Monthly Archives: May 2026

Memorial Day: What Your Teacher Never Taught You (Edition IX)!

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BREAK IT DOWN!

Please enjoy a reprised edition of “Break It Down!” This post was originally published May 30, 2012 at: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com, reposted on May 27, 2015 at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com as “Memorial Day: What Your Teacher Never Told You!,“ again on May 31, 2017, on May 29, 2019, on May 27, 2020 as Memorial Day: What Your Teacher Never Taught You, again on May 31, 2023, on May 29, 2024, and last on May 28, 2025.

OK, so Memorial Day was earlier this week. You may be familiar with my holiday week philosophy, which is: make it easy on the readers, who are always otherwise engaged, no matter the holiday. Of course, in the process, I am also giving myself a break. That makes for a natural win-win scenario.

With that overarching thought in mind, I will endeavor to apply three elementary rules of communication:

  • Utilize the KISS Principle, AKA, Keep It Short & Simple (also Keep It Simple Stupid).
  • Convey new or “not widely circulated” information.
  • Always remember to emphasize points 1 and 2 above.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday to honor America’s fallen soldiers. It originated after the Civil War. Falling between Easter and Independence Day, it is often equated with a late spring break, or a pre-summer respite.

The weekend typically includes a cornucopia of sports.  For example this week included the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600, the NBA Playoffs, College Men’s Baseball playoffs, and College Women’s Softball competition, as well as others, such as the ACC Men’s Baseball Tournament Championship, and NCAA Women’s Lacrosse. 

Historically, there have been a plethora of other activities thrown into the mix. Uppermost for college hoops fans is the Transfer Portal and European League recruitment, with a dose of NBA Combine. As a result, the holiday is sometimes almost lost in the shuffle. 

But wait; not here. Memorial Day has a special cultural significance. In fact, it is because of that nexus we should pay special homage to this late spring holiday. 

In the annals of Trump 2.0, in which Don and his consiglieres are running it back, in new and improved (in his opinion) fashion. One of the more pronounced features of this new high octane Round 2 is a full-frontal assault on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and the recent attack on minority voting districts. To date, the most visible aspect of this slash and burn effort is to target and un-exist positions, programs, and services, and now voting districts designed to assist, employ, or augment Black voter choice.

The irony here is, the first well-known observance of a Memorial Day type was held May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina. Over 250 Union soldiers that had been prisoners of war, died in Charleston, and were quickly buried in makeshift graves. A group of blacks, mostly freedmen, organized the observance and led cleanup and landscaping of the burial site.

Most of the nearly 10,000 people who attended were freedmen and their families. Of that number, 3.000 were children, newly enrolled in freedman’s schools. Mutual aid societies, black ministers, and white Northern missionaries were also in attendance.

David W. Blight, Professor of American History at Yale University, and Director of the school’s Gilder-Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, & Abolition, described the day this way:

“This was the first Memorial Day. African Americans invented Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina. What you have there is black Americans recently freed from slavery announcing to the world with their flowers, their feet, and their songs what the War had been about. What they basically were creating was the Independence Day of a Second American Revolution.”

Professor Blight conceded there is no evidence that the Charleston event led directly to the establishment of Memorial Day across the country.  But the record is clear they formed the earliest truly large-scale event, complete with media coverage.  Their effort was the prototype, if not the catalyst.

Having said that, I believe I honored the rules established above for this post:

  • Told this story in a direct and uncomplicated fashion
  • Presented information I am confident most readers did not know
  • Recognized points 1 and 2, were accomplished and closed the post

Enjoy your bonus time and be sure to reflect on “Memorial Day: What Your Teacher Never Taught You (Edition IX)!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime.

A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/

wiki/Memorial_Day

http://www.davidwblight.com/

http://www.snopes.com/military/memorialday.asp

http://www.dailykos.com/story2014/05/25/1301862/-Memorial-Day-Has-African-American-Roots-First-One-Was-Conducted-By-Former-Slaves#

http://en.wiktionary.org/

wiki/KISS_principle

wiki/American_Civil_War

http://www.yale.edu/glc/index.htm

http://www.civilwarhome.com/freedmen.htm

Memorial Day: What Your Teacher Never Taught You (Edition IX)!

It’s A Great Deal…If You Can Get It

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BREAK IT DOWN!

This has been another eventful week for government in the United States…and it’s only Wednesday. Another GOP Congressman targeted by DJ Trump lost his re-election bid. Down goes Thomas Massie. The Kentucky solon, who lost last night, joined the five Indiana Senators who lost a couple of weeks ago, after also having been targeted by Trump. 

As an aside, Senator John Cornyn of Texas saw Trump throw his endorsement to his opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Most observers now cede next week’s runoff to Paxton, aided by Trump’s backing. While Paxton may win, his candidacy is not without concerns. He has previously overcome several controversies, including, impeachment, felony securities fraud allegations, which he ultimately settled, election integrity (attempt to overturn the 2020 Election) issues, and a marital/divorce scandal. These issues are not expected to derail his GOP runoff chances.  

Believe it or not, actual election matters are not the top line. Earlier this week, it was reported that Trump was dropping his $10 billion, that’s billion with a b, suit against his own Department of Justice. Instead of $10B, a $1.776 billion dollar settlement was reached, which will provide payouts to Trump allies, and others who have been impacted by “so-called” Biden law fare. 

Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal criminal attorney, and current Acting Attorney General negotiated the settlement, and will select a 5-person panel to oversee the “1776 Fund.” While it remains unclear who will get money from what some are referring to as a self-dealing slush fund, Neither Trump, JD Vance, nor Blanche have ruled out the prospect that individuals who committed violent acts against law enforcement at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and who on January 20, 2025 were granted a blanket pardon for their actions by Trump on the first day of his second term, will receive money from the settlement. 

That sounded like the top line. But then this happened. The Justice Department added an  addendum to its settlement with President Donald Trump. It immediately ignited controversy because it reportedly says the government is “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing certain tax examinations or claims against Donald Trump, his family, and his companies, involving returns filed before the settlement’s effective date. 

According to recent reporting by ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News, the addendum expands a broader agreement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his confidential tax information. That reporting suggests the deal reaches far beyond an ordinary settlement term because it appears to shut down not just currently pending matters, but also any claims that could have been raised concerning older Trump tax returns. Even with the Justice Department later saying the addendum applies only to existing audits and not future ones, the language has landed like a political and legal earthquake, especially because it concerns the sitting president and a tax agency meant to apply the law uniformly.

The backstory matters. Trump sued after an IRS contractor, Charles Littlejohn, admitted leaking tax return information belonging to Trump and other wealthy Americans to the press. It should be noted that Littlejohn is current serving a jail sentence related to the matter.

That breach created a serious privacy and accountability issue for the government. But critics argue that redressing an unlawful leak is not the same thing as granting a president sweeping protection from tax scrutiny. The question is not whether Trump had grounds to complain about the disclosure of his returns; plainly he did. The question is whether a settlement negotiated by a Justice Department led by his own administration can lawfully or appropriately insulate him, his family, and associated businesses from tax enforcement on prior filings. That is where the matter becomes far more significant than a simple damages dispute.

This is the nexus where both the broader settlement, and especially the addendum appears to earn the label self-dealing. The benefits do not inure just to Trump, but also to his family members and businesses. As one analyst noted, he sued himself, settled with himself, and is now paying himself. Trump supporters are quick to counter; Trump is not getting any of the money. 

Seriously? Stop playing! The addendum itself is undoubtedly worth millions. Think of all the past returns that will now not be reviewed. Don’t be ridiculous. Trump’s taxes have long drawn attention and at least one long-running audit could have carried a very substantial financial consequence. In that light, the addendum is not a symbolic gesture. It could amount to a durable shield against significant liability, which is why opponents see it as a direct challenge to principles of equal treatment under the law. “It’s A Great Deal…If You Can Get It!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult search engines for more information on the subject.

It’s A Great Deal…If You Can Get It

This post was augmented by the use of AI.

Don’t Call It Incompetence: More Like A Diabolical Plot

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It is tempting, in moments of chaos, to dismiss an administration as merely incompetent. That interpretation can feel comforting because incompetence suggests limits: mistakes can be corrected, confusion can be clarified, and disorder can eventually give way to normalcy. 

But there is a more unsettling possibility. What looks like ineptitude may in fact be strategy. When leaders consistently undermine institutions, inflame division, exhaust the public, and weaken long-standing norms, it becomes harder to call the outcome accidental. At some point, the pattern is too coherent to ignore. 

The better description is not failure but success on its own terms. To say an administration is incompetent assumes it is trying and failing to preserve stability, fairness, and democratic order. Yet if its real objective is to break those things—if it aims to disorient the public, discredit expertise, erode trust, and replace shared rules with raw power—then the apparent disorder is evidence not of weakness but of achievement. 

The disruption is the point. Every norm shattered, every agency hollowed out, every conflict manufactured becomes proof that the project is proceeding as intended. This is why the language of incompetence can be so misleading. It frames the damage as unintended side effects rather than as central goals. A common to describe this state of affairs is, “It’s a feature, not a bug.”

The incompetence theory encourages observers to keep waiting for a correction, for adults in the room, for a return to ordinary governance. Meanwhile, the administration continues reshaping public life through attrition. People grow numb. Outrage becomes routine. Standards fall seemingly sequentially at first, then suddenly, all at once. 

We have devolved into an environment in which success is measured not by effective administration in the traditional sense but by the ability to make the unacceptable seem inevitable. None of this means every action is coordinated with perfect discipline. Political movements are often messy, contradictory, and driven by ego as much as ideology. That’s how the metaphor of government as sausage-making came into common parlance. 

Messiness does not cancel intent. In fact, confusion itself can be politically useful. Prior to the 2024 Election, the detractors frequently and forcefully warned of the impending Project 2025. The GOP nominee for President repeated denied having even read it, and further claimed to have no knowledge of it, whatsoever. That he had not read it…sounds plausible. Reading may be fundamental, but if one doesn’t read daily briefs…Conversely, it seems likely he was aware of the document and its intent.

It is fair to say it is incomprehensible that a regime could be both incompetent, and simultaneously capable of so swiftly and with such precision, undoing affirmative action, DEI, and the Voting Rights Act. All that has happened, literally, in a matter of months; less than 16. 

When reality feels unstable, accountability becomes harder to enforce. When citizens are constantly reacting to the latest outrage, they have less energy to defend the deeper principles being dismantled underneath. Calling this dynamic incompetence therefore understates both the intelligence and the danger we face.

It mistakes destruction for clumsiness. If we want to understand what is happening, we need to judge it by outcomes, not excuses. And if the outcome is a weaker civic culture, a more cynical public, and a more fragile democratic system, then we should stop assuming the architects have failed. Rather, they are succeeding exactly as planned.

You can call them a lot of things, but by all means, scratch incompetent from the list. I shudder to contemplate our collective circumstance, by the end of this hellscape of an administration term has ended. “Don’t Call It Incompetence: More Like A Diabolical Plot!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult search engines for more information on the subject.

This post was augmented by the use of AI.

Don’t Call It Incompetence: More Like A Diabolical Plot

Mother’s Day: A Celebration of Everyday Love

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Mother’s Day is more than merely a date on the calendar—it is a reminder to pause and recognize the steady, often quiet work that mothers and mother figures do every day. While gifts, flowers, and cards are common traditions, the heart of the holiday is gratitude.

As I reflected on the coming weekend, it occurred to me that though I’ve shared the story of losing my mother to the abdominal disease called cancer when I was 8 years old, in 19 years, I’ve never written a Mother’s Day post. A close examination of my psyche would probably reveal there are some deep-seated reasons for that omission. Not to worry, this post is not that assessment.

No, today’s conversation is an invitation to reflect, however briefly, on the people who have cared for us, guided us, and helped shape who we are, even when their efforts were unnoticed or taken for granted. Despite the overarching theme that mothers are underappreciated in general, trust and believe, Sunday, May 10, 2026, will be the busiest day of the year for telephone calls. Verizon, just one network, Verizon, indicated that over 394 million calls were made on their network on Mother’s Day, 2024, totaling 28.3 million hours on the phone. And as noted, that’s just Verizon. Can you hear me now? 

A mother’s love is frequently shown through ordinary moments: waking up early to prepare breakfast, staying up late to help with homework, offering encouragement after a hard day, or listening patiently when someone needs to talk. They nurture us, teach us, protect and defend us, promote us, boast about our accomplishments, and boost our confidence when we falter.  

These actions may seem small individually, but together they form a powerful foundation of support. Mothers often carry many responsibilities at once—balancing work, family, and personal challenges—yet still find ways to make others feel safe and valued. Their strength is not always loud or dramatic; it is steady, present, and dependable.

Mother’s Day also gives us the chance to recognize that motherhood takes many forms. Not everyone is raised by a biological mother, and not every family looks the same. Some people are supported by grandmothers, aunts, older sisters, foster parents, stepmothers, guardians, or mentors who step into nurturing roles. These mother figures deserve appreciation too, because they provide the same essential gifts: care, guidance, and love. Celebrating Mother’s Day can be inclusive, honoring anyone who has offered patient encouragement and protective kindness.

The holiday is meaningful not only because it celebrates mothers, but because it encourages us to express appreciation out loud. Many people assume their mothers already know how loved they are, but words matter. A sincere “thank you” can be more valuable than an expensive present. Writing a note, making time for a conversation, helping with chores, or simply being attentive can communicate respect and gratitude. Most importantly, Mother’s Day reminds us that appreciation should not be saved for once a year. The best way to honor a mother is to show kindness and recognition consistently.

In summary, Mother’s Day is about connection. It is a celebration of sacrifice, patience, and unconditional support, but it is also a call to reflect on how love is expressed through everyday actions. By taking time to acknowledge the mothers and mother figures in our lives, we honor the people who help us grow. Whether through a heartfelt message, time spent together, or a simple act of service, Mother’s Day is a moment to recognize a love that deserves to be celebrated—today and every day. You may be one of the nearly 400 million people who call her, you may share a meal…that she doesn’t have to prepare, or you may bring gifts and glad tidings. In the event your mother has shuffled off this mortal coil, reach out to a mother figure and share a heartfelt greeting. It might make their day…and yours too. ”Mother’s Day: A Celebration of Everyday Love!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right-hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult search engines for more information on the subject.

This post was augmented by the use of AI.

Mother’s Day: A Celebration of Everyday Love