It’s time to Break It Down!

For most of my life, my favorite sport has been basketball. In the formative years of my youth, I cut my sports teeth on baseball. It was my father’s sport. Though he never told me, I learned from a relative, just a few years ago, that my dad played semi-professional baseball. I never knew, when I was playing Little League Baseball, I was in the early stages of following in my father’s footsteps.

He came of age during the Golden Age of the Negro Leagues. He lived through and watched unfold the phenomenon that was Branch Rickey. Mr. Rickey, an innovative Major League Baseball (MLB) executive was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. He is likely best known for breaking MLB’s color barrier, by signing the sport’s first African American player, Jackie Robinson. Though not as widely recognized, he also signed the first Afro-Hispanic superstar, Roberto Clemente, and was responsible for creating the framework for the modern minor league farm system, for encouraging the Major Leagues to add new teams through his involvement in the proposed Continental League, and for introducing the batting helmet. Indeed, he was a proverbial force of nature in MLB.

For his part, after integrating the sport, Robinson went on to become a star player for my dad’s beloved Dodgers. They were the Brooklyn Dodgers when Jackie broke into the League, but they would move to Los Angeles, as did the fan support for generations of African Americans. So it was, my dad’s team became my team.

Similarly, my dad introduced me to the Sweet Science, better known as boxing. In those days, big boxing matches often took place on Friday evenings, billed as Friday Night at the Fights. Baseball was a Saturday afternoon affair. My weekend TV sports viewing pattern was set. LOL!

Then, through the course of normal growth and development, I found my own sports passion. I truly believe since the first day I picked up a basketball, I have never viewed the broad spectrum of sports the same. It became basketball, then everything else. Oh, I dabbled with sandlot football, softball, bowling, and tennis. I even played stickball, and handball, during summers in New York. But they were all always just an interlude, a mere distraction until I could return to hoops, my game.

So it is, today, you might say I’m Jonesing; waiting out the inescapable NBA imposed interval until the Games resume…tomorrow. The NBA Finals will pit against one another, two formidable opponents.

In one corner we have the team that amassed the best record in the League this year. The Golden State (Oakland, CA) Warriors, feature this year’s League Most Valuable Player (MVP), Stephen Curry.

In the other corner, their opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers feature the player most people consider the best in the World, LeBron James, a veritable walking record book. James has won two NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, two NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title, and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He has also been selected to 11 NBA All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams, and is the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer. He is appearing in his fifth consecutive NBA Finals.

“The NBA is Fantastic,” and I can hardly wait for the hostilities to begin. There is no lack of allegiance for either team. Whether the dividing line is East vs. West, or Curry vs. James, or Cleveland vs. Golden State, or Ohio vs. California, or some other varied machination of the two, people, for the most part, including me, have chosen sides.

I really like LeBron James. At 6’8”, 250 pounds, he brings a combination of size, strength, speed, and skill seldom seen in any athlete, in any sport. Many folks think he would be a force on the football field. On the basketball court, he is a virtually unstoppable force. To put a finer point on matters, LeBron and I share the same birthday (not the year of course).

On the flip side, Steph Curry is simply amazing. In contrast to LeBron, he’s listed at 6’3”, and weights 190 pounds (they say). He is assembling his own portfolio, which impressively includes, while playing the point guard position, being considered by some to be the greatest shooter in NBA history. He is the 2015 NBA Most Valuable Player and a two-time NBA All-Star, and the son of former NBA player Dell Curry.

Curry displays incredible control of the ball, and his body. But his stock-in-trade is “the shot.” He makes three point shots with ease, from all over the court. His relatively diminutive size, combined with his ability to control or change the flow of a basketball game, single-handedly, is on occasion, breathtaking.

Enough already, I like both teams’ leader. But as I alluded earlier, I have chosen sides. I’m picking Curry and the Warriors. Allow me to be clear. I’m pulling for the Warriors. Curry has Charlotte high school and AAU roots, attended college at Davidson, right here in Mecklenburg County, plus the Warriors have two players who matriculated at North Carolina (and I’m a Tar Heel).

That’s great and all, but truth be told, I am pulling for Golden State. I’m pulling for them because I will not; in fact I just cannot pull for Cleveland. Not yet anyway. When LeBron chose to leave Cleveland for Miami, the Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert wrote a scathing letter (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365704) lambasting his former star player, calling him a coward, former hero, and deserter, among other derogatory things. Mr. Gilbert owns the Cavaliers, not LeBron. In my view, his tirade revealed far more about himself than it did about LeBron. He revealed himself to the core. I took note.

He said a lot of other things, including, making an assertion that LeBron was taking “the curse,” bad karma, and the spell with him. He also said one other thing that continues to resonate with me:

“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”

Actually, he was correct; LeBron won two, while Cleveland regularly toiled in the NBA Lottery…without the so-called former King. Karma is real!

I fully appreciate Mr. James’ right to exercise his prerogative and make a business/family decision to return to the Cleveland community and the Cavaliers. Mr. James, to the credit of his negotiating ability, is being paid handsomely to do so; I, on the other hand am not. So, Go Warriors!

Oh, one final thing. None of this means I “think” Golden State will win. But I sure hope so. “Tomorrow: The Finals!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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/Branch_Rickey

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

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali_vs._Sonny_Liston

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

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

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

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Gilbert_(businessman)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365704

It’s time to Break It Down!

(Please enjoy this reprised edition of “Break It Down!” This post was originally published May 30, 2012 at: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com)

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:

1. Utilize the KISS Principle, AKA, Keep It Short & Simple (also Keep It Simple Stupid)

2. Convey new or “not widely circulated” information

3. 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 Conference Finals, College Men’s Baseball playoffs, and College Women’s Softball competition, among others.

With the rapidly heating-up political season thrown in the mix, 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.

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 Teachers Never Told You!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the links: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or /http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com.

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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_W._Blight

http://www.davidwblight.com/

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

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/25/1301862/-Memorial-Day-Has-African-American-Roots-First-One-Was-Conducted-By-Former-Slaves#

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/KISS_principle

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

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

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

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

It’s time to Break It Down!

As I have frequently reminded readers, my norm for determining a blog topic includes a window shopping view of topics of the day that capture my interest. Usually there are quite a few to ponder. I choose one, and then endeavor to share the subject in a way that will appeal to some of the folks who regularly read my posts.

My initial inclination for todays post was to write about President Obama joining the Twitterverse, after six years in Office. What started as a purely human-interest piece, framed around Mr. Obama’s late breaking decision to formally enter the realm of Twitter by opening his own account. The tone and tenor of the conversation changed almost immediately. Almost quicker than one could say Abracadabra (not that there was anything magical about what transpired), the commentary took on a vile and racially divisive tone. No, it’s not prestidigitation; it’s not even surprising. Seven weeks ago (April 1st), I wrote a Post entitled, “President Obama Stumbles: Haters Rue Missed Opportunity!” (https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2015/04/01/the-president-stumbles-haters-rue-missed-opportunity/). Check it out, if you’ve forgotten, or in the event you never saw it. A few examples of the Tweets are here for your interest, edification, and/or perhaps, amusement.

President Obama

✔

@POTUS

Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.

Follow

John J. Johnson @JohnJJohnsonMN

‪@POTUS‪ What do you call the first black president of the United States?

>Nigger

2:00 PM – 18 May 2015

President Obama

✔

@POTUS

Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.

Follow

Gippo Dudee @DudeeGippo

‪@POTUS‪ nice job with the banner, gotta let everyone know that you’re some kinda communist nigger right?

12:15 PM – 18 May 2015

President Obama

✔

@POTUS

Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.

Follow

Jeff Gully @jeffgully49

‪@POTUS‪

#arrestobama #treason we need “ROPE FOR CHANGE” we still hang for treason don’t we? pic.twitter.com/YGOQDRan9u

3:28 PM – 18 May 2015


‪2 2 Retweets
‪4 4 favorites

Of course, as the Title belies, this post is not about POTUS or his Twitter Account. It’s about the deadly shootout Sunday in Waco, Texas, involving rival biker gangs, and police officers.

Recently I have commented on the seemingly steady stream of fracases in various communities across the American landscape. Typically violence is involved, often, but not always there is a racial component, and sooner or later some element, agency, or department of law enforcement must be engaged.

Just three short weeks ago, Baltimore was front and center. Three days ago, it was Waco. According to Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton, a police spokesperson, there were at least five gangs. He noted that bikers shot at each other, and at officers, who returned fire. He added:

“In my 35 years of law enforcement experience, this is the most violent and gruesome scene that I have dealt with.”

According to police, at least nine people died as a result of the gunfire exchanges. Police report 170 bikers were booked into the McLennan County Jail to be charged with Engaging in Organized Crime. That number has decreased from 192, originally reported by police Monday. Each was being held on $1 million bond. Other charges may be pending.

Sgt. Swanton expressed frustration and anger at Twin Peaks management. He suggested that the restaurant might have been able to do more to prevent the melee. For its part, corporate management at Twin Peaks issued a statement acknowledging that it was reviewing the circumstances of the shooting. In the release, they added:

“We are thankful no employees, guests or police were injured in this senseless violence outside the restaurant, and our sympathies are with the families of those killed.”

The initial position of Waco Police was that they would continue to refrain from naming the individual gangs, so as not to “give them publicity. However, earlier reports on the shooting pinpointed at least two gangs at the center of the chaos: “the Bandidos and the Cossacks.”

The Bandidos, with up to 2,500 members across 13 countries — 900 of them in the U.S. alone — are considered one of the country’s largest outlaw motorcycle gangs and “a growing criminal threat” by the Department of Justice.

The Bandidos are involved in the transportation and distribution of cocaine and marijuana as well as methamphetamine, which they also produce. The gang is also actively expanding its presence across Texas, where its membership is largely concentrated, and throughout other parts of the country, starting new chapters and recruiting members of allied clubs.

Less is known about the Cossacks Motorcycle Club, a local Texas gang reportedly founded just three years after the Bandidos, in 1969. But early expert analyses suggest rising territory-related tensions between the two Texas groups may have been at the root of Sunday’s shootout.

In 2013, Jack Lewis, the president of the Bandidos chapter in Abilene, Texas, was arrested in the nonfatal stabbings of two Cossacks members.

Steve Cook, executive director of the Midwest Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association and a Kansas City law enforcement officer who says he previously worked undercover in the Bandidos, told both Vox and the Washington Post that the Cossacks may have been pursuing an alliance with the Bandidos’ rivals the Hells Angels in an effort to challenge the larger gang’s control of Texas.

“We knew the tensions with the Cossacks were as high as they’d ever been,” Cook told Vox. “I don’t think anybody could have forecast it to the degree that it happened.”

That is enough about the gory details of this incident. The real gist of the point I wish to explore for just a moment is, what was absent. During the Baltimore and Ferguson imbroglios, there was a palpable reaction; a visceral outrage about the thugs involved in committing senseless acts of violence. So what is different in Waco? Well, I’m glad you asked; here are 10 things:

• No National Guard/late night curfews/incessant 24-7 News coverage
• Recovered roughly 1000 weapons, including knives, pistols, rifles, & brass knuckles
• Detainees were shown talking on their cell phones w/police nearby
• 9 dead
• 18 injured
• Police officers engaged in exchange of gunfire
• No reference of single-parent households
• No signs of tear gas
• No baton-wielding cops
• No armored vehicles

No two of these scenarios is exactly alike. However, just four weeks ago, I penned a Post, entitled, “Dangerous Encounters With Police: The Flip Side!” (https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2015/04/22/dangerous-encounters-with-police-the-flip-side/). The point of that post was how differently an individual may be treated by a police officer under duress. Today’s post reflects the same thought on a communal level. Despite the violent acts of nearly 200 bikers, the majority of whom were armed, and many of them firing their weapons at each other and at police, they are considered more human, and engender more empathy than unarmed black men, or the protesters who support them. If nothing else, that should be a catalyst for not only a national conversation, but also for the Change We Can All Believe In. Don’t hold your breath though. The question of the hour is…”Waco Biker Melee: Where Is the WASP Outrage?”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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://www.vibe.com/2015/05/barack-obama-racist-twitter-trolls/

http://www.centrictv.com/news-views/centric-news/articles/2015/05/19/president-obama-s-new-twitter-account-met-with-racist-tweets.html

http://downtrend.com/donn-marten/liberals-decry-conservative-racist-tweets-posted-to-obamas-new-twitter-account

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2015/04/01/the-president-stumbles-haters-rue-missed-opportunity/

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2015/04/22/dangerous-encounters-with-police-the-flip-side/

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/18/us/biker-brawl-bandidos-cossacks/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/17/us/texas-shooting/

http://abcnews.go.com/US/waco-biker-shooting-turf-war-uninvited-gang-sparked/story?id=31145828

http://news.yahoo.com/uninvited-bikers-turf-wars-led-deadly-texas-brawl-180630485.html;_ylt=AwrBT9H44ltVo5IAC.hXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzbzdqbzlsBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVklQNTA0XzEEc2VjA3Nj

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/turf-drugs-violence-behind-waco-biker-gang-brawl-n360861

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/18/us/texas-biker-gang-brawl-shooting/index.html

http://news.yahoo.com/who-was-involved-in-the-deadly-waco-biker-brawl-170330633.html;_ylt=AwrBT9H44ltVo5IAEehXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzNWc4N2E2BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDVklQNTA0XzEEc2VjA3Ny

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/waco-shootout-biker-brawl-twin-peaks-leaves-nine-dead-n360336

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/texas-news/2015/05/17/multiple-deaths-reported-in-waco-restaurant-melee/27498095/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/05/19/waco-police-say-threats-against-officers-toned-down-since-aftermath-of-biker-brawl-warn-more-violence-is-possible/

It’s time to Break It Down!

I don’t think so! For months now as critics and admirers alike have pointed to the winding down of President Obama’s tenure as our 44th President, a quiet but intense battle has raged. Usually beneath the surface, or out of the eyesight of the seemingly ever present eye in the sky of the news media, The University of Hawaii, Columbia University, The University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Chicago have vied for the prestigious opportunity to be name home for the Barack Obama Presidential Library. Without further adieu, congratulations to the University of Chicago, located on the City’s well-known, and often controversial South Side.

Let’s take a quick look at the contenders to get an idea why they were in the race in the first place:

The University of Hawaii – President Obama, despite the insistence of Birthers such as Donald Trump, was born in Hawaii. Pretty much automatically, The Aloha State and its Flagship University was a contender. Frankly, however, the University of Nairobi and/or the University of Indonesia (for the sake of those zany Birthers) stood about the same chance as the University of Hawaii of winning the Library. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the planet. It is 2,390 miles from California, 3,850 miles from Japan, 4,900 miles from China, and 5,280 miles from the Philippines. In the fast paced politics of Negotiation 101, there were probably many reasons why the U of H was not going to be the ultimate home of the Obama Library, but almost certainly, the distance factor alone was sufficient to eliminate the Hawaiian Islands from serious consideration. It was nice of them to try, but it was never going to happen.

Columbia University – President Obama earned his undergraduate degree, a Bachelors of Arts in political science with a specialty in international relations from Columbia, after spending his first two years of college studying at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Columbia, an Ivy League research university, located in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is in many ways the antithesis of the University of Hawaii. Located in America’s largest population center, is situated in the center of the BosWash megalopolis. Columbia is many things, but located in an isolated region is not one of them. Yet, I do not believe Columbia was serious player in this game. Barack Obama had not begun to make his mark during his Columbia era.

The University of Illinois at Chicago – The UIC has a lot to offer. First, it is in President Obama’s adopted hometown. Although there has been a number of feints and deflections about where President Obama will live after his presidency, and it’s yet to be determined…or at least announced, what we do know, is Chi-Town has served as the launching point for almost everything related to his political career, from his introduction to community organizing to his victory speech in Grant Park after his election in 2008. The school operates the largest medical school in the United States, and educates more of Illinois’ physicians, dentists, pharmacists, physical therapists, nurses, and other health care professionals than any other institution. Yet, I am reminded of an inside joke a friend of mine and I share. Cutting straight to the chase, UIC is a State School. All the Presidents Post Secondary education pursuits to date have occurred at private institutions, Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard, where he studied, and the University of Chicago, where he served as a Lecturer from 1992-1996, and a Senior Lecturer from 1996-2004, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Senior Lecturers are considered professors; just not full-time or tenure-track. Mr. Obama was invited several times to join the faculty in a tenure-track position, but declined.

It’s worth noting that Harvard was not among the list of schools vying for the Obama Presidential Library. A little research reveals that the Kennedy Library, located near the University of Massachusetts was initially slated for Harvard, President Kennedy’s alma mater. The shorthand version of what happened is it took the project so long to unfold, that what began as a popular idea devolved into one opposed by the community around the University, due to the anticipated crowds and commercialization of the area. There is not much reason to think attitudes have shifted in any fundamental way after the ensuing decades.

The University of Chicago – As President Obama put it in his own words in a video to the Obama Foundation yesterday:

“All the strands of my life came together and I really became a man when I moved to Chicago,”

That pretty much says it all. Any other location would have been an upset selection. He represented the South Side of Chicago in his Illinois Senate Seat, and of course went on to represent the State in the U.S. Senate. Ultimately, the Foundation decided on Chicago, and Mr. and Mrs. Obama signed off on the call. The president also said in the video:

“With a library and a foundation on the South Side of Chicago, not only will we be able to encourage and effect change locally but what we can also do is attract the world to Chicago.”

Finally, President Obama observed that Chicago is the nexus that connects the many elements of his life when he said the city of Chicago is that place where:

“All the strands of my life came together. The people there, the community, the lessons that I learned – they’re all based right in this few square miles where we’ll now be able to give something back and bring the world back home after this incredible journey.”

The City is where he began his career, met his wife, Michelle, and where his children were born. Chicago’s South Side: Could There Ever Have Been Any Other Choice? Really, no!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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/Barack_Obama

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/12/politics/obama-presidential-library-chicago-announcement/index.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/obama-presidential-library_n_7263666.html

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/12/406241842/chicago-wins-bid-for-obama-presidential-library?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=storiesfromnpr

https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KLqIGLsVJVpi0APYf7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTEwbjZlcTBnBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDVklEMDYEZ3BvcwM0?p=University+of+Chicago+Wins+Obama+Library&vid=ddc8b652cac4fec0dc3703f35e78f068&l=&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DVR.6880322788886%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Funiversity-of-chicago-to-house-obama-presidential-library%2F&tit=University+of+Chicago+to+house+Obama+presidential+library&c=3&sigr=12m7sqjr3&sigt=11pi75c3r&sigi=11mi8nfh5&age=1431428354&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av&fr=aaplw&tt=b

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

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

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

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_Presidential_Library_and_Museum

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

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

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media

It’s time to Break It Down!

Odds are, you’ve never heard of Jade Helm 1 thru 14, not to mention Jade Helm 15. Alternately, if you have heard of what I shall refer to as JH15, for convenience sake, you have either had the occasion to embrace or reject the conspiracy theory of the moment. Needless to say, the choice you made says a lot about you. I’ll just leave that right there.

Alrighty then, let’s peel this onion. What in the Jesse Helms is Jade Helm 15? First off, the two things are not related. The Late Jesse Helms was a Republican Senator representing the State of North Carolina for 30 years (January 3, 1973 – January 3, 2003). JH15 is a planned United States military training exercise that is scheduled to take place over multiple states in the US from July 15 through September 15, 2015. The exercise will involve U.S. Army Special Operations Command (SOC) with other U.S. Armed Forces units in a multi-state exercise that includes Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.

Quickly, what do Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, and Chuck Norris have in common? As I view the question, on its face, it appears to presage the punch line to a bad joke. However, in this particular instance, it is a serious question about an issue that has at least surfaced around the fringe of the public square.

These distinguished gentlemen, two politicians and an actor, all with immutable ties to the Lone Star State, have all recently asserted to varying degrees that the Pentagon is in effect, embroiled in a nefarious scheme to take over Texas. The Honorable Greg Abbott is the Governor of Texas. He is so concerned about the devious and dangerous nature of JH15 to Texans, that he has ordered the State’s National Guard to monitor Operation JH15.

Intrepid Senator Ted Cruz, the Junior Senator from Texas, and a freshly minted GOP Presidential Candidate, while blazing the campaign trail in the friendly confines of Columbia, South Carolina this past Saturday said he’d been hearing concerns about JH15, and he wanted answers. As he continued, he said:

“My office has reached out to the Pentagon to inquire about this exercise,” We are assured it is a military training exercise. I have no reason to doubt those assurances, but I understand the reason for concern and uncertainty, because when the federal government has not demonstrated itself to be trustworthy in this administration, the natural consequence is that many citizens don’t trust what it is saying.”

So, based upon his not so reassuring reassurance, one can infer Senator Cruz believes the Pentagon when it affirms the operation is a military training exercise, though he clearly believes the conspiracy theorists have legitimate grounds for concern.

Chuck Norris, who appeared in a number of action films, and portrayed a heroic lawman in the TV Show, “Walker, Texas Ranger, also joined the JH15 conspiracy bandwagon. On Sunday Walker, I mean Norris, published a column on the Conservative Website WND, in which he asserted:

“The U.S. government says, ‘It’s just a training exercise.’ But I’m not sure             the term ‘just’ has any reference to reality when the government uses it.

Concerned Texans and Americans are in no way calling into question our brave and courageous men and women in uniform,” Norris wrote. “They are merely following orders. What’s under question are those who are pulling the strings at the top of Jade Helm 15 back in Washington.”

Mr. Norris is a very talented individual, who plied his acting skills in both movies and on TV. He is also a skilled martial artist, holding belts in a number of martial arts, including:

10^th degree black belt Chun Kuk Do

He created the martial art known as Chun Kuk Do, based primarily on Tang Soo Do, but including elements from all the combat styles Norris knows. Chun Kuk Do, loosely translated as “The Universal Way,” like many other martial arts has an honor code. The code, which Mr. Norris claims as his personal code, has 10 principles, including:

Chun Kuk Do Principles

1. I will develop myself to the maximum of my potential in all ways.
2. I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements.
3. I will continually work at developing love, happiness and loyalty in my family.
4. I will look for the good in all people and make them feel worthwhile.
5. If I have nothing good to say about a person, I will say nothing.
6. I will always be as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
7. I will maintain an attitude of open-mindedness.
8. I will maintain respect for those in authority and demonstrate this respect at all times.
9. I will always remain loyal to my God, my country, family and my friends.
10. I will remain highly goal-oriented throughout my life because that positive attitude helps my family, my country and myself.

After a quick perusal of the ten pillars of Chun Kuk Do, I can only conclude Mr. Norris suspended principles 5, 7, and 8 from his person code, at least when it pertains to JH15. Forgive me while I LOL!

As I wrote in another space, No doubt this distinguished group fancies themselves fiscally conservative. Yet, the Governor has found a rather ingenious way to waste Texans’ money. Obamaphobia is real. But it’s too late for such hijinks; he won. Twice…and despite the hype machine, he’s not running again. So, in conclusion, I give you…”Jade Helm 15: The Next (Not So) Great Conspiracy Theory!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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/Jade_Helm_15

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/politics/pentagon-texas-jade-helm-15-takeover/index.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/03/31/why-the-new-special-operations-exercise-freaking-out-the-internet-is-no-big-deal/

http://www.inquisitr.com/2054439/jade-helm-15-texas-governor-greg-abbott-wants-state-guard-to-monitor-military-exercises/

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-02/ted-cruz-says-he-has-asked-the-pentagon-for-answers-on-jade-helm-15?cmpid=yhoo&pt=tAD1SCT8P7/2012-07-28.html/

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/chuck-norris-jade-helm-15

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2015/0505/What-is-Jade-Helm-15-and-should-Chuck-Norris-be-worried-video

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/05/05/watch-jon-stewart-rip-reaction-to-jade-helm-15-the-military-exercise-spawning-conspiracy-theories/?wprss=rss_national-security

https://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=aaplw&p=Jade+Helm+15

http://www.examiner.com/article/jade-helm-15-is-not-cover-for-martial-law

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

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

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

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

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

It’s time to Break It Down!

A friend of mine characterized himself as “conflicted” over the Baltimore riots. Another, a Baltimore native, described himself as “DISGUSTED!” The all caps were his. And yet another who reads my blog, added, “I’m looking forward to your take on the events today in Baltimore.” All three made their remarks Monday, long before I decided what I would write about in today’s post. Ultimately, the sequence of events made the choice for me. To that end, let’s do this.

Ta Nehisi Coates, a son of Baltimore, himself, who wrote a nearly 16,000 word, 10 Chapter essay on “The Case for Reparations,” featured in the June 2014 issue of The Atlantic, has weighed in with, as you might expect, a nontraditional view of the matter. Mr. Coates essay was a powerful instrument for initiating, and in some cases, provoking, discussion about a subject Americans often find difficult to broach. In an effort to leverage the national discussion that ensued, I blogged about the topic myself in my June 4, 2014 post, entitled, “Why Reparations?” For your convenience, both Mr. Coates essay and my blog post are included in separate links below.

All that taken aside, my reference to Mr. Coates relates not to his views on reparations, but to his reaction to Monday’s Baltimore Riots. On Monday, Mr. Coates penned another piece that appeared in The Atlantic, this one entitled “Nonviolence as Compliance.” In this piece, Mr. Coates opines, “Officials calling for calm can offer no rational justification for Gray’s death, and so they appeal for order.”

While he said much more than that, those words right there; one sentence, eighteen simple words synthesize and crystallize the catalyst for why Baltimore was at least temporarily beset by rioting. You could reduce Coates’ articulate phrasing to a shorter, but perhaps more powerful, and much more familiar meme: “No justice, no peace.”

Let me say straight away, there is no simple secret sauce coding that explains what unfolded in B’more on Monday. Yes, there was rioting, looting, threats, and rumors of all that and more. Numerous individuals engaged in criminal behavior; much of it captured on video. These acts included violence, and a substantial amount of property damage, some to vehicles, but most to businesses that served the community in which the riots occurred, and in which many of the rioters live.

Those operatives who call for peace in instances such as this are often called collaborators, and are considered to have betrayed the cause and/or the community. Conversely, individuals who fan the flames of dissent, often leading to progressively escalating confrontational behavior are frequently referred to as instigators, and are frequently considered to be intent on fomenting violence and disorder.

In most instances, by the time a situation devolves and deteriorates to one in which there is this level and degree of yin-yang, the balance has tipped and events such as those occurring Monday evening are all but inevitable. By the time crowd members had attacked police officers by hurling rocks and debris, and surely by the time business were looted or burned, Freddie Gray was long since no longer the issue.

These were acts of anger, spiked by a longstanding seething over past slights and sins against African Americans. It is easy enough to submit that two wrongs do not make a right. That is not just easy to say, but also a fact. However, another fact that too often gets lost in the high intensity media frenzied translation that accompanies occurrences such as this in the digital age/24-hour news cycle, is Freddie Gray’s demise was not the first, or the twenty-first, of the fifty-first of it’s kind. It was just the next…in a long and tragic litany of black lives lost to violence perpetrated by law enforcement officialdom.

Given the myriad of dynamics, moving parts, related to just the actions in Baltimore this week, I can appreciate why one of my friends would feel “conflicted.” His sense of personal resentment, no doubt fueled by the recognition that, as the Baltimore Sun reported results from a study conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU):

• At least 109 people have died after encounters with police in Maryland between 2010 and 2014
• Nearly 70 percent of those who died were black, and more than 40 percent of the people were unarmed
• Blacks make up 29 percent of Maryland’s population
• Of the 109 cases studied, less than 2 percent of the officers involved in the deaths were criminally charged

There is a deep level of food for thought integrated in those findings; at least, there should be.

I can also understand the sentiment of the friend and Baltimore native, whom declared himself “DISGUSTED,” by the events of Monday evening. His mother still lives on the Westside of Baltimore, less than 10 minutes away form where much of the action went down. In his words, it “Makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE to tear up/burn up your own stuff…the few businesses that are bold enough to come to and stay in your community. I’m DISGUSTED tonight!!!”

Moreover, I can see very well why a third friend would say, “I’m looking forward to your take on the events today in Baltimore.” At this point, it is imperative to emphasize, the issues on the ground in Baltimore are complex and historically entrenched. However, they are also not just present in Baltimore, Maryland. As I have noted in other posts, they are evident in locales as far afield as:

1. Stanford Florida (I know Zimmerman was not a police officer, but as a neighborhood watch captain, he took the law into his own hands),
2. Staten Island, New York,
3. Ferguson, Missouri,
4. Cleveland, Ohio,
5. Beavercreek, Ohio,
6. North Charleston, South Carolina,
7. Charlotte, North Carolina (my hometown)

I have written about troubling and related events in each and every one of the communities listed above.

Back to B’more, as I’ve have already stated, the looting, burning, and violence that took hold in parts of Baltimore is criminal. Authorities there are justified in calling it such, and in seeking to bring offenders to justice.

But let us not pretend it is fair, courageous, or even minimally acceptable to suggest that an individual who was apparently healthy during the police’s pursuit of him, in great pain and discomfort as he was arrested (captured on audio/video), and dead from a nearly severed spine 2 hours later, was taken into custody “without excess force.” It is this unfathomable narrative that ultimately served as the fuel for the rioting. The Mayor, the Police Commissioner, and any other official who has in effect chosen to say “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” bears a considerable share of the onus for the ugly events we now contemplate and review.

I pray for the Baltimore community. I sincerely hope that state/local officials and disaffected citizens resolve their issues without addition mayhem. If there is a lesson to be learned from this community dysfunction, it is that the days of grin, bear it, and suffer in silence are behind us. We are barely a month into spring, but, frankly, this blowup foretells a long, hot American summer, if police officers continue to flagrantly African Americans, unabated. There you have it; my take on “Baltimore: Dissecting the Riotous Behavior!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/nonviolence-as-compliance/391640/

https://feministphilosophers.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/ta-nehisi-coates-on-the-riots-in-baltimore/

http://www.vox.com/2015/4/27/8506661/ta-nehisi-coates-baltimore

http://www.vox.com/2015/4/27/8505885/david-simon-baltimore-riots

http://sputniknews.com/us/20150428/1021453643.html

http://www.realclearreligion.org/2015/04/28/what_baltimore_needs_266628.html

http://www.newser.com/story/206019/baltimore-cops-injured-in-street-riot-reports.htmlhttp://m.920whjj.com/articles/national-news-104668/maryland-governor-declares-state-of-emergency-13540490/

http://news.yahoo.com/baltimore-erupts-riots-hollywood-reacts-040034406.html;_ylt=AwrBT9L2GT9VWGUAbDJXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzaHViY3RhBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVklQMTMxXzEEc2VjA3Nj

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/04/27/officers-injured-as-rioting-looting-erupts-in-baltimore-following-funeral-in-police-custody-death/

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-aclu-police-deaths-20150318-story.html#page=1

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-aclu-police-deaths-20150318-7-story.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/us/baltimore-riot-mom-smacks-son/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/us/baltimore-riots/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/us/baltimore-riots-authorities/index.html

It’s time to Break It Down!

Another week has commenced, and it is tempting to elevate for review and discourse the next African American male killed by a police officer, Mr. Freddy Gray, of Baltimore, Maryland. B’more, as Baltimore is affectionately known, has often been cited as a place where relations between police and poor sections of the black community go awry. That appears to have happened in the case of Mr. Gray.

In an encounter that is being investigated by local, state, and federal authorities, many questions remain. In what local law enforcement officials insist was a police stop that involved no force by police officers, Mr. Gray was found to have a nearly severed spine, and died one week after being taken into custody.

Temptation notwithstanding, I’m not going to sift through the details of that case, as we know them, for this week’s post. Instead, I will highlight an instance in which an intrepid police officer, despite being confronted by a suspect whom the officer ordered to stand down on a number of occasions, chose not to use deadly force. In fact, the suspect was not tased, not beaten, or shot to death.

Those circumstances alone make this situation stand out among the almost weekly procession of instances in which it seems another police officer (in fear of his life) shoots another black man, more often than not of late, unarmed. But for perspective, add to the amazing confluence of unlikely circumstances, the suspect had been accused of killing his best friend and his fiancée. In addition, the officer, Jesse Kidder, was a rookie with the New Richmond, Ohio Police Department.

There is little reason to doubt this man posed a danger to people in general, and at the time of this encounter, to the Officer Kidder. Yet, instead of recapping the details of yet another tragedy, the Ohio cop is being praised as a hero for not shooting Michael Wilcox, a 27-year-old man who was apparently attempting to commit what is known in the vernacular as suicide by cop.

The entire incident was caught on Officer Kidder’s Body Camera, and shows that Mr. Wilcox repeatedly charged the officer and threatened to shoot the officer, if he didn’t shoot him. He even reached into his pocket as if to retrieve a weapon. As reported by MSNBC, the exchange below can be heard on the audio accompanying the Body Camera video feed:

     “Shoot me or I’ll shoot you!” (Wilcox)

     “No man, I’m not going to do it!” (Kidder)

Officer Kidder tripped while back-pedaling, but used evasive measures to avoid Wilcox. Given the information available to the officer, including the details previously referenced above, and the fact that the dispatcher advised him Wilcox had a weapon, either on him, or in his car, and was fleeing another law enforcement agency, he could have shot and killed Mr. Wilcox and in all likelihood, been deemed justified by every authority who would have been called upon to review the details of the encounter. Randy Harvey, New Richmond Police Chief, essentially said as much:

“For him to make the judgment call that he did shows great restraint and maturity. This   video footage, it eliminated all doubt that this officer would have been justified if in fact it came to a shooting.”

Despite those facts on the ground, according to ABC News, Officer Kidder persuaded Wilcox to lie down on the ground and surrender. Prior to joining the police force on April 16, 2014, Officer Kidder was a Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, and won a Purple Heart. The video of the officer’s actions, understandably, has gone viral. In response to the many laudatory comments about his actions, Officer Kidder had this to say:

“Law enforcement officers all across the nation have to deal with split-second decisions that mean life or death. I wanted to be absolutely sure before I used deadly force.”

Mr. Wilcox has been charged with fatally shooting his 25-year-old girlfriend, Courtney Fowler. He is also a person of interest in a Kentucky slaying. He is being held in the Brown County Jail on $2 million bond.

Officer Kidder said a relative gave him the body camera following the deadly officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown last year in Ferguson, Missouri. Chief Harvey is seeking funding to purchase more cameras.

It may have occurred to you, this incident ended in stark contrast to so many others in the past year, even in the past weeks. Unlike in Ferguson Missouri, New York City, Cleveland, Ohio, North Charleston, South Carolina, and Baltimore, Maryland, the suspect survived. And the suspect survived, even though:

1. He was known to have killed (twice)
2. He was deemed to be armed
3. He charged the police officer
4. He disobeyed commands to stop
5. He threatened the officer
6. He never retreated
7. The officer was in continuous retreat

Despite a litany of aggravating circumstances, Officer Kidder has been deemed a hero, and much more importantly, Mr. Wilcox is alive. I wrote this post, not to critique the actions of the officers involved in the recent incidents in the aforementioned localities, but rather to underscore the one central point I always try to make in discussions about matters such as this. “Officers almost always have options other than ending a suspect’s life!” No encounter is apt to make that point more compellingly than this one (fortuitously on video).

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention the “ginormous” elephant in the room. While I do not know Officer Kidder, and would never deign to question the personal character of a Purple Heart recipient, I do know the one thing in this discussion that is not like all the other things. Michael Wilcox, the suspect in this incident, is a white man…who is alive today after a recorded encounter with a police officer that few if any black men would have survived. There, I said it…or at least, I wrote it.

I reiterate this is not a statement about what Officer Kidder would have done, had Mr. Wilcox been black, though that may be a fair point for consideration. Rather, it is a point blank statement of the inescapable: White men are afforded greater latitude than black men when they are involved in encounters with police officers.

That is a problem on many levels. It is a reflection of flawed public policy, an indication of a tacit distinction in the valuation of human capital, and an undeniable example of inequitable treatment of individuals due to race. All three of these points are incongruent with the “Exceptional” society we deem ourselves to be. Please join me in taking the requisite actions to create A More Perfect Union, as heralded in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, and in President Obama’s 2008 Speech using the same title. As we move forward to that end, let this encounter remind us that for all the events such as those for which Ferguson and North Charleston have been recently highlighted, they do not have to end the way they did, because due to the events in New Richmond, we are aware of…”Dangerous Encounters With Police: The Flip Side!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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/Baltimore

http://rt.com/usa/251825-doj-civil-rights-freddie-gray/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Richmond,_Ohio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhJKyK6VqDI

http://www.inquisitr.com/2022868/cop-refuses-to-shoot-murder-suspect-charging-at-him-screaming-shoot-me-or-ill-shoot-you-video/

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ohio-cop-praised-refusing-resort-deadly-force-against-murder-suspect

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ohio-officer-praised-restraint-refused-shoot-suspect-30416656

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Ohio-officer-praised-for-restraint-refused-to-6208776.php

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/see-dramatic-moment-double-murder-5546142

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

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/03/18/text-of-obamas-speech-a-more-perfect-union/

It’s time to “Break It Down!”

In the world of partisan politics, few things are more scrutinized and criticized than government handouts. The topic has been a frequent target of Right Wing politicos for decades. The familiar screed asserts that the ubiquitous giveaway is expressly reserved; no, targeted for the undeserving lazy, unmotivated, shiftless poor of our society. After the main proposition come the supporting premise: We must eliminate this wasteful expenditure of precious resources.

The very notion is in fact a fallacy. The truth of the matter is, the well to do benefit directly from the largess of government subsidies too. As a familiar post-Obama meme goes, “We are all socialists now.” In fact, not only are we, but we have been for quite some time. “Social” Security, as it’s commonly called, for example, has been around since 1935, or 80 years. Undoubtedly, there have been, and still are efforts to roll back, or eliminate it ever since the original Social Security Act, a compendium of social welfare and social insurance programs, was enacted. Surely one can make the case that America employed policies that inured to the social or collective benefit of citizens before that time. However, the 1935 measure marks an undeniable line in the sand.

What I want to make perfectly clear at this juncture is, it is not just the poor who sup at the government’s teat. The well heeled seek, obtain, and accept benefits derived from government. Last week, Emily Badger and Christopher Ingraham wrote a piece in the Washington Post that not only made this case, but delineated 10 current day examples of how folks, including those not defined or thought of as poor, come to receive government sponsored benefits. I will list those items here for your edification:

1. The mortgage interest deduction for big houses and second homes. Thanks to this tax break, the 5 million households in America making more than $200,000 a year get a lot more housing aid than the 20 million households living on less than $20,000. Deductions for mortgage interest incentivize people already capable of buying big homes to buy even bigger ones. This tax break applies as well to second homes (you only get one second home though!). Note: In the eyes of the Congressional Budget Office — the official word on this in Washington — the mortgage interest deduction is equivalent to the government offering you money, not you keeping your own
2. The yacht tax deduction. If you’ve got a boat and you’re paying interest on it, that interest is tax-deductible – provided your boat is really, really big. If it has sleeping quarters, a kitchen and a toilet – e.g., it is a yacht – then it can be considered a second home and any interest you pay on it is deductible. But if you just have a garden-variety fishing boat or canoe, sorry – no deduction for you. Beyond that, if you have a yacht you can loan it out to a charter business for part of the year, and keep it for personal use the rest of the time. This allows you to deduct the purchase price, insurance, maintenance and slip fees too. [This image perfectly sums up inequality in America, according to the Internet]
3. Rental Property. If you’re a landlord, which you probably aren’t if you’re very low-income, you can deduct many of the expenses you incur renting a home, including repairs, advertising, HOA fees and — again — mortgage interest. If you happen to rent out either your first or second home for 14 days or less — because, for example, Augusta National Golf Club is hosting the Masters nearby — you get to just pocket all that income without paying taxes on it at all.
4. Fancy business meals. Talking business over an expensive dinner? That’s tax deductible, too, a fact that puts taxpayer spending on food stamps into relief. This is a good deal for, say, a CEO presiding over actual filet mignon at a five-star restaurant. Scott Klinger, now the director of revenue and spending policies at the Center for Effective Government, explains how this works here:

• Imagine that the tab for dinner and drinks for 10 executives comes to $1,600. Current tax law allows companies to deduct half of the cost of business meals — in this case, $800. With a corporate tax rate of 35 percent, each dollar of deductions yields 35 cents of tax savings — so that $800 deduction saves $280 in taxes. This means one dinner for 10 people provides more public food assistance than the $279 an average household receives in food stamps for the whole month. [Missouri Republicans are trying to ban food stamp recipients from buying steak and seafood]

5. The capital gains tax rate. This is the big one. Taxes on investment dividends and capital gains currently max out at about 24 percentwhen you add in a Medicare surtax that applies to some investment income. But the top income tax rate is 6 percent. So investment income is taxed at a much lower rate than regular income. The annual earnings of many of the ultra-rich come from investments, not from wages. This is why Warren Buffett famously has a lower effective tax rate than his secretary.
6. The estate tax. “The Estate Tax is a tax on your right to transfer property at your death,” according to the IRS. Without the estate tax, super-wealthy families would be able to hoard that wealth in perpetuity, becoming ever more powerful in the process. The tax, as it currently exists, only kicks in on estates worth $5.4 million or more, affecting about the top 0.2 percent of households. For everyone else in the top 1 percent, congratulations! You can pass on your riches to your heirs tax-free. [The double-standard of making the poor prove they’re worthy of government benefits]
7. Gambling loss deductions. Did you know that the government provides a generous tax deduction for literally throwing your money away? You can deduct your gambling losses up to the value of any winnings you earned. More gambling winnings mean more gambling deductions, incentivizing you to keep gambling more to at least break even. And if you’ve got more money to gamble, you’ll have more losses to deduct.
8. Social Security earnings limit. Social Security taxes only apply to income up to $118,500 – anything after that is Social Security tax-free. So the more money you make, the less your effective Social Security tax rate is, making this tax about as regressive as they come. Technically, of course, Social Security is a savings plan, not a tax. But the rich tend to live longer than the poor and receive benefits longer than lower-wage earners, so an adjustment to the earnings limit would help offset this difference. Social Security’s own actuaries estimate that eliminating this cap would reduce the program’s long-term deficit by about 86 percent.
9. Retirement plans. The federal government incentivizes retirement by allowing you to reduce your taxable income by saving money in 401(k) plans or IRAs. But employer-sponsored retirement plans only benefit those people with employers that offer them (so, largely not people who work in retail or the fast-food sector). And the benefit for IRAs doesn’t help people who have no money left over for retirement after they pay their living expenses. In total, about 66 percent of these retirement subsidies go to the top 20 percent of taxpayers. Less than 1 percent go to the bottom 20 percent.
10. Tax prep. If you have hired an accountant to help you sort through all of these tax breaks to make sure you maximize them — which the wealthy are much more likely to do — you get to write off that expense, too.

Now, I’m not a tax attorney, or preparer, or a member of the one percent. I know the wealthy, as a rule, take great exception to most if not all ten of the points above. And that’s OK. Feel free to post your own thoughts on the subject. One thing that is beyond rational repudiation is that corporate and wealthy welfare is real. We can engage in earnest debate about whether such subsidies are earned, or simply a part of our economic system that needs repair.

I know folks who believe that arguments such as that proffered by the WashPo writers amounts to wealth envy. Interestingly, when arguments are made about the economic drain ensuing from the rich carrying the poor, few if any one from the ranks of the wealthy considers that poor envy. And of course, it isn’t. What wealthy person would actually want to be poor? None!

I don’t believe pointing out the systemic inequities listed in the items above is a function of any sort of envy. Rather it is a legitimate effort to foster a conversation about aspects of our economic policies and practices that could be realigned and improved.  Meanwhile, my postulation remains, “The Ubiquitous Government Handout: Not Just the Purview of the Poor!”

I’ll leave it at that. I’m done, holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/09/the-rich-get-government-handouts-just-like-the-poor-here-are-10-of-them/

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/subsidizing-rich-and-poor_770848.html

http://doablefinance.com/whats-it-with-the-poor-subsidizing-the-rich/

http://www.bendbulletin.com/nation/3034676-151/electric-car-rebates-subsidizing-the-rich

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/government-subsidizing-cool-cars-rich-people/nXjhC/#__federated=1

http://www.theglobalist.com/facts-energy-subsidies-for-the-rich/

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-government-is-quietly-giving-way-more-housing-aid-to-rich-people-than-poor-people-2013-12

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/08/opinion/l-subsidizing-the-rich-168287.html

http://sojo.net/magazine/2008/01/subsidizing-rich

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/ten-examples-of-welfare-for-the-rich-and-corporations_b_4589188.html

It’s time to Break It Down!

This past Saturday, North Charleston, South Carolina became the next Ground Zero for what is rapidly becoming the new normal…a law enforcement officer killing an unarmed black man. The very mention of this topic has become so sensitized that it needs to be preceded by a disclaimer. I have one; here it is: There are many ethical policemen and women, and other law enforcement officers who execute their professional duties and responsibilities to the highest standard expected and deserved by the public, in accordance with their oath, and consistent with every element of their job description. I believe that to be the unequivocal, unimpeachable truth.

Having stipulated that, there are too many officers who do not observe or comply with the aforementioned standards. On March 4^th, just five weeks ago, I wrote about the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department, an entity that was exposed by a Department of Justice (DOJ) Report as a perennial rogue agency that preyed upon African Americans, a demographic segment of the community that just happen to account for two-thirds of the population, but only about 8% of the police department.

In Ferguson, the shooting of Michael Brown resulted in a series of events that included riots and looting, nationwide attention, and two federal investigations, among other things. While many observers took solace in the fact that one of the two DOJ Reports did not result in finding that Officer Darren Wilson violated Michael Brown’s civil rights, a second report uncovered a repugnant picture of injustice against African Americans that included, but was not limited to the following:

• Blacks account for 85% of traffic stops
• Blacks account for 90% of tickets issued
• Blacks account for 93% of arrests
• Blacks account for 95% of jaywalking arrests (which often hinge on police discretion)
• Black drivers were twice as likely as white drivers to be searched during vehicle stops, but 26% less likely to have contraband
• Blacks account for 88% of persons against whom force was used

In North Charleston, a completely different fact pattern appears to be emerging. First, amazingly, there is a video; no doubt, one that paints, or more aptly, depicts a compelling picture of the events that unfolded when North Charleston Patrolman First Class Michael Slager, 33, stopped Walter Scott, 50, for a broken taillight. The video (which can be seen in one of the links below), captured by an observer who happened to be in the vicinity, shows that Officer Slager shot Mr. Scott up to eight times, in the back. The video also, importantly, highlights what may be key inconsistencies in the officer’s story.

Slager asserted in the official police report that Scott tried to obtain his Taser and use it against him. He added, as is common verbiage in such cases, that he feared for his life. He initially stated through his attorney at the time, David Aylor, that he followed appropriate policies and procedures. Not having been present at the scene, I will not deign to contradict, or even interpret what emotion(s) Officer Slager experienced, due to or during the encounter.

Whether it was fear, or anger…or something else, I do not know.  I am aware of what the video shows. Mr. Scott is fleeing, and Officer Slager is firing…multiple shots. He also appears to have “planted” his Taser near Scott’s body. Mr. Aylor told CNN he no longer represents Officer Slager. This case may be many things, but what it is not is an episode hinging upon unconfirmed reports of whether Scott was charging toward the officer, or if he stopped with his hands up, pleading to the officer, “Don’t shoot.”

Mr. Scott’s family has communicated two basic desires, early in the investigative process. First, they maintain, they want to find out the truth. Anthony Scott, Walter’s brother, had the following to say on Sunday afternoon:

“We just would like for justice to be taken, for justice to be served, and we would like for the truth to come out so my brother can rest in peace. Whatever happened yesterday, that’s all we want is the truth, and we will go to any length to get it.”

Second, they want this situation to be the anti-Ferguson. The family met Sunday in an empty lot where the shooting had occurred the day before. The held a press conference with community activists, calling for community calm and law enforcement transparency during the process of the investigation.

But it is not just the family’s urging that stands out, as events unfold after the North Charleston incident. Actually, Michael Brown’s family called for calm to, so it may be unfair to suggest there is anything different about that aspect of this shooting. However, that may be where similarities end.

Yesterday afternoon, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced during a news conference that Officer Slager has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Walter Scott. The mayor indicated the video, which must be deemed powerfully corroborative, has been sent to Mr. Scott’s family, and to the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Local officials’ decision to bring charges against the officer was heavily influenced by the video. Police Chief Eddie Driggers said the video shows Officer Slager shooting Mr. Scott as he was running away from the scene. According to Mayor Summey:

“As a result of that video and bad decisions made by our officer, he will be charged with murder,”

Chief Driggers, speaking with CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” called it “A tragic day.” He went on to say city leaders have been in contact with Mr. Scott’s family’s pastor, and that the city has been an open book with investigators.  When asked if race played a part in the incident, Chief Driggers, who is white, would not rule it out.

When asked a similar question, L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for the family was somewhat more direct.  He said:

“This is a bigger issue of human life and the value of it, and when people start respecting that more it won’t matter what color you are.”

The Mayor called the video “very demonstrative,” and said it would have been difficult to resolve the issue without it. He noted that Scott was hit with the officer’s Taser, and they know that because one of the Taser projectiles was still attached.

U.S. Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina, posted about the case on his Twitter account.  He said:

“After watching the video, the senseless shooting and taking of #WalterScott’s life was absolutely unnecessary and avoidable. My heart aches for the family and our North Charleston community. I will be watching this case closely.”  No word on whether the Senator, who is African American, is related to Mr. Scott.

According to SLED records, Officer Slager was booked at the Charleston County Detention Center, and the case will be prosecuted by the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. The South Carolina Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has opened a concurrent investigation, and is providing assistance as necessary to the State’s investigation. The DOJ Civil Rights Division and the South Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office will work with the FBI in the investigation. The DOJ has committed to take appropriate action in light of the evidence and developments in the case.

There is an inherent sadness about finding our society in this position, once again. Yet, it is fair to say, it is possible to learn from mistakes of the past, and as I like to insert, they do not all have to be one’s own mistakes. Officials in North Charleston seem to be students of recent history. They saw or read about the events in Ferguson, New York, Cleveland, and elsewhere, and they decided when faced with a similar tragedy, they did not have to repeat the mistakes made in some of those jurisdictions.

They did not wait or hide behind a Grand Jury, a la Ferguson, they did not try to stifle the video, as in New York, and they did not await a federal investigation, as in Cleveland. There are still investigations to unfold, and a trial to ensue. As such, there is still time and an opportunity for things to unravel.

However, based on the “First 48,” as the saying goes, there is legitimate hope that justice will be served. That is what the Scott family asked for, and what the true creed of our society demands. With that in mind, we may take a calculatingly cold look at the facts… “Another Officer in Fear for His Life: Another Black Man Down,” and recognize, for once at least, we may actually be confronted by real progress. It is after all worth noting that North Charleston is not only in South Carolina, but just miles from the Port of Charleston, and the Old Slave Market. I enthusiastically extend kudos to Mayor Summey, Chief Driggers, and the citizens of North Charleston.

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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/North_Charleston,_South_Carolina

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michael-slager-south-carolina-officer-charged-murder-black-man-n337526

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/07/officer-michael-slager-shoots-man-in-back-video_n_7021134.html

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150405/PC16/150409588/1009&source=RSS

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/07/us/south-carolina-officer-charged-murder/index.html

http://www.brothersonsports.com/watch-cop-shoots-black-man-in-the-back-charged-with-murder/

http://www.refinery29.com/2015/04/85191/south-carolina-charleston-shooting-unarmed-black-man

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/White-US-Police-Officer-Charged-for-Murder-of-Unarmed-Black-Man-20150407-0026.html

http://www.wyff4.com/news/sled-police-officer-charged-with-murder/32239980?absolute=true

http://www.wistv.com/story/28737978/north-charleston-police-schedules-presser-about-fatal-officer-involved-shooting

http://www.live5news.com/story/28737978/civil-rights-groups-schedule-presser-in-fatal-officer-involved-shooting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YRnPeCrGZs

Its’s Time to Break It Down!

The last six and one-quarter years have presented an incredibly fascinating study in the execution of democracy, American style. As a nation, we elected the country’s first African American President…twice. In that regard, we are living in historic times. On its face, it would seem this is a feat our entire nation could reflect upon, take stock of, and bask in an enduring pride of our having, as the late Neil Armstrong might said, collectively taken “One small step for man; one giant step for mankind.”

Undoubtedly, there are those who feel that way. Many, however, do not. It’s not difficult to foster a spirited debate among Americans about the basis for this lack of unanimity regarding our history-making venture. On one side you have the proponents of the notion that President Obama’s policies are so egregious, malevolent, and anti-American, that it is imperative to oppose his “every action,” in a Machiavellian, the end justifies the means kind of way. Alternately, there is a view that much, if not most of the enmity people direct toward President Obama stems from one simple root…race.

There are countless examples of a virulent strain of hate against this President, constantly on display. In today’s post, I will cite just one. On this past Sunday, after returning from a trip to Florida, President Obama slipped and nearly fell, while exiting Air Force One (AF-1). Extra emphasis on “nearly fell.” Upon reading a couple of entries addressing this story, I wondered what in the world the reaction might have been, had he actually fallen.

Then I came across a particular article, complete with one of those comments afterward sections. I confess I have heard any number of mean, hateful, and derogatory comments, aimed at President Obama during his tenure in Office. Some actually were tied to his policy initiatives or positions, such as the Affordable Care Act, immigration reform, or equitable access to justice (or the lack thereof). But I recently came across a pretty amazing screed, the source of which was the President’s mere exiting a plane.

As noted previously, President Obama slipped as he exited AF-1. Being the dexterously athletic individual he is, not surprisingly, he caught himself, and quickly regained his balance. If this had happened to anyone of us, we’d undoubtedly been relieved because we avoided further embarrassment, not to mention injury. I’m sure Mr. Obama was too. But oh did his haters have a field day?

Here’s a sampling of the comments pulled from a few “comment sections, beginning with World Net Daily:”

Right2Bear: Too bad he didn’t…….Never Mind

omega2: FINISH YOUR STATEMENT! “BREAK HIS FRIGGING NECK” !

Christian1897: Too bad he didn’t break his traitor neck.

Countryflowers: Too bad he didn’t break his neck.

SoonerMD: Please tell me that his writing hand was broken beyond repair!

John Cross: Too bad he didn’t……” DIE There, I said it.

At The Blaze, it is the same story — a flood of “loving” and “Christian” conservatives wishing harm on the President of our nation:

Bioya: Gravity is racist. Missed Opportunity.

WorldWideWalker: Doggone it! And it was from the top step too!

Conservativearin: Darn it, fate foiled by a stair rail.

Zipit: A Presidential “Face Plant” would have been an inspiration to our country!

Libh8ter: I have been hoping to see him fall down that flight of stairs. He has always exited the plaine, not wanting to hold onto the railings because it would be a sign of weakness. This was just a bobble…I’m still hoping to see him break something.

LSL: Stuff like this happens every time a little girl tries to skip down the stairs. Thank goodness he didn’t break his freakin’ neck and end up like Stephen Hawking. I can dream, can’t I.

theycallmeNero: Glad he didn’t fall and get terminally injured…we don’t need another holiday to honor a turd in a punch bowl.

Outlaw_Josey_Wales: Returning home from an all men foursome, Obama almost tumbled down the stairs of Air Force One.

Of course not to be outdone, Fox News responders provided their own special brand of commentary on the subject:

Commnav: Dodging sniper fire?????

TexasMyCountry: Too bad he didn’t break his neck.

Palawan: That’s a shame he didn’t trip and break his FN neck falling down the stairs.

Grandpa1959: Nearly is not good enough. Full frontal tumble, thump, thump, splat is more like it.

Marting515: Why couldn’t he have fallen, smashed his head and be brain dead? Oh wait, he’s already brain dead.

Kenyanhunter: Can’t we catch a lucky break and have him fall on his head ?

drwho4: D a m n…too bad he couldn’t have some pain like the kind is giving the rest of the country!

Stork1938: The “ ghetto roll “ is difficult to do on steps !

Howie444Brown: America was almost saved ………. Glad it didn’t happen though – Bush would have gotten blamed for it – again

Arcticdude1: Dang, almost!

Duncan2dog: Too bad he didn’t break his neck.

Bigengineman: damn,, almost

Airvet1968: If he fell and broke his neck, that would have been Classic instant Karma

ustruth: There goes a missed opportunity.

The design of this post is not to assign motive to these deep-thinking Americans, patriots all, I’m sure. Rather it is to cite for the record, in one place, the fervor and tenor of responses generated by even the most benign actions by our Commander-in-Chief. “President Obama Stumbles: Haters Rue Missed Opportunity!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.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://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/president-obama-slips-exiting-air-force-article-1.2166992

http://www.ifyouonlynews.com/politics/obama-almost-slips-on-stairs-conservatives-curse-missed-opportunity-for-his-death-screenshots/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3017373/Obama-loses-footing-getting-Air-Force-One-weekend-golf-getaway-Florida-played-donor-friends-sports-franchise-owners.html

http://article.wn.com/view/2015/03/30/Obama_slips_getting_off_Air_Force_One/

http://article.wn.com/view/2015/03/30/WATCH_President_Obama_stumbles_on_steps_of_Air_Force_One_u/

http://article.wn.com/view/2015/03/30/Obama_stumbles_as_he_disembarks_Air_Force_One_in_rare_loss_o/

http://www.news.nom.co/president-obama-slips-while-exiting-16375819-news/

http://www.onenewspage.com/n/Politics/754y8s62n/President-Obama-slips-while-exiting-Air-Force-One.htm

http://currentnewschannel.com/president-obama-slips-while-exiting-air-force-one/

http://www.bustle.com/articles/72912-obama-slips-nearly-falls-off-air-force-one-but-recovers-his-cool-video