yesterday included primaries in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington, and Caucuses in Hawaii.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">So far in the pre-electoral process, Trump has won every state, but Vermont, while Biden has lost only the Territory of American Samoa. This is one of the earliest points in history when the finalists have been determined for both parties. There are 236 days remaining until Election Day. That means many things, perhaps none more important than for the next 33 weeks, we will be locked in the 2024 Election Day news cycle.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">We been warned about the intrusion of AI into the process. The candidates and their surrogates will be endeavoring to paint their opponent with the least flattering of brushes. Meanwhile, The GOP House will try to impeach President Biden. Concomitantly, Team Trump will be working to delay, and or pursue judicial elimination of court cases in New York, Washington, DC, Georgia, and Florida, on one hand, while appealing massive (literally, hundreds of millions of dollars worth) court ordered payouts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Lest we forget, last week, President Biden delivered the State of the Union (SOTU) Address. Republicans leaned head over heels into painting Biden as an old, addled, dementia-suffering skeletal-centered being, who may not live to next week. Frankly, it sounded as though they didn’t think he’d even make it through the SOTU last Thursday. Not surprisingly, after the GOP lowered the bar of expectations to just North of ground level, Biden easily cleared the hurdle, so much so, until they were forced to change their attack line from Biden’s inescapable feebleness to, Biden was, instead of low energy and lost, to he was too loud, and overly political.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">That’s the beauty of being entrenched in opposition to Biden. When an idea or position fizzles, or is demonstrated to be untenable, the GOP just secures another attack line and rides the wave until it’s necessary to reboot and find another rhetorical brick to hurl into the debate. Yesterday’s brick was the testimony of Special Counsel Robert Hur, who wrote a report describing Biden as old, forgetful, and sympathetic. However, despite those notable negative traits, the one that most ignited Republicans was unlikely to be convicted by a jury.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">During questioning, Hur likely left both Democrats and Republicans dissatisfied. He insisted on noting the word exonerated did not appear in his report. That frustrated some Dems. And, while he defended his decision to characterize Biden as he did, he added he did not say Biden was senile. GOP House members were visibly and audibly disappointed. Upon direct questioning, Hur said Biden didn’t hide documents, or refuse to cooperate/testify, or direct his lawyer to lie, or ask aids to move classified material to keep them hidden or deny access to any of his homes. There was more, but you get the point.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I understand you may be tired of hearing about this. I apologize. Regardless of whether I write about how our nation’s political dynamics are playing out, you will find them at every turn, and in every nook and cranny. We are there. <b><i><a href="“Biden-Trump 2.0: It’s On!”">“Biden-Trump 2.0: It’s On!”</a></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done; <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></em></span><em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em> <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">links </span></em>below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/03/biden-trump-20-its-on.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/03/biden-trump-20-its-on.html</a></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-70039362829069671662024-03-06T02:53:00.003-05:002024-03-06T02:57:28.245-05:00Super Tuesday is in the Books<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Yesterday was the second biggest day in American Electoral politics, Super Tuesday, exceeded in importance, and in actual number of Americans voting, only by Election Day, November 5, 2024. Ten weeks ago, I noted after the first couple of Republican contests, the GOP Caucuses in Iowa, and the New Hampshire GOP Primary in the Granite State, that we could confidently project the 2024 Presidential Race would feature the same two candidates as the 2020 Campaign. Donald Trump won both contests, and while the Democratic Party’s Primary Season had yet to kick off, as an incumbent President, Joe Biden was certain to be the other principal in a binary choice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">As I write this, the results from Super Tuesday continue to roll in. At midnight, there has been on deviation, as Nikki Haley won the Vermont Primary. Meanwhile, Biden seems poised for a clean sweep of the states with Democratic contests. However, he did lose the one Territory, American Samoa, that was contested last night.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The bottom line is, we are about to, as they say in sports parlance, run it back. There are two candidates capable of winning in November, Biden, and Trump, and you get to vote for one. The end.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">So yesterday was the end of the beginning of our two-part voting season. For all practical purposes, you have one more shot, the fall Early Voting period/Election Day. This is where I insert my regular programming. If you haven’t registered to vote, do it tomorrow. Plan to vote as soon as the Early Voting period begins, if your state or territory has one, and if it doesn’t have one, plan to vote on Election Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">As I watch and listen to various analyses of the candidates, and the pending Election, two key things resonate. First, Republicans in general, and especially Trump supporters, believe whatever he says. They accept the mean tweets, they embrace the hyperbole and untruths as fact, and they largely consider those who take exception to his ramblings, as infidels. Second, Trump himself says those who don’t get on board with him should be forever exiled from MAGAdom. His supporters dutifully agree.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">If Super Tuesday resolved anything, it is that the GOP Race, if there ever was one, is over. Late last night, House Speaker Mike Johnson congratulated Trump as “our Nominee.” At this writing, Nikki Haley had not conceded. She declined to issue a statement after last night’s results. Nevertheless, Trump continues to move rapidly toward the goal of 1,215 of 2,429 delegates required to win the nomination. The powers that be within the GOP are nearly unified in urging Haley to drop out so Trump can focus solely on Biden. Team Trump has projected that they may reach the threshold as early as next week. The clock is tick, tick, ticking, and the hands of time cannot be turned back. Miss Nikki’s days are numbered. The remaining outstanding questions appear to be, will Haley make an about-face and endorse Trump, and if so, when?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">On the other side of the equation, Biden has his own set of concerns. His support is lagging among several constituent groups of the Democratic coalition, as I mentioned in last week’s post, including, but not limited to, African Americans, Moslem Americans, Hispanics, young people, and progressives. At day’s end, the margins in all those groups will matter. Biden may not fall below 50% support in any of those groups, but every vote counts. If the margins are substantially less that they were in 2020, it may be lethal to Biden’s chances to win. However, it’s not just those who will vote for Trump instead of Biden that matter. Just as important, and possibly more so, will be those who stay at home and don’t vote.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In summary, I will say again: your vote matters. Moreover, for all those who don’t know, don’t recognize, or don’t believe Biden did anything to enhance their lives over the past three plus years, he did. Let me count (some of) the ways:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Leveraged the full force of the federal government to advance racial justice and equity<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Created new business opportunities/promoting entrepreneurship for Black Americans; 60% wealth increase vs. pre pandemic<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">America is the premier energy producing (including oil) country in the world<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Added 14 million jobs since January 2021 (Trump left office at minus 2 million jobs)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Contributed to the lowest unemployment ever, including for African Americans<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Unemployment has remained below 4% for 22 consecutive months<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Inflation (which is still too high) has fallen by two-thirds<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Reduced child poverty to historic lows<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Expanded access to quality low income housing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Increased access to quality education with historic funding to HBCU’s<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Expanded access to affordable healthcare<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Advanced voting rights and police accountability<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">That’s just a dozen examples of things that too often fly under the radar, but that affect the day to day lives of millions of average Americans, especially those in the Democratic coalition. The Biden Administration has fostered and executed the initiatives above, and many others.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Now, let’s defy the odds, VOTE November 5th. <b><i><u><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/03/super-tuesday-is-in-books.html">“Super Tuesday is in the Books!”</a></u></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done;<em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> holla back!</span></em></span><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em></span><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/03/super-tuesday-is-in-books.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/03/super-tuesday-is-in-books.html</a></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-81893858695978208282024-02-28T00:35:00.008-05:002024-02-28T00:40:28.563-05:00Michigan Primary: The Horns of a Dilemma for Biden<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Before I get started, allow me to interject, this post does not reflect anyone else’s data, research, or views; only my own, based upon my assessment and interpretation of contemporary current events. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Many Democrats, blinded by party loyalty, refuse to publicly prosecute the vulnerabilities…at least publicly, of Joe Biden. That’s not to say Republicans are more inclined to critique Donald Trump; they most certainly are not. But this post is not about Trump. This missive is an elocution on Biden and yesterday’s protest vote in the Michigan Democratic Primary.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">First, let us note, President Biden is in the initial stages of a challenging re-election campaign. We always knew it would be. Full stop. In a big picture dynamic, there are those who will argue that Biden has labored under a mixed bag of self-inflicted wounds, bad luck, and circumstances beyond his direct control. Regardless of whether that is fair, the fact is, whoever sits in the Oval Office has the awesome responsibility of owning the spot where the proverbial buck stops. There are no ifs, no ands, no buts…simply put, no way around it, whatsoever.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The Democratic Party has a large, unwieldy, and loosely aligned coalition. It’s commonly known as a big tent. When things go well, it’s an impressive machine. At the end of the day, in 2020, it clicked. Joe Biden garnered over 81 million votes, the most in any U.S. Presidential Campaign, ever. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The election four years ago occurred during a global pandemic, amidst economic chaos, an education crisis, and supply chain disruption. The sitting President was actively promoting unorthodox and non-scientific remedies for the covid virus, had been impeached once, and was impeached again a week before his term expired. Oh yeah, the charge for his second impeachment was “incitement of insurrection.” Clearly, there was a significant wind filling Biden’s sails.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Every election stands on its own. 2024 brings with it its own specific challenges. For President Biden, that includes a weakening of support among several subsets of the Democratic coalition, including Blacks, Hispanics, Youth, progressives, and in Michigan especially, Moslem-American activists. Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib has led the charge in creating a campaign for Michiganders identifying as Democrats, to vote uncommitted, to send a message to President Biden. Tlaib, and Arab-Americans are angry about Biden’s support of Netanyahu and Israel in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East, arising from Hamas attacking Israel on October 7, 2023. The progressives want Biden to pressure the Israeli Prime Minister to cease and desist with the bombing campaign that has resulted in tens of thousands of Arabs, many of them children, being killed. More importantly, they also want a cessation of aid to Israel. The not-so-subtle messaging behind the campaign is to say to Biden, we are giving you a dress rehearsal, demonstrating what could happen in November, if you don’t meet our demands.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">President Bident was declared the winner of last night’s Michigan Primary very early in the evening. However, winning was never in question. What was at issue was the number/percentage of people who would ultimately vote uncommitted. Tlaib set the modest goal of 10,000 votes as the floor. That number, which admittedly was a lowball figure, was quickly exceeded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Here's the rub. Michigan, (along with Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) is a swing state, and was instrumental in determining the outcome of the 2020 Presidential race. It is expected to be pivotal again in 2024. The Moslem community went heavily for Biden in 2020. In a state he won by roughly 150,000 votes, Moslem-Americans voted him by approximately the same number of votes. That seems simple and straight-forward enough. But the fundamentals and context of the broader discourse is considerably more complex. As noted earlier, several of the constituencies in the Democratic coalition have seen their support of Biden soften, relative to what it was in 2020. Moslems are just one of them. He must be concerned about all of them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">As it relates to Tlaib and the progressives’ stated posture on a ceasefire, and discontinuing aid, there is a particular calculus that does not portend a favorable outcome. Another of the stated groups of the Democratic coalition are Jews. The odds that Biden, or any U.S. President would stop aid to our single most reliable ally in the Middle East is, in a word, zero! The President has even been reticent to publicly pressure Netanyahu to cease the bombing, and to the extent he’s implied it, Bibi has blown him off, and talked about not being a puppet of the U.S. Of course, the Prime Minister is a rightward leaning politician, and has maintained a less than enthusiastically supportive/positive posture with Democrats (See Barack Obama), so the President’s reluctance to go there is not surprising. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">There are multiple dimensions of the playing field when it comes to resolving the dispute between Israel and Hamas. President Biden and his team have been immersed in trying to end the conflict. He was instrumental in reach the ceasefire that led to the earlier release of some hostages. Undoubtedly, he will continue to work diligently, moving forward. But if you take nothing else from this conversation, understand this: <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/its-time-to-break-it-down-michigan.html">“Michigan Primary: The Horns of a Dilemma for Biden!”</a></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done;<em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> holla back!</span></em><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/its-time-to-break-it-down-michigan.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/its-time-to-break-it-down-michigan.html</a></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-32188077989969462112024-02-21T00:20:00.004-05:002024-02-21T00:22:30.128-05:00Bey Watch: This Is My "Country"<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I am well on the way to my 17</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">year as a Blogger, Content Creator, or whatever other term you choose as your preferred euphemism. In sixteen and a half years, I have made over 850 blog posts. The range of topics I have tacked run the gamut, and include, among other things, politics, history, sports, holidays, healthcare, education, race, America, labor, wars, personalities, and travel, just to cite a dozen categories. One thing I have never written about, and in full disclosure, never contemplated writing about, is Country Music. Decades ago, I heard a Country Music singer say, “The Country in Country Music, is America.” While admittedly, not a fan of the genre, then or now, I must admit, the moment I heard the guy say that I thought it was profound. I still believe that to be true.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Yesterday, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter’s new song,<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"> </span></span></span><a data-reader-unique-id="6" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/11/entertainment/beyonce-new-music-super-bowl-ad/index.html" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #416ed2;">“Texas Hold ‘Em”</span></a> debuted as the Number 1 song on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Even if it’s only a paragraph, I must write about that. Image Bey being featured/nominated for one or more awards in the Country category at the 2025 Grammy’s, or the Country Music Association Awards Show next year. We all know Bey & Jay are music royalty. When they make music, they make news. That’s been the case, long before the two became the power couple they are today. For them, grabbing headlines in the music world is virtually de rigueur. But even by that standard, this is different.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Let’s not get it twisted though. Black folks are not new to country music. The first string bands in this country were enslaved people. Moreover, the root of country music is blues, of which Santi Elijah Holley say, “It’s Black as hell.” When I was growing up, Charley Pride, was the Country sensation of the era. In 1962, Ray Charles released his 17<sup>th</sup> album, entitled, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. He earned a Grammy for Album of the Year. Oh yeah, lest I forget to mention it, </span><span style="background: repeat white; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">Beyoncé’s other new country song “16 Carriages” ranks No. 9 on the chart.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> Yes, in addition to debuting at Number 1, she also has a second Billboard Chart Top 10 Country hit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Today, there are several successful Black artists, popular for their singing country music, including Mickey Guyton, Kane Brown, Jimmy Allen, Brittney Spencer, and Willie Jones. They are all fine artists. However, none of them is Beyoncé, who has collected 88 Nominations, and 32 Grammy Awards: both, the most in history. Incidentally, Jay-Z has also garnered 88 Nominations, tying “his Bey” for most ever, to accompany his 24 Grammy Awards. Yes, that’s right, between the two of them they have earned 176 Grammy Nominations, and 56 Grammy Awards.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In landing <span style="background: repeat white; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">her first-ever No. 1 single on the country charts, Beyoncé enters rare air. She became only the second solo woman with no accompanying artists to achieve the feat. Taylor Swift, whose songs “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” hit No. 1 in 2021</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="paragraph" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">She is also the first woman to have topped both the Hot Country and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts since the lists began in 1958. Morgan Wallen, Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Ray Charles are the only other artists to have reached No. 1 on both charts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" data-analytics-observe="off" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/clsuu1h94000f3b6hdzorfjj8@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0in; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">Her current hits, “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em,” were released Feb. 11, after Beyoncé teased the release of new music in a surprise Super Bowl ad for Verizon. She also announced <span style="background: repeat white;">her eighth solo studio album “Renaissance Act II” is scheduled for release March 29, 2024. <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/bey-watch-this-is-my-country.html">“</a></i></b></span></span><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/bey-watch-this-is-my-country.html">Bey Watch: This Is My “Country!””</a></span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I’m done;<em data-reader-unique-id="10" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;"> holla back!</span></em><em><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" data-reader-unique-id="11" style="caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; max-width: 100%;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Read my <em data-reader-unique-id="12" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em data-reader-unique-id="13" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">clicking</span></em> the <em data-reader-unique-id="14" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">link</span></em>: <a data-reader-unique-id="15" href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;"><em data-reader-unique-id="16" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em data-reader-unique-id="17" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em data-reader-unique-id="18" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; 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font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" data-reader-unique-id="29" style="caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; max-width: 100%;"><em data-reader-unique-id="30" style="max-width: 100%;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b;">Subsequent editions</span></em><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> of <em data-reader-unique-id="31" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em data-reader-unique-id="32" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">in-box</span></em>. <em data-reader-unique-id="33" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></em> the <em data-reader-unique-id="34" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">links </span></em>below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/11/entertainment/beyonce-new-music-super-bowl-ad/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/11/entertainment/beyonce-new-music-super-bowl-ad/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/11/entertainment/beyonce-new-music-super-bowl-ad/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/11/entertainment/beyonce-new-music-super-bowl-ad/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/bey-watch-this-is-my-country.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/bey-watch-this-is-my-country.html</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-91889518970870785152024-02-14T00:29:00.005-05:002024-02-14T00:33:08.167-05:00The GOP Gets One Back; Impeaches Mayorkas<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Last week in this space, I wrote about Republicans having had a tough day. Well, yesterday, as I predicted they would, House Republicans reversed one of the elements of their hard luck dramafest. By the slimmest of margins, the narrow House GOP majority, voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The vote was 214 to 213. Three Republicans - <span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, and Tom McClintock of California – </span>voted against the measure. For context, <span style="background: repeat white; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">only one Cabinet official has previously been impeached in American history: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">But even with another questionable record to its credit, not everything was cookies and cream for the Grand Old Party. Also yesterday, in a New York Special Election, Democrat Thomas Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip, in a race to claim the seat previously held by disgraced former House member George Santos. With the defeat, the House GOP Caucus now has 219 members. Within the 435-member Chamber, 218 members are necessary to form a majority, when all eligible members are voting. From now to November, there are sure to be many tight votes in the House. That, of course presumes, the Speaker of the House will allow votes to take place, rather them delaying, or scuttling them via various parliamentary procedures. <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-gop-gets-one-back-impeaches-mayorkas.html">“The GOP Gets One Back; Impeaches Mayorkas!”</a></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I’m done;<em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;"> holla back!<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">links </span></em>below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/politics/alejandro-mayorkas-impeachment-vote/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/politics/alejandro-mayorkas-impeachment-vote/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/politics/santos-seat-tom-suozzi-mazi-pilip/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/politics/santos-seat-tom-suozzi-mazi-pilip/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-gop-gets-one-back-impeaches-mayorkas.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-gop-gets-one-back-impeaches-mayorkas.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-56201046358389141612024-02-07T00:12:00.005-05:002024-02-07T00:16:22.637-05:00The GOP's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Allow me to illuminate:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The Terrible – An Appeals Court rules there is no such thing as Trump Immunity<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The Horrible – Republican efforts to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas failed<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The No Good – The Party’s standalone Israel aid bill fell in the House<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The Very Bad Day – Trump’s denial of endorsing Langford was exposed as untrue<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">All things considered, in the future, 75%, or. 3 out of four of those items could be reversed. And quite frankly, GOP voters have established that the fourth, simply does not matter…to them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In a </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/politics/read-trump-presidential-immunity/index.html" style="color: #954f72;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #416ed2;">57-page unanimous opinion</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif">, a 3-Judge panel of DC Circuit judges wroth that our justice system allows a former president to be held accountable for his actions while in office, because the public interest in holding a potentially criminal president answerable outweighs any potentially “chilling effect” on the presidency.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Trump has promised to appeal. He appointed 3 of the nine Justices, and 6 of the 9 are conservative/Republican.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The House is nearly evenly divided, but Republicans hold a slight numerical edge. Yesterday, they thought they could only lose three votes. Then, when an unexpected Democrat showed up and voted, suddenly the magic number was 2. They lost 3, which resulted in a tie. In a last-minute bit of parliamentary legerdemain, one supporter changed his vote to nay, widening the defeat, but giving the GOP the opportunity to bring the measure up again, later. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Almost certainly, when it resurfaces, Republicans will have the requisite numbers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The Israel aid bill came about because many House Republicans want to demonstrate support for Israel. However, the Freedom Caucus split from the majority, leaving Republicans needing to employ a procedural maneuver </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/politics/narrowly-divided-house-new-vacancy/index.html" style="color: #954f72;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #416ed2;">that requires two-thirds majority </span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif">for approval. The arithmetic of that ploy left Republicans needing Democrats to bail them out, for the measure to pass. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Democrats, however, want to secure funding, not just for Israel, but also for Ukraine, for Taiwan, and for border security. Dems passed; the bill failed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In an interview with conservative radio host Dan Bongino, Trump claimed, never to have endorsed Senator Langford, a conservative Oklahoma Senator who led the GOP negotiations in the Senate that produced a bi-partisan bill to resolve a host of border security issues, while also providing aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. While the bill is bipartisan, it is pretty much all things the GOP wants on the border, and nothing preferred by Democrats. It been labeled by most knowledgeable observers as the most conservative leaning border legislation ever. While the bill includes things the GOP would normally salivate over, Trump has asked Republicans not to sign off on it, because he wants to run on the border. Back to the question of Trump having endorsed Langford. Trump told Bongino:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">“Just to correct the record, I did not endorse Sen. Lankford. I didn’t do it. He ran, and I did not endorse him.” So, I’m sure your person will be happy to hear that.” He later added, “I like James. I did not endorse James, but I like James.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Trump’s claim is untrue. <span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Trump said in the September 27, 2022, endorsement statement: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">“James was strongly committed to America First, and everything it stood for, and likewise strongly committed to me, as President. Sometimes we didn’t exactly agree on everything, but we do now. He is a very good man with a fabulous wife and family, loves the great State of Oklahoma, and is working very hard on trying to Save our Country from the disaster that it is in.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Trump categorically and repeatedly declared, with no caveats, that he had not endorsed Lankford at all. In a word, untrue.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">The one is irrevocable. But history has shown, Trump being untruthful is not a deal-breaker for MAGA-voters. So, in conclusion, though it may not stick, yesterday was <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-gops-terrible-horrible-no-good-very.html">“</a></i></b></span><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-gops-terrible-horrible-no-good-very.html">The GOP’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!”</a></span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I’m done;<em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;"> holla back!</span></em><em><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Read my <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">clicking</span></em> the <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">link</span></em>: </span><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif">. <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">subscribe</span></em>, <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">click</span></em> on <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Home Page</span></em> at </span><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif">; enter your <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">click </span></em>on <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">“Sign me up.”</span></em><em><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b;">Subsequent editions</span></em><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> of <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">in-box</span></em>.<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;"> </span></span><em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></em> the <em><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">links </span></em>below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/politics/takeaways-donald-trump-immunity-appeals-court/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/politics/takeaways-donald-trump-immunity-appeals-court/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/politics/house-vote-mayorkas-impeachment/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/politics/house-vote-mayorkas-impeachment/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/politics/house-vote-israel-aid-package/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/politics/house-vote-israel-aid-package/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/politics/fact-check-trump-james-lankford-endorsement/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/politics/fact-check-trump-james-lankford-endorsement/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-gops-terrible-horrible-no-good-very.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-gops-terrible-horrible-no-good-very.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-82820486020455693452024-01-31T00:30:00.016-05:002024-01-31T00:37:15.446-05:00Impeach Alejandro, Kill the Immigration Bill: The Screaming Contradictory GOP Illogic of It All<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Last week, I wrote a brief post about the apparent eventuality of a Biden-Trump rematch. Not much has happened on that front since then, other than Nikki Haley insisting that she’s in the race to stay, even though, she lost the first two contests (Iowa & New Hampshire), and despite the fact she will be completely shut out in the next one, the Nevada Caucuses, next week on February 8th, where she’s not even on the ballot, and notwithstanding, she is currently trailing by 30 points in the one after that, her own home state, of South Carolina, slated for February 24th. As long as Ms. Haley can persuade donors to pony up, she will be able to hang around. That’s been her focus the past week, while D-Trump and his backers have been engaged in a campaign to collect endorsements and donors, while concomitantly disparaging Haley and dissuading anyone who would be inclined to support her. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">There are a lot of people, mostly non-Republicans, who wonder why so many people say they support Donald Trump over all other Republicans, many of whom insist they will do so, even if he is convicted on any of the 91 felony charges he faces. I’ve given that some thought, and I will likely write about it, in some future post. Now, I’ll leave you with one thought. When Trump says, I will be your retribution, or I would be a dictator for just one day, or Biden and the Democrats stole the election, his acolytes love that, want that, and feel that he understands their grievances, and only he, will make it right. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Today, I simply want to say a few words about the incongruous directions of Republicans, especially in the House, where there is an effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ostensibly for the "so-called" high crime and misdemeanor of not protecting the southern border, while they simultaneously and crowingly vow to kill a bi-partisan bill generated by Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, to protect the southern border. Indications are, even though an agreement in principle has been reached, some Republican Senators may back away from their consent, to avoid embarrassing their House counterparts, by sending them a bill they have already decided to scuttle, should it come their way. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">It cannot be overlooked that one of, if not the principal reason, the GOP is contorting itself, and opting to commit political hari-kari, is because Donald Trump has asked them to do so. See my note two paragraph above, about why Republicans support Trump, even when he expresses sentiments antithetical to the democratic (small D) credo. The current rhetoric among Republicans asserts, “There is no need for legislation; the President can take Executive action to resolve the problem at the border. The thing is, whenever Biden openly considers taking Executive action, Republicans vociferously argue, the President is acting like an autocrat, and doesn’t have the power to act unilaterally. Consider Biden's effort to eliminate student debt.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">The long and short of it is, we are in the midst of a Presidential Campaign, and every action Biden takes is going to be characterized as overreach, while every act of restraint will be called weakness. Trump and his collaborators will make sure that any other course will be deemed GOP political malpractice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">That’s all well and good…if you’re a Trumpophile. However, anyone else needs to see this for what it is, exactly the opposite of the so-called “Country-first” mantra Republicans purport to represent. In fact, it is a strategy designed to do one thing; grease the skids for Trump’s presumed run to the White House. If this gambit succeeds, cynicism carries the day, Trump wins (the argument), and America loses the high ground as the world’s leading voice of democracy. For shame. <a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/impeach-alejandro-kill-immigration-bill.html">"</a></span><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/impeach-alejandro-kill-immigration-bill.html"><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Impeach <span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Alejandro, Kill the Immigration Bill: The Screaming Contradictory GOP Illogic of It All!”</span></span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p></o:p></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I’m done;<em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;"> holla back!</span></em><em><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em><em><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>. <o:p></o:p></span><em><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></em><span style="background: repeat white; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> the </span><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">links </span></em><span style="background: repeat white; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">below:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/opinions/alejandro-mayorkas-impeachment-push-reyes/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/opinions/alejandro-mayorkas-impeachment-push-reyes/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/politics/speaker-johnson-border-deal-senate/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/politics/speaker-johnson-border-deal-senate/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/impeach-alejandro-kill-immigration-bill.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/impeach-alejandro-kill-immigration-bill.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-50416552638743292192024-01-24T00:06:00.007-05:002024-01-24T00:12:29.499-05:00New Month, New Year, Same Race<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">This will be a short post. No links, no preponderance of citations; just a few personal observations about the events of the day…or, as it were, yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">For the second week in a row, politics and presidential candidates took center stage, and for the second week in a row, there was virtually no suspense. The results in both the Iowa Caucuses, and the New Hampshire Primary were rendered before the clock struck 9:00 p.m. On the GOP side, Donald Trump won both contests, becoming the first non-incumbent GOP Presidential candidate to win in both Iowa, and New Hampshire.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Democrats are part of a different narrative. In Iowa, there will be a Primary in March, which will result in delegate allocation. In New Hampshire, President Biden did not register for the Primary, as the DNC effectively decertified the Primary due to New Hampshire Democrats flouting the DNC decision to hold its Primary before the February 3<sup>rd</sup> South Carolina Primary, which the DNC opted to make first in the 2024-Cycle. Just to be cautious, Democrats arranged a hastily constructed Write-in Campaign, to ensure that Biden didn’t lose, while not even running. Biden won. As a Write-in. No Delegates were awarded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To make what could be a long story, appropriately short, in all appearances, we have come full circle. The 2020 Race is effectively, the 2024 Race. Translation: for the next 11 months, America Past will battle America Present for the right to become America Future. Lots of people disdain the circus that is politics, and they shut down when that is the subject du jour. Recognizing what lies ahead, I’ve trod lightly in the political arena over the last 12 months. I can assure you, the coming months will not be all politics, all the time. However, it will not be possible to avoid discussing what’s likely to be a bruising campaign between the current and former Presidents. So, I will take this opportunity to keep it short and sweet. Here’s to the next 286 days. <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/new-month-new-year-same-race.html">“New Month, New Year, Same Race!”</a></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done;<em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> holla back!</span></em></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737;">Read my </span><em style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737;"> anytime by </span><em style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737;"> the </span><em style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span></em><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737;">: </span><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737;">. </span><em style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: #373737; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); 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margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-13740278370307451252024-01-17T00:16:00.004-05:002024-01-17T00:21:09.727-05:00MLK, Jr.: Quotes You Don't Remember...Or, Perhaps Never Heard (Relayed by Nikole Hannah-Jones) Redux '24<b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">It’s time to Break It Down!</span></i></b><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">My original posting about the King Holiday dates-back-to January 19, 2011. In 2022, I amended the topic to add a perspective shared by Nikole Hannah-Jones. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/us/solomon-pena-arrested-new-mexico-shootings/index.html" target="_blank"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Solomon Peña,</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> who lost his 2022 bid for New Mexico state House District 14, was arrested Monday by an Albuquerque SWAT team for allegedly paying and conspiring with four men to shoot at the homes of two state legislators and two county commissioners in December and January, authorities said. No one was injured but investigators said Peña intended to cause serious injury or death. Peña, attributed his defeat to a </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/20/politics/republican-2020-election-deniers/index.html" target="_blank"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">“rigged” election</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> is accused of masterminding a</span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/06/us/albuquerque-democrat-officials-shootings-police-investigate/index.html" target="_blank"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">series of shootings targeting the homes of elected Democrats</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">. But I digress. Consider this <i>“batschitt”</i> craziness an FYI! It’s not the topic of today’s post.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Over the years, I’ve written a post about Dr. King, the holiday, and how it came to pass. Today, I am again revisiting a post I initially wrote and posted Wednesday, January 19, 2011, and that I reprised January 18, 2017, January 17, 2018, and again, January 23, 2019, examining the advent of the King Holiday. It’s been 37 years since the initial observance of the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> (MLK DAY), and 40 years since President Reagan signed the MLK, Jr. Holiday bill into law. Contemporary events continue to remind us that now is an apt time to look into the rearview mirror of time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">After over three decades of </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inculcation"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">inculcation</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> into the very fabric of our society, it may be largely forgotten that the conceptualization, submission and continual resubmission of the idea, the enactment, and the gradual national observance, was not the product of universal acceptance of a grand and enlightened concept, but rather, was </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/emblematic"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">emblematic</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> of the civil rights struggle itself; steeped in controversy, and the eventual victory of a relentless movement to achieve richly deserved, and long overdue social justice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Several members of Congress, a few states, and even a President, using a host of creative means, sought to undermine, outmaneuver, sabotage, subvert, and otherwise derail the efforts of the measure’s proponents. Ultimately, the movement was consolidated, snowballed, and would simply not be thwarted.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">The effort to create a King Holiday was started by U.S. Representative John Conyers, Michigan, shortly after Dr. King’s death, in the spring of 1968. It was first introduced in the House of Representatives in 1979 but fell 5 votes short of the number needed for passage in the </span><a href="http://www.wordia.com/House_of_Representatives"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Lower Chamber</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">High profile opponents to the measure included </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Helms"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Senator Jesse Helms</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">, NC, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Senator John McCain, AZ</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">, and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">President Ronald Reagan</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">. Both Senators voted against the bill, and Senator McCain publicly supported </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Mecham"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Arizona Governor Evan Mecham</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> for his </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rescission"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">rescission</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> of MLK Day as a State Holiday in Arizona. The campaign however, reached a critical mass in the early 1980’s. Spurred on by </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_Wonder"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Stevie Wonder</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> penning a song in King’s honor called, “</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNAy6Bhij8A"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Happy Birthday</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">,” a petition drive to support the campaign would attract over 6 million signatures. It has been called the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. History.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Buttressed by what had become a wildly successful public campaign, Congress soon followed suit. The proposal passed in the House by a vote of 338-90, and in the </span><a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5687426/obama_and_the_senate_is_the_upper_chamber.html?cat=37"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Upper Chamber</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> by a vote of 78-22. Given the dimensions of this overwhelming support, in the form of </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bicameral"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">bicameral</span></a><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bicameral"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;"> </span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">veto-proof votes, President Reagan signed the provision November 2, 1983, and it became Federal Law. The first observance under the new law took place January 20, 1986, rather than on January 15th, Dr. King’s birthday. A compromise in the legislation specified that the observance take place on the Third Monday in January, consistent with prior legislation (Uniform Monday Holiday Act).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Of course, that was not the end of the story. It would take more than 30 years after Dr. King’s death before the Holiday was fully adopted and observed in all 50 states. </span><a href="http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkhistory1.html"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Illinois</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> holds the distinction of being the first State to adopt MLK Day as a State Holiday, having done so in 1973. Twenty years later, in 1993, for the first time, some form of MLK Day was held in each of the 50 States.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">It was not until 2000 that </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hodges"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> signed a bill to make MLK Day a paid holiday for State employees; giving the Palmetto State the dubious distinction of being the last of the 50 States to do so. However, Mississippi also sets itself apart by designating the Third Monday in January as a shared Holiday that honors the memory of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Robert E. Lee</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> and Dr. King…two fine southern gentlemen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Summer before last, after entertaining a whirlwind, on again off again, job offer at UNC, journalist, McArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize winner, and UNC alum Nikole Hannah-Jones opted to choose Howard University as her next employer, over UNC. Ms. Hannah-Jones, who gained notoriety for her work on the 1619 Project, has become a lightning rod for discourse around issues of civil rights, and the much-ballyhooed topic known as Critical Race Theory, #CRT.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">A year ago, NH-J was invited to give an MLK speech on Monday. She discovered that a few members of the group hosting her wrote and subsequently leaked emails opposing her giving the speech. Those who opposed her felt it dishonored Dr. King to do so and characterized her as a “discredited activist” “unworthy of such association with King.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">This insight motivated her to call an audible. She scrapped her original speech and spent the first half of her speech reading excerpts from several of Dr. King’s speeches…without revealing that they were his words. She subbed BLACK for Negro, to avoid dating the material and giving away the fact that it was from over half a century ago. Literally, that’s all it took to transport to 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Here is some of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ 2022 MLK, Jr. Day speech:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“It was in the year 1619 that the first BLACK slave was brought to the shores of this nation. They were brought here from the soils of Africa and unlike the Pilgrim fathers who landed here at Plymouth a year later, they were brought here against their will…”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“White Americans must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society…The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and racism…”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power. A nation that continues year after year to spend more $ on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“The crowning achievement in hypocrisy must go to those staunch Republicans and Democrats of the Midwest and West who were given land by our government when they came here as immigrants from Europe. They were given education through the land grant colleges…”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“These are the same people that now say to black people, whose ancestors were brought to this country in chains and who were emancipated in 1863 without being given land to cultivate or bread to eat; that they must pull themselves up by their own bootstraps…”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“What they truly advocate is Socialism for the rich and Capitalism for the poor… “We know full well that racism is still that hound of hell which dogs the tracks of our civilization.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“Ever since the birth of our nation, White America has had a Schizophrenic personality on the question of race, she has been torn between selves. A self in which she proudly professes the great principle of democracy and a self in which she madly practices the antithesis of democracy.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“The fact is, there has never been a single, solid, determined commitment on the part of the vast majority of white Americans to genuine equality for Black people.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“The step backwards has a new name today, it is called the white backlash, but the white backlash is nothing new. It is the surfacing of old prejudices, hostilities and ambivalences that have always been there…”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“The white backlash of today is rooted in the same problem that has characterized America ever since the black man landed in chains on the shores of this nation.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“Whites, it must frankly be said, are not putting in a similar mass effort to reeducate themselves out of their racial ignorance…with each modest advance the white population promptly raises the argument that BLACK AMERICANS HAVE come far enough.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“…for the good of America, it is necessary to refute the idea that the dominant ideology in our country, even today, is freedom and equality and that racism is just an occasional departure from the norm on the part of a few bigoted extremists.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“If America does not respond creatively to the challenge to banish racism, some future historian will have to say, that a great civilization died because it lacked the soul and commitment to make justice a reality for all men.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“Why do white people seem to find it so difficult to understand that the Black people are sick and tired of having reluctantly parceled out to THEM those rights and privileges which all others receive upon birth or entry in America?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“I never cease to wonder at the amazing presumption of much of white society, assuming that they have the right to bargain with the BLACK for their freedom…”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Oh, the uncomfortable silence as I read Dr. King’s words at a commemoration of Dr. King’s life when people had no idea that these were his words. When I revealed that everything I said to that point was taken from his speeches between ’56 and 67… Can you say SHOOK!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Then I read all the names that white Americans called King: charlatan, demagogue, communist, traitor — and brought out the polling showing more than three-quarters of Americans opposed King at his death while 94 percent approve of him now.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I left them with this: People who oppose today what he stood for back then do not get to be the arbiters of his legacy. The real Dr. King cannot be commodified, homogenized, and white-washed and whatever side you stand on TODAY is the side you would have been back then.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">In fact, most white Americans in 1963 opposed the March on Washington where Dr. King gave the “I Have A Dream” Speech with that one line that people oppose to anti-racism like to trot out against those working for racial justice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">When the speech was over, Father Pfleger, who had been cheering me on from the crowd, whispered in my ear: That’s what you call the “You Gone Learn Today” speech.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">“This is why the 1619 Project exists. This is why the decades of scholarship that undergirds the 1619 Project exists. Because if we do nothing, they will co-opt our history and use it against us.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Dr. King was a radical critic of racism, capitalism, and militarism. He didn’t die. He was assassinated. And many, including Reagan, fought the national holiday we’re now commemorating. “If you haven’t read, in entirety, his speeches, you’ve been miseducated & I hope that you will.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">As it was in 1624, 1724, 1824, 1924, and yeah, remains in 2024…</span><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/mlk-jr-quotes-you-dont-rememberor.html"><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">”MLK, Jr.: Quotes You Don’t Remember…Or Perhaps Never Heard (Relayed by Nikole Hannah-Jones) Redux '24!</span></i></b><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">”</span></i></b></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done; <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1483187472276328449.html?fbclid=IwAR3Gq0hLX0vDKCRlP693LO4TBL9-jWsBZnPiUg5Nqmf%E2%80%93T2c63h3l3BCwu8"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1483187472276328449.html?fbclid=IwAR3Gq0hLX0vDKCRlP693LO4TBL9-jWsBZnPiUg5Nqmf–T2c63h3l3BCwu8</span></a><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/01/19/mlk-jr-quotes-you-dont-remember-or-perhaps-never-heard-relayed-by-nikole-hannah-jones/"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/01/19/mlk-jr-quotes-you-dont-remember-or-perhaps-never-heard-relayed-by-nikole-hannah-jones/</span></a><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/us/new-mexico-shootings-solomon-pena-what-we-know/index.html"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/us/new-mexico-shootings-solomon-pena-what-we-know/index.html</span></a><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2023/01/18/mlk-jr-quotes-you-dont-remember-or-perhaps-never-heard-relayed-by-nikole-hannah-jones-redux/">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2023/01/18/mlk-jr-quotes-you-dont-remember-or-perhaps-never-heard-relayed-by-nikole-hannah-jones-redux/</a></span><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/mlk-jr-quotes-you-dont-rememberor.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/mlk-jr-quotes-you-dont-rememberor.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-8602175370011075582024-01-10T00:05:00.009-05:002024-01-10T00:07:18.888-05:00Threescore And Ten: Next<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.</span> –Psalm 90:10 KJV<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">So, a few days ago, I entered the world of septuagenarians. In doing so, I was reminded that I’ve attained a milestone. My father died at 67, my mother transitioned at 49, and my brother passed away at 31. To wit, I’ve lived longer than anyone in the nuclear family, to which I was born. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">In many ways, and for many reasons, that is a sobering contemplation. My mother died when I was in the second grade. She was a housewife who spent her time raising, directing, and correcting me. This is where I say, I was a precocious kid, who required (and received) a lot of correcting. LOL! The thing that I recall most vividly, about my mom is, she taught me to read, using the newspaper, before I entered first grade. Oh yeah, in case you’re wondering, Statewide public kindergarten was not available in North Carolina when I was 5. Mom was my kindergarten teacher/Headstart Administrator, and first grade was my introduction to formal education, all of which was conducted in public schools (First Grade through Graduate School). Her tutelage served me well. I was an above grade-level reader, throughout my primary and secondary education years. Thanks mom!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">My Big Brother was twelve years my senior. By the time I entered school, he had relocated to New York. We didn’t spend a lot of time together. My enduring memory of him is a visit with him in Albany, NY during Christmas Break, during my freshman year of college. That trip resulted in us taking the only picture of us together that I possess. I cherish that phot, and I miss him. Less than three months later, he was dead. I was 19 when he died.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">My dad was a larger-than-life figure. At least he was to me. He was a minister. I heard him preach hundreds of sermons. Undoubtedly, I heard him repeat a few, yet they never got old. He was my hero. For several years, we talked every weekday. I called him. I think he looked forward to our conversations. They were never long, but they were reliably predictable. He developed a terminal illness. He knew it; I knew it, but he fought valiantly for as long as he could. His physician was his best friend, and my fraternity brother. One Friday night, outside my dad’s hospital room, his doctor told me my father was approaching the end of the road. Absent life support, he would succumb, in a matter of days, if not hours. He had zero quality of life. He was in pain, he could hardly breath, and he had been in that debilitating state for weeks. The question posed to me was, whether to approve a DNR directive? I was conflicted. I thought about it for what seemed an eternity, probably a couple of minutes in real time. Reluctantly, tearfully, I made what felt like the most difficult decision I’d ever been called upon to render. In that moment, I realized I was tacitly saying good-bye to dad. Just thinking about it, and typing these words brings back the painful memories. Early Sunday morning, I got the call. My father had transitioned around 6:00 a.m. I got up and went to the hospital one final time. I sat alone with my day, again, what seemed like an eternity. Probably 15 minutes. I thought about this man who for all my life, challenged me to be the best me that I could be. I reflected on losing the last member of my nuclear family. I said a prayer, shed a tear, and composed myself. I was 33. It’s hard to reckon, I’ve lived more years since he died, than I did before he passed away.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">Here's the thing. This is not a sad story. In fact, it’s celebratory. I’ve lived 70 years, and part of 8 decades, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s, 2010’s, and 2020’s. Blessed and highly favored are the words that come to mind; arguably, even blessed beyond measure.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">Last month was pretty big in my orbit. My wife and I visited Egypt, where we saw the Sphinx, and the Pyramids of Giza, I observed the 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary in my Fraternity, and of course, I celebrated my 70<sup>th</sup>Birthday. My wife decided we should do something to commemorate the two milestones. To that end, a few of my closest family a friends gathered, including my children, relatives from my hometown, folks with whom I went to elementary and high school, college classmates, Fraternity Brothers, former co-workers, and guys I played basketball with, for years. There was music, food, dancing, pictures, and a whole lot of friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">As I concentrate on being future-focused, that was a night I will always remember. </span><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/threescore-and-ten-next.html">Threescore And Ten: Next!</a></span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I’m done;<em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"> holla back!<o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-style: normal; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-style: normal; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">links </span></em>below:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/threescore-and-ten-next.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/threescore-and-ten-next.html</a></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-75859191816028514962024-01-03T00:48:00.004-05:002024-01-03T00:52:54.457-05:00Happy New Year: Here's to Auld Lang Syne Redux - 2024 Edition<b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">It’s time to Break It Down!</span></i></b><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">During this holiday week, here’s a reprised edition of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down!”</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">This Issue has been revised from the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Break It Down</span></i> post I originally conceived, created, and published <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">December 29, 2010</span></i>, and subsequently re-posted in amended formats <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">December 28, 2011</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">December 31, 2014, December 30, 2015, December 28, 2016, January 3, 2018, January 2, 2019, December 30, 2020, December 29, 2021, December 28, 2022, and today, January 3,</span></i> 2024. This is my first post of the month, and of the year <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">2024</span></i>. This is the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">861st</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Edition</span></i> of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Break It Down</span></i>, which debuted <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">August 20, 2007,</span></i> on the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">BlogSpot</span></i> platform. I migrated the principal site to <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">WordPress</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">August 3, 2012</span></i>, approximately three weeks before the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Fifth</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Anniversary</span></i> of the blog. You may find this and most other posts at either site.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">With this post I hope you had a blessed and bountifully <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Happy New Year</span></i>. Now, enjoy today’s blog post.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">The one-half <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fortnight" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">fortnight</span></i></a> between <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Christmas</span></i> and <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">New Year’s</span></i> Day is a unique occurrence in the unfolding of the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">American</span></i> version of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Gregorian</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;"> </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Calendar</span></i></a>. It is the only instance in which the space of a mere seven days separates two major holidays. Unquestionably, the timing is <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/propitious" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">propitious</span></i></a>. Millions of holiday travelers returned home from their <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Christmas </span></i>commemoration and revelry, just in time to get a day off to “<i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">celebrate</span></i>” the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">New Year</span></i>…and <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/recuperate" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">recuperate</span></i></a> from their <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/extracurricular" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">extracurricular</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;"> </span></a>activities, including the exploits of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">New Year’s Eve</span></i>. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I hope to the extent feasible, most people whose traditions include Christmas, celebrated, and observed the arrival of the New Year, responsibly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">In last week’s post, I presented a re-formatted airing of my personally crafted <i>Christmas post,</i> <b><i>(<a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2023/12/27/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2023-edition/" style="color: #954f72;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2023/12/27/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2023-edition/</a>)<span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> </span></i></b>from past <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Noel" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Noel</span></i></a><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">s.</span></i> This week, I doubled down and revisited my trusty time capsule. Once again, this tack permits <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">new readers</span></i> to catch-up by seeing the piece, it allows <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">long-time readers</span></i> to reflect upon both the passing year as well as the theme lifted in the post, and finally, it ensures that those <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">busy readers,</span></i> with no time to invest in checking out a new blog during the holidays, will not have to miss anything. It’s a win, win…win!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">With that loosely framed <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/preamble" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">preamble</span></i></a> behind us, here’s this week’s <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/deja+vu" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">déjà vu</span></i></a><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> all over again post</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Since we are still in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_spot" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Sweet Spot</span></i></a> of the holidays, I shall practice<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimalism" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> minimalism</span></i></a>. For <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">your </span></i>purposes, that means the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></i> should be<i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> available</span></i>, but not <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">intrusive</span></i>. To that end, I am taking a page from the Christmas e-concert but going a step further. Instead of a concert, I give you a <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">song…of reflection</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Robert Burns</span></i></a>, a Scot, wrote a poem (<i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Auld Lang Syne</span></i>) in <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">1788</span></i> that has come to symbolize the spirit of mass contemplation that people around the world invoke as the clock strikes midnight, signaling not just the dawn of a new day, but of a new year. Undoubtedly, you have been somewhere, at some time, when you joined those assembled to sing <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Auld Lang Syne,</span></i> which loosely translated means, <a href="http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/question279.htm" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Times gone by</span></i></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Once again, that time is upon us. After thoughtful reflection, I have had no choice but to conclude, my travails have been few and small, especially when compared to my blessings, which have been both abundant and vast! All praises to the one true, <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/omnipotent" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">omnipotent</span></i></a>, <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/omnipresent" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">omnipresent</span></i></a>, and <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/omniscient" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">omniscient</span></i></a> <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/god" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">God</span></i></a>; a mighty fortress is He.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">No need to thank me for my inherent thoughtfulness. But, by all means, “<i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Drink a cup of kindness</span></i>,” or <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eggnog" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">eggnog</span></i></a>, or <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/champagne" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Champagne</span></i></a>, or “name your favorite<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_beverage" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> adult beverage</span></i></a>,” for me. And, if you are a <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/teetotaler" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">teetotaler</span></i></a>, water will do nicely, thank-you!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">As I complete my first post of 2024, and prayerfully and faithfully reflect upon the year gone by, I leave with you this familiar <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Irish Toast</span></i>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">May the road rise up to meet you.</span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">May the wind always be at your back.</span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">May the sun shine warm upon your face,</span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">And rains fall soft upon your fields.</span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">And until we meet again,</span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">May God hold you in the palm of His hand.</span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I invite you to click on the links directly below, which lead to an <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/acapella" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">A cappella</span></i></a> and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">Jazz </span></a>interpretation of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bffBdmlf0Wo" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Auld Lang Syne</span></i></a>, arranged and performed by <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">the late </span></i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Rawls" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Lou Rawls</span></i></a> (and listen to the remainder of this week’s edition of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Break It Down</span></i>):<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="https://youtu.be/B0z_MamGk2c" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://youtu.be/B0z_MamGk2c</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="https://youtu.be/NkWqUR-YdWs" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://youtu.be/NkWqUR-YdWs</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">It was my unique honor and privilege to visit with you briefly for each of the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">52</span></i> weeks of last year. I hope you have derived a fraction of the pleasure reading (and occasionally listening to) the blog posts, that I have experienced from preparing and sharing them with you. May <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">2024</span></i> bring you the fulfillment of all your fondest desires. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Though the New Year began a couple of days ago, it’s it’s my esteemed honor, and pleasure, to wish you <a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne.html"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">“</span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Happy New Year: Here’s to Auld Lang Syne Redux – 2024 Edition!”</span></i></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done;<i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> holla back!</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Read my <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></i> anytime by <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></i> the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span></i>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a>. <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Find</span></i> a new post each <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">To <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click</span></i> on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></i> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></i> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a>; enter your <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></i> address in the designated space, and <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click </span></i>on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></i> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></i> will be mailed to your <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></i>. <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></i> the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">links </span></i>below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/question279.htm" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/question279.htm</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/01/02/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne-redux-2019-edition/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/01/02/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne-redux-2019-edition/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2020/01/01/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne-redux-2020-edition/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2020/01/01/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne-redux-2020-edition/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/29/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne-redux-2022-edition/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/29/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne-redux-2022-edition/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/12/28/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne-redux-2023-edition/" style="color: #954f72;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/12/28/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne-redux-2023-edition/</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2024/01/happy-new-year-heres-to-auld-lang-syne.html</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-74364160028738819252023-12-27T00:08:00.004-05:002023-12-27T00:16:14.633-05:00Twelve Days of Christmas: The e-Concert - 2023 Edition<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif">It’s time to Break It Down!</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">(Revised from <i>Break It Down </i>– 12/24/08, 12/22/10, <i>12/21/11, 12/26/12, </i>1<i>2/25/13, 12/23/15, 12/21/16, 12/26/17, 12/26/18, 12/25/19, 12/23/20, 12/25/21, and 12/21/22</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">According to tradition, mine if no one else’s, my Christmas post includes a complement of Songs of the Season. Today’s issue will constitute the next edition in that tradition. It’s Tuesday night, or in my personal time dimension, Blog Night. In keeping with what I do, let’s make it so, Wednesday’s coming! As incorporated in the title above, many purists celebrate Twelve Days of Christmas. This has been documented in song, book form, at least one movie, and in countless tales and renditions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">By quirk of the calendar, Christmas was a couple of days ago, but this is still Christmas Week, and so, here, as scheduled, is the Christmas Blog. I hope you enjoy the blog/e-concert.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">Merry Christmas</span></i></a> to you! I know some of you are caught up in the whole “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">We Are The (Secular) World</span></i></a>” trip; thus, you substitute <i>Holiday </i>for <i>Christmas </i>in seasonal greetings. But that really shouldn’t be a problem since the man we call 44 brought Christmas back (wink-wink). But seriously though, in case you don’t know, Christmas never went anywhere. In fact, a quick check back over the Obama years reveals…Christmas was a staple in his repertoire. (<a href="http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/-merry-christmas-never-left-the-white-house-824078915806"><span style="color: #416ed2;">http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/-merry-christmas-never-left-the-white-house-824078915806</span></a>). Of course, those innately curious enough to conduct the requisite <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/etymological?fromRef=true"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">etymological</span></i></a> research know that the root derivation of <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/holiday"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">holiday</span></i></a> is “<i>Holy Day</i>;” but I digress; that is fodder for another day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">The beauty of this post is, it’s timeless. By the time you get around to it, most, if not all of you will already have done whatever it is you do to observe and/or celebrate Christmas. But you know what, herein lies an opportunity to take one more moment, a time out if you will, before returning full tilt to your normal schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">As is my custom, I will not use this <i>Christmas Season Post</i>, if you will allow me to call it that, to challenge you to sort through the facts, be they <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/esoteric"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">esoteric</span></i></a> or mundane. Not the pending election, or the economy (recession or no recession), no wars, and absolutely no (further) references to Presidents, past, present, or future.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">No, this is your time to take a break and leave all that behind. Notice, I did not say forget it, and I certainly would never ask that you pretend it doesn’t exist. Just give yourself a break.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">In the true spirit of keeping it simple for both you and me, I am reprising an amalgam of previous posts. In fact, not just any posts…posts from several <i>Christmas’ </i>past<i>.</i> This is my fourteenth e-<i>Christmas Concert</i>. Several years ago, I pressed the reset button on the <i>Concert</i>. Instead of simply providing 12 standards, I upped the ante and provided 24, 12 by female artists, and 12 by male artists. This year, Christmas Day was Monday, two days ago. Take your time, but give them a listen, if you like <b><i>Christmas Music</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">The <i>English playwright </i>and poet, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Congreve"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">William Congreve</span></i></a>, in the opening line of his <i>1697 </i>Play entitled <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Mourning_Bride"><span style="color: #416ed2;">“</span><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">The Mourning Bride</span></i><span style="color: #416ed2;">,”</span></a> asserted, <i>“Music has Charms to soothe a savage Breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.”</i> I think <i>Congreve </i>was on to something. If indeed music is capable of <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/enabling"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">enabling</span></i></a> us to overcome our <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/basest"><span style="color: #416ed2;">basest</span></a> instincts, and in so doing, <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ennoble"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">ennoble</span></i></a> us to pursue our finer impulses, and then indeed, we should take more opportunities to render ourselves captivated by its magical spell. (By the way, it really is breast…not beast; caught you thinking, didn’t I?)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">So, I identified and pulled together an assortment of my favorite <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_music"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">Christmas Standards</span></i></a> by several of my favorite artists. This year’s version includes a variation of the artistic olio I pulled together for your reading, viewing, and listening pleasure several years ago. Below, you will find hot links to YouTube video interpretations and two songs for each of the <i>12 Days of Christmas </i>listed and included in today’s <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/yuletide"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">Yuletide </span></i></a><i>e-concert</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Female Artists<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Eartha Kitt</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is known for having had many talents skills, and abilities, among them acting and singing. Last year I substituted her most popular Christmas song for “Nothing for Christmas.” After a 1-year hiatus, I’m bringing back Santa Baby. As I’ve noted before, the song was born in 1953, and as I will this Sunday, it turned 65 this year. She slays (or if you’re really in the Christmas spirit — sleighs) it. <a href="https://youtu.be/Mk_GmhD053E"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://youtu.be/Mk_GmhD053E</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Dianne Reeves</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is a Grammy-winning jazz artist who sings in the vein of Dinah Washington and Carmen McRae, a skilled lyricist and scat singer. She presents “Christmas Time is Here” as if it’s her own. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hInJstw1cGE"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hInJstw1cGE</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Vanessa Williams</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> was the first black Miss America. She had a short and tumultuous reign. But cream rises to the top, and her talent ensured that losing her title was but a mere speed bump in a star-studded road. Her rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear” provides a glimpse of her musical flexibility and skill. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKmvk0NJnzE"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKmvk0NJnzE</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Lena Horne</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> was a jazz musician whose career spanned over 70 years. She was also an actress, dancer, and civil rights activist. She demonstrates her vocal caliber in this version of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh8JZp_gnU4"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh8JZp_gnU4</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Cassandra Wilson</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> was born December 4, 1955. Her birthdate alone ensured that I included her on this list; ’06! But that’s not the only reason she made the cut. Her range includes blues, country, and folk music, as well as jazz. Moreover, she stuck the proverbial landing in her rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy.” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmAQzS5Zk7o"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmAQzS5Zk7o</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Toni Braxton</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is a lot of things: a talented songwriter, singer, pianist, record producer, actress, television personality, and philanthropist. She is known to be sexy, sultry, and an unpredictable reality show star. She’s still best known for her music though, and her version of “Santa Please” will do absolutely nothing to change that. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nFWiF_E_VQ"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nFWiF_E_VQ</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Emotions</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> are one of those classic Old School Girl Groups born in the 70’s. Influenced greatly by Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire Fame, they continue to perform today. One of my favorite tunes by them is their version of “What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas?” <a href="https://youtu.be/coO2E2v5RwE"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://youtu.be/coO2E2v5RwE</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Anita Baker</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> released her first solo album in 1983. In 1986, she released “Rapture”, and it was the dawn of her stardom. She is known for her trademark “husky” voice, and she is at her Christmas best in this version of “The Christmas Song.” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHze40h13mc"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHze40h13mc</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Diana Ross and the Supremes</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> were the “It” Group of Motown when Motown was the “It’ place of Soul Music. The Supremes are America’s most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Here they are with their 1965 rendition of “Silver Bells.” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIJROwP4BnM"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIJROwP4BnM</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Ella Fitzgerald</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is jazz royalty. Frequently referred to as the First Lady of Song, the Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella, she was widely acclaimed for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, and intonation, as well as a horn-like improvisational ability. Virtually all scat singing is measured against her. Check out her version of “Sleigh Ride. ”<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnEbRaFaqfg"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnEbRaFaqfg</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Whitney Houston</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> had a voice known worldwide. Her recordings accounted for nearly 200 million records sold. Hers was a clarion voice of our times. This version of “Joy To The World,” taken from the movie, “The Preacher’s Wife,” is special, as was she. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYPpyTyPf6I"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYPpyTyPf6I</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Ledisi (Anibade Young)</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is an R&B and jazz recording artist. Her first name means “to bring forth” or “to come here” in Yoruba. She was aptly named. Enjoy her rendering of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” <span style="color: #416ed2;"><a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xMz5oGc8s1Q">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xMz5oGc8s1Q</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Male Artists<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">James Brown </span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">was renowned for his energetic performances, which earned him another of his many titles, “<i>Hardest working man in show business</i>.” His rendition of “Merry Christmas Baby” is not so up-tempo, but still a reminder that he had earned his chops the hard way, and that he was much more than just flash and dash. <a href="https://youtu.be/4VFZGRoZwB0"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://youtu.be/4VFZGRoZwB0</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Donny Hathaway</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> was a multifaceted soulful crooner and a product of Howard University who excelled in jazz, blues, soul and gospel music, an Alpha Man. He suffered from depression and died of suicide January 13, 1979, at 33 years old. He rendered this marvelous recording of “This Christmas. <a href="https://youtu.be/pj1mVUEHeUE"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://youtu.be/pj1mVUEHeUE</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">The O’Jays</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> were formed in 1965 and have been a staple in Soul and R&B music ever since. They knock it out of the park with this version of “Christmas Just Ain’t Christmas Anymore.” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc4g1wsIA9g"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc4g1wsIA9g</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Temptations</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> were a significant part of what made Motown, Motown, in the 60’s and 70’s. Their rendition of Silent Night lives on as a classic among classics as far as Christmas music goes. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFc7STuQF0U"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFc7STuQF0U</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Al Green</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">, soul singer, turned minister, soul singer-minister was at his most popular during the 70’s. He puts his considerable talents to good use in this version of “I’ll be Home for Christmas.” <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFyRwlR5YXk"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFyRwlR5YXk</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">El DeBarge</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> was the central figure in the group known as DeBarge, which reached its zenith in the 80’s. El was one of several members of the group who went on to fashion solo careers. He nails this version of “Christmas Without You.” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_xB6VD7fS8"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_xB6VD7fS8</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Will Downing</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> has been recording albums since 1988. I’ve seen him in concerts twice, including a couple of weeks ago, and I own most of his recorded music. He simply does not disappoint. This recording of The First Noel is no exception. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOQWKBIuk-I"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOQWKBIuk-I</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Joe (Lewis Thomas)</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> released his debut album in 1993. He has maintained a presence on the music scene ever since. His nuanced presentation of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is just another fine example of his limitless talent. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vbpsVILCvU"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vbpsVILCvU</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Jerry Butler</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">, popularly known as the Ice Man, fitting for an Alpha, is a singer, songwriter, and musician (guitar, electric guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and drums) who was the lead singer for the Impressions before going on to a solo career. He recorded this classic version of O Holy Night. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0dR1Dk7Bu0"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0dR1Dk7Bu0</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Luther Vandross</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> was a musical icon. Period. End of story. He is one of my favorite musicians, and his treatment of “My Favorite Things” is certainly among my favorite Christmas songs. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6TRlV6MOOU"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6TRlV6MOOU</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Whispers</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> hail from LA, and have been around since the 60’s. They became members of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003…for good reason. They got it like that. And they prove it with this version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbJ95aWUc_A"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbJ95aWUc_A</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Kem (Owens)</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is an R&B/Soul singer who has made his uniquely fashioned mark on the music scene since 1999. He enlists Ledisi (Anibade Young), another single named musical star to create a fabulous rendition of “Be Mine For Christmas.” <span style="color: #416ed2;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_8rVJ_ENaY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_8rVJ_ENaY</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">That’s it, <i>24</i> artists and <i>videos </i>and/or songs. Add it all up and you get <i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/12/twelve-days-of-christmas-e-concert-2023.html">“Twelve Days Of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2023 Edition!”</a></i> Enjoy it throughout the Season, and by all means, remember the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">Reason for the Season</span></i></a><i>!</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">I’m done; <i>holla back!</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Read my <i>blog </i>anytime by clicking the <i>link</i>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/</span></i></a><i>. Find </i>a new post each <i>Wednesday</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">To <i>subscribe</i>, <i>click </i>on <i>Follow </i>in the bottom right-hand corner of my <i>Home Page </i>at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><i><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a><i>; enter </i>your <i>e-mail </i>address in the <i>designated space, </i>and <i>click </i>on <i>“Sign me up.” Subsequent </i>editions of <i>“Break It Down” </i>will be <i>mailed </i>to your <i>in-box.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">Consult </span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;">the <i>links </i>below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <i>post</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/12/26/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2018-edition/"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/12/26/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2018-edition/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/12/25/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2019-edition/"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/12/25/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2019-edition/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2020/12/23/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2020-edition/"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2020/12/23/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2020-edition/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/22/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2021-edition/"><span style="color: #416ed2;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/22/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2021-edition/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #416ed2;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/12/21/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2022-edition/">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/12/21/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2022-edition/</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/12/twelve-days-of-christmas-e-concert-2023.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/12/twelve-days-of-christmas-e-concert-2023.html</a></span></p></div><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-74626245552361077332023-12-20T00:10:00.003-05:002023-12-20T00:11:50.157-05:00Colorado Supremes Declare Presidential Ballot A No Trump Zone: SCOTUS to Decide<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In a stunning development, the Colorado Supreme Court removed Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 Presidential Ballot, ruling that he isn’t an eligible presidential candidate because of the 14<sup>th</sup> Amendment “insurrectionist ban.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In a previous ruling on November 17<sup>th</sup>, a Colorado lower court had <span style="color: #1b1b1b;">ordered the state’s top elections official to place Trump on the 2024 primary ballot, rejecting a lawsuit from a group of voters who argued<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-reader-unique-id="2" href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2023/11/16/trump-14th-amendment-trial-colorado/" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">the Republican frontrunner is constitutionally ineligible</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>to hold office under a Civil War-era insurrection clause.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b;">Judge Sarah B. Wallace of the Denver District Court ordered Trump be included on the ballot, even though she rejected Trump attorney’s claims that Trump’s messages to his supporters, including incendiary social media posts and a speech at the White House Ellipse preceding the violence at the Capitol, were protected speech under the First Amendment. Wallace wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">“The Court concludes … that Trump incited an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and therefore ‘engaged’ in insurrection within the meaning of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Still, Wallace ultimate sided with a legal theory, put forward by several conservative scholars arguing that the provisions of the insurrection clause does not include the presidency. She wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">“After considering the arguments on both sides, the Court is persuaded that ‘officers of the United States’ did not include the President of the United States,” Wallace wrote. “It appears to the Court that for whatever reason the drafters of Section 3 did not intend to include a person who had only taken the Presidential Oath.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Similar suits have also been rejected in Minnesota, and in Michigan, where the matter is currently under appeal. Yesterday’s Colorado Supreme Court ruling is the first to actually bar Trump from a state’s Presidential Ballot in 2024. The ruling disagreed with the assertion that the ban did not apply to the President. And, since it agreed that he had incited an insurrection, a majority of the Court concluded Trump should be excluded from the 2024 Ballot, ruling him ineligible due to the provisions of the 14<sup>th</sup> Amendment Insurrection Ban.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The ruling is being placed on hold until January 4, in order to facilitate an appeal by Trump’s legal team to the U.S. Supreme Court. <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span><span style="color: #262626;"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/19/politics/read-colorado-supreme-court-ruling-trump-2024-ballot-14th-amendment/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061f3;">Read the 4-3 decision</span></a><a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/colorado-trump-14th-amendment-12-19-23/h_852c7b7ac92f2f01f6bf1e43a08b350e" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061f3;">.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #262626;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #262626;">The Trump campaign said <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/colorado-trump-14th-amendment-12-19-23/h_e5f8ef78f3761651966434a371a3a62e" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061f3;">it would swiftly appeal</span></a>, and described the ruling as “a completely flawed decision.” Trump has denied wrongdoing regarding the events of January 6<sup>th</sup>. He has decried the 14<sup>th</sup> Amendment lawsuits as an abuse of the legal process.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The state Supreme Court decision only applies to Colorado, but the historic ruling will almost certainly roil the 2024 presidential campaign. At least until SCOTUS decides whether it will hear the case (of course it will), and subsequently issue a ruling.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #262626;">Colorado’s secretary of state, Jenna Griswold, vowed to follow the state Supreme Court’s ruling disqualifying former President Donald Trump from Colorado’s ballot. She disagreed with the dissenting justices’ rulings that the court erred in its decision. She told CNN’s Pamela Brown on “AC360:” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #262626;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #262626;">“My job as secretary of state is to make sure that only qualified candidates appear on our ballot.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #262626;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Not surprisingly, virtually the entirety of GOPWorld roundly condemned the decision.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) railed against the decision, calling it “nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack.”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, vowed the Trump campaign would appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority and includes three justices nominated by Trump.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a data-reader-unique-id="14" href="https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/1737260031647641696" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2;">similarly dug into</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"> </span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">the justices, writing in a statement, “Four partisan Democrat operatives on the Colorado Supreme Court think they get to decide for all Coloradans and Americans the next presidential election.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Without calling out Democrats directly, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said “they<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a data-reader-unique-id="21" href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Banks/status/1737262239248433200" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2;">will do everything they can</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"> </span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">to block Donald Trump from being president again.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Calling the ruling “extreme judicial activism,” Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert (R) said the ruling was designed to suppress the votes and voices of Colorado residents.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a data-reader-unique-id="32" href="https://twitter.com/RepTroyNehls/status/1737258872631382303" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2;">called the justices</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"> </span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">behind the decision a “disgrace to our country,” and echoed the ruling is “just more election interference.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R), who publicly endorsed the former president earlier this year, said Democrats are “trying to imprison the party’s chief political opponent.”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a data-reader-unique-id="41" href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1737272248979832907" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2;">echoed</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"> her Republican colleagues’ comments, arguing the decision “stole the election” away from Colorado voters and “robbed” them of their right to vote for Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) weighed in on the decision, suggesting the Colorado Supreme Court violated an interest of the U.S.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Kari Lake, who is currently seeking one of Arizona’s seats in the Senate, said the decision overturns “over a century of judicial precedent.”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Even Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R), who came under attack by Trump on Monday, expressed his opposition to the ruling.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a data-reader-unique-id="55" href="https://twitter.com/BasedMikeLee/status/1737263138687615079" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2;">In a repost</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"> </span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">of Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) post that read, “This lawless, cynical ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court will not stand,”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a data-reader-unique-id="56" href="https://twitter.com/chiproytx/status/1737265084349509888" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2;">Roy wrote</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">, “Agree.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">With that, it’s clear, the wagons have been circled. Even a guy skewered by Trump Monday, took his side Tuesday. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4367338-trump-urges-primary-challenge-against-chip-roy/" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2;">Trump went after Roy</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">, who has long backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Republican presidential nomination, calling for someone to primary Roy, though the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a data-reader-unique-id="59" href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4367982-desantis-swipes-trump-missed-filing-deadline-call-chip-roy-challenger/" style="color: #954f72; max-width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #416ed2;">election filing deadline</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"> </span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">already passed.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Finally, <span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Republican Sen.Thom Tillis said he plans to introduce legislation to prevent states from disqualifying presidential candidates from the ballot “on Constitutional matters that should be decided by only the Supreme Court.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">The reality, as it relates to Tillis’ gambit…it is unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, will have the Senate take up the legislation.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #1b1b1b;">Lest anyone get too excited, or distressed, by this action, just remember, SCOTUS is 6-3 conservative, including 3 Trump appointees. It is very likely this decision will be overruled. Still, I am heartened by the fact that after courts in several states, including North Carolina, rejected bids to remove Trump, one followed its convictions, and ruled without fear or favor, that no man is above the law. Kudos Colorado. <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/12/colorado-supremes-declare-presidential.html">“</a></i></b></span><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/12/colorado-supremes-declare-presidential.html">Colorado Supremes Declare Presidential Ballot A No Trump Zone: SCOTUS to Decide!”</a></span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done; <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></i><br /><br />Read my <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></i> anytime by clicking the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">links</span></i>: <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #1982d1;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></a></span></i>and/or <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com</span></i></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Find a new post each Wednesday. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></i>, click on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></i> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></i> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a>; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.” Subsequent</span></i> editions of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></i> will be mailed to your <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">in-box. <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Consult</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">post</span></i>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/colorado-trump-14th-amendment-12-19-23/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/colorado-trump-14th-amendment-12-19-23/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4368711-gop-lawmakers-slam-colorado-courts-trump-decision/#:~:text=A%20slew%20of%20GOP%20lawmakers,from%20winning%20the%202024%20election" style="color: #954f72;">https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4368711-gop-lawmakers-slam-colorado-courts-trump-decision/#:~:text=A%20slew%20of%20GOP%20lawmakers,from%20winning%20the%202024%20election</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/12/19/colorado-supreme-court-trump-2024-ballot-election-14th-amendment-honig-tsr-vpx.cnn" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/12/19/colorado-supreme-court-trump-2024-ballot-election-14th-amendment-honig-tsr-vpx.CNN</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/12/colorado-supremes-declare-presidential.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/12/colorado-supremes-declare-presidential.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-46375751222460528162023-12-13T02:55:00.000-05:002023-12-13T02:55:29.357-05:00<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>It's time to Break It Down!</b></span><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Fourteen Days; What an Adventure<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Occasionally, I stretch my personal boundaries and share a personal experience in my posts. During the last couple of weeks, I published reprised editions of the blog. As a concession to being away on vacation, I opted to do so, instead of delving into process of developing new or current content. But make no mistake, posting on the fly, from thousands of miles, and numerous time zones away was a challenge. Another box checked. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The last couple of weeks presented me with an extraordinary and exhilarating slice of life. My hope is, it unfolded in an unobtrusive, if not totally unnoticeable way. My wife and I undertook a 14-day odyssey that included six airports, eight flights, a 3-day cruise, and more than 10,000 miles, not including nautical miles, or ground transportation. In addition, we spent time in locations seven, and nine time zones away. Not coincidentally, I posted from cities in each of those time zones, Egypt Standard Time two weeks ago, and Gulf Standard Time last week.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For a time, we wondered whether the whole notion of this trip was merely a snake-bite idea. Initial planned and schedule for post-Thanksgiving 2020, Covid intervened, and effectively said, NOPE, not happening. It took three years to reschedule it to post-Thanksgiving 2023. Then Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, and suddenly, the journey that I had looked to with such anticipation and excitement, seemed quite possibly headed for a second cancellation. However, as we continuously monitored State Department advisories, consulted trusted friends and associates who recently traveled to Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as checked-in with our travel agents. We continued to get affirming intel, and on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, admitted with some degree of trepidation, we boarded our first flight, and said, “Let’s do this.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Needless to say; there were people in our inner circle who were not wild about the idea of our traveling to the Middle East, especially, amid heightened tensions stemming from the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Interestingly, there were also folks who, in one camp, thought Egypt was overrated, and folks in another camp who were unimpressed with the UAE in general, and with Dubai, in particular. Then there was yet another camp which was enraptured by the opulence of the Emirates. Fast forward to the end. Peace in the Middle East, at least in the parts we visited, endured. Both Egypt and Dubai delivered, as advertised. They are two very different places, The Capital of Egypt, Cairo, is part of a sprawling 20 million people metropolitan area, and known for its antiquities, while the UAE was created in 1971, possibly the wealthiest nation on earth, and filled with gleaming streets, and soaring skyscrapers. Dubai, the largest city in the Emirates, with a population of 3 million people, and the Capital of Emirate of Dubai, is home to the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, which stands 2,722 feet tall (over half a mile). Abu Dhabi, the second largest city in the Emirates, and the Capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is home to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest Mosque in the Country, and the third largest Mosque in the world. The building complex covers an area of more than 30 acres, excluding exterior landscaping and parking.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">While I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent in the UAE, this is where I fully embrace my bias and admit, the impetus for the trip, for me, was Egypt. As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., which holds as its symbol, the Sphinx, I’ve long wanted to see it in person. My wife is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Pyramid is one of the organization’s symbols. For an Alpha-Delta couple, it doesn’t get much better than having an opportunity to visit/see the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Visiting Giza may have been the pièce de resistance of the trip, it was one of many highlights. The Hanging Church in Cairo, the seat of the Coptic Pope, is perhaps the first church built in basilican style. It is called “Hanging,” because its nave is suspended over a passage. The Aswan High Dam is a prominent historical landmark, and one of the largest embankment dams in the world. It is used as a mechanism to prohibit the Nile from flooding, Then, there is the Nile, the world’s longest river, 4,132 miles (11 countries…Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Republic of the Sudan, and Egypt). Karnak Temple Complex, located in Luxor, comprises a vast mix of temples, monuments, and chapels. Construction of the complex began during the reign of if Senusret (1971-1926 BCE). BCE means Before the Common Era, or before Christ was born. There were also numerous museums of note, including, the Karnak Open Air Museum, the Mummification Museum, and the Le Scarabe Papyrus Museum. Every stop included shops, and or vendors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In the UAE, we visited three of the country’s seven Emirates, all eponymous of their Emirate, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, the three largest cities, in the three largest Emirates. I mentioned the Burj Khalifa earlier. Standing on the 125<sup>th</sup> Floor circular observation tower, looking out over, and surveying the sprawling, gleaming city of Dubai was an amazing sight. The 60-second ride from lobby level to the 124<sup>th</sup> Floor, as you might imagine, was quite the experience. But nothing compared to cityscape vista available from any point on the 125<sup>th</sup> Floor. By the way, to get to the top floor, you must climb the final flight of stairs. I guess the engineers, architects, and designers wanted visitors to do some work. The only 7-Star Hotel in the world, Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs), is located in Dubai. It is the third tallest hotel in the world, and one of the most iconic structures in Dubai. Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization is a veritable one-stop shop for viewing over 5,000 artifacts from the Islamic world. It was a fascinating venue. Finally, Abu Dhabi, home to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the UAE. Sheikh Zayed is the third son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was the first President of the UAE, which was founded in 1971. The Presidential Palace, Qasr Al Watan, is a working palace, and a cultural landmark. Perhaps the most visited landmark in Abu Dhabi is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The main axis of the building is rotated 12 degrees south of true west, aligning it in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We visited all these sites, and more. Mrs. Miller even rode a Camel while in Giza, and we rode the dunes in the Arabian Desert. Much appreciation to our travel agent, tour guides, and traveling compatriots. Thank God for traveling mercies. <b><i>Fourteen Days; What an Adventure!</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’m done; <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></em><br /><br />Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by clicking the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">links</span></em>: <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="color: #1982d1;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></a></span></em>and/or <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/" style="color: #954f72; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com</span></em></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Find a new post each Wednesday. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, click on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em><em><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">Subsequent</span></em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> editions of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">in-box. Consult</span></em> the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">post</span></em>:</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-71336847772878767162023-12-04T15:02:00.002-05:002023-12-13T02:45:57.602-05:00It's time to Break It Down!<div><br /></div><div><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;">December 7, 1941: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy Redux ‘23<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">It’s time to Break It Down!</span></i></b><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">In 2011, in observance of the 70th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing by Japan, I wrote the following post. The now 82<sup>nd</sup> Anniversary, which we will commemorate tomorrow, seems like an apt occasion to revisit subject. Since I wrote the post in 2011, a few years ago, my wife and I visited Honolulu, Hawaii, and Pearl Harbor, including the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, the USS Utah Memorial, and the USS Cisco (Submarine) Memorial Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. It was a great trip with lots of amazing history and artifacts. So, here’s the original post:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Seventy years ago today, an </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">incursion</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> of the highest order befell our great nation. On that fateful </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Sunday</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> in early </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">December</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Japanese Empire</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, with the aid of its naval and air forces, attacked the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">American</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> military installation at </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Pearl Harbor</span></a>, <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Hawaii</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">. Although, </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Hawaii</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> did not officially become the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">50</span></i><i><sup><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 7.5pt; padding: 0in;">th</span></sup></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> State until </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">June 27, 1959</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Republic of Hawaii</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> was annexed, and had become the incorporated </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">U.S. Territory of Hawaii</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">July 6, 1898</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">. To wit</span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">, America</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> was, in an instant, immersed in </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">World War II (WWII)</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, by default.<br /><br />The next day, </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> met with the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">U.S. Congress</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> to request a </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Declaration of War</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, and in so doing, uttered these now famous words: </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /><br />This </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">brazen</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> and </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">unmitigated</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> act of war had surprised the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">American</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> military establishment, and the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Country</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> as a whole. While we as </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Americans</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> remember the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">pillage</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> at </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Pearl Harbor</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, the comprehensive nature of the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Japanese</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> attacks, though amply documented, is less well-known. In fact, over a two-day span, Japan spread a torrent of </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">carnage</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> throughout the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Pacific</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, including:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">· Torpedoing ships between <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Honolulu</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in;"> and </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">San Francisco</span></i></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">· Launching an offensive against </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Malaya</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">· Assailing </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Hong Kong</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">· Raiding </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Guam</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">· Attacking the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Philippine Islands</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">· Raiding </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Wake Island</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">· Invading <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Midway Island</span></i></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">FDR’s</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> request was granted of course. Four days later, on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">December 11</span></i><i><sup><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 7.5pt; padding: 0in;">th</span></sup></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Germany,</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> and </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Italy</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, which had signed a three-nation pact with </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Japan</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">September 27, 1940</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, declared war on the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">United States</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">. In his prepared statement, </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Adolph Hitler</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> declared </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Germany</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> and </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Italy</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> were compelled to defend their ally, </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Japan</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">. At that point, it’s fair to say it was on! From </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">December 7, 1941</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, until </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Japan</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> surrendered, unconditionally, on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">September 2, 1945</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, global </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Armageddon</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> raged. Over those </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">3 ¾</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> years, many of the key operational dynamics would shift, change, or otherwise be altered, as is always the case during periods of war. During this time frame:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Benito Mussolini</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> quit his post as Dictator of Italy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">U.S. Flag raised over <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Iwo Jima</span></a></span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">FDR</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> died; <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Harry S. Truman</span></a></span></i> was sworn in as <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">President of the United States</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Italians</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> killed <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Mussolini</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Adolph Hitler</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> committed suicide<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">U.S. tested first <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Atomic Bomb</span></a></span></i> at <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Los Alamos (New Mexico) National Laboratory</span></a></span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Winston Churchill</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> lost re-election bid<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">U.S.</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> dropped the (<i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Atomic</span></i>) <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Bomb</span></i> on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Hiroshima</span></a></span></i> and <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Nagasaki</span></a></span></i>, three days apart<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Allied Nations</span></a> </span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">celebrated <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">VJ (Victory over Japan) Day</span></a></span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 66.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">§<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Japan</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> surrendered, unconditionally<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">The War</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> had actually begun in </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">1939</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, when </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Germany</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> invaded </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Poland</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">September 1</span></i><i><sup><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 7.5pt; padding: 0in;">st</span></sup></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">; it lasted six years. During that span, in what was the second </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">World War</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> in </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">25</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> years, every major world power was involved in a war for global domination. By the end, over 60 million people had lost their lives. Ultimately, the conclusion of the war was </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">precipitated</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> by the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">United States</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> unleashing the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">cataclysmic</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> and previously unknown forces of nuclear weaponry. It was only after the U.S. destroyed </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Hiroshima</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> and </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Nagasaki</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> in a three-day period that the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Japanese Empire</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> was persuaded to surrender, which for all practical purposes, ended the war.<br /><br />So it is with much respect, simple humility, and a heavy dose of sadness that I salute the millions pressed to service to defend the world as we know it against the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">rapacious</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> desires of those in search of global </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">hegemony</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> and world domination. In any version of this story </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">America</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> deserves a special place. As a nation we resisted direct involvement until victimized by a lethal and unprompted frontal assault. After engaging, we worked with allied forces to try and repel the efforts of relentless </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">transgressors</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">. Finally, when nothing else worked, we introduced a wild card, the most lethal weapons system known to man, the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Atomic Bomb</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">. The resulting death and devastation was so stunningly </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">pervasive</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, a </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">heretofore</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">recalcitrant</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> enemy was forced, immediately to </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">“call it off.”</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /><br />We now live in the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">nuclear age</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> of course. Many nations have access to nuclear weapons, while others are trying to attain them. What the future holds is uncertain. But we know for sure that any number of countries have </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">The Bomb</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> at their disposal, and there are enough nuclear weapons stored around the world to destroy the earth, many times over. With what should be mixed emotions, as </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Americans</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, we also know that the only nation ever to unleash the fury of this potential “</span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">world-ender</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">” is us, as in the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">U.S.</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> In that regard, it was then, and remains today, an absolute truth, </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/08/december-7-1941-a-date-which-will-live-in-infamy-redux-21/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">“December 7, 1941: A Date Which Will Live In Infamy Redux ’23!”</span></a></span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /><br />I’m done; </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /><br />Read my </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">blog</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> anytime by clicking the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">links</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">: </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.</span><span style="color: #1982d1; font-style: normal;">com</span></a></span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"></span><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">and/or <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com</span></i></a>. Find a new post each Wednesday. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">To </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, click on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> in the bottom right-hand corner of my </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a>; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Subsequent</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> editions of </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> will be mailed to your </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">in-box. Consult</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">post</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5166">http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5166</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamy_Speech">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamy_Speech</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/">http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://framework.latimes.com/2011/12/06/pearl-harbor-photos/#/0">http://framework.latimes.com/2011/12/06/pearl-harbor-photos/#/0</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/harford/opinion-talk/ph-ag-edit-pearl-1207-20111206,0,5066736.story">http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/harford/opinion-talk/ph-ag-edit-pearl-1207-20111206,0,5066736.story</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=248401">http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=248401</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pearl-harbor-day-december-7-1941-a-date-live-infamy-pearl-harbor-photos-gallery-1.25192">http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pearl-harbor-day-december-7-1941-a-date-live-infamy-pearl-harbor-photos-gallery-1.25192</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/tmirhdee.html">http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/tmirhdee.html</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/11/newsid_3532000/3532401.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/11/newsid_3532000/3532401.stm</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamos_National_Laboratory">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamos_National_Laboratory</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.worldwar-2.net/">http://www.worldwar-2.net/</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2011/12/december-7-1941-date-which-will-live-in.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2011/12/december-7-1941-date-which-will-live-in.html</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/08/december-7-1941-a-date-which-will-live-in-infamy-redux-21/">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/12/08/december-7-1941-a-date-which-will-live-in-infamy-redux-21/</a></span></u><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-72565968835654968642023-11-28T15:33:00.004-05:002023-12-04T14:59:19.978-05:00Every Once and a While...Today<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The World Wide Web is an amazing thing. Through its miraculous capacity, we are enabled to communicate instantly across the world as we know it. Typically, I figure out a way to engage you once a week, no matter what.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In doing so, I select a topic that appeals to me in that space and time, and I write about it, or what I think about it, of what I believe others think about it, and yes, occasionally, what I wish more people would think about it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today, as happens every so often, I’m “out of the office,” so to speak. As a result, I’m delivering a reprised post, not because it’s a holiday for you, but because it’s one for me. And while it’s not a holiday, as I noted last week, the holiday season has commenced. There is no better time than the holiday season to pay additional attention to one’s health. So, listen up/check out my post from about a year and a half ago. While you’re at it, be easy on yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Your Personal Health: It’s A Serious Matter (Originally posted May 11, 2022)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">So yesterday, I did a thing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Our time on this orb called earth is limited. One Biblical proclamation asserts that “The days of our years are threescore years and ten (70 years), and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years (80 years), yet is their strength labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:10. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Anthropological historians and demographers have noted that human lifespans have increased, primarily due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, improvements in environment, food/food preservation, medication, labor saving devices, refrigeration, science, and living in an age of relative peace.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Over the course of the last few decades, life expectancy has increased around the globe. The average person born in 1960, the earliest year the United Nations began tracking global data, </span><b><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">could reasonably have expected to live to be 52.5 years of age.</span></b><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> Today the average is 72. In the UK, where records have been kept longer, the trend is even greater. In 1841, </span><b><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">a baby girl was expected to live to just 42 years of age,</span></b><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> a boy to 40. In 2016, </span><b><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">a baby girl could expect to reach 83</span></b><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, a boy, 79. In the U.S., life expectancy decreased from 78.86 years in 2019 to 76.99 years in 2020, and 76.60 years in 2021, a net loss of 2.26 years. While these changes in the U.S. and 19 peer countries have been published online by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the study has not yet been peer reviewed. However, the trend highlighted by these results are significantly attributable to the death toll from COVID-19. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Laying COVID-19 to one side, the natural conclusion is that both the miracles of modern medicine and public health initiatives have helped us live longer than ever before – so much so that we may be running out of innovations to extend life further. The fact is, while medical advancements have improved many aspects of healthcare, the assumption that human lifespan has increased in some dramatic fashion over the centuries is, in a word, misleading. As always, the devil is in the details. Overall life expectancy hasn’t increased so much because we’re living far longer than we used to as a species. It has increased because more of us, as individuals, are making it that far.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I could go way more in depth about the differences and distinctions between life expectancy (which is an average), and life span of humans. Don’t worry; I won’t. In fact, this is where I shift gears.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I have written before about the importance of attending to one’s individual health. In a previous paragraph, I noted that the point that drives people to notice how much longer we live, is the fact that, more of us are living longer. Moreover, a key reason more of us live longer is more of us have and take advantage of better available healthcare. But let’s not get it twisted. None of us is here on permanent assignment. Nothing we do will alter that fact.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">If there were only two people in the world, and one died of pneumonia, due to lack of available healthcare, at two years old, and the other lived to 80, the average lifespan of earth’s population would have been 41. Yet, if those same two people, instead, both lived to be 50, the average lifespan would be 50 years. Even though one of the two lived 30 years less than in the previous example, the average age increased by nearly a decade. Doing right by oneself matters. Providing, accessing, and utilizing advanced healthcare options is a critical necessity. It directly affects each of us and our quality of life as individuals, but it also redounds to us in a macro sense, because the more of us who partake of this benefit, the longer more of us are likely to live.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I had my fourth Colonoscopy yesterday. My medical history also includes a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy. Yesterday’s procedure was executed without incident, and the results were good. No polyps or other areas of concern revealed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I am writing about this for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I’m relieved and frankly delighted to have received a clean report. I’m happy for my wife and me, but also buoyant that my extended family and friends do not have to share the burden I would be carrying had I received a bad report.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Secondarily, I write to caution and encourage every single person who reads this post to act proactively when it comes to your health. In Invictus, William Ernest Henley asserted, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> It matters not how strait the gate,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> How charged with punishment the scroll,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> I am the master of my fate,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> I am the captain of my soul.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I submit that every adult among us has a responsibility to him or herself to be the best person he or she can possibly be. When it comes to our health, just as with our finances, it behooves us to be our own personal fiduciary. Some folks are reticent to consult medical professionals. Many of us know someone who received devastating news after a consultation with their physician. In too many cases, due to reluctance, hesitancy, fear, and sometimes just being too busy, we put off visiting a doctor, when there were troubling signs or symptoms that we could and should have shared with a physician much sooner, and as a result, received a more favorable diagnosis, or have had an opportunity to a get a more effective regimen prescribed. Stop playing. </span><b><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/05/11/your-personal-health-its-a-serious-matter/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">“Your Personal Health: It’s A Serious Matter!”</span></a></span></i></b><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I’m done; </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Read my </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">blog</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> anytime by </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">link</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a>. </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Find</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> a new post each </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">To </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">, </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">click</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> in the bottom right-hand corner of my </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a>; enter your </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> address in the designated space, and </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">click </span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">on </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> of </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> will be mailed to your </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> the </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">links </span></i><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/04/us-life-expectancy-continued-to-fall-in-2021"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in;">https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/04/us-life-expectancy-continued-to-fall-in-2021</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/05/11/your-personal-health-its-a-serious-matter/"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/05/11/your-personal-health-its-a-serious-matter/</span></a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-24655970903462229522023-11-22T00:14:00.004-05:002023-11-22T00:17:18.990-05:00A Time for Giving Thanks, Redux '23<b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 16pt; padding: 0in;">It’s time to Break It Down!</span></i></b><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 16pt; padding: 0in;"> </span></b><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 15pt; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 15pt; padding: 0in;">This is a vintage post, originally pinned <i>November 24, 2010, and subsequently edited and re-posted every year since 2013, including November 27, 2013, November 26, 2014</i>, <i>November 25, 2015</i>, <i>November 23, 2016</i>, November 22, 2017, November 21, 2018, <i>November 27, 2019, November 25, 2020, November 24, 2021, and November 23, 2022</i>.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 19.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">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’ 81s<span style="font-size: x-small;">t</span> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">As in the past, since it <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">is</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Thanksgiving Week</span></i>, 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 <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">dominant theme</span></i> this week.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">However, it is <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></i>, so there shall be a <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">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 <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Thanksgiving!</span></i>”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Tomorrow is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Thanksgiving Day</span></i></a>, which kicks off what we commonly refer to as the <a href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Holiday_Season" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Holiday Season</span></i></a>. Almost instinctively, Thanksgiving and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Christmas</span></i></a> come to mind. Yet, there is so much more than that to the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Season</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Over the next <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">54</span></i> days, many of us will enjoy succulent feasting at<i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> Thanksgiving</span></i>, exchange gifts and contribute to the needy during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Hanukkah</span></i></a>. We will buy, give, exchange, and/or receive, and (in far too many instances) return gifts at <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Christmas</span></i>, eat, drink, and celebrate the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">7 Principles</span></i> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Kwanzaa</span></i></a>, and party and toast the dawn of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">2022</span></i> on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Day" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">New Year’s Day</span></i></a>. We will honor the life and works of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr." style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #1982d1;">Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</span></a></span></i>, on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">MLK Day</span></i></a>. In addition, even in these tough (though improving) economic times, still further fraught with the consequences of coronavirus, further complicated by soaring inflation, and a roiled supply chain, this weekend, millions of Americans will pay (literally) <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/homage" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">homage</span></i></a> to our most celebrated of shoppers’ holiday weekend, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Black Friday</span></i></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Business_Saturday" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Small Business Saturday</span></i></a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Monday" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Cyber Monday</span></i></a>, 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). <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Sigh!</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">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 <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/contemplatively" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">contemplatively</span></i></a> in humble <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/repose" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">repose</span></i></a>, and affirm boldly, that I know, without <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/caveat" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">caveat</span></i></a>, not only the goodness, no the greatness of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">God</span></i>, but also of his <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inestimable" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">inestimable</span></i></a> and <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inexhaustible" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">inexhaustible</span></i></a><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"> <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/beneficence" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #1982d1;">beneficence</span></a></span></i>. I thank <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Him</span></i> for deliverance, and for <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/imbuing" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">imbuing</span></i></a> me with the sense and sensibility to discern the distinction between Kairos and Chronos, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Greek </span></i>concepts for <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">God’s</span></i> time, and man’s time, respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">In this the Year of our Lord and Savior, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">2023,</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">a.k.a.</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Year 7 A.D.</span></i> (<i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">After Donald</span></i>), I have again been reminded, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">God</span></i> really does have a sense of humor. In accordance, I thank him dearly and daily for the wit of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Stephen Colbert</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Trevor Noah</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Dave Chappelle</span></i>, and <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">SNL, et.al. More importantly, I am thankful this moment also reflects Year 2 A.J. (After Joe), even though many of my compatriots have lost their zeal for that fact</span></i>. It would take more time that I plan to devote to the matter today, to explain why I believe they are wrong, but suffice it to say, without equivocation, I do. <b><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Amen!</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Eons ago, when I was a college student, I pledged a fraternity. It is familiarly known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Phi_Alpha" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Oldest, Boldest</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">, and </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Coldest</span></i></a>, 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 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invictus" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Invictus</span></i></a>, written by <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">English</span></i> poet, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ernest_Henley" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">William Ernest Henley (1849-1903)</span></i></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">The <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Latin</span></i> translation for <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Invictus</span></i> is <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Undefeated</span></i>. You may recall it, but just in case, see it below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Invictus (Latin for Undefeated) By William Ernest Henley:</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Out of the night that covers me,</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Black as the pit from pole to pole,</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">I thank whatever gods may be</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">For my unconquerable soul.</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">In the fell clutch of circumstance</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">I have not winced nor cried aloud.</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Under the bludgeonings of chance</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">My head is bloody, but unbowed.</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Beyond this place of wrath and tears</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Looms but the Horror of the shade,</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">And yet the menace of the years</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Finds and shall find me unafraid.</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">It matters not how strait the gate,</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">How charged with punishments the scroll,</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">I am the master of my fate:</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">I am the captain of my soul.</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">So, as you go about your way tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">recognize</span></i> that <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Thanksgiving</span></i>, at its core, is not simply a day on the calendar. It is a spirit that dwells within each of us, an impulse that prompts us to thank <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">God</span></i> (for enabling us to be undefeated), and a level of insight that compels us to graciously share <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">His</span></i> blessings with our fellow men and women. Indeed, every day is <b><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #1982d1;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/a-time-for-giving-thanks-redux-23.html">“A Time for Giving Thanks, Redux ’23!”</a></span></span></i></b><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done; <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/</span></i></a>. Find a new post each <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Wednesday.</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">To <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></i>, click on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></i> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></i> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a>; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> editions of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></i> will be mailed to your <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">in-box. Consult</span></i> the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">post</span></i>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronos" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronos</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ernest_Henley" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ernest_Henley</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invictus" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invictus</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%E2%80%99s_Day" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year’s_Day</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)" style="color: #954f72;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/11/21/a-time-for-thanks-redux-18/" style="color: #954f72;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/11/21/a-time-for-thanks-redux-18/</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/11/27/a-time-for-thanks-redux-19/" style="color: #954f72;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/11/27/a-time-for-thanks-redux-19/</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2020/11/25/a-time-for-thanks-redux-20/" style="color: #954f72;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2020/11/25/a-time-for-thanks-redux-20/</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/11/24/a-time-for-giving-thanks-redux-21/" style="color: #954f72;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2021/11/24/a-time-for-giving-thanks-redux-21/</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/11/23/a-time-for-giving-thanks-redux-22/" style="color: #954f72;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/11/23/a-time-for-giving-thanks-redux-22/</a></span></u><span style="color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><br /></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/a-time-for-giving-thanks-redux-23.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/a-time-for-giving-thanks-redux-23.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-38936712297751751152023-11-15T00:26:00.009-05:002023-11-15T00:32:05.581-05:00Just Another Day in TrumpWorld: From Blindsided to Full Frontal Squaring Off<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The 45<sup>th</sup> President is renown as a pugnacious, in your face, instrument of bluster. He preens and debases, and snarls, and swears, and rants, and raves, and basically serves as the role model for which his Party simply cannot get enough. Yesterday was a prime example of Republican Trump wannabes doing what they all seem to want to do best; emulate their idol.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">At one point, Speaker Mike Johnson was successfully brokering a House agreement to avoid a government shutdown. A crime recently deemed so heinous and politically incorrect, the rightest of right-wingers in the Grand Old Party punished then Speaker Kevin McCarthy by summarily relieving him of his duties. Yesterday, the Party collectively yawned, prompting McCarthy supporters to scream hypocrisy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">McCarthy himself may have temporarily lost his political equilibrium, as Representative Tim Burchett, of Tennessee accused the former Speaker of assault. Burchett claimed McCarthy elbowed him in the back while he was talking to a reporter after the House GOP conference meeting. He characterized the incident as, a ‘Clean shot to the kidneys. For his part, McCarthy denied the incident. He told CNN’s Melanie Zanona, “I didn’t shove or elbow him. It’s a tight hallway.” One small issue with Kev’s denial. As noted, Burchett was being interviewed at the time the incident ensued. The reporter, NPR’s Claudia Grisales, was an eyewitness. She described the events this way:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">“While talking to @RepTimBurchettafter the GOP conferenc4 meeting, former @SpeakerMcCarthy walked by with his detail and McCarthy shoved Burchett. Burchett lunged towards me, I thought it was a joke. It was not. And a chase ensued…”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To add intrigue to injury, FL Rep filed an ethics complaint against McCarthy, stemming from the alleged assault.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">But the political pyrotechnics didn’t end there. Over in the upper chamber, aka, the Senate, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) challenged Teamsters General President, Sean M. O’Brien, to a fight during a senate hearing. In another sign of the time, octogenarian Sen. Bernie intervened and stopped Mullin from engaging in the would-be fight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The proverbial cherry on top was provided by Speaker Johnson, who celebrated defying the red line conservatives gave McCarthy by endorsing Trump, the ultimate pseudo-warrior, for President. <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/just-another-day-in-trumpworld-from.html">"Just Another Day in TrumpWorld: From Blindsided to Full Frontal Squaring Off!"</a></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I’m done; </span><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Read my <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span> anytime by clicking the <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span>: <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #1982d1;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></a></span>. Find a new <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">post</span> each <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span>, <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click</span> on <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Follow</span> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></a>; enter your <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span> address in the designated space, and <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click </span>on <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span> <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span> of <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span> will be mailed to your <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">in-box</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Consult</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> the <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span> below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">post</span>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/politics/speaker-johnson-conservative-reaction/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/politics/speaker-johnson-conservative-reaction/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/11/14/tim-burchett-kevin-mccarthy-hallway-scuffle-intv-sot-manu-raju-cnc-vpx.cnn" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/11/14/tim-burchett-kevin-mccarthy-hallway-scuffle-intv-sot-manu-raju-cnc-vpx.cnn</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/rep-burchett-accuses-rep-mccarthy-elbowing-him/VEZRKTO4UFD2FEKF7APJJ77CFY/#" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/rep-burchett-accuses-rep-mccarthy-elbowing-him/VEZRKTO4UFD2FEKF7APJJ77CFY/#</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-files-ethics-complaint-against-kevin-mccarthy#:~:text=Congressman%20Matt%20Gaetz%20Files%20Ethics%20Complaint%20Against%20Kevin%20McCarthy%20for%20Assaulting%20Tim%20Burchett,-Image&text=Washington%2C%20D.C.%20%E2%80%94%20Today%2C%20U.S.,halls%20of%20the%20Capitol%20complex" style="color: #954f72;">https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-files-ethics-complaint-against-kevin-mccarthy#:~:text=Congressman%20Matt%20Gaetz%20Files%20Ethics%20Complaint%20Against%20Kevin%20McCarthy%20for%20Assaulting%20Tim%20Burchett,-Image&text=Washington%2C%20D.C.%20—%20Today%2C%20U.S.,halls%20of%20the%20Capitol%20complex</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/politics/mike-johnson-donald-trump-endorsement-president/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/politics/mike-johnson-donald-trump-endorsement-president/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/just-another-day-in-trumpworld-from.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/just-another-day-in-trumpworld-from.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-87732508938305306142023-11-08T00:09:00.005-05:002023-11-08T00:13:29.460-05:00The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month Redux '23<b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">It’s time to Break It Down!</span></i></b><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Fourteen 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. This year, the day falls on Saturday. So, although today is not Veterans Day, it’ll be here in three days. I’ve decided once more, to edit/re-post the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Veteran’s Day</span></i> Edition of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down!”</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Yesterday, of course, was <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Election Day</span></i>. I could undertake a blow by blow of the outcomes, but the news with take care of making sure you get the A to Z. Meanwhile, 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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">As most <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Americans</span></i> know, this year marks the 105-year Anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">AKA </span></i>“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 <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">American</span></i> heroes and sheroes?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Well, first, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Veterans Day</span></i> is not <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Memorial Day</span></i>, and vice-versa. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Veterans Day</span></i> is intended largely to honor <b><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Living</span></i></b> 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. <i>Memorial</i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Day</span></i> honors those veterans who died in the service of their country, particularly those killed in combat, or because of wounds sustained in battle.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">We also know that <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Veterans Day</span></i> is a different kind of federal holiday. Except for <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Sundays</span></i>, it falls on its actual date. In <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">1968</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Congress</span></i> approved the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Uniform Monday Holiday Act</span></i>. This law, which took effect in <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">1971</span></i>, amended the observance of certain federal holidays so that <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Washington’s Birthday</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Memorial Day</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Columbus Day</span></i>, and <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Veterans Day</span></i> would be observed on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Mondays</span></i> instead of on fixed dates.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Congress</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> passed the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Act</span></i> 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, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Veterans Day</span></i> observance was returned to <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">November 11th</span></i> in <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">1978</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">So how did this affinity for <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">November 11th</span></i> come about? As with many historical facts, it evolved. As noted earlier, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Veterans Day</span></i> began as <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Armistice Day</span></i>. The significance of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Armistice Day</span></i> is that it was the day of the signing of the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Armistice</span></i> that terminated <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">World War I (WW I)</span></i>. In effect, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">WW I</span></i> ended at the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918</span></i>. That was when the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Germans</span></i> signed the document, ending hostilities that had begun in <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">1914</span></i>. <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">President Woodrow Wilson</span></i> subsequently proclaimed the first <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Armistice Day</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">November 11, 1919</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">WW I</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> was deemed <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">The Great War</span></i>, and was thought by many, at the time, to be <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“The War That Ended All Wars.”</span></i> It was, as the numeric designation suggests, the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">First</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">World War</span></i>. Of course, more wars would ensue. There was <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">World War II (WW II)</span></i>, later the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Korean Conflict</span></i>, and then <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Vietnam</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">In <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">1953</span></i>, a storeowner in <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Emporia, Kansas</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Al King, </span></i>launched an idea to <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">honor all Veterans</span></i>, not just those who served in <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">WW I</span></i>. The idea took root, sailed through Congress, and President <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Dwight D. Eisenhower</span></i> signed it into law <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">May 26, 1954</span></i>. <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Congress</span></i> amended the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Act</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">November 8, 1954</span></i>, changing <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Armistice</span></i> to <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Veterans</span></i>, and thus it has been ever since.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">So now, especially remember…<b><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #1982d1;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-eleventh-hour-of-eleventh-day-of.html">”The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month Redux ‘23!”</a></span></span></i></b> To augment a popular bumper sticker, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“If you can read this, thank a teacher”…and a veteran.</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done; <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Read my <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></i> anytime by clicking the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span></i>: <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><span style="color: #1982d1;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></a></span></i>. Find a new <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">post</span></i> each <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">To <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></i>, <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click</span></i> on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></i> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></i> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></i></a>; enter your <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></i> address in the designated space, and <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">click </span></i>on <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></i> <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></i> of <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></i> will be mailed to your <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Consult</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> the <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span></i> below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <i><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">post</span></i>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/11/14/the-eleventh-hour-of-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-redux/"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/11/14/the-eleventh-hour-of-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-redux/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/11/13/the-eleventh-hour-of-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-redux-19/"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/11/13/the-eleventh-hour-of-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-redux-19/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2020/11/11/the-eleventh-hour-of-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-redux-20/"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2020/11/11/the-eleventh-hour-of-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-redux-20/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/11/09/the-eleventh-hour-of-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-redux-22/">https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2022/11/09/the-eleventh-hour-of-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-redux-22/</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-eleventh-hour-of-eleventh-day-of.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-eleventh-hour-of-eleventh-day-of.html</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-50917693738236724042023-11-01T01:19:00.004-04:002023-11-01T01:25:30.874-04:00Living Our Lives Like They're Golden: Half a Century on da Phi<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Last spring, I wrote a post about going home…for my 50<sup>th</sup> High School Reunion. Naturally, as the subject of the piece, it was a departure from my usual, at least partially researched content. This post, in some ways, is a next level version of last year’s blog.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">It’s not the same, not an extension, and not a different version. Next level. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Last October, my six surviving Line Brothers (LB’s) and I committed to spend a year preparing for our Golden Anniversary Celebration Banquet. We had been motivated by attending the 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary Banquet of our Prophytes, the men who pledged us into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. At Fayetteville State’s 2022 Homecoming, a couple of my LB’s attended, and took in every single detail of The Tenacious 22’s Celebration.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">We absorbed every detail of the evening, from the décor to the program, to the meal, to the video PowerPoint, and event/post event photographs. Twenty-two holds a particular significance. There were twenty-two members of the Line that went over before my Line, and that subsequently pledged us. Watching the surviving Brothers from that Line engage and interact with each other; engaging and interacting with them ourselves, reminded us of the incredible power of bringing together in a small room, a circle of nearly 20 college-educated Black men who’ve know each other for more than five decades. It was a moment that happens too seldom, outside of funerals. Yet here we were at our alma mater, actively celebrating life, with gusto, instead of passively viewing a celebration of life, at our favorite House of Worship. Two completely different kinds of celebrations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">But enough about the Tenacious 22. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the Truckin’ 11. Our line name was inspired by Eddie Kendrick’s 1973 hit song, Keep On Truckin’, and the eleven men who bonded during our journey into Alphadom. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The week after Fayetteville State’s 2022 Homecoming (GO BRONCOS), I called the five (of six) Line Brothers, for whom I had numbers. I told (not asked) them that we were going to plan and execute our own 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary Banquet. The catch was, we were going to take a full year to plan and execute it. That was the beginning of our full-fledged reunion. Along the way, we picked up the 6<sup>th</sup> Brother when 3 of us visited him. Finally, in the week before the event, we made a firm connection with the 7<sup>th</sup> and final surviving member of our Line. We were set.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">We met every month. Zoom was our avenue of engagement. We saw each other more in the past 12 months, than in the last 50 years. However, of the seven of us, only five attended the meetings. It took 11 months to finally lay eyes on the sixth member, and we literally did not see the seventh member until the evening of our Golden Anniversary Celebration Banquet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The Journey. In the process of preparing for the event that took 50 years to unfold, 5 of our Line members worked together nearly as intensely as we did when we pledged. There were moments of unbridled joy, and spirited revelry, but also instances of high tension, and flat-out disagreement. As I noted in the closing notes of the Program Booklet, our experience reminded us of everything that frustrated us about each other, but also reintroduced us to all the traits and characteristics that endeared us to each other and made us Brothers for Life. Fifty years later, we are well on our way; Alpha Always. So, on October 20, 2023, in a room filled with 50 people, and I do mean filled…with family, our closest friends, and our Fraternity Brothers, the Truckin’ 11 immersed ourselves in the memories, in the camaraderie, and in the Esprit de Fraternite that is endemic to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., in general, and to the 315<sup>th</sup> House in particular. On this night of mirth, merriment, and conviviality, we also reveled in the reunification of our brotherhood. We invoked the blessings of an all-wise God, we prepared a paraphernalia and keepsake display, we took lots of photos to memorialize the occasion, we presented a PowerPoint photo loop of our Fraternal memories, we shared personal stories, we heard poetic recitation, we dined on a sumptuous meal, we conducted a Memorial for our Dearly Departed Brothers, we shared gifts with our Brothers and with our guests, we sang our beloved and most solemn Fraternal Hymn, we prayed our Fraternal Prayer, we extended God’s benediction on the assembly. But there was more.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The week following the celebration, we convened another Zoom Meeting. In that meeting, we undertook a debriefing of the preparation, and of our event. But more importantly, we talked about the future. October 20, 2023, was the first time some of us had seen each other in 50 years. We committed to act with intentionality to ensure that we take measures to ensure that we get together, virtually, and in-person, starting with a Zoom Meeting next month. It’s a start. It's a not-so-subtle reminder that we let a lot of time slip away over the past 50 years. We will do better. <b><i><a href="Living Our Lives Like They’re Golden: Half a Century on da Phi!">Living Our Lives Like They’re Golden: Half a Century on da Phi!</a></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I’m done; <em data-reader-unique-id="27" style="max-width: 100%;"><b><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">holla back!</span></b></em><em><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" data-reader-unique-id="28" style="caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; max-width: 100%;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Read my <em data-reader-unique-id="29" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em data-reader-unique-id="30" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">clicking</span></em> the <em data-reader-unique-id="31" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">link</span></em>: <a data-reader-unique-id="32" href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="max-width: 100%;"><em data-reader-unique-id="33" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em data-reader-unique-id="34" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em data-reader-unique-id="35" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" data-reader-unique-id="36" style="caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; max-width: 100%;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To <em data-reader-unique-id="37" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">subscribe</span></em>, <em data-reader-unique-id="38" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">click</span></em> on <em data-reader-unique-id="39" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em data-reader-unique-id="40" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Home Page</span></em> at <a data-reader-unique-id="41" href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="max-width: 100%;"><em data-reader-unique-id="42" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #416ed2; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em data-reader-unique-id="43" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em data-reader-unique-id="44" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">click </span></em>on <em data-reader-unique-id="45" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">“Sign me up.”</span></em> <em data-reader-unique-id="46" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">Subsequent editions</span></em> of <em data-reader-unique-id="47" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em data-reader-unique-id="48" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">in-box</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" data-reader-unique-id="49" style="caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; max-width: 100%;"><em data-reader-unique-id="50" style="max-width: 100%;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1b1b1b;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult</span></em><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> the <em data-reader-unique-id="51" style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;">link </span></em>below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" data-reader-unique-id="49" style="caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; max-width: 100%;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" data-reader-unique-id="49" style="caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; max-width: 100%;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/living-our-lives-like-theyre-golden.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/11/living-our-lives-like-theyre-golden.html</a></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" data-reader-unique-id="49" style="caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; max-width: 100%;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-7659576642015031062023-10-25T02:01:00.005-04:002023-10-25T02:04:25.190-04:00Another Day, Another Criminal Defendant Pleads...<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">It’s been 3 weeks since the United States of America had a Speaker of the House. Keep in mind, the Republican Party jettisoned its own Speaker because…well, because he actually engaged in brokering an agreement to keep the U.S. government running. Let that sink in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In the squirrely sequence of events, first Patrick McHenry, Speaker Pro Tempore adjourned the House for a week, presumably so his Party of crack legislators could get their underwhelming, inauspicious act together. Fast forward to last week, and the emergence of two highly motivated, but apparent uninspiring candidates for the job; Steve Scalise, Louisiana, and Jim Jordan. Neither moved the needle enough to gain the 217 votes necessary to ascend to the Speakership. This week, Tom Emmer, Minnesota, and Mike Johnson, Louisiana, respectively, take their turn…and it’s only Wednesday. We should learn sometime this afternoon, whether Mr. Johnson has the right stuff (In the eyes of his GOP colleagues. We shall see.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In other news, elsewhere under the Big Tent, aka the GOP Circus, yesterday, another Trump associate negotiated a plea deal. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” – Sir Walter Scott, circa 1808<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Attorney, prominent conservative, and noted Trump supporter, Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty to a felony charge over her efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 loss in Georgia. A tearful Ms. Ellis told the judge she looks back on that time with “deep remorse.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Ms. Ellis is the fourth defendant in the case to enter into <span class="linkenhancement"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-election-subversion-georgia-powell-5e98592c73a458a4d7e9b83c424fc875" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">a plea deal</a></span></span> with prosecutors. She joins an august list that includes, Scott Hall, Kenneth Chesebro, and Sidney Powell. Ellis was vocal in her advocacy of Trump’s 2020 reelection bid, She was charged under Georgia’s <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; font-family: AP, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span><span class="linkenhancement"><span style="font-family: AP, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-trump-election-investigation-indictment-rico-willis-2b18a1c1ed6a4ce22b1a2ca88ea861e3" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: calc(1em + 4px); touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: calc(1em + 4px);">anti-racketeering law</span></a></span>.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Ellis pleaded guilty to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings. After pleading guilty, she said, through tears, Ellis said she would not have represented Trump, is she knew then what she knows now. She claimed she relied on lawyers with much more experience than her, and failed to verify the things they told her. She went on to say,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white;">“What I did not do but should have done, Your Honor, was to make sure that the facts the other lawyers alleged to be true were in fact true</span>.”<span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">All-in-all, three high-profile people responsible for<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="linkenhancement"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-campaign-distances-sidney-powell-c74165d465cf28b5478a65bd267fde29" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: calc(1em + 4px); touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: calc(1em + 4px);">pushing baseless legal challenges to Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory</span></a></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white;">have agreed to accept responsibility for their roles rather than take their chances before a jury. A lower-profile defendant pleaded guilty last month. <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/another-day-another-criminal-defendant.html">“</a></i></b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/another-day-another-criminal-defendant.html">Another Day, Another Criminal Defendant Pleads…”</a></i></b><span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I’m done; <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">holla back!<o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em> <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">post</span></em>, consult the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">link below:</span></em><em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></em></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/jenna-ellis-plea-deal-georgia-election-case-c4dbacd3e4bbb5415ebd3d42d8fa3128" style="color: #954f72;">https://apnews.com/article/jenna-ellis-plea-deal-georgia-election-case-c4dbacd3e4bbb5415ebd3d42d8fa3128</a><o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><em><br /></em></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/another-day-another-criminal-defendant.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/another-day-another-criminal-defendant.html</a></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-25433875726599593562023-10-18T02:06:00.005-04:002023-10-18T02:10:15.047-04:00Jordan Chronicles: The Saga Continues<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">For those who’ve been following along at home (as well as those who haven’t), to no one’s surprise, presumed leading candidate number 2 lost vote number 1. In the worst kept of secrets, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan failed in the first vote in his attempt to become Speaker of the People’s House. By the way, the People’s House, which, admittedly, pols on both sides, often refer to institution, is such a pretentious word conglomeration. Makes it sound like an adjunct of some Chinese government, a constituent institution of The People’s Republic, perhaps. But seriously, I digress.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Going into Tuesday’s vote, as talking heads from a variety of media outlets breathlessly expounded on whether Mr. Jordan could or would cobble together the necessary coalition to enable him to do what Steve Scalise, aka leading candidate 1, couldn’t…wrap up the quest to become the nation’s 56<sup>th</sup> Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as “the House.” Conventional wisdom was it wouldn’t happen. The GOP likes to say, that’s because Republicans are independent, and as such, are free to make up their own minds, unlike those “spineless” Democrats, who kowtowed to Nancy Pelosi, whenever they were given half a chance. At least that’s what the Party who seems to worship at the feet of Trump, has to say about the matter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Hear this. When more than a minority of Republicans condemn Donald Trump for his exceedingly repetitive nihilistic behavior, I’ll pay attention to the GOP’s constant babbling about Biden’s alleged senility, and/or their views on what they assert is, his incompetence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">As for Jordan, and his stumble out of the gate, some say it’s a reflection of Republican’s inability to govern. I do not believe that’s the case. Rather, it appears to me, they don’t want to govern. In fact, it’s as though they’d prefer to tear down the whole thing. Increasingly, their view, judging by their actions is, if they cannot control every aspect of the process (of governing), they would just as soon, tear it all down. Moreover, in fact, they are trying, with increasing degrees of regularity…and success, to do just that. See January 6, 2021, the 15 votes to elect Kevin McCarthy Speaker in January 2023, the near-miss government shutdown on September 30, and the continuing on-going threat once again, to push the country over that cliff. They don’t care, and they don’t give a flying figuring, if you know it. The shameless hubris of it all!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">No one knows whether Jordan will eventually prevail. That Donald Trump supports him suggests, in the current iteration of the Republican Party, he certainly has a shot. Will it happen in less that 15 votes? Let’s hope so. Every day without a decision propels us closer toward that proverbial shutdown. But then again, electing JJ may exacerbate the trendline leading to a shutdown, The Far-Right wing, which includes Jordan’s most avid advocates, seem to be hankering for that brand of chaos. I think the operative phraseology is “damned if we do, damned if we don’t.” Oh well, welcome to <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/jordan-chronicles-saga-continues.html">“Jordan Chronicles: The Saga Continues!”</a></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I’m done; <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></em><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em> <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">post</span></em>, consult the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">link below:</span></em><em><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;"><br /></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/jordan-chronicles-saga-continues.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/jordan-chronicles-saga-continues.html</a></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><em style="outline: 0px;"><br /></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><em style="outline: 0px;"><br /></em></span></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-8114595185603089052023-10-11T00:26:00.004-04:002023-10-11T00:29:29.328-04:00I Got The Jab: 6.0<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><br /></div><div><p>I Got The Jab: 6.0</p><p>In the ever-increasing cultural divide, in which we find ourselves enmeshed, here in America, and globally, public health has devolved from a mutual imperative to the third element, along with politics and religion, no longer suitable for public discourse. In contemporary times, culture wars dictate that you are either a sheep-like liberal, mindlessly following the dicta of the ideology bosses, or a conspiratorial zealot, convinced that conventional wisdom is, well, just another attempt to control you, obviously, to no good end.</p><p>In January 2021, I received my first COVID-19 vaccination, quickly followed by the second dose in February. Since that time there have been four subsequent boosters or updates, I’ve had each and every one. I realize there is a healthy dose of vaccine skepticism, as well as a highly charged debate around the validity of covid as an actual thing. </p><p>This is where I say, with conviction, I don’t mind if someone doesn’t believe covid is real. I don’t care if someone rejects the notions that medical science has cured many people of myriad diseases, while, totally eliminating several diseases. After all, there are folks who don’t believe in the moon landing or who do believe that vaccines are the cause of all kinds of maladies, but don’t believe that OJ did it. Suit yourself.</p><p>As for me, I got the most recent covid shot a few weeks ago. Years ago, I resolved to avoid arguing about the efficacy of covid vaccines. When the next round of vaccines emerges, I plan to be in the queue to get mine. I will pass on the drama of debating folks about the topic. Do you; I’m good. <strong><em><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/i-got-jab-60.html">“I Got The Jab: 6.0!”</a></em></strong></p><p>I’m done; <em>holla back!</em><em></em></p><p>Read my <em>blog</em> anytime by <em>clicking</em> the <em>link</em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><em>http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</em></a>. <em>Find</em> a new post each <em>Wednesday</em>.</p><p>To <em>subscribe</em>, <em>click</em> on <em>Follow</em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em>Home Page</em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/"><em>http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</em></a>; enter your <em>e-mail</em> address in the designated space, and <em>click </em>on <em>“Sign me up.”</em> <em>Subsequent editions</em> of <em>“Break It Down”</em> will be mailed to your <em>in-box</em>.</p><p>For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <em>post</em>, consult the <em>link below:</em></p><p><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/i-got-jab-60.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/i-got-jab-60.html</a></p><p><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-23191870758882529532023-10-04T00:06:00.004-04:002023-10-04T00:08:01.154-04:00Unnamed Source No More: General Kelly Steps Up<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>It's time to Break It Down!</i></b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Just over three years ago, <span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg published<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers/615997/" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">a staggering report</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;"> </span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">on Donald Trump,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/why-it-s-easy-believe-trump-privately-denigrated-military-service-n1239287" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">his denigration</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;"> </span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">of those who serve in the military, and his condemnation of fallen American heroes as “suckers” and “losers.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">Trump, still President then, was quick to respond, pushing back, and insisting the whole thing was “</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1301710819349204992" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff; text-decoration: none;">made up</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">“ and a “</span><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-president-vucic-serbia-prime-minister-hoti-kosovo-trilateral-meeting/" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff; text-decoration: none;">fake story</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">.” Mr. Trump, in response to the quotes attributed to him, said, at a Labor Day press conference, “Who would say a thing like that? Only an animal would say things like that.” Classic Trumpian denial.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">So much so, even at the time, aside from Trump loyalists, the defense was hard to believe. Adding to the incredulousness of it all, much of The Atlantic’s reporting was corroborated by related reporting from The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://apnews.com/edf5d17c4d41cfb69117f0cf97ef6ac6" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">Associated Press</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">, The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-said-us-soldiers-injured-and-killed-in-war-were-losers-magazine-reports/2020/09/03/6e1725cc-ee35-11ea-99a1-71343d03bc29_story.html" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">, The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/us/politics/trump-veterans-losers.html" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">New York Times</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">, and even<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-didnt-cancel-visit-to-american-military-cemetery-in-france-over-disdain-for-slain-veterans-sources-say" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">Fox News</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">Never doubt, Trump’s most avid advocates, defenders, and supporters denied it for him. They pointed to some Fox News segment in which a conservative on-air personality refuted or was said to have refuted the allegation. And that…was good enough for them. Even recently, after the Fox conglomerate had to pay out over three quarters of a billion dollars for less than truthful reporting…they still report stories in such a way that is music to their listeners’ ears.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">However, now…we know, three hence, it’s also been confirmed by Trump’s former White House chief of staff. CNN<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/john-kelly-donald-trump-us-service-members-veterans/index.html" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; box-sizing: border-box; color: #954f72; outline: currentcolor;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">reported</span></a><span style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;">:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #2a2a2a;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">John Kelly, the longest-serving White House chief of staff for Donald Trump, offered harsh and direct on-the-record criticism of the former president in an exclusive statement to CNN. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Kelly confirmed and verified several damning stories about statements Trump made behind closed doors attacking US service members and veterans, listing a number of objectionable comments he witnessed Trump make firsthand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">CNN asked Kelly if he wanted to weigh in on Trump, on the record. Kelly</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;"> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/john-kelly-donald-trump-us-service-members-veterans/index.html" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">responded</span></a>, “What can I add that has not already been said? A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family — for all Gold Star families — on TV during the 2016 campaign, and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;">“A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women, A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason — in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;">There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;">CNN, in turn, sought comment from Trump’s political operation. Trump’s campaign responded by going after retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, “who had nothing to do with this story.” Typical deflection and obfuscation by his camp.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;">After Trump left the White House, John Kelly, the man who served as the Republican president’s chief of staff for 17 months, has struggled to contain his contempt for his former boss. Over the last couple of years, the retired Marine general, who also served as Trump’s Homeland Security secretary, has accused Trump of, among other things, “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/politics/john-kelly-trump-25th-amendment-capitol-riot-cnntv/index.html" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">poisoning</span></a>” people’s minds, having “<a href="http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/2101/07/cg.03.html" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">serious character issues</span></a>,” and not being “<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/john-kelly-if-trump-was-a-real-man-he-wouldve-gone-to-the-capitol-on-january-6-book-2021-11" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">a real man</span></a>.” One wonders why the General is so inclined to hold back.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;">It should also be noted, however, Kelly has also raised concerns <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/john-kelly-trump-wanted-irs-target-perceived-political-foes-rcna57033" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">about Trump’s abuses while in office</span></a>. Last fall, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/13/us/politics/trump-irs-investigations.html" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3061ff;">Kelly told</span></a> the Times that Trump, during his presidency, told his chief of staff to “use the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department to target his critics and perceived political foes.” Apparently, the former president is as adept at projection, as he is deflection.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;">Now, Kelly is going even further, confirming that the former president, while in office, disparaged troops, veterans, and their families.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;">Trump’s followers reflexively distrust his opponents…and anyone who isn’t foursquare for him, 24/7/365, is considered an opponent…but it is worth noting that Kelly isn’t a pundit, scholar, or elected official — he’s a guy Trump personally tapped to oversee his White House, and lauded…until he didn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2a2a;">He’s also a guy who appears desperate to warn the public about the former’s president’s character. Sadly, methinks, it may be too little, too late. <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/unnamed-source-no-more-general-kelly.html">“</a></i></b></span><b><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/unnamed-source-no-more-general-kelly.html">Unnamed Source No More: General Kelly Steps Up!”</a></span></i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">I’m done; <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></em><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="color: #954f72; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; 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font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">post</span></em>, consult the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;">link </span></em>below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #373737;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/john-kelly-confirms-trump-privately-disparaged-troops-veterans-rcna118545" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/john-kelly-confirms-trump-privately-disparaged-troops-veterans-rcna118545</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/unnamed-source-no-more-general-kelly.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/10/unnamed-source-no-more-general-kelly.html</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516202214514810687.post-26625331386872143022023-09-27T00:16:00.005-04:002023-09-27T00:20:02.963-04:00Political Jeopardy: Kamala Harris for $1,000, AlexIt's time to Break It Down!<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Political Jeopardy: Kamala Harris for $1000 Alex<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">What is the real reason so many people are concerned about Joe Biden’s age? Fear of a Second Black/First Female President; yeah, I said it! <b><i><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/09/political-jeopardy-kamala-harris-for.html">"Political Jeopardy: Kamala Harris for $1,000, Alex!"</a></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I’m done; <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">holla back!</span></em><em><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Read my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">blog</span></em> anytime by <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">clicking</span></em> the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">link</span></em>: <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>. <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Find</span></em> a new post each <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Wednesday</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">To <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">subscribe</span></em>, <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click</span></em> on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Follow</span></em> in the bottom right-hand corner of my <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Home Page</span></em> at <a href="https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #1982d1; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com</span></em></a>; enter your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">e-mail</span></em> address in the designated space, and <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">click </span></em>on <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Sign me up.”</span></em> <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">Subsequent editions</span></em> of <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">“Break It Down”</span></em> will be mailed to your <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">in-box</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">post</span></em>, consult the <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0in;">link </span></em>below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; outline: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/09/political-jeopardy-kamala-harris-for.html">http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/09/political-jeopardy-kamala-harris-for.html</a></span></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The time is always right to do what is right." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</div>Alpha Heelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01996688729549366883noreply@blogger.com0