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. Viewer comments are welcome. Peace! Alpha Heel
A year ago in this space, I wrote, albeit briefly, about Donald Trymp and his path to the Oval Office, a second time. A year later, there are still more than a thousand days left in his current term: 1,086, to be precise. Today, I am mindful, that Trump’s Phoenix-like rise was predicated upon the narrative that he spun effectively, arguing that America, was not only no longer great, but that for all practical purposes, we had sunk to the absolute nadir.
In the aftermath of November 2024, most observers conceded that Trump prevailed, to a large extent, on the strength of his painting the Border as Biden’s Achilles. If we stipulate that it was, we can also assess that over the course of a year, he fundamentally and positively changed the dynamics of Border crossings. Arguably, he could have declared victory…and walked away.
But, if we know anything about Mr. Trump, we know, that is not his way. That would be too neat, too simple, and too understated.
So, fast forward to Minneapolis, which is about 300 miles from the closest foreign country border, which happens to be Canada, by the way. And, let’s face it, ICE and Birder Patrol are not profiling Canadians. It’s almost 1500 miles (1,463) to Mexico; the so-called Southern Border. Moreover, with regard to the country that’s home to the most notable block of immigrants in Minneapolis, Somalia, it’s over 8,300 miles away.
That Trump has chosen to make an example out of a place so far away from pertinent foreign borders is, well, bizarre. That is, if targeting and removing the worst of the worst immigrants, or, illegal aliens, as MAGA likes to call them, is the point. A segment of conservative world contends, it’s the rampant fraud, conducted by a cabal of Somalians, that ICE and Border Patrol at in the Twin Cities to curtail. The problem was purportedly so big, Trump has sent 3.000 plus Immigration agents to the city.
Then there is this. In the 17 days from January 7 to January 24, Immigration agents shot and killed two people. It’s worth noting, those people were not Mexicans, or from anywhere else, south of the Border, they were not from Somalia, they were not even from Canada; they were American. Born and raised in the USA. To add insult to injury, thanks to an abundance of available video, there is broad consensus that both cases, multiple shots in each instance, were bad shoots. In the latest case, the victim, who possessed a Concealed Carry Parmit, was condemned by the President and his chief actors on the ground for having been armed with a weapon, and ammunition. Some even alleged he was brandishing his weapon, and attacked the agents.
Interestingly, the position taken by members of the administration put Trump at odds with the NRA. In a vast departure from his regular shtick, Trump has actually pivoted and removed Immigration Chief Greg Bovino and Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem, who had been leading the effort, known as Operation Metro Surge, and replaced them with Border Czar Tom Homan.
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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.
Solomon Peña, who, in 2022, lost his bid for New Mexico state House District 14, was subsequently arrested 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, authorities said. No one was injured but investigators said Peña intended to cause serious injury or death. Peña, who attributed his defeat to a “rigged” election, is accused of masterminding a series of shootings targeting the homes of elected Democrats. But I digress.
Consider this “batschitt” craziness an FYI! It’s not the topic of today’s post. It just reminds us that what might have been considered bizarre in another era, is not just tame, but de rigueur. Make Canada the 51st state, annex Greenland, using military force, if necessary, Install oneself as Acting President of Venezuela, threaten to abolish NATO, eliminate federal agencies, and on, and on, and on. And honestly, at this point, none of it is surprising. Disappointing, sure. Frustratig, absolutely. But surprising, aitch to the no.
Back to the present. 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, January 23, 2019, January 22, 2025, and today, examining the advent of the King Holiday. It’s been 40 years since the initial observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (MLK DAY), and just over 42 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.
After over three decades of inculcation 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 emblematic 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.
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.
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 Lower Chamber.
High profile opponents to the measure included Senator Jesse Helms, NC, Senator John McCain, AZ, and President Ronald Reagan. Both Senators voted against the bill, and Senator McCain publicly supported Arizona Governor Evan Mecham for his rescission of MLK Day as a State Holiday in Arizona. The campaign however, reached a critical mass in the early 1980’s. Spurred on by Stevie Wonder penning a song in King’s honor called, “Happy Birthday,” 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.
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 Upper Chamber by a vote of 78-22. Given the dimensions of this overwhelming support, in the form of bicameralveto-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).
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. Illinois 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.
It was not until 2000 that South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges 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 Robert E. Lee and Dr. King…two fine southern gentlemen.
Four summers ago, after entertaining a whirlwind, on again off again, job offer from the University of North Carolina, journalist, McArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize winner, and UNC alum Nikole Hannah-Jones opted to choose Howard University as her next employer, over her alma mater, 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.
Three years ago, NH-J was invited to give an MLK speech on the Monday Holiday. 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.”
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.
Here is some of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ 2022 MLK, Jr. Day speech:
“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…”
“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…”
“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.”
“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…”
“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…”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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…”
“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.”
“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.”
“…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.”
“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.”
“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?”
“I never cease to wonder at the amazing presumption of much of white society, assuming that they have the right to bargain with BLACKS for their freedom…”
Oh, the uncomfortable silence as I read Dr. King’s words at a commemoration of his 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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. But let’s be clear, Ronny wasn’t alone. Kin’s views, and bold articulation of those views made him an unpopular figure. At the time of his assassination in 1968, a Harris Poll revealed that only 25% of White Americans approved of him. Even among Black Americans, his approval rating was only 52% at that time. Contrast that with contemporary polling that shows 81-90% of Americans view his impact positively today. The absence of a comprehensive elementary and secondary education package on African American History in general, and the civil rights movement in particular is a corrosive disservice to the American education system.
Hannah-Jones noted, “If you haven’t read, in entirety, King’s speeches, you’ve been miseducated & I hope that you will.” I would be remiss not to also add, that Donald Trump has, over the past year, taken measures antithetical to Dr. King’s message and mission. Last year, he ordered exhibits removed from several National Museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Trump argued the particular exhibits were not complimentary enough of America. He also ended free entry into National Parks on the King Holiday and substituted it with free admission on his own birthday. No comment.
In May of 2025, the Trump Administration agreed to $4.975M settlement of a Wrongful Death lawsuit by Babbitt’s family. Trump had consistently characterized Ms. Babbitt as a patriot, and a victim, while calling the officer who shot her, a murderer. This was in line with Mr. Trump’s overall view of the protesters, whom he said, were there for him. That was then.
Fast forward to now. A week ago, on January 7, 2026, Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen, was fatally shot by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Good was in her SUV, stopped sideways in the street. Ross drove around her, circled her on foot, and approached the front of her car. After more agents approached her and pulled her door handle, Good began driving into the direction of traffic, turning away from Ross, as he fired three shots, killing her.
Trump, now in his second term, and his administration, quickly established that they view Ms. Good’s death in a starkly different light than that in which Trump saw Ms. Babbitt’s demise. In the hours immediately following Good’s death, President Trump claimed Good “willfully and viciously” ran over the agent.
Vice President J.D. Vance said Good was part of some kind of “left-wing” network.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Good was shot as a result of an “act of domestic terrorism.”
There was a hint of irony in the timing of Ms. Good’s shooting. Babbitt was killed on January 6, 2021. Good was killed on January 7, 2026, exactly five years and one day later. The death of both women is tied to Mr. Trump and his rhetoric or policies. He had urged a large group of his supporters who had gather to hear him speak at the White House Ellipse, to march to the Capitol. He told them, “We will stop the steal,” arguing that he, not Joe Biden had won the election.
It appears the mantra for Mr. Trump, and the conservatives who support him is:
Lay a finger on a federal officer/agent and you will face the full extent of the law…Unless you do it while you attack the U.S. Capitol in support of Trump; then you’ll get a full presidential pardon. Yesterday, the DOJ announced there is no basis for investigating Agent Ross. However, simultaneously, there does appear to be interest in fostering a probe into Becca Good, Ms. Good’s spouse.
Last week saw the emergence of a brand-new year. We were unable to get through the first weekend without, arguably, another Epstein diversion. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, 3:46 GMT, Caracas-Time; 10:46 PM in Washington (or Mar-A-Lago for that matter), Trump gave the order to initiate “Operation Absolute Resolve.” You’ve certainly heard by now, that was a plan to capture and remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his country, bringing him to New York to stand trial for four separate charges, including:
Narco-terrorism conspiracy
Cocaine importation conspiracy
Possession of machine guns and destructive devices
Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices
The charges carry potential maximum sentences of life imprisonment.
In addition to the Maduro imbroglio, details were released earlier in the week, December 31, regarding the Jack Smith’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, where he defended his investigations, stated evidence showed Trump’s guilt, and discussed using Republican witnesses against him. The Smith release may actually have been timed, not to offset the Epstein matter, but on New Year’s Eve, with the hope of flying under the radar, so to speak. In other words, to bury the matter. With Trump, there are always multiple subplots to decipher.
Nevertheless, neither of those topics is my target/subject for today. Instead, I am pulling out my trusty time capsule and taking a short 5-year trek back in time.
On January 6, 2021, a large group of supporters of then-President Donald Trump gathered in Washington, D.C., as Congress convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, won by Joe Biden. After a rally at which President Trump addressed the crowd, thousands of protestors, at his direction, marched to the U.S. Capitol building.
The situation escalated when a mob breached security barriers and forcibly entered the Capitol, disrupting the joint session of Congress. Lawmakers were evacuated or sheltered in place as rioters vandalized offices, damaged property, and clashed with law enforcement officers. The mob, in addition to the Capitol attack, erected gallows, and brandished or otherwise displayed Hang Mike Pence signs.
Inside the Capitol, the assault resulted in injuries to both police and rioters, several deaths, and widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally.
The National Guard and other law enforcement agencies were eventually deployed to restore order, and the Capitol was cleared hours later.
Congress reconvened later that evening and certified the election results. The event led to numerous arrests, investigations, and ongoing legal proceedings, as well as a second impeachment of President Trump by the House of Representatives, accusing him of incitement of insurrection.
During the two-month interval between the Election and January 6, Trump pumped up his supporters with claims the Election was stolen. The matter was adjudicated, and over 60 times, courts found no grounds for his claims. He won one case.
On J6, Trump, instead of accompanying the crowd to the Capitol, as he said during his speech at the White House Ellipse, retreated to the White House. There, he watched the mob on TV for over two and a half hours from the White House dining room, as he ignored repeated pleas from his aides, family members, and GOP lawmakers to intervene and call for an end to the violence. Reports from interview said during the intervening hours, Trump would rewind the DVR and re-watch the most violent acts. He said the rioters were angry on his behalf.
He did eventually get around to “tweeting” to them to leave peacefully. Research would later show that an aide, Dan Scavino sent that tweet. He was the only person, other than Trump, authorized to send tweets from Trump’s account.
Even in retrospect, the next day, in unaired video outtakes, Trump was shown resisting saying the election was over and being reluctant to condemn the attackers for their violence. As for the rioters chanting “Hang Mike Pence, and Pence subsequently being evacuated, when Trump was told Pence was in trouble, his reply was said to have been, so what!
When left alone, watching the rioters at work, Trump tweeted Mike Pence didn’t have the courage. Scavino has said, Trump tweeted that himself. This tweet likely further fueled the mob. Various media captured a vast array of images from J6. A couple that stood out to me were photos of the gallows, and of police with guns drawn defending space in the Capitol.
Donald Trump did win the 2024 Election. One of his first official acts, on January 20, 2025, was to issue full pardons to over 1,500 of those who were part of the mob on J6.
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Another holiday week, another reprised edition of “Break It Down!”
This Issue has been revised from the Break It Down post I originally conceived, created, and published December 29, 2010, and subsequently re-posted in amended formats December 28, 2011, December 31, 2014, December 30, 2015, December 28, 2016, January 3, 2018, January 2, 2019, December 30, 2020, December 29, 2021, December 28, 2022, January 3, 2024, January 1, 2025, and today December 31, 2025. This is my final post of the month, and of the year 2025. This is the 965thEdition of Break It Down, which debuted August 20, 2007, on the BlogSpot platform. I migrated the principal site to WordPressAugust 3, 2012, approximately three weeks before the FifthAnniversary of the blog. You may find this and most other posts at either site.
With this post, I hope you had a wonderful 2025, and that you will have a blessed and bountifully Happy New Year. Now, enjoy today’s post.
The one-half fortnight between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a unique occurrence in the unfolding of the American version of the GregorianCalendar. It is the only instance in which the space of a mere seven days separates two major holidays. Unquestionably, the timing is propitious. Millions of holiday travelers returned home from their Christmas commemoration and revelry, just in time to get a day off to “celebrate” the arrival of the New Year this evening…and then recuperate from their extracurricularactivities. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I hope to the extent feasible, most people whose traditions include Christmas, will celebrate, and observe the arrival of the New Year, responsibly.
In last week’s post, I presented a re-formatted airing of my personally crafted Christmas post,(https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2025/12/24/twelve-days-of-christmas-the-e-concert-2025-edition/) from past Noels. This week, I doubled down and revisited my trusty time capsule. Once again, this tack permits new readers to catch-up by seeing the piece, it allows long-time readers to reflect upon both the passing year as well as the theme lifted in the post, and finally, it ensures that those busy readers, 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!
With that loosely framed preamble behind us, here’s this week’s déjà vu all over again post.
Since we are still in the Sweet Spot of the holidays, I shall practice minimalism. For your purposes, that means the blog should be available, but not intrusive. 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 song…of reflection.
Robert Burns, a Scot, wrote a poem (Auld Lang Syne) in 1788 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 Auld Lang Syne, which loosely translated means, Times gone by.
Once again, that time is upon us, as when the clock strikes midnight, it will signal the first day of the 27th year of the 21st century. 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, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscientGod; a mighty fortress is He.
No need to thank me for my inherent thoughtfulness. But, by all means, “Drink a cup of kindness,” or eggnog, or Champagne, or “name your favorite adult beverage,” for me. And, if you are a teetotaler, water will do nicely, thank-you!
As I complete my first post of 2025, and prayerfully and faithfully reflect upon the year gone by, I leave with you this familiar Irish Toast:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
It was my unique honor and privilege to visit with you briefly for each of the 52 weeks of this 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 2026 bring you the fulfillment of all your fondest desires. “Happy New Year: Here’s to Auld Lang Syne Redux – 2026 Edition!”
I invite you to click on the links directly below, which lead to an A cappella and a Jazz interpretation of Auld Lang Syne, arranged and performed by the late Lou Rawls (and listen to the remainder of this week’s edition of Break It Down):
To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”
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(Revised from Break It Down – 12/24/08, 12/22/10, 12/21/11, 12/26/12, 12/25/13, 12/23/15, 12/21/16, 12/26/17, 12/26/18, 12/25/19, 12/23/20, 12/25/21, 12/21/22, 12/27/23, and 12/25/24).
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. With the exception of 2009, and 2014, I’ve done a version of this post every year since 2008. In 2009, Obamacare, or its official government name, The Affordable Care Act (ACA), was headline news, so that’s what I wrote about. In 2014, Two New York City police Officers were executed, shortly before Christmas, and several prominent Republicans tried to blame President Obama for their murder. That was the focus of my Christmas week post.
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 post is coming! As incorporated in the title above, many purists celebrate Twelve Days of Christmas, and for the 16th time in 18 years, so will I. This has been documented in song, book form, at least one movie, and in countless tales and renditions. Let’s blog about it…again.
By quirk of the calendar, it’s Christmas Eve, so, right on time, here’s the Christmas Blog. I hope you enjoy the blog/e-concert.
Merry Christmas to you! I know some of you are caught up in the whole “We Are The (Secular) World” trip; thus, you substitute Holiday for Christmas 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. (http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/-merry-christmas-never-left-the-white-house-824078915806).
Of course, those innately curious enough to conduct the requisite etymological research know that the root derivation of holiday is “Holy Day;” but I digress; that is fodder for another day.
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.
As is my custom, I will not use this Christmas Season Post, if you will allow me to call it that, to challenge you to sort through the facts, be they esoteric or mundane. Not this past November’s election, not the seemingly never-ending saga of the infamous Epstein Files, or the economy (recession or no recession), no wars, no sports, and absolutely no (further) references to Presidents, past, present, or future.
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.
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 Christmas’ past. This is my sixteenth e-Christmas Concert. Several years ago, I pressed the reset button on the Concert. 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 will be tomorrow. Take your time, but give them a listen, especially if you like Christmas Music. And I know some of you do. I heard a couple of people going on at length about Christmas songs a day or two ago. Well, this blog’s for you.
The English playwright and poet, William Congreve, in the opening line of his 1697 Play entitled “The Mourning Bride,” asserted, “Music has Charms to soothe a savage Breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.” I think Congreve was on to something. If indeed music is capable of enabling us to overcome our basest instincts, and in so doing, ennoble us to pursue our finer impulses, 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?)
So, I identified and pulled together an assortment of my favorite Christmas Standards 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 (one male, one female), for each of the 12 Days of Christmas listed and included in today’s Yuletide e-concert.
Female Artists
Eartha Kitt 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. https://youtu.be/Mk_GmhD053E
Dianne Reeves 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hInJstw1cGE
Vanessa Williams 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKmvk0NJnzE
Lena Horne 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! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh8JZp_gnU4
Cassandra Wilson 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.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmAQzS5Zk7o
Toni Braxton 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nFWiF_E_VQ
The Emotions 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?” https://youtu.be/coO2E2v5RwE
Anita Baker 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.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHze40h13mc
Diana Ross and the Supremes 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.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIJROwP4BnM
Ella Fitzgerald 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. ”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnEbRaFaqfg
Whitney Houston 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYPpyTyPf6I
Ledisi (Anibade Young) 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.” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xMz5oGc8s1Q
Male Artists
James Brown was renowned for his energetic performances, which earned him another of his many titles, “Hardest working man in show business.” 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. https://youtu.be/4VFZGRoZwB0
Donny Hathaway 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. https://youtu.be/pj1mVUEHeUE
The O’Jays 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.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc4g1wsIA9g
The Temptations 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFc7STuQF0U
Al Green, 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.” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFyRwlR5YXk
El DeBarge 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.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_xB6VD7fS8
Will Downing 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOQWKBIuk-I
Joe (Lewis Thomas) 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vbpsVILCvU
Jerry Butler, 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0dR1Dk7Bu0
Luther Vandross 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6TRlV6MOOU
The Whispers 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.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbJ95aWUc_A
Kem (Owens) 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.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_8rVJ_ENaY
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If I were to hazard a guess, I doubt there are very many non-MAGA folks who are familiar with the name Susan Summerall Wiles. In fact, more people are likely to be familiar with her father, Pat Summerall, who played in the NFL, but gained legendary status as an announcer for the League with CBS, Fox, and ESPN. But enough about Pat. The post is about his daughter who has carved out a niche for herself in her chosen profession.
Susie, as she’s known, has had several important roles in politics, none more noteworthy than the last two; Co-Chair of Donald Trump’s 2024 Presidential Campaign, and current White House Chief of Staff. She is universally respected Republican circles, and she brought the kind of electricity and magic to Trump’s second campaign that Kellyanne Conway brought to the first one. Moreover, she seemed to have handled the multi-varied demands of Chief of Staff with a level of dexterity that none of the several men who held the role in Trump’s first term mastered.
And for the most part, she did it all quietly. Until yesterday. Then, from out of the blue, Susie changed the game. I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Wiles was interviewed by Chris Whipple for Vanity Fair. According to Whipple, Wiles revealed a number of factoids that differ, substantially in some cases, from the Trump Administration’s talking points. The story hit yesterday, and the White House has been doing proverbial clean-up on Aisle 3 ever since.
Before I list a few of the assertions Whipple says Wiles made, I will first disclose her objection…which was many things, but not a denial. Wiles said yesterday, after the article hit:
“The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.” She went on to say:
“Significant context was disregarded, and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story.” She further added:
“None of this will stop our relentless pursuit of Making America Great Again!”
Now, before I go on, allow me to elucidate what separates what Whipple reported from what Wiles retorted.
When Wiles, and White House insiders suggested her comments had been taken out of context, or misconstrued, Whipple produced receipts. When the New York Times called and said Wiles said she’d been misquoted or misinterpreted…Whipple played the tapes. Oops!
By the way, it’s worth noting that the interview was in fact, more like 11 interviews. Whipple met with, or talked to Wiles 11 times, over 11 months, for a total of about 11 hours, or roughly an hour each time. It basically a Year in Review summation of Trump’s first year, term two. Sort of an homage…in reverse.
On Donald Trump:
She said of the President, “He has an alcoholic’s personality.” She of course, was not suggesting the President (Who doesn’t drink) is an alcoholic. Rather that he has the kind of mood swings and obsessive nature about (actually many) things that an alcoholic might.
On J,D. Vance:
(Basically, in comparison to Marco Rubio) “His conversion was a little bit more , sort of political.” This was in recognition of the fact that prior to the Vice President’s Senate run (for which he needed Trump’s support), Vance was virtually a Never-Trumper. He actually compared Trump to Hitler. By contrast, she suggested Rubio, who also did an ideological shape-shift from Little Marco to Trump’s Do-it-all Secretary of State.
She also said of Vance, “He’s been a conspiracy theorist for years.” As proof, I offer, do you remember the “Haitians are eating the dogs” ruse? A conspiracy theory Vance doubled down on, and that to my knowledge, he never disavowed. Then he claimed Fentanyl was being brought into the country as a plot to kill conservatives, and then…the stolen election (2020). Enough said.
On Elon Musk:
He’s an avowed ketamine(user). And he sleeps in a sleeping bag in the EOB (Executive Office Building) in the daytime.”
On Pam Bondi:
“I think (AG Bondi) completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this…First they gave them bonders full of nothingness. And then, she said that the witness list, or client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk.”
On Ghislaine Maxwell’s move to a better prison: It was (Blanche’s) suggestion…”The president was ticked…The president was mighty unhappy. I don’t know why they moved her. Neither does the president.”
On Bill Clinton (my personal favorite):
“There is no evidence Bill Clinton visited Epstein’s island, according to Wiles; as for whether there was anything incriminating about Clinton in the files, ‘The president was wrong about that.’”
On Trump and Maduro:
“He wants to keep on blowing up boats until Maduro cries uncle. And people way smarter than me on that say that he will.” In other words, unlike the whole drug charade the White House and Republicans tout, Trump’s intent appears to be regime change, and he’s made that clear, at least to Susie.
On the question of retribution:
Back in March, I asked Wiles: “Do you ever go in to Trump and say, “Look, this is not supposed to be a retribution tour?” “Yes, I do.’ She replied. ‘We have s loose agreement that score settling will end before the first 90 days are over.’” Suffice it to say, that did not happen!
She added, “I don’t think he’s on a retribution tour. A governing principle for him is, ‘I don’t want what happened to me to happen to somebody else.’”
And so people that have done bad things need to get out of government. In some cases, it may look like retribution. And there may be an element of that from time to time. Who would blame him? Not me.”
On the case of Letitia James:
“Well, that might be the one retribution.”
On the economy:
“Wiles told me she thought Trump should pivot more often from world affairs to kitchen-table issues. ’More talk about the domestic economy and less about global matters.”
That’s ten items, in no particular rank order. You have to know, that 11 hours of interview material covered so much more than these ten items. One of those things was that Trump was included in the files. But you already know that. This post was designed to elevate several things you either didn’t know or wouldn’t expect Trump’s Chief of Staff to go on, and on, and on about. But she did. The most interesting thing about this breaking story is the way the Trump White House and its surrogates have responded. There has been universal support for Wiles. So far. Most seasoned Trump watchers are saying, just give it time. At the very least, there are sure to be bruised feelings, and lacerated egos. Over time…there are bound to be consequences and repercussions. “Tales From the Inner Sanctum!”
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Long, long ago, in a land far, far away, the Trump administration cut and/or laid off hundreds National Weather Service (NWS) employees. This happened as hurricane season was pending, and ahead of the normal array of winter storm events that assail large swaths of America, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. It was one of many moves that Elon Musk, and DOGE undertook with more than a modicum of élan. In one particular occasion, Musk actually brandished a chain saw to underscore the wildly exuberant nature of the cuts he and DOGE were making, including those at the NWS.
Less than two weeks before the official first day of winter, as the exigencies of the season begin making themselves felt, the natives, er a, I mean, the citizens are getting restless. They realize the agency’s severe understaffing will put millions of Americans in peril, unnecessarily. Alas, it appears, as sometimes doesn’t happen, the Trump administration is also coming to this realization.
The NWS is now in the process of working to hire back hundreds of positions earlier displaced by the administration. Admittedly, it’s happening slowly. So far about 80 final job offers have been accepted for meteorologists, hydrologists, and other specialized staff.
As a result of the slow hiring, the NWS will enter yet another critical storm season with over a dozen forecast offices forced to operate with severe staffing shortages, undermining forecast accuracy and warnings during powerful and dangerous winter storms.
This scenario is akin to the challenges and concerns raised ahead of hurricane season. Hurricanes, including three Category 5 storms, fortunately did not make landfall in the U.S.
Rick Spinrad, who led NOAA during the Biden administration, said “The administration is trying to put out a fire that they started. The 450 hires for the NWS won’t even cover the full shortfall.”
He further noted, “Also, let’s not lose sight of the fact that even if NWS could hire 450 people tomorrow, there is little chance that they would have the centuries of experience held by their predecessors.”
Staffing a weather forecast office requires 13 meteorologists. This enables fully staffing an office on a 24/7 basis. However, many NWS facilities are doing so with just 10 or 11 at the present time. Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the NWS Employees Organization, the union that represents agency staff, observed that the weather forecast office in Goodland, Kansas is short eight meteorologists.
He said that the NWS offices in Rapid City, N.D. and Cheyenne, WY are also short 7 or 8 meteorologists, and that, where new people have been hired, those individuals are not all in place. It takes time to move personnel and match peoples’ skillsets with specific gaps in expertise around the country.
Winter storms can be deadly, and short staffing at the NWS has the potential to erode forecast accuracy and delay warnings, experts said.
There is still one forecast office, located in Hanford, Calif., that is too short on staffing to operate 24/7, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) official who requested anonymity for fear of retribution. The NWS is part of NOAA within the Commerce Department.
On the flipside of the debate on the current efficacy of weather agencies, NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster told CNN that the NWS is “Properly staffed to meet our mission of predicting weather hazards and providing essential services at all levels to keep communities informed, and we remain fully ready for the winter season ahead.”
She said the agency is on track to hire the remaining staff by the end of the 2026 fiscal year (September 30, 2026). Playing along, I will concede, that could happen. But, if we are not as lucky with winter storms as we were with hurricanes that did not reach landfall, we could find out first-hand, just how devastating winter storms can be. It has been said there is an axiomatic expression for every situation. Clearly, the apt bromide for this case is, it’s better to be lucky than good. Here’s hoping we avoid “The Winter of Our Discontent!”
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If you live in current-day America, you probably know there is an “imagine that” moment, or two, or ten, daily…that’s every single day. Today, I’ve picked one; the saga of the Department of War’s alleged “double-tap” of a boat of said to be narco-terrorists in the Caribbean on September 2. The controversy, if you believe there is one, revolves around a Washington Post story that attributed the call for a second attack on the boat, after it was disabled, to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. According to the story, Hegseth is alleged to have said, “Kill the all.”
Initially, Hegseth denied it, and in doing so, characterized the claim as fake news, manufactured by partisan Democrats. Interestingly enough, as time unfolded, that assertion melted into, it happened, but Hegseth, and shockingly, his boss, Donald Trump, knew nothing about it. They both, after the initial story disintegrated, blamed…I mean, attributed the decision for the second attack to Navy Vice-Admiral Frank Bradley.
Though it’s not surprising Trump and Hegseth conveniently found someone to throw under the bus, they did not do so until their cover story failed to hold up to scrutiny. Once even Republicans in Congress started questioning whether Hegseth’s version was counterfactual, and if so, was it also either illegal or unconstitutional, a new narrative was required. On Tuesday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a Republican, excoriated Hegseth for defending a second military strike on survivors of an initial attack on an alleged drug boat, after he had previously dismissed the report as fake news.
At one point yesterday, Paul, speaking to reporters at the Capitol said, “Secretary Hegseth said he had no knowledge of this, and it did not happen. It was fake news. It didn’t happen. And then the next day, from the podium of the White House, they’re saying it did happen. The Senator went on to say, Hegseth was either “lying to us” about his knowledge of the strike or “he’s incompetent and didn’t know it happened.”
Without a doubt, Paul suggested he thinks Hegseth is lying to the American public. He added, “So as a country, are we just going to let people lie to us, to our face? Are we going to let them kill people who they call enemies anytime in the world? Are we going to let them like when someone is stranded and holding on to the scraps of a boat put a second bomb on them? I think it’s outrageous and should be universally condemned.”
Let’s not lose the irony of this moment. A few months ago in early fall, Hegseth called virtually the entirety of military brass to meet at Marine Base Quantico, in Virginia. In that meeting he lectured them, he lambasted them, he lit into them in the most demeaning of ways. Near the end of his diatribe, aimed at impressing an audience of one, Donald J. Trump, he invited anyone not on board with his instructions, to retire from the military. But that was just one of the outrageous takeaways. He declared:
“We also don’t fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement, just common sense, maximum lethality and authority for warfighters.”
Be mindful, this meeting, and those comments came after the attack on the boat. Taking into account hindsight, it is almost as though, he was low key bragging about the dastardly deed and camouflaging it in an olio of “warrior ethos” and “fog of war.”
Many people think they want the glory and success of being a “beast” but are unwilling to put in the hard work, practice, and mental toughness required to achieve it. It highlights the difference between wanting a result and being willing to endure the difficult process of the “hunt,” the “grind,” or the “practice” needed to get there. It was all good until it wasn’t. When the home team, aka, a number of Republicans, joined Democrats in questioning the legitimacy of his actions, the Secretary of War, or of Defense, or of whatever, appeared to have a case of second thoughts.
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This is a vintage post, originally penned November 24, 2010, and subsequently edited and re-posted every year since 2013, including November 27, 2013, November 26, 2014, November 25, 2015, November 23, 2016, November 22, 2017, November 21, 2018, November 27, 2019, November 25, 2020, November 24, 2021, November 23, 2022, November 22, 2023, November 27, 2024, and today, November 26, 2025.
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 political divorce of Donald John Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene, the still red hot topic of six members of Congress making a video exhorting members of the military no to follow illegal orders, and the subsequent retort of DJT calling their actions traitorous, seditious behavior, punishable by death, the fact that gas prices, which Trump and Republicans have constantly touted as being greatly lowered from what they were under Joe Biden, are now virtually the same as they were on Joe Biden’s last day in office, or my personal favorite, the Party that claimed the rhetoric of the left led to the murder of Charlie Kirk (asserting that only the left used such rhetoric, and/or were incited by that kind of rhetoric), now responding to Donald Trump’s rhetoric with withering death threats aimed at the six Democratic Congress members whom Trump labeled traitorous and seditious. There are others, but, after earnestly deliberating the question of what to choose for today’s topic, I put the matter to a vote. It was unanimous; me, myself, and I decided to go with Thanksgiving. If you’ve read it before, congratulations; take the day off. If you haven’t read it, give it a scan…you might like it. Lastly, if you haven’t read it, and you don’t want to, that’s cool too. This is America, and you still have that right. At least, for now.
As in the past, since it isThanksgiving Week, this post will deviate from the standard fare. I know that travel schedules (in some cases impacted by weather events, and/or airport congestion), meal planning, family time, shopping, football, basketball, parades, and if there is any time remaining, relaxation, will be the dominant themes this week.
However, it is Wednesday, so there shall be a blog.
Those among us who have perfected humility, and ascended to a genuine Nirvana state, have no doubt also elevated giving thanks to an art form. The rest of us must fully invest in our appreciation of the notion, “That’s why we have Thanksgiving!”
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, which kicks off what we commonly refer to as the Holiday Season. Almost instinctively, Thanksgiving and Christmas come to mind. Yet, there is so much more than that to the Season.
Over the next 54 days, many of us will enjoy succulent feasting at Thanksgiving, exchange gifts and contribute to the needy during Hanukkah. We will buy, give, exchange, and/or receive, and (in far too many instances) return gifts at Christmas, eat, drink, and celebrate the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa, and party and toast the dawn of 2022 on New Year’s Day. We will honor the life and works of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on MLK Day. In addition, even in these tough (though improving) economic times, further complicated by stubborn inflation, this weekend, millions of Americans will pay (literally) homage to our most celebrated of shoppers’ holiday weekend, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, by rising early, and proceeding to scour the aisles for those perfect gifts…and if not perfect, at least cheap, relatively speaking. There are even some precociously enterprising businesses that will start the shopping clock Thursday (though, fewer than in the recent past). Sigh!
In some previous years, I have recounted my reasons for being thankful. This year, like most, I find that I have more reasons than ever to sit contemplatively in humble repose, and affirm boldly, that I know, without caveat, not only the goodness, no the greatness of God, but also of his inestimable and inexhaustiblebeneficence. I thank Him for deliverance, and for imbuing me with the sense and sensibility to discern the distinction between Kairos and Chronos, Greek concepts for God’s time, and man’s time, respectively.
In this the Year of our Lord and Savior, 2025, I have again been reminded, God really does have a sense of humor. We have survived 10 months of Donald Trump 2.0. I Thank you God, dearly and daily for your gloriously ineffable wit. Hallelujah, Amen!
Eons ago, when I was a college student, I pledged a fraternity. It is familiarly known as the Oldest, Boldest, and Coldest, but I digress. The point of this reference is that during the erstwhile pledge process, as prospective initiates, we were required to learn and recite several classic poems. There were many, each selected to convey a specific life lesson. In all honesty, being a man of a certain age, I learned a number of the poems in my high school literature class…a different time, to be sure. Some of the poems have stayed with me, but none more than Invictus, written by English poet, William Ernest Henley (1849-1903).
The Latin translation for Invictus is Undefeated. You may recall it, but just in case, see it below:
Invictus (Latin for Undefeated) By William Ernest Henley:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
So, as you go about your way tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow, recognize that Thanksgiving, at its core, is not simply a day on the calendar, or of the epic epicurean experience. It is a spirit that dwells within each of us, an impulse that prompts us to thank God (for enabling us to be undefeated), and a level of insight that compels us to graciously share His blessings with our fellow men and women. Indeed, every day is “A Time for Giving Thanks, Redux ’25!“
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BREAK IT DOWN! 