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!”

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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!”

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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!”

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

It’s time to Break It Down!

On Thursday, August 29, 1957, at 9:12 p.m., SC Senator Strom Thurmond concluded a filibuster that he had begun at 8: 54 p.m., the previous day. Thurmond set a then record, in an effort to waylay the Civil Rights Act of 1957. He held the floor for twenty-four hours and eighteen minutes. Since that point, he has held the record for the longest single-person filibuster in United States Senate history. In fact, it was the longest single-person Senate speech…until yesterday.

On Monday evening, NJ Senator Cory Booker began speaking at 7:00 p.m. He did not relinquish the floor until 8:04 p.m. last night, setting a new record, twenty-five hours and four minutes. Technically, Booker’s oration was not a filibuster, since it was not designed to impede any specific piece of legislation, or nomination, but rather to issue a call to arms advising that the country is in crisis. He spoke out against an array of issues, including castigating Elon Musk’s efforts to overhaul the federal government, and Trump’s warning of potential cuts to key healthcare programs for millions of Americans.

Senator Booker said, “I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able. I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.”

He added, “In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the core foundations of our democracy. These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”

Booker, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team executed his speech at a time when Democratic voters have increasingly called for stouter opposition to Trump and his policies. All this while Trump and the GOP control the Executive Branch, the House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court is comprised of a two-thirds conservative majority.

Fundamentally excluded from the levers of power, and viewing the circumstances of their limited options, Senator’ Booker’s speech resonated as one of the most high-profile forms of protest by a Democratic Solon during Trump’s second term.

While no specific piece of legislation was defeated, the speech delayed most of Tuesday’s Senate business. In that regard, it principally amounted to a symbolic gesture. As he held the floor, Booker cited the spirit of the late Congressman John Lewis as his motivation. Lewis was a pivotal civil rights advocate. Thurmond, whose record Booker broke, set the record, attempting to defeat a civil rights bill, as he spoke against the 1957 Civil Rights Act. Senator Booker referenced a promise he had given Representative Lewis, vowing to make him proud. At 7:19 p.m., Senator Chuck Schumer interrupted Booker to advise him that he had broken the record.

Booker said, of Lewis, “He wouldn’t treat this moral moment like it was normal.” He then asked, “Where does the Constitution live? On paper or in our hearts?” 

TX Senator Ted Cruz, who held the floor for his own marathon speech in a 2013 filibuster against the Affordable Care Act, offered Booker this advice: “Wear comfortable shoes and don’t drink water.”

Though not a filibuster, the speech did keep the Senate floor open – and floor staff and US Capitol Police detailed to the chamber working – for as long as he continued speaking. Lawmakers had concluded voting on Monday before Booker began speaking. Democrats in the upper chamber widely praised Booker’s effort. CT Senator Chris Murphy appeared to smooth out the process by discussing the effort with Senators as they arrived on the floor and arranging speakers to ask Booker questions. Murphy spent the entire night in the Chamber. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Booker for his strength and conviction.

Jeff Giertz, Booker’s communications director, told NPR that the lawmaker was not wearing a diaper or a catheter.

Booker himself told reporters after his speech that he didn’t have to take a bathroom break because he hadn’t eaten since Friday and stopped drinking water on Sunday to intentionally dehydrate himself.

As Booker broke the record, House Democrats, standing in the back of the chamber, and Senate Democrats rose in a standing ovation. “Twenty-five Hours and Four Minutes!”

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https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/politics/booker-senate-floor-speech-trump-protest/index.html

It’s time to Break It Down!

Nothing to see here. There was no classified information. Not that I recall. It’s Pete’s fault. That last one wasn’t a quote, but it might as well have been. I’ll explain later.

Yesterday, a group of Trump’s finest faced members of the Senate Intelligence Committee for question about a group chat on the Application “Signal.” The app is encrypted but not secure in the sense that government communications that include classified information are required or at least expected to be.

That brings us to a key point. CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard repeatedly denied that the chat contained classified information.

“There were no classified or intelligence equities that were included in that chat group at any time,” Gabbard testified under oath. Ratcliffe was similarly adamant in his denials at various points during Tuesday’s hearing.

That’s how they started. But…later, when pressed on whether the sensitive operational details for the forthcoming strikes against Iran-backed militants that Hegseth reportedly sent to the thread were classified, both top intelligence officials deferred to the defense secretary.

“With respect to the assertions and the allegations that there was strike packages or targeting information or things that relate to DOD, as I pointed out, the Secretary of Defense is the original classification authority for determining whether something is classified or not, and as I’ve understood from media reports, the Secretary of Defense has said the information was not classified,” Ratcliffe told lawmakers. Translation, “It’s Pete’s fault.

When asked whether such information should be classified, Gabbard told the committee, “I defer to the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council on that question.” Interesting parsing.

Not surprisingly, Hegseth’s texts, which reportedly included “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing,” have drawn the most attention.

Multiple current and former defense officials have said that any discussion of the timing, targets or weapons systems to be used in an attack is always classified — because of the potential risk to US service members lives if those plans are revealed prematurely. I’m sensing a clear element in disconnect in the various perspectives on this story.

Ratcliffe and Gabbard both said. “I can again confirm that with respect to the communications that were related as to me, there was no classified information,” Ratcliffe added. In other words, to quote Shaggy, “It wasn’t me!” “A “Signal” No One Saw Coming!”

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It’s time to Break It Down! 

“May you live in interesting times,” is an English expression, often mistakenly attributed to the Chinese. The use of the expression is meant to be Ironic, suggesting that “interesting” times are often times of trouble. I think it’s fair to say, We are there.

Today’s post is intended to depict a few of the ways our times are “interesting,” by reviewing several metrics associated with a certain leader of the free world. Let’s get right into it.

64 Times Mentioned in Epstein Report.

97 Times Pleaded the Fifth.

34 Felony Convictions.

91 Criminal Charges.

26 Sexual Assault Allegations.

6 Bankruptcies.

5 Draft Deferments.

4 Indictments.

2 Impeachments.

2 Convicted Companies.

1 Fake University Shut Down.

1 Fake Charity Shut Down.

$25 Million Fraud Settlement.

$5 Million Sexual Abuse Verdict.

$2 Million Fake Charity Abuse Judgment.

$93 Million Sexual Abuse Judgements.

$400+ Million Fraud Judgment.

First President in history to serve a full term increase the deficit every year he was in office.

First President in history to maintain a debt to GDP ratio over 100% for his entire term.

Highest annual budget deficit.

Most added to the national debt in a single term.

Most new unemployment claims.

Largest single day point drop in the history of the Dow.

First major party candidate in half a century to lose the popular vote twice.

Longest government shutdown in history (and he did that while his own party controlled both chambers of Congress).

First President in the history of approval ratings to maintain a net negative approval rating for his entire term.

First President to be impeached twice.

First President to have bipartisan support for his conviction after impeachment (which happened both times).

Most indictments, guilty pleas, and criminal convictions of members of an administration.

First president to have a mug shot.

Please go ahead and lookup every claim here…that is, if you can identify the subject. “By The Numbers: Name That President!”

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It’s time to Break It Down!

Yesterday was March 11, 2025. Five years ago, on March 11, 2020, after more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries and 4,291 deaths, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, the number of COVID-19 deaths surpassed 1 million in the U.S., according to data compiled by NBC News — a once unthinkable scale of loss even for the country with the world’s highest recorded toll from the virus.

The number — equivalent to the population of San Jose, California, the 10th largest city in the U.S. — was reached at stunning speed: 27 months after the country confirmed its first case of the virus.

As the epicenter of the pandemic, 1,826 days later, COVID-19 remains a source of disparate opinion, and rancorous division. Established as a pandemic in the final year of the first Trump administration, the Coronavirus became a bright yellow line that divided Americans between pro and anti-Trump factions. Donald Trump at one point called the virus a Democratic hoax, subsequently was hospitalized due to contracting it, later proposed several not scientifically supported remedies, and hosted at least one function deemed to be a superspreader event. 

Trump supporters frequently dismissed the severity of the virus and disparaged almost all proposed strategies for keeping people safe, whether wearing masks, social distancing, frequent handwashing, and especially closing businesses and institutions. Doctors, scientists, and people supporting such safety measures were frequently at odds with Trump and his devotees.

Five years later, COVID-19 is still with us. We learned early on that like the flu, it will probably always be around. 

The COVID-19 Vaccine became widely available in 2021. It was a two-shot regimen, with two primary deliverers, Moderna, and Pfizer. In an interview with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, Trump admitted he had gotten a Covid vaccination. This was, not surprisingly, cause for derision, among his supporters.

Over 81% of the population has had at least one covid vaccination, 70% of the population is considered fully vaccinated, 97% of the population over age 16 has at least one shot, and 82% over 16 years of age are fully covered. As a result of the high number of vaccinated Americans, the frequency of the disease has been greatly diminished. Test Positivity for the week ending March 1^st, was 3.9%. Remember, the incidence of the disease may be low, but it is, and will be still with us. “Five Years Later: Covid 19!”http://“Five Years Later: Covid 19!”

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It’s time to Break It Down!

There’s no easy way to frame this, so I might as well just rip off the band-aid. Forget the Constitution, never mind history, legacy, and tradition. We are entering a new frontier. 

The Founding Fathers would be apologetic. The great experiment is bordering on being null and void. Done. Finis.

Republicans laud Trump as transactional, the ultimate deal maker. His bona fides in the bizarre are legendary and need no recounting. 

Musk is the wealthiest man in the world. After buying Twitter and converting the platform into a conservative safe space where conspiracy theories abound, hate speech is welcome, and Trump support is the coin of the realm, he is to Trump, what Trump is to MAGA, the source of all things indisputable.

For all practical purposes, Musk injected enough money into the electoral process, on behalf of Trump and Republicans to equate to more than a million dollars per electoral vote. In turn, Trump has provided Musk the latitude to convert America into his wholly owned subsidiary; AmericaX. A land in which federal agencies are being neutered, with the prospect of their functions being outsourced to Oligarchs…like Musk. “Are we there yet?”

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It’s time to Break It Down!

The United States is the most powerful nation in the history. Through its leaders, it has long proclaimed itself to be exceptional. To be fair, in many ways, it is. By dint of will, intellect, ingenuity, ambition, perseverance, grit, and a healthy helping of God’s grace, we have attained a standard of living that is the envy of the world.

For more than a decade, Americans have been growing increasingly weary of, and disenchanted with historical norms and traditions, especially in government and media spaces. A cynical view of what fueled this rapidly emerging tempestuous reaction holds that the election, and subsequent re-election of Barack Obama was a mind-exploding catalyst.

In 2008, Obama was a relatively new US Senator from Illinois, who had dramatically entered the national political consciousness four years earlier with a stemwinder of a speech at the Democratic National Convention. Still, his auspicious introduction notwithstanding, he was a decided underdog when he entered the 2008 Democratic Primary. At that time, Hillary Clinton was considered the odds-on favorite to capture his Party’s nomination. To shorten the story, that didn’t happen. Senator Obama went on to win the nomination, and would later defeat Arizona Senator John McCain, becoming the nation’s first Black President.

McCain ran a spirited campaign, but he faced significant headwinds due to the Great Recession. However, after Clinton conceded and withdrew from the race for the Democratic nomination, Obama was able consolidate his Party’s support. Winning the 2008 Presidential Race was a seminal moment for both the Democratic Party and for the United States. The 43 Presidents before Obama had all been White, and if truth be told, it’s likely no one had first Black President on their Bingo Card in 2008.

While the dawn of the Obama era proved to be a prodigiously pivotal moment in time and history, not everyone celebrated. Democrats exulted in having stopped a third consecutive Republican administration from occupying the White House, and for having won both the House and the Senate. Black America was euphoric. Most in the community thought they might never see a Black Man in the Oval Office. 

Conversely, Republicans were gobsmacked. They were in utter disbelief, and for many, McCain became a pariah for having lost…to the Black guy. After all, it was not unheard of to be out of power for four years, or even for eight, but never in the history of “exceptional” America had anyone among them seriously considered the prospect of ceding occupancy of 1600 PA Ave. to a Black man.

The opposition fortified immediately. On the evening of January 20, 2009, after President Obama’s inauguration earlier in the day, a group of 15 high-ranking Republicans, including Senators and House members met for dinner to plot the plan of action for the official GOP resistance to Barack Obama. The strategic assault continued throughout both of Obama’s terms in office. Author Robert Draper, wrote a book about the GOP exploits, entitled, Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives (later republished under the title: When the Tea Party Came to Town). Spoiler Alert, judging from the second title, you can infer, the Tea Party sprang up in response to Obama’s presidency, at least in part because nothing else was successful in neutralizing him. 

The resistance, while unable to derail his re-election bid, did reduce his numerical support, advantage, and leverage in Congress. That opposition grew increasingly mean spirited during the Obama years and was often racially tinged. It was common for the evening news to capture depictions of Obama effigies, and other negatively racialized images of the President. 

Enter Donald Trump. Some people debate whether Donald Trump created the Birther trope. I will not split hairs on this matter. The fact is Trump was in on the use of it, early, and often. This slight, which was rooted in Trump’s oft-repeated assertion that President Obama was not born in America, served to further exacerbate racial tensions.

Since those days, we’ve seen the end of the Obama administration, the Trump administration, the Biden administration, and the advent of a second Trump presidency. Along the way, Trump, Congress, and SCOTUS have taken turns engaging in escalatory actions. 

Now, the President, armed with the aid of Senate and House majorities, a collection of malleable cabinet members, a heavily conservative-skewed Supreme Court, and a director of disruption, appears poised to change the very nature of the way the United States operates its government. I believe a legitimate question is, “Will we continue to be a constitutional federal republic?

Trump and his gofers are actively engaged in pushing, pulling, and prodding to consolidate more and more power in the hands of the Executive. Congress, which technically controls the purse strings, has consistently, willingly ceded its authority to Trump. Perhaps, when all is said and done, the most radical result of the assorted machinations will emerge from the slashing and burning of federal agencies and their staffs, which currently, is a concept that seems to find favor among people who call themselves conservatives. What remains to be seen, is how these self-proclaimed conservatives will view it when Musk and the Oligarchs assume the role of heads of privatized formerly governmental functions? 

Unless there is a quick and decisive turn, I sense, We The People, are in for a…”Hard Reset!”

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That’s One Theory, But…

On the evening of January 29^th, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 while the plane was on approach for landing at Reagan National Airport. As a result of the collision, both the plane and the copter plunged into the Potomac River. All souls on both aircraft were lost.

On that Thursday evening after the crash, Donald Trump, ambled into the White House press room to face reporters and execute his solemn duty as consoler-in-chief. After a few on-task opening remarks, Trump pivoted sharply, and in his own idiosyncratic style, commenced the combative, unscripted, finger-pointing, scapegoating blame game madness that he has elevated to an art form.  

He started by admitting, “We do not know what led to this crash,” but quickly added, “but we have some very strong opinions and ideas.” 

He then speculated, absent evidence, that lowered standards of hiring (usually referred to as DEI) for air traffic controllers in the Federal Aviation Administration during the Joe Biden and Barack Obama presidencies may have been a factor in the disaster. Naturally, this speculative scenario conveniently omitted the fact that he served a four-year term between Presidents Obama and Biden.

Trump, his GOP congressional coterie, and Republicans in general have regularly attacked “Diversity, equity and inclusion” programs in the federal government. He and his team have made demagoguing and eliminating such programs a central priority during their first days in office, arguably, even more that lowering the price of eggs, and reinvigorating the economy that he sold as faltering during his campaign…saying he’d fix both on day 1.

He said DEI has divided Americans and weakened the country. Less than 24 hours after the first major US air disaster in more than a decade, coincidentally, on his watch, Trump, with his secretaries of transportation, and defense, and with the Vice President, all took shots at hammering this point, and all with zero evidence, that federal hiring practices had any connection to this crash.

When asked by a reporter how he could blame diversity programs for the crash when the investigation had just started, Trump responded: “Because I have common sense.”

However, at other moments, he acknowledged there was no confirmed cause, saying, “It’s all under investigation.”

Because he has common sense? More than a few people would enthusiastically debate that assertion. But not me. At least not here, not now. Instead, I submit an alternative contemplation for your consideration.

An interesting thing happened on January 20^th, nine days before the crash. Michael Whitaker, the leader of the Federal Aviation Administration stepped down, months after Elon Musk demanded that he quit. As of January 29^th, the FAA had no Senate-confirmed leader. Whitaker quit before Donald Trump took office. He had run the FAA for just a year, but said in December that he would step down as the new President was being sworn in.

Whitaker and Musk clashed over SpaceX. It was one thing when Musk was merely the richest man in the world, and the owner of SpaceX. But when he also became the leading voice behind the newly formed Department of Governmental Efficiency, aka DOGE, his personal influence on all things governmental, including the FAA expanded exponentially.

Last September, Whitaker proposed levying over $600,000 in fines for SpaceX. Musk responded by demanding his resignation and threatened to sue. Whitaker told a congressional committee fines are the only tool the agency has, that enable it to get compliance on safety matters.

Musk continued his attack via X, while campaigning with Trump. He accused Whitaker’s agency of harassment, posting “The FAA space division is harassing SpaceX about nonsense that doesn’t affect safety while giving a free pass to Boeing even after NASA concluded that their spacecraft was not safe enough to bring back the astronauts.” 

Further, in response to an Australian YouTuber who posts about space and who has said the FAA “should not exist,” Musk accused Whitaker of standing in the way of his vision of putting human life on Mars.

Upon announcing in December that he would leave the agency, Whitaker wrote to FAA staff:

“The United States is the safest and most complex airspace in the world, and that is because of your commitment to the safety of the flying public.”

He called his time at the federal agency “the best and most challenging job of my career.”

The FAA was already wrestling with persistent shortages of air traffic controllers. More recently, air traffic controllers were included in the Trump administration’s offer of buyouts to federal employees.

Investigation of the plane-copter crash will be led by the independent National Transportation Safety Board, which is chaired by Jennifer Homendy. For the record, she has also clashed with Musk, over the safety of self-driving software in his Tesla vehicles.

Trump flatly blamed DEI and his Democratic predecessors for the crash. He credited common sense for his conclusion, and he did so without corroborating evidence. SOP?

Considering the flurry of activity across the federal government, prompted by Trump’s budget slashing imperatives, DOGE’s planned disruptive effects and firings, in general, and Musk’s running off the FAA head, in particular, it occurs to me, that factors other than DEI may have contributed to the crash. Feel free to draw your own inferences. Meanwhile, I leave you with, “(DEI) That’s one theory, but…!”

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 the links below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Potomac_River_mid-air_collision

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvmdm1m7m9o

https://www.yahoo.com/news/faa-administrator-quit-jan-20-045322293.html