Twelve Days of Christmas The e-Concert 2020 Edition

It’s time to Break It Down!

(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 and 12/25/19)

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.

It would be patently unfair, inappropriate, and frankly, unimaginable, for me to launch into a Christmas 2020 post without at least mentioning COVID-19, aka coronavirus. According to the CDC, in the over 9 months that have ensued since March, through 7:02 p.m. last night, 17,974,303 cases of coronavirus were reported in the United States, along with 318,569 deaths. On a number of days in the past two weeks, more Americans died of COVID-19 in one day, than the number of people who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. May each and every single life lost to this scourge, as well as the ones that will be lost, Rest In Peace, and may their memories be a blessing. Let us pray that we solve the COVID-19 riddle, so that we have just one Coronavirus Christmas.

Here, as scheduled, is the 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 President has 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.

By the time you get around to this post, 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 the election, or the economy, no wars, and absolutely no (further) references to our big-league President, who frequently focuses on tweeting and golfing (despite insisting that if elected, he wouldn’t have time for the links), and who is scheduled to take a voter-consigned vacation in 28 days. Hey, I won’t even write out the I-word.

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 eleventh e-Christmas Concert. Two or three 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 is Friday, delivery day, as it were. I’m going to roll those out again. Take you time, but give them a listen, if you like Christmas Music.

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, 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?)

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 a number of years ago. Below, you will find hot links to YouTube video interpretations and two songs for each of the 12 Days of Christmas listed and included in today’s Yuletide e-concert.

Female Artists

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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

That’s it, 24 artists and videos and/or songs. Add it all up and you get “Twelve Days Of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2020 Edition!” Enjoy it throughout the Season, and by all means, remember the Reason for the Season!

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.”  Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

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

Twelve Days of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2018 Edition

Twelve Days of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2019 Edition

Twelve Days of Christmas: The e-Concert – 2020 Edition

It’s time to Break It Down!

I’ve never been to a Trump Rally, nor have I been to a concert featuring The Rolling Stones. However, I’ve read that Mr. Trump sometimes used one of The Stones anthems, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” as a fire-up-the-crowd gimmick. There is a rather delicious irony in that sequence of events.

The 2020 Presidential Election was called for Joe Biden on November 7, by the Associated Press, and by virtually every other medium that historically tracks such things, including the usually Trump-friendly Fox News. After 38 days (yesterday), roughly 50 lawsuits, several recounts in a variety of states, the certification of the election in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and the official count of the Electoral College, Donald Trump, a host of GOP elected officials, and many Republican/so-called conservative Trump supporters had not conceded the election. 

Two significant players did concede yesterday. Vladimir Putin finally extended congratulations to President-elect Biden. He is said to have indicated he thought it was appropriate to wait until after the Electoral College to share his sentiments. If I cared, I’d check to see how long it took for him to share similar thoughts with Mr. Trump. However, I don’t care. After Putin’s acknowledgment, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell weighed in. 

While I do not suggest there was any working coordination between the two men, it is at least moderately interesting that the leaders of most major nations, friend or foe, addressed the President-elect, before the GOP’s top U.S. Senator. Just moderately though. As I wrote in the Blog, a couple of weeks ago, No Concession, No Problem: Biden Won! Nothing has changed. Nothing is going to change.

That brings me back to the Jagger and the Stones. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want!” Mr. Trump continues to insist he has just begun to fight. There are many who surmise that Mr. Trump, whom we all know, hates to lose, knows very well that he has, in fact, lost, and that he is merely leveraging the situation to raise cash, and to keep his supporters incited and engaged. He has raised more than $200M dollars in roughly a month. Obviously, he’ll raise more. Nevertheless, if perchance, you believe he believes, what he really wants is to win, I submit to you, that’s too bad. Instead (of what he wants), I offer you the sagacity of Mr. Jagger:

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was a footloose man
No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime
You’ll find
You get what you need

Sidebar: $2-300M is not a bad consolation prize. Moreover, it looks as though he has reimagined the category losers and suckers.

Inexplicably, and paradoxically, Mr. Trump is claiming victory, yet, simultaneously suggesting he may be planning a 2024 run for the presidency. Of course, this is not, and cannot be an if, then scenario. It’s either, or. In other words, If Trump won, he’d be ineligible for a 2024 run. If he’s a 2024 candidate, it’s because, and only because, he lost last month. It’s one or the other, not both. Never, no way! So, as we reflect upon the “isness” of Donald John Trump, Sr. and his supporters’ current situation, in my humble opinion, like it or not, he/they are faced with sucking it up and accepting the latter of the two clauses…”What You Want vs. What You Need!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

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

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/12/15/russias-vladimir-putin-congratulates-joe-biden-on-us-election-win-after-electoral-college-victory/3901405001/

https://news.yahoo.com/mitch-mc-connell-acknowledges-biden-as-presidentelect-154907672.html

What You Want vs. What You Need

It’s time to Break It Down!

Antifa, Black Lives Matter, Socialists, Democrats, Liberals, the mainstream media, and the deep state…the boogiemen, and promulgaters of the Seven Deadly Sins igniting the diminution of the American social fabric, according to the orthodoxy of the rightwing and its noxious rhetoric and relentless talking points. If you listen to many conservatives, they argue the cause of every negative impact on America’s quest for greatness emanates from one of those aforementioned catalysts. By and large, the right also denies the existence of systemic racism, and often insists, that if racism does exist, it’s trained on white Americans.

Ms. Cynthia A. Johnson, who happens to be Black, is a Michigan state Representative who blasted Republicans for inviting Rudy Giuliani to hold a hearing last week featuring witnesses who allegedly observed voter fraud. Sidebar: Mr. Giuliani and the Trump legal team have filed numerous lawsuits in swing states across the country, forty or more in total. To date they have won one, which allowed observers to watch from a closer vantage point than election officials had previously permitted. It should be noted, that while Messrs. Trump, Giuliani, and Company have publicly alleged voter fraud in their arguments in front of cameras, at rallies, and press conferences; in court, where the standards for such claims require actual proof, they have consistently made other lesser, and almost always, ineffective, and/or unproved claims. Hence the rejection of nearly all but one of the suits, including a failed attempt yesterday in the SCOTUS, in the Case of Kelly, Mike, ET AL. V. Pennsylvania, ET AL., in which the High Court dismissed the action with a single simple declarative sentence:

“The application for injunctive relief presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied.”

Not a paragraph, not two sentences, not even 20 words, and no dissenting votes acknowledged. Just 18 words. It was more than boy bye. But not much, and to be sure, pretty much meant the same thing.

Be all that, as it may, back to Ms. Johnson. For a couple of days, she has been inundated with calls from disgruntled denizens of TrumpWorld. According to a Facebook post with 10 screenshots, which Johnson referred to as a sampling, she was doxed, and berated with racial and threatening taunts. The sharpest barbs combined both; for example:

“You should be swinging from a f—— rope, you Democrat,” one woman said in a voice mail laced with racial slurs, according to Johnson’s Facebook post linking to a recording of the message.

At his point, it must be noted that This sort of response was not reserved for Ms. Johnson, nor was it relegated to Michigan. Similar responses have occurred in most, if not all of the swing states (AZ, GA, MI, NV, PA, & WI), and death threats were received by Democrats and Republicans, Blacks and Whites alike. Clearly, in Trump they trust, and if you are not for him, they are against you. Well, maybe. We’ll see if they actually act out in such a manner toward members of the SCOTUS.

Here’s the thing. This is not the work of…Antifa, Black Lives Matter, Socialists, Democrats, Liberals, the mainstream media, or the deep state. This is Team MAGA. Just remember, among them, “In Someone’s Mind, “This” Is Appropriate Behavior!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

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

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/08/michigan-johnson-lynching-giuliani-fraud/

In Someone’s Mind, “This” Is Appropriate Behavior

It’s time to Break It Down!

Out of respect for the Office of the President, I waited to pen a post-election themed blog. Yesterday marked 28 days (4 weeks) since the November 3^rd Election. Newsflash: Mr. Trump still hasn’t conceded. 

The Associated Press, and virtually every other news agency called the election four days later, on Saturday, November 7^th. Since then, the heads of the election apparatus in all six of the states, in which the results were contested (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin), the Secretaries of State, have certified election results, declaring Biden the winner. With that in the rearview mirror, Biden amassed 306 Electoral Votes, the same number Trump won in 2016, at which time, he and his ardent supporters declared it was a landslide victory.

To add injury to insult, the Trump legal team filed and lost, or simply had dismissed, 30 or more lawsuits contesting the election results. Interestingly, while Rudy Giuliani, Mr. Trump’s personal attorney, and the lead lawyer in the election challenges, publicly purported election fraud, but not in court, where facts, not rhetoric matter. In court, he consistently demurred and said he wasn’t alleging fraud. Hint, to the loyal Trumpsters, who bend ears, in an attempt to change minds. If your chief lawyer says, in court, it’s not voter fraud…you can pretty much rule out voter fraud.

Yesterday, the most senior lawyer in the country, Attorney General Bill Barr, speaking to the Associated Press, said:

“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”

Meanwhile in other news, Trump is reported to have discussed seeking preemptive pardons for his three eldest children, Ivanka, Don, Jr., and Eric, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani. There is even speculation that he may be tempted to pardon himself, in advance, as he is apparently being urged to do by Numero Uno Fox Friend, Sean Hannity. In fact, there is even a reputed DOJ investigation of a bribery scheme to obtain a pardon. Now before you get ahead of me and go there, I know the tendency among logical thinkers is to ask, why would anyone not guilty of anything need a pardon? The most rational answer is another question. Do you really think they are not guilty of anything? Don’t worry; that one was rhetorical.

Actually, that’s all I’ve got. President-elect Joe Biden has focused in workman like fashion on forging ahead assembling his Cabinet and leadership team, even when Trump went weeks without authorizing General Services Administrator Emily Murphy to ascertain Biden’s win, and to release the funds necessary to complete the job. He did not respond in a cantankerous Trump style. Instead, he pulled out a “There’s more than one way to skin a cat” attitude and soldiered on. Trump will continue to be Trump. Nevertheless, by all appearances, he will be gone, effective January 20^th at noon. “No Concession, No Problem: Biden Won!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

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

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/election-2020-trump-campaign-election-lawsuits-stand/story?id=74041748

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-reportedly-discussed-possibly-pardoning-his-3-eldest-children-jared-kushner-and-personal-attorney-rudy-giuliani-with-advisors/ar-BB1bxMX6

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/01/hannity-trump-self-pardon/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/doj-investigates-bribery-scheme-to-obtain-presidential-pardon/vi-BB1bxF9e

No Concession, No Problem: Biden Won

It’s time to Break It Down! 

Originally posted on November 24, 2010, and prior to today, subsequently on November 27, 2013, November 26, 2014, November 25, 2015, November 23, 2016, November 22, 2017, November 21, 2018, and November 27, 2019.

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

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

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

Over the next 54 days, many of us will enjoy succulent feasting at Thanksgiving, exchange gifts and contribute to the needy during Hanukkah. We will buy, give, exchange, and/or receive gifts at Christmas, eat, drink, and celebrate the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa, and party and toast the dawn of 2020 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 fraught with the consequences of coronavirus, this weekend, millions of Americans will pay (literally) homage to our most celebrated of shoppers’ holiday weekends, 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. Sigh!

In past years, I have sometimes recounted my reasons for being thankful. This year I find that I have more reasons than ever to sit contemplatively in humble repose, and affirm boldly, that I know, without caveat, not only the goodness, no the greatness of God, but also of his inestimable and inexhaustible beneficence. I thank Him for deliverance, and for imbuing me with the sense and sensibility to discern the distinction between kairos and chronos, Greek concepts for God’s time, and man’s time, respectively. In this the Year of our Lord and Savior, 2020, a.k.a. Year 4 A.D. (After Donald), I have again been reminded, God really does have a sense of humor. In accordance, I thank him dearly and daily for Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, and SNL. More important, I am thankful this moment also reflects Year 1 B.J. (Before Joe).  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 a number of poems. There were many, each selected to convey a specific life lesson. Some of them have stayed with me, but none more than Invictus, written by English poet, William Ernest Henley (1849-1903).

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

Invictus (Latin for Undefeated) By William Ernest Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

So, as you go about your way tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow, recognize that Thanksgiving, at its core, is not simply a day on the calendar. It is a spirit that dwells within each of us, an impulse that prompts us to thank God (for our being undefeated), and for the graciousness to share His blessings with our fellow men and women. Indeed, every day is “A Time For Giving Thanks Redux ’20!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

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

Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box. Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Time For Thanks Redux ’18

A Time For Thanks Redux ’19

A Time For Giving Thanks Redux ’20

It’s time to Break It Down!

I wrote this post a year ago. It was prescient then; editing and re-posting it today is timely.

Last November, I wrote…”For some, it has already been a long and laborious ride, while others argue, those who resist, in whatever form, protest too much. I don’t know on which side of the deep and wide chasm you may fall, but I offer an admonition. It’s an ill wind that never changes; I’m beginning to sense change may very well be in the air. I’m not suggesting it will be quick, fast, or in a hurry; just that it will come.

A month ago, yesterday, Shepard Smith, a fixture at Fox News for more than two decades, since its 1996 inception, walked away. He did not utter a public reason for leaving, and he noted the Fox brass asked him to stay. But he didn’t. From afar, it appeared quite possible that he just couldn’t. He was in the unenviable position of speaking truth to power. Everyday! There are instances in which that may be tolerable, and certainly survivable. But when the power one is speaking to is the perceived most powerful man on the planet, and as a result of exercising said power, he frequently renders scathing tweets/rants at individuals who dare disagree with him, it is conceivable that one’s desire, and even one’s capacity to simply accept it and soldier on dissipates. Just maybe Shep had enough, and said in effect, no mas.

This past weekend on Fox News Sunday, in an interview with Louisiana Congressman, and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Chris Wallace held the Representative’s feet to the fire. Congressman Scalise, a stout defender of Mr. Trump, valiantly stuck to his Party’s talking points. Wallace, however, was undaunted, and fact checked him on numerous occasions. It was precisely the kind of exchange and/or command of fact patterns that Trump, and his phalanx of conservative supporters hated when executed by Shepard Smith. And indeed, Trump fired off a tweet aimed at Wallace, that expressed his deep level of displeasure; a volley augmented by a font of anger from his Twitter peeps, and other supporters, surrogates, and sycophants. An example of Trump’s Twitter screed follows:

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
@SteveScalise blew the nasty & obnoxious Chris Wallace (will never be his father, Mike!) away on Chris’s lowest rated (unless I’m on) morning show. This kind of dumb and unfair interview would never have happened in the @FoxNews past. Great job Steve!
61.4K
2:30 PM – Nov 17, 2019

One of Mr. Wallace’s fellow Fox News colleagues, Neil Cavuto, came to his defense, taking on Mr. Trump for his thin-skinned intolerance. Cavuto parsed both Scalise’s non-factual assertions, as well as Trump’s off-based claims. Suffice it to say, many Fox News viewers don’t frequent the network to hear journalists challenge or disagree with Trump, or with those who speak on his behalf.

But that’s really my point. Even at Fox News, more and more views are emerging that reflect the undeniable aroma of truth, unsullied by orange-tinted lenses. It’s not an avalanche of new-found converts, to be sure, but it is evidence that eventually, truth crushed to the ground will rise again. And if it can rise at longstanding Trump-leaning organizations such as Fox News, indeed, there is hope that it just might penetrate the consciousness of enough independents to make a difference come Tuesday, November 3, 2020.”

Lookie, lookie; it did. Fast forward twelve months, and my faith is vindicated. Even now, as a recalcitrant Donald Trump has dug in his heels and let loose a series of hissy fits, he is being pulled, by the irresistibly unrelenting ghost of the next inauguration into a future in which he has been evicted from the Peoples’ House, located on Black Lives Matter Plaza, Northwest.

He has had his lawyers file upward of a dozen lawsuits across the country, all but one or two of which have been rejected, dismissed, or withdrawn. In fact, several lawyers have exited, due to the lack of merit of some of the cases. It appears at this point, as counting in most states wind down, Trump will lose in Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, all except Nevada, which he flipped from Trump, by between 12K and 150K votes.

Mr. Trump has also been firing staffers, replacing them with Trump-friendly yes-men, and, of course, threatening to fire others. He’s making moves that complete his personal policy wish list, but of even greater concern, he has stopped the transition (to President-elect Biden), which is designed to prepare the new administration to seamlessly assume its duties. Simultaneously, he has threatened to fire anyone caught looking for another job.

Finally, and perhaps most ominously, last night, Trump fired (by tweet, of course) Chris Krebs, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Krebs, last week, publicly said, “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.” Obviously, this incensed Trump. He, in turn, tweeted (last night), “The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud. Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.” Twitter flagged the tweet as disputed.

Is this really #MAGA? Not even a little bit. So yes, I still believe, despite all Mr. Trump’s protestations, “Slowly, Surely, Inexorably: It Will Happen Redux ’20!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on the bottom right hand corner of my homepage at: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your email address in the designated space, and click on “Sign Me Up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

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

Slowly, Surely, Inexorably: It Will Happen

Slowly, Surely, Inexorably: It Will Happen

Slowly, Surely, Inexorably: It Will Happen Redux ’20

It’s time to Break It Down!

Eleven 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, Monday. This year, the day again falls on Wednesday.  Today is Veterans Day. I’ve decided once more, to edit/re-post the Veteran’s Day Edition of “Break It Down!”

That call, in and of itself flies in the face of the current news cycle. We’ve just gone through a consequential quadrennial (Presidential) election that resulted in the two candidates each amassing more votes than any other candidates in U.S. History. For just the 11^th time in 58 elections, a challenger defeated an incumbent President. The Democratic challenger won the popular vote by more than 4M votes, and, though it took four days, independent news outlets, including Fox News and the Associated Press called the race Saturday afternoon. The margin is the largest since Roosevelt defeated Hoover by 7M votes in 1932. Nevertheless, the incumbent refused to concede, and on a number of occasions, expressed certainty that he will still win.

He has also declined to permit members of his administration to assist in any way with the transition. Moreover, he threatened to fire anyone known to be seeking other employment. Given those dynamics, while the election and the incumbent’s legal gymnastics may be the current pre-eminent story, followed closely by a still surging coronavirus (100,000 cases per day in the U.S. for the past week, over 60K hospitalizations yesterday, and more 239K Americans dead from it); neither will be decided today. Hence, I will take a moment to honor Veterans Day and the men and women whose dedication, valor and personal treasure make the day one of merit for distinction.

I hope you enjoy your day, and that you take an opportunity to reach out and thank a Veteran. Moreover, for my part, to all of you who are Veterans, “Thank you for your service.”

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, very little reading will be taking place.

As most Americans know, last year marked the 102-year Anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I, AKA “The Great War,” and/or, “The War That Ended All Wars.” At first, it was known as Armistice Day. It later became known as Veterans Day. But what do we really know about this day that has been set aside to honor real American heroes and sheroes?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

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

The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month…Redux!

The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month Redux ’19

The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month Redux ’20

It’s time to Break It Down!

Yesterday, I shared a passing thought on my Facebook feed. “Voter suppression and intimidation are not new tactics. They were simply dusted off, refreshed and applied to our Election 2020 narrative.” As I write this, The Polls have closed, and state-by-state results are being revealed. In the backdrop of yesterday’s election, CNN’s Brandon Tensley wrote a piece in yesterday’s online edition exploring “The anxieties looming over Black Americans on Election Day (2020).”

In an America in which the President refuses to say Black Lives Matters, or to concede that systemic racism is a thing, viewed in concert with a steady parade of Black men and women being killed by law enforcement officers, and seldom charged, and even less frequently convicted, Tensley’s article is in a word, timely.

Moreover, it overlaps with the election, irrespective of the outcome, because Blacks are far and away the most reliable voting bloc of one of the two major parties…the Democrats. Tensley wrote:

“Overwhelmingly, Black voters, the backbone of the Democratic Party, are on the receiving end of Republican chicanery: voter ID laws, shuttered polling stations, purged voter rolls, the disenfranchisement of incarcerated people, voter intimidation.”

America’s first federal (Presidential) election occurred in 1788, when citizen voters elected George Washington. African Americans were not able to freely participate in the electoral process until 1968, the first Presidential election after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Their reward was the election of Richard Nixon. That translates into making this just the 13^th time Blacks have voted in an American Presidential Election in 232 years, or in 58 elections. In other words, for the first 45 elections, Blacks were off the participation board.

So, transport us back to the present, and we have one major political party and presidential candidate reducing the number of available voting sites, initiating lawsuits to disenfranchise voters, purging voter rolls, and disavowing systemic racism. This is juxtaposed with a party and a candidate for president who embraces BLM, chose a woman of color as his running mate, and who has committed to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. There’s much more to a Presidential Election than the candidates’ positions on race matters. But this is a time in history when our country is in the midst of a reckoning on race, police brutality, social justice, a crippling pandemic, and a month’s long economic convulsion.

The election will end. If not today, soon. Unfortunately, the economic, political, and yes, racial dysfunction that roils us, will not pass so easily. Regardless of the ultimate winner, the chasm that is the racial divide will not be bridged simply as a result of either of the two candidates prevailing. That will require, at a minimum, coming to grips with the fact that we have a problem. It may be tempting to pretend that all’s well. That can only last, best case scenario, until the next George Floyd or Breonna Taylor. In short, America…and Americans must face the unshrinking reality that systemic racism is a thing, and without a unified commitment to confront it head on, the problem cannot be resolved. “Altogether Now; Black is the New Black.”

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

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

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/03/politics/black-voters-election-day-anxieties/index.html

Altogether Now; Black Is The New Black

I could provide a deep and thoughtful rationale, complete with myriad reasons for this commendation. I won’t. If you are a sentient being, I believe you already know why. That doesn’t mean you will act accordingly, of course. The choice is yours. It’s time for We The People to decide.

By the time I post again, all polling places will have closed, except, perhaps those in Hawaii. This is, for all practical purposes, my final word on the subject in this space, before remaining votes are cast. Do you. “This One Is Short And To The Point: Vote Biden-Harris!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

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

This One Is Short And To The Point: Vote Biden-Harris

It’s time to Break It Down!

On Monday, Donald Trump called CNN “dumb bastards” for focusing news coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump made the remarks during a campaign rally in Prescott, Arizona. His supporters cheered when he said that the public was tiring of the pandemic, while insulting the news network and claiming it is attempting to dissuade voters from participating in the election.

Let that sink in. With 15 days left in the campaign, that’s what the guy who has disparaged mail in voting, ridiculed his opponent, belittled the debate commission, said the election rigged unless he won, and refused to commit to a peaceful transition, were he to lose, had to say about a national news outlet, while claiming it was discouraging voters. And his supporters cheered. I’m not sure which is more alarming; the full frontal deception of the candidate, or the raucous response of his loyalists.

That’s all I got. “Dumb B@$+@&%$: So, It Has Come to This!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

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

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-says-cnn-only-covers-covid-calls-them-dumb-bastards-1540421

Dumb B@$+@&%$: So, It Has Come To This!