Break It Down!

In his novel, “Requiem for a Nun,” William Faulkner wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past. All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born, webs of heredity and environment, of desire and consequence, of history and eternity.” The story has been described as a haunting exploration of the past on the present. Born near the end of the 19^th century Faulkner grew up in Oxford…Mississippi, listening to and being influenced by stories told by his elders — stories that incorporated the Civil War, slavery, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Faulkner family. Stipulating those facts, it’s easy enough to see how Faulkner’s world view could be predicated on powerful elements that unfolded a generation or two before he was born.

Having said all that, let me be clear, this post is in no way related to Faulkner. Rather, it’s about contemporary culture warriors, unable, or unwilling, or both, to divest themselves from the past. A past they never wanted to relinquish, and one they brought back, at the first available opportunity.

So, in case you haven’t heard, Donald Trump, while visiting Fort Bragg yesterday, announced, “We are going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee. We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It’s no time to change.”  In March, Pete Hegseth changed back the name Fort Liberty, the nation’s largest Army base, to Fort Bragg. In April, he changed Fort Moore back to Fort Benning.

Looked at on its face, this grand renaming scheme boils down to a game of juvenile legerdemain. In 2023, the Biden administration changed the name of several military installations that had be named in honor of Confederate icons. When one considers the Confederacy was composed of states that not only seceded from America, but fought America in a war, to do so, opting not to honor heroes of your vanquished enemy seems like a reasonable and logical thing to do.

Of course, adhering to policy prescriptions based on reasonableness and logic could never prevail in this regime. One might even consider it a telling matter that this administration would expend so much time, energy, and money to reclaim base appellations with the surnames of Confederates. Alas, there was one little sticking point. Congress, in its infinite wisdom, had approved ditching the Confederate connection. In order to give the installations their old name, they had to scrub the services to find other individuals with those last names. For example, instead of Confederate General Braxton Bragg, Fort Bragg is now, so we are told, named for Roland L. Bragg, a World War II paratrooper and Silver Star recipient from Maine.

And so it goes. There’s a similar story supporting each of the renamed-to-their-old-name military installations. This is yet another example of the lengths this regime and its supporters will go to retain its connection to a racist and bigoted past. William Faulkner would certainly understand, if not appreciate, this compulsion to go “Back To The Future!”

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 related to this post, consult the links below.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/10/politics/army-restore-confederate-names-military-bases

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner

Break It Down!

Last week I posted while at sea. That was a piece of cake, compared to today, when I’m posting after a day that for me, has already lasted way past 24 hours. I know what you’re thinking. There are only 24 hours in a day. You’re right, of course. But I began my Tuesday in a city six time zones east of here, at 5:00 a.m., which translates to 11:00 p.m. Monday here in Charlotte. After 2 flights covering 10 hours in the air, and nearly 4,500 miles, and another 10 hours in 3 airports, I returned home to reclaim my life: retrieving mail from a neighbor, getting in 90-minutes on a recumbent bike, taking a shower, unpacking. You know, normal non-vacation life things. Now for the blog. 

It was tempting to reprise an old post. But after nearly two weeks abroad, there was just too much happening not to explore a contemporary topic. I chose one to speak on, ever so briefly. 

The peculiar, and often tricky thing about bosom buddies is, while the individual parties may grow apart, and their interests diverge…life goes on. Often this re-centering of personal priorities goes unnoticed. However, when the two principals are the current President of the United States, who, at least according to The Atlantic, has said, “I run the country and the world,” and the world’s richest man, who until recently, served as a special government employee, there are going to be ripples, and the world, the portion of it occupied by the United States anyway, is going to notice.

During last year’s Presidential Campaign, Elon Musk aligned himself with Donald Trump and the Right. Some would argue, more with Trump than the Right. Over the course of the campaign, multiple media sources reported that Musk infused Republican campaigns with more than $270 million. If you’re checking to see if the math is mathing, that equates to a $million or more for each Electoral College vote. 

As a result of Musk’s windfall investment, he instantly became a favorite of conservatives, after having been considered just another wealthy, but kooky liberal, Simultaneously, he was widely castigated by liberals. Some even attacked Tesla showrooms and service centers, as well as individual owners and their vehicles.

After his warm generosity, and key assistance in helping Trump regain the White House, Mr. Trump rewarded him by making him the Co-Leader of the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), along with Vivek Ramaswamy. According to numerous news reports, Ramaswamy clashed with Musk, and soon quit. He is said to be considering a run for Ohio Governor.

Musk spent a controversial stint as a special government employee. He gutted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and substantially hampered Health and Human Services, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Education, and the General Services Administration…news reports say. He promised to cut $2 trillion dollars from the budget. More recent estimates from DOGE put the number around $150 billion, which some experts say is still improbable. If you’re still tracking the math, that’s a fraction of what was promised.

After a chaotic experience in government, plus an unsustainable pushback at Tesla, both internal and external, Musk announced he would be exiting his role as a special employee; a position that current rules limit to 130 days within any 365-day period. Of course, there is a perception of a “rules are made to be broken” governing philosophy in the Trump administration, based on Trump and Company frequently challenging the rules, almost no matter what.

Yesterday, in the face of his departure, and Trump’s lobbying Congress to pass his Big, Beautiful Bill, which the House has done, with the slimmest of margins, Musk pointedly pushed back, challenging the efficacy of the bill. He had previously expressed disappointment about the bill but escalated considerably the tone and tenor of his disagreement, when he wrote on X, “I’m sorry, but I just can’t take it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

He added in a subsequent post: “Congress is making America bankrupt.”

In yet another post, he said: “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.”

There’s more that could be said, but after having only “airplane sleep” in the last 27 hours, I’m calling it a wrap. ““A Disgusting Abomination,” Oh My!”

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 related to this post, consult the link below.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/politics/elon-musk-trump-republican-bill

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

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, both won, coincidentally, by the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. GO HEELS! 

Historically, there have been a plethora of other activities thrown into the mix. As a result, the holiday is sometimes almost lost in the shuffle. 

But wait; 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. To date, the most visible aspect of this slash and burn effort is to target and un-exist positions, programs, and services designed to assist or employ Black people.

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 VIII)!

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

If You Know, You Know, But, If You Don’t…You Might Be A Trump Appointee

Habeas corpus is a bedrock legal principle requiring that government be able to produce a reason to detain someone. I lay this out at the start of this conversation for three reasons. First, because the average American may not know what it means, second, because the Trump administration is allegedly considering suspending Habeas Corpus, and third, one of Trump’s top lieutenants attempting to bluff her way through testifying before a Senate Committee doesn’t, or at least didn’t know what it means.

Yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the Department of Homeland Security fiscal year ’26 budget. In the process, she was asked to define the aforementioned legal principle. Noem, in responding to Senator Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., responded: “Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.”

Of course, habeas corpus is a legal principle that safeguards individuals from unlawful imprisonment by enabling them to petition the court to review the legality of the detention. President Trump likes to boast about hiring the best people. Simultaneously, he has engaged in a full-frontal assault on DEI and other remedies to historical disparities, especially in employment. That someone he placed in this key position was unable to correctly answer such a basic question about a fundamental tenet of a core responsibility of the job, is at best, tragicomic. But it was also the latest example of one of Trump’s so-called best people lacking the foundational heft to understand key elements of her job assignment. “If You Know, You Know; If You Don’t…You Might Be A Trump Appointee!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

It’s time to Break It Down!

President Donald Trump has announced what liberally might be called his plan to accept a jet from Qatar for use as Air Force One. As word spread about the pending largess from a foreign government, particularly one with dubious ties to some of our most notorious adversaries, Trump has gone on the defensive, arguing it would be stupid not to accept the gift of the Qatari plane.

Surprisingly, at least a few of MAGA’s most dedicated and celebrated supporters beg to differ.

In an unusual departure from their typically predictable sycophancy, some MAGA media outlets and the voices behind them are activating their platforms to urge Trump to change his mind about this extraordinary and extravagant gift. Still others are asking Trump voters to reflect upon how they would react if a Democratic president endeavored to enact this very same plan. 

Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro said Monday on his podcast, “I think if we switched the names to Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, we’d all be freaking out on the right.” 

Shapiro also linked the potential Qatari deal with other reports of “influence peddling,” like Trump’s cryptocurrency sweepstakes.

Shapiro added, “The administration’s policy is too important for this sort of activity.” He emphasized that he wants Trump to succeed. “President Trump promised to drain the swamp. This is not, in fact, draining the swamp.”

Naturally, some Trump-aligned commentators and social media stars are echoing the president’s talking points about the luxury jet, including his insistence that only “stupid people” would turn down such a gift. Other MAGA media outlets are deflecting the criticism by sowing doubt about the media coverage of the controversy. After all, the non-MAGA media is considered the enemy of the people, by Trump and MAGA.

However, a surprising number of Trumpniks sound almost as outraged as the Democratic lawmakers who say accepting the plane would be profoundly unethical and possibly illegal.

Many of these right-wing critics, like Laura Loomer, predicated their objections on Qatar’s relationship with the militant group Hamas.

Key members of Hamas leadership have long been based in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Notably, Qatar reportedly agreed to expel Hamas officials last November.

Laura Loomer criticized Trump’s potential jet deal on Sunday and Monday by writing a series of anti-Qatar posts on X, including:

“This is really going to be such a stain on the admin if this is true.” 

“And I say that as someone who would take a bullet for Trump. I’m so disappointed.”

Fox News host Mark Levin shared her post and wrote, “Ditto.”

For now, most of the conservative criticism has been leveled in social media spaces, not on the TV shows Trump is known to enjoy. The jet controversy has been only lightly covered on Fox News, the country’s dominant right-wing TV channel. The main story on Fox’s website about the matter on Monday was titled, “Trump rips ABC reporter for asking about accepting luxury jet from Qatar,” making it sound as though ABC was the problem.

In one outlier instance, “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about the matter on Monday morning.

In responding, Leavitt framed it as a government-to-government transaction that would be done “in full compliance with the law.” In doing so, she sidestepped reports that Trump’s presidential library will take possession of the plane shortly before he leaves office, which of course, would ensure he can still use it.

The “Fox & Friends” host followed up by asking Leavitt, “Do you worry that if they give us something like this, they want something in return?” The press secretary said no because Trump “only works with the interest of the American public in mind.”

Kilmeade then dropped the subject, moving on to Mother’s Day.

Some other conservative media figures seem less inclined to move on.

Batya Ungar-Sargon, who has championed the MAGA movement on CNN and other channels, told Newsmax on Monday afternoon, “This is not a gift” from Qatar, it’s “a bribe.”

National Review contributing editor Andrew McCarthy wrote Monday that accepting the plane is “indefensible. The president and his flacks again demonstrate that they don’t grasp the concepts of constitutional duty and conflicts of interest.” He cited the “Trump family crypto venture” as another example.

Talk radio host Erick Erickson, who, like the National Review, has often criticized Trump from a conservative perspective, didn’t mince his condemnation of the potential jet gift.

On his Monday show, Erickson argued that Qatar is not a US ally (though the US government disagrees) and pointed out that Attorney General Pam Bondi, who reportedly signed off on the legality of the gift, was previously a paid lobbyist for Qatar.

“I think she’s opening Donald Trump up to legal trouble later,” Erickson said.

Later in the day, on X, Erickson observed that “even a lot of Trump supporters were not thrilled about the Qatar plane gift” when the initial reports surfaced on Sunday.

Erickson suggested bots are flooding X with pro-Trump propaganda, “a lot of small accounts I’ve never interacted with before are flooding my timeline insisting it is a great idea.”

“When MAGA Says: “Indefensible.” “It’s a bribe.” “Such a stain” on the administration!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/12/media/maga-media-shapiro-loomer-levin-trump-qatar-plane-gift

It’s time to Break It Down!

In the annals of U.S.-Canadian relations, yesterday will go down as odd, but not at all surprising. At least not if you’ve been following the interactions between the two neighboring countries and their leaders. Historically, the two countries have been, not just geographically adjacent, but longtime allies, robust trading partners, and frequent cross-border visitors. Transnational tourism has been a flourishing industry.

All those traditional connections began to be challenged, strained, even frayed, as Donald Trump emerged as America’s 47th President. He derided then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Governor Trudeau and referred to Canada as the 51^st state. At least that’s what he did on days when he placed them ahead of Greenland for extending/accepting that distinguished honor. He also accused Canada of treating the United States poorly because of horrible (for the U.S.) trade deals, negotiated by incompetent Presidents (a story for another day).

Due to dynamic social and political changes in Canada, Trudeau stepped aside early. Meanwhile, in the United States, President Trump continued to spout disparaging rhetoric about subsuming Canda, Greenland, the Panama Canal, and denigrating a variety of political leaders at home and abroad, in places such as our neighbors to the north and the south, respectively, Canada, and Mexico, as well as one of our key allies, Ukraine. Over the course of time, an interesting development occurred. The Canadian Left, which had been flailing under Trudeau, experienced a total about-face, and sent Mark Carney, a member of the Liberal Party, to a landslide victory.

Over the past couple of months, Carney, speaking for most Canadians, apparently, has continued to insist, Canada is not for sale. While bringing an affable personality, and unlike Volodymyr Zelensky, wearing a tailored suit to the White House, he also brought the simple, but firm message, Canada, and its 5,525-mile border, longest in the world, is not for sale, or annexation…or open to American statehood. Full stop.

Trump made a Real Estate analogy and suggested the design of the two countries, when viewed together was how it was meant to be. Carney responded, “As you know from Real Estate, there are some places that are never for sale. We’re sitting in one now. You know, Buckingham Palace that you visited as well, is another one. Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign the last several months, it’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale ever.”

With that statement, Carney for all practical purposes, accomplished what he had come to Washington to do; state in the clearest terms possible that his beloved O Canada is not amenable to becoming Canada, USA.

Trump being Trump, persisted, of course.

“Never say never,” Trump shrugged…as Carney mouthed the word “never” over and over, while sitting next to him, pointedly disregarding the impertinence of his neighbor from the south.

All things considered; it could have been worse. Trump didn’t call him Governor Carney, Vance didn’t accuse him of being disrespectful, and no one insulted his sartorial selection. “Never Say Never: Not Exactly Southern Hospitality!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/politics/trump-carney-canada-not-for-sale

It’s time to Break It Down!

Yesterday marked the 100^th day of Donald Trump’s second term in office. It was a day, like any other day since the onset of his first term. One which was highlighted by the stark contrast in the two sides of the political divide. Trump surrogates and supporters were flung across the span of the airways heaping abundant praise on Donald The Trump. Conversely, those who view Trump’s policy prescriptions as onerous were pointing out the pain, fear, and straight up chaos raining down upon the American landscape, as a result of his always brash, often profane assertions.

Three weeks ago, speaking before a National Republican Congressional Committee dinner, Trump insisted, “I know what the hell I’m doing,” and further boasted that, world leaders are “kissing my ass” as they try to negotiate trade deals. On Monday in an interview with The Atlantic, he professed, speaking of his second term, “I run the country and the world.”  

Trump-o-philes like that. For them, he is the man of the hour. GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said, “President Trump understood the assignment from the first day in office. Many praised the pace at which he’s moving, and several included in their social media taglines, the phrase, “Promises made, promises kept.”

Indeed, he has done a lot. He’s signed 140 Executive Orders – the most by any President in his first 100 days. FDR, the previous record holder signed 99. He has, however fallen behind other presidents, in terms of passing legislation. Trump has only signed 5 bills into law. Even Sleepy Joe signed 11.

Despite his frenetic pace, a simple truism has been underscored; activity doesn’t always equal movement, especially positive movement. Polling, for whatever it’s worth, suggests there is a growing level of dissatisfaction with the Trump show. So, while his most enthusiastic supporters appear to like everything he does, no matter how gross, or how over-dramatized, some of the support Trump attracted and enjoyed…actually relished in, during the campaign is waning. 

In one Poll, 64% of Independents say Trump’s Tariff policies will hurt their finances. Meanwhile, his net favorable rating among nonwhite voters fell from -27 points to -39 points, as his net favorability among those under age 30 fell even more precipitously, from -12 points to -47 points. Also, back to Independents, his net favorability fell from -9 points to -30 points. In another poll, asking how have Trump’s policies affected U.S. Economic Conditions, 59% said they Worsened Conditions, 27% said they Improved Conditions, while 14% said they had No Effect. Another poll found Trump’s approval at 100 days was lower than any president in the last seven decades. He now has the distinction of holding the bottom two positions. One Poll from last week found 39% Approve of the President’s performance, while 59% Disapprove. Perhaps, the most interesting Poll, another one from last week, found Trump’s Net Approval Rating on dealing with Ukraine was -13 points, and with Russia, -18 points. While the former Polls were conducted by an array of outlets Trump doesn’t like, the Ukraine, Russia polling was conducted by Fox News. 

Regardless of the source, Trump who crows about positive polls and fumes about the negative ones, characterized all of these polls with predictable dismissiveness, using a bevy of terms, including, fake, corrupt, compromised, sad, negative, sick, investigations, criminals, and cheats. 

Trump detractors haven’t exactly been silent. They have noted, among other things, Trump:

Initiated a purge of diversity initiatives

Granted clemency to nearly 1,600 people who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those caught beating police officers on camera

Signed 140 executive orders (26 of them on his first day in office)

Fired independent regulators

Gutted entire agencies; laid off great swaths of the federal workforce; and invoked 18th-century wartime powers to use against a criminal gang from Venezuela

Declared, undeclared, revised, and redeclared tariffs like a DJ spinning knobs in the booth, upsetting the rhythms of global trade and inducing vertigo in the financial markets

Raged at the leader of Ukraine, a democratic ally repelling an imperialist invasion, for not being “thankful”

Praised the leader of the invading country, Russia, as “very smart,” reversing in an instant 80 years of U.S. foreign policy doctrine, and prompting the countries of NATO to prepare for their own defense, without the protective umbrella of American power, for the first time since 1945.

In reflecting upon the space we Americans collectively occupy, I am reminded of the immortal opening paragraph of Dickens’ “A TaIe of Two Cities,” in which he opined, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

These three months and ten days have been a metaphorical roller coaster, to be sure. But as I caution anyone who will listen; you ain’t seen nothing yet; 1,360 days to go. “Trump’s Second First One Hundred Days!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

It’s time to Break It Down!

Jorge Mario Bergoglio died Monday. If that were the headline of any newspaper anywhere in the world, two dqys ago, very few people would have batted an eye. Instead, the worldwide headline was, Pope Francis (aka Jorge Mario Bergoglio), born December 17,1936, died April 21, 2025. The Pope, as you know, is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, 

A papal conclave elected Bergoglio as the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned February 28, 2013. He became the 266^th Pope on March 13, 2013, and served for 12 years, until his death, Monday. From a long line of Popes, Pope Francis held several firsts. He was the first pope from the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), the first Latin American, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside of Europe since the 8^th century, when Pope Gregory III was born in Syria. 

Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After recovering from a severe illness, while in his 20’s, he was inspired to join the Jesuits. He was ordained as a Catholic Priest in 1969. From 1973 to 1979, he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He was elevated to archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and became a cardinal in 2001.

Bergoglio chose Francis as his papal name, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. In the entirety of his public life Francis was noted for his humility, his emphasis on God’s mercy, his international visibility as pope, his concern for the poor, and his commitment to interreligious dialogue. 

He was known for having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors. For example, he chose to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae (House of St. Martha) guest house, rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes. Francis made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia. He asserted that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic toward the LGBTQ community and stated that although blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, LGBTQ individuals can be blessed, if blessings are not given in a liturgical context. Francis was a critic of trickle-down economics, consumerism, and overdevelopment. He made action on climate change a major focus of his papacy, he viewed the death penalty as inadmissible in all cases and committed the Catholic Church to its worldwide abolition. Pope Francis criticized right-wing populism, supported decriminalization of homosexuality, condemned Israel’s military action in Gaza, and opposed anti-immigration politics, including those of Donald Trump.

After making what became his last public appearance on Resurrection Sunday, an element of synchronicity emerged, as the Bishop of Rome died the following day, Easter Monday, following a stroke, and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse, It was as though, in the words of Timothy, Francis said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” “Pontiff Slips The Mortal Coil: A Timely Transition!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

It’s time to Break It Down!

There are numerous voices positing that America is set upon a course running full speed, and headlong into dystopia. A president who expressed aspirations of being a dictator, if only for a day, seems to have had a change of heart, as one day, became day one…and every day that followed.

The President, who alleged the previous administration used “law fare” to target him, has set out to take retribution on those who disagreed with him, which for all practical purposes aligns with his definition of targeting. He has interpreted the powers of the Executive Office to be absolute, and the members of his Party, with few exceptions have demonstrated almost Borg-like capitulation to that notion. Moreover, even the highest Court in the land has, best-case scenario, extended him a lengthy runway to execute that strategy, and worst-case scenario, shown that it has no appetite or impulse, whatsoever, to reel him in.

As Trump winds his way through the first 100 days of his second term, he has been busy establishing himself as Culture Warrior-in-Chief. The irony here is, Republicans have long cast Democrats, liberals, and the left, writ large, as the originators of culture war. That is projection at its finest, something the GOP has raised to an artform.

Trumpers have elevated two principal euphemisms in what they characterize as the War on Woke. They lead with DEI, which if you believe them, is the source of everything bad in America…except for those detestable immigrants, of course. But I’ll save discussion of that “evil” for another day. DEI is the scourge that they swear imperils Western Civilization.

There is really one, and only one thing you need to know about this irrefutable (according to them) truth. DEI, and Western Civilization are verbal evasions; place holders, if you will. In lowest common denominator terms, DEI equates to Black; Western Civilization translates to white. In essence, for them, it’s the classic struggle between good, the latter, and evil, the former. In other words, if we don’t shut down DEI, which they flatly argue is the infusion and elevation of all things (people really) Black, which they characterize as unworthy, unqualified, and unwanted, the entirety of Western Civilization, the white world broadly, but white America, especially, will succumb to the grossly incapable and unfit.

So, as the biggest bully, with the loudest megaphone, Trump, bolstered by his band of merry warriors is wreaking havoc on the financial markets, destroying social contracts, attacking the judicial system, disemboweling the federal government, blackmailing law firms, defunding educational and research institutions, targeting our allies and historically closest trading partners for increased tariffs, and installing his personal lackeys and sycophants, ostensibly, to usher in the New Trump Order. “The Journey to American Dystopia!”

I’m done; holla back!

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

It’s time to Break It Down!

I decided to make this a succinct post about current events.

Yesterday evening, Trump told a group of Republicans, hours before his beloved tariffs were set to take effect, “These countries are calling us up. Kissing my ass. They are dying to make a deal.”

This not at all humble brag epitomizes the brinksmanship the President of the United States is foisting upon the American public, our allies and trading partners, our competitors, and all other nations who would do business with the United States. As many experts and analysts fret over the trade war ignited by Trump’s tariffs, and threats of tariffs, he preens and boasts. Moreover, he framed it as if that were an offer no one could refuse. Basically, “Here’s My Number; Use It…Or Else!”

I’m done; holla back!

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/politics/trump-tariff-negotiations-foreign-leaders/index.html