It’s time to Break It Down!

“I’ll give you my gun when you pry (or take) it from my cold, dead hands.”

If there is an anthem for the gun lobby, undoubtedly, that is it.  While many attribute the origin of the meme to Charlton Heston, he really just became the most persuasive, not to mention, most well-known vessel for what has become the quintessential message of the movement.  The quote is a variation of a slogan mentioned in a 1976 report from the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency: “I Will Give Up My Gun When They Peel My Cold Dead Fingers From Around It.”

The original version was not Heston’s; nor was it proffered by the NRA, whose ad campaigns made it famous.  A citizen’s group, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, based in Bellevue, Washington, devised the slogan, along with the also popular slice of gun mythology, “If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.”  Together, these two battle cries serve to keep the most avid of gun rights supporters perpetually energized.

About 10 days ago, Charlotte and Harriet Childress penned an Opinion piece for the Washington Post linking mass shootings in the United States with white men.  The Childress’, who are identical twins, are researchers and consultants who study social and political issues.  They are also co-authors of “Clueless at the Top: While the Rest of Us Turn Elsewhere for Life, Liberty, and Happiness.”  The book takes a look at what the sisters call “Outdated hierarchies in American culture.”

Needless to say, anyone putting forth such a premise is likely to face some pretty serious scrutiny, and more than a few ad hominem attacks.  This was certainly the case with Charlotte and Harriet.  Of course the classic and ready point of reference for critics of their argument is, “What about all the gun-related homicides that are not mass shootings?”  First off, it is important to say, point well taken!  However, having conceded the noted exceptions, what about the rule, to which they speak?

As the NRA, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the collective gun lobby make clear on a daily basis, a significant segment of the American populace loves its guns.  Judging by the ads one sees on TV, and by the Childress’ Washington Post Opinion, a key demographic of that segment is white men.

In Chicago, a city which has had mind-numbing numbers of homicides in the past several years, over 500 in 2012 alone, much of the carnage is attributed to young African American males, and to the gang violence to which many of them contribute.  This is a fair assessment, and appropriate discourse should ensue, and suitable remedies should be devised.

But, let’s not be obtuse, nor feign oblivion to the preeminently compelling fact of the matter, which is, the vast majority of perpetrators of mass shootings in America are white males (men or boys).  Columbine, Tucson, Aurora, & Newtown all spring to mind, with Newtown, where 20 five and six year-olds were murdered this past December, standing out as the touchstone for current efforts to fashion new gun law initiatives.

In their Washington Post article, the Childress sisters pose the inconvenient counter fact; “Imagine if African American men and boys were committing mass shootings month after month, year after year.”

Now you might argue, correctly I would add, that the majority of shooters in Chicago have been African American; and they have been, year after year.  However, and I know this may invite its own element of tension; the victims in Chicago have also been mostly black.  Say what you will about ours being a color-blind society, or this being a post-racial America; the color of the victims, especially in the case of mass shootings, does make a difference.

Most of the victims of these horrendous acts have been white.  To take the what if narrative from above a step further, imagine if black men and boys were killing whites in a steady stream of mass shootings.  I am not sure we would get to year after year before the subject garnered more serious and intense scrutiny.

As the NRA has set out to establish an agenda to defeat “any” new gun laws, its focus has been placed largely on mental health issues.  This tact seems designed to deflate, if not flat out disparage any efforts to enact new legislation, no matter how logical, or well-intended they may be.

So why single-out white men?  Well for one thing, as the Opinion notes: “Women and girls with mental health issues are not picking up semi-automatic weapons and shooting schoolchildren.  Immigrants with mental health issues are not committing mass shootings in malls and movie theaters.  Latinos with mental health issues are not continually killing groups of strangers.”  And just to be clear, neither Native Americans, nor African Americans have a history of committing multiple mass shootings either.

Childress and Childress submit if life were equitable, white male gun-rights advocates would be forced to address a series of serious questions about their credibility and objectivity, including:

What facets of white male culture create so many mass shootings?

Why are so many white men and boys producing and entertaining themselves  with violent video games and other media?

Why do white men buy, sell, and manufacture guns for profit, attend gun shows, and demonstrate for unrestricted gun access disproportionately than people of other ethnicities or races?

Why are white male congressmen leading the fight against gun control?

The sisters suggest that if we ask the right questions, we will get the right answers.  It is their belief that the answers to the above questions will encourage white men to examine their role in their own culture and to help other white men and boys become healthier and less violent.

All this is high-minded, sounds good, and may even be the right course of action to take.  Alas, right questions notwithstanding, I am unconvinced that we as a society are anywhere near stemming the tide of gun violence in general or mass shootings in particular.  What we have, in my opinion, is a failure to adequately grasp the essential isness of one of America’s most deeply ingrained natural laws: “Gun Rights: An American Love Story!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.

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

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

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/white-men-have-much-to-discuss-about-mass-shootings/2013/03/29/7b001d02-97f3-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_story.html

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_my_cold,_dead_hands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ju4Gla2odw

https://www.facebook.com/charlotteharriet.childress

http://www.cluelessatthetop.com/h_and_c_childress.html

http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2013/03/30/charlotte-and-harriet-childress-for-washington-post-white-men-have-much-to-discuss-about-mass-shootings-or-something/

http://www.rolereboot.org/culture-and-politics/details/2012-07-why-most-mass-murderers-are-privileged-white-men

http://www.examiner.com/article/connecticut-shooting-white-males-and-mass-murder

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ad+hominem?s=t

It’s time to Break It Down!

There is a rumor among us that the GOP is actively attempting to forge a makeover; a fundamental alteration of strategies and tactics that inured the Party’s losses in a number of key demographic strata back on November 6, 2012.  On that fateful day, AKA (also known as) Election Day, 2012, President Obama amassed an edge in numerous statistical categories, which ultimately propelled him to a win in the General Election.

It sounds good, in principle.  However, as with most high-minded ideals, finding and maintaining higher ground, moral or otherwise, is “easier said than done!”  Back to the real world; last week, Alaska Republican Representative Don Young took what may best be described as one humongous step “Back to the GOP Future!”  During a discussion about ongoing challenges to the economy last Thursday, Republican Young referred to Hispanic workers as “wetbacks,” an ethnic slur used to describe migrant workers.

In providing depth and context to his unwitting and off-putting phraseology, the Congressman told Alaska public radio station KRBD “My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes.  It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now.  It’s all done by machine.”  Perhaps, this variety of wrong-headed Palinesque jocularity is a fundamental flaw of Alaska Republicans.  But I digress.  The term “wetback” is a pejorative assignation historically used to describe workers from Latin American countries who swim across the Rio Grande to reach the United  States.

Last fall, during the height of the Presidential Campaign, a number of gaffes, if you will, impaired Governor Romney’s ability to engineer a successful effort to wrest the Presidency from “44.”  In fact, these untimely and unforced errors were a huge part of what Team GOP aimed to fix, after what by most accounts, they considered a stunning defeat in the 2012 Presidential Election.

In direct response, it has been reported that the Republican Party has executed extensive post-election polling and focus groups designed to obtain a serious and objective reading on where they stand within the framework of a changing electorate.  Obviously, this is not so subtle reinforcement of that ever compelling nugget of conventional wisdom: “Hindsight is 20/20.”  If only…this brainstorm had touched down before the election.

Mark McKinnon, a former strategist for George W. Bush opined, “The Republican Party needs messages and policies that appeal to a broader audience.  This election proved that trying to expand a shrinking base ain’t going to cut it.  It’s time to put some compassion back in conservatism.  The party needs more tolerance, more diversity and a deeper appreciation for the concerns of the middle class.”

To highlight his point, even though only 39% of whites, 44% of voters older than 65, and 25% of white males voted for President Obama, he still prevailed.  He did so in large measure because he won 9 of the 10 States identified as Swing States, losing only here in North  Carolina.  These states were home to the 10 closest election margins in 2012, and are listed below:

1. Florida: 0.6 percent (Obama 49.9, Romney 49.3.)

2. Ohio: 1.9 percent (Obama 50.1, Romney 48.2)

3. North  Carolina: 2.2 percent (Romney 50.6, Obama 48.4)

4. Virginia (99% reporting): 3.0 percent (Obama 50.8, Romney 47.8)

5. Colorado: 4.7 percent (Obama 51.2, Romney 46.5)

6. Pennsylvania (99% reporting): 5.2 percent (Obama 52, Romney 46.8)

7. Iowa: 5.6 percent (Obama 52.1, Romney 46.5)

8. New  Hampshire (99% reporting): 5.8 percent (Obama 52.2, Romney 46.4)

9. Nevada (99% reporting): 6.6 percent (Obama 52.3, Romney 45.7)

10. Wisconsin: 6.7 percent (Obama 52.8, Romney 46.1)

So despite President Obama and Democrats in general finding challenging sledding in the demographic segments for which the GOP fought most enthusiastically (and effectively, I might add), there was a proverbial desert of GOP political failure within in other demographic groups in 2012.  On the way to victory, the President won an array of demographic segments, including the dozen below:

     Women – 55%

     Black – 93%

     Hispanic – 67%

     Asian – 73%

     Jewish – 69%

     Other – 57%

     Age 18-29 – 60%

     Age 30-44 – 52%

     Unmarried – 67%

     Self Identified Gay – 76%

     Income Under $30,000 – 63%

     Income $30,000 – $49,000 – 57%

Obviously, the Republican Party has devoted a significant amount of mental capital to contemplating the return on investment (or lack thereof) in the politics of hate, derision, and various and sundry slurs.  Now all they need to do is get their full complement of players on board.

Congressman Young’s immediate response to the dust-up created by his comments was not exactly rueful, or contrition-filled.  In a sit down interview with Ketchikan Radio, Representative Young said, “I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in Central California.  I know this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect.”  And yet, he used to the term anyway.  Mental note to the Congressman; that you “knew the word is not used in the same way nowadays”, and yet you used it anyway…that is what most thinking people would call, “the problem.”

In retrospect, Representative Young’s slur is a classic example the type of devaluing of an entire ethnic group that will make the GOP’s efforts to recalibrate its vision and messaging a continuing minefield, littered with their own crass commentary and willful disregard of calls for change, even from within their own diminishing circle.  So, from my admittedly limited vantage point, this was just another case of SOSDD; “Back to the GOP Future!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.

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

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

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/slurs-against-latinos-gays-complicate-gops-mission-to-broaden-its-tent/2013/03/29/407e1f84-9885-11e2-b68f-dc5c4b47e519_story.html

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/gop-lawmaker-calls-hispanic-workers-wetbacks-124131854–politics.html

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/martin-bashir/51375069#51375069

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/03/29/don-young-migrant-slur-republican-reaction/2035161/

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/03/29/rep-don-young-in-hot-water-for-wetback-comment/

http://americablog.com/2013/03/wetback-don-young-latinos-gay-marriage.html

http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Politics/republican-congressman-refers-latinos-wetbacks/story?id=18836752#.UVuX58_D_IU

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/03/29/1793271/don-young-latino-wetbacks/?mobile=nc

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2013/mar/29/gop-denounces-youngs-hispanic-slur/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/29/alaska-republican-don-young-wetbacks-slur

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/us/politics/obamas-victory-presents-gop-with-demographic-test.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/opinion/obama-won-on-values-not-demographics.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.statisticbrain.com/2012-presidential-voter-support-by-demographic/

http://www.usatoday.com/interactives/news/politics/how-the-race-was-won

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/jewish-voter-exit-polls_n_2084008.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetback_(slur)

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush

http://www.krbd.org

It’s time to Break It Down!

On November 1, 2007, 21 year-old Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia, Italy.  Ms. Kercher was a British exchange student from Coulsdon, South London.

Rudy Guede, a native of the Ivory Coast, raised in Perugia, was convicted in October 2008 of having sexually assaulted and murdered Kercher.  Initially sentenced to 30 years, his sentence was reduced on appeal to 16 years in December 2009.

Amanda Knox, an American exchange student in Perugia,Kercher’s flatmate (roommate), and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, an Italian student were convicted on charges of sexual assault and murder in December 2009, and sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.  Their convictions were overturned on appeal in October 2011.  In a statement of their grounds for overturning the convictions, the two judges who oversaw the case wrote:

“There was a “material non-existence” of evidence to support the guilty verdicts at the trial. The prosecution’s theory of an association between Sollecito, Knox and Guede was “not corroborated by any evidence” and “far from probable“

Kercher’s murder and the subsequent events, especially Knox’sarrest and trial, received worldwide media attention.  This was particularly true in Italy and England, where much of the publicity was of the salacious tabloid variety.  A number of observers criticized the press for failing to describe events in an accurate and dispassionate manner.  Naturally, the concern was that this could skew the outcome of the case.

In recent days, American media has been afire with reports that the Italian Supreme Court has overturned the acquittal, and declared that Knox and Sollecito’s case must be retried.  While the case is set in Italy, in America, we operate on a presumption of innocence, until one is proved guilty.  There is also a rule against what is called double-jeopardy, which means, in effect, if an individual is tried and found not guilty, they cannot be tried again for the same crime.

All of this may seem quite confusing to casual observers, familiar with the rules of American jurisprudence.  In the Italian system, there is a procedural sequencing that allows the Supreme Court to take the action it has in Ms. Knox’s case.  In the technical sense, what is about to happen is an extension of the stages or phases of the original prosecution, and not what Americans would consider double-jeopardy.

Amanda Knoxmay in fact be innocent of the murder of Meredith Kercher.  I hope she is! This review of the facts is not intended to try her case from my vantage point.  Rather, it is meant to note the markedly biased treatment the recent ruling is being given by parts of the American media stream, which appears to be enthusiastically questioning how “unfairly” Ms. Knox is being treated, as she attempts to rebuild her life back in her home town of Seattle.

Yet, this is what I find troubling. In her initial story to police, Ms. Knox alleged that Patrick Lumumba was infatuated with Ms. Kercher, had sex with her, and later killed her.  Lumumba was a bar owner for whom Knox worked.  At one point she noted:

“I have a hard time remembering those moments but Patrick had sex with Meredith, with whom he was infatuated, but I cannot remember clearly whether he threatened Meredith first. I remember confusedly that he killed her.“

Mr. Lumumba spent two weeks in jail, before the evidentiary trail fell apart abruptly, on two separate fronts. First and foremost, he had an airtight alibi.  He was at work at his bar, and engaged in conversation all evening with witnesses who corroborated his whereabouts.  Second, his DNA could not be found at the crime scene…the reason being both understandable, and abundantly clear, since he was not there!  On its face, at best, this was yet another classic instance of “blame it on the black guy;” at worse, it was a blatantly opportunistic, perhaps even desperate ploy to point the po-po in any direction, not aimed toward her.

In the end, regardless of whether Ms. Knox tried to “Susan Smith” Lumumba, or whether she was just lying through her teeth in an at-all-costs effort to save her own skin, damn the consequences to an innocent man; her behavior and character must be put under a microscope, due to her personal actions, color notwithstanding.  She was eventually found guilty of slandering Mr. Lumumba, and had her sentence for doing so, initially slated for one year, increased to three years and eleven days.

The Italian Court of Cassation later found that Knox’s human rights had been violated, because the police had not told her of her legal rights, appointed her a lawyer, or provided her an official interpreter; therefore, her statement to police was ruled inadmissible for Knox’s and Sollecito’scriminal trial. The court did, however, rule the note she wrote afterwards questioning the validity of her statement was admissible as evidence to prosecute her.

On 16 November the Rome forensic police matched fingerprints found in Kercher’s bedroom to Rudy Guede, who had lived in or near Perugia since arriving in Italy with his father when he was five years old. Because he was an immigrant, his fingerprints were on file.  He was arrested on November 20, 2007 in Germany, where he had fled days after the murder. His DNA was later found at the crime scene, on and inside Kercher’s body.  The prosecution charged Guede for the murder, but retained the allegations against Knox and Sollecito that originally related to acting in concert with Mr. Lumumba.

On October 3, 2011, the court overturned Knox’s and Sollecito’s convictions on charges of complicity in murder, sexual assault, illegally carrying a knife and staging a break-in. The conviction of Knox on a charge of slander was upheld.

Ms. Knox immediately returned to the United States upon her release from custody.  She then undertook the arduous task of putting the pieces of her life back together after four years in an Italian jail.  She is enrolled in college, she is writing a book about her experience, and by and large she has tried to get on with her life.

Americans have a tendency to look out for their own.  Consequently, I understand, given the range of less than delightful circumstances that Ms. Knox experienced, how and why Americans, spurred by an overzealous media, may be prone to view her as a sympathetic figure.  Yet, I cannot exorcise from my mind the image of Patrick Lumumba; innocent and in jail.  And no matter how you frame it, he found himself in that unenviable position because of the nonfactual representation of events presented by a woman whose collective defense much of the American media seems to be at the ready.

I’m sorry, but in my view, Patrick Lumumba is the sympathetic figure in this story.  As I wrote earlier, I am not suggesting that Ms. Knox is culpable in Ms. Kercher’s death.  I don’t even care to speculate on that subject. However, what has been established as fact, and etched in my mind is, for whatever the reason, Ms. Knox concocted a story, among a spate of other inconsistencies, that led to an innocent black man going to jail.  “Patrick Lumumba: A Tortuous Tale of Italian Jurisprudence!”  That’s all I need to know!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com or http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.

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

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

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

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/28/world/europe/italy-amanda-knox-timeline

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/young/amanda_knox/4.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21938080

http://www.injusticeinperugia.org/rudy.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9954208/Amanda-Knox-Meredith-Kercher-murder-retrial-Q-and-A.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/03/26/175336714/italian-court-orders-retrial-for-amanda-knox

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/k/amanda_knox/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/26/us-italy-knox-idUSBRE92P0AE20130326

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/amanda-knox-acquittal-overturned-new-trial-ordered-2007-murder-meredith-kercher-article-1.1299140

It’s time to Break It Down!

While the Catholic Church Worldwide was busy in Rome, electing, welcoming, and confirming a new Pope Francis I, in case you managed to miss it, the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party was ensconced inWashington, DC, rallying around an impressive array of the reigning Right Wing Illuminati.  The list of invited conservative luminaries included Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum,Tim Scott, Mitt Romney, Allen West, Bobby Jindal, and Jeb Bush, to name just 10.  Conspicuous by his absence (and lack of an invitation), was New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, whom many view as the early odds-on favorite to claim the GOP nomination in 2016.

As the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) convened in the nation’s Capital for its 40^th Annual Confab, many observers noted a fairly active episode of trench warfare; nothing less than a battle for the soul of the Party.  And who is the opponent of record?  Believe it or not, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has staked itself out as the entity standing as the antithesis of CPAC.

In a freshly minted report commissioned by the RNC the narrative is framed such that it tears the CPAC/GOP-Tea Party a proverbial “new one.”   One characterization in the LA Timesasserts that the report “Reads like an anti-GOP critique from the“lame stream media.”  The report maintains the GOP, as currently constituted is:

• Too rigidly ideological

• Too enthralled with greedy corporations

• Too disconnected from nonwhite and young voters

• In desperate need of new ideas

The report was authored by a collection of folks straight out of the Bush faction of the Republican Party.  Prominent among them were Ari Fleischer, George W. Bush’s White House spokesman, Sally Bradshaw, a veteran advisor to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and RNC Committeeman Henry Barbour, nephew of Haley Barbour, the former Mississippi Governor and RNC Chairman, who worked on the Presidential  campaign of Vice President George H. W. Bush in 1988.  Completing the five-member group of authors are two additional RNC members, whose race and ethnicity make them atypical Republicans – Glenn McCall, an African American from South Carolina, andZori Fonalledas, a Latina from Puerto Rico.

In gathering input for the report, the 5-member panel solicited input from 50,000rank-and-file party members.  Information gathered from focus groups (composed of Republicans) indicate that a great many Americansperceive Republicans as:

• Narrow-minded

• Out of touch

• Homophobic

• Stuffy old white men

• Interested only in the welfare of rich people

• A turn-off to young voters

• Disinterested in attracting minorities to the Party

In addition to these findings, the report also suggests a number of philosophical adjustments that “true conservatives” view as anathema.  For example, the report argues, “We have to blow the whistle at corporate malfeasance and attack corporate welfare. We should speak out when CEO’s receive tens of millions of dollars in retirement packages but middle-class workers have not has a meaningful raise in years.”

That rhetoric could easily be mistaken for a statement from the Democratic Party, oft described by conservatives as “class warfare.”

It can be argued, however, that an even more highly charged position taken by the report is the endorsement of comprehensive immigration reform.  In DC,CPAC heard right-wing commentator Ann Coulter blasted the report, insisting that immigration reform equates to amnesty, and amounts to political suicide for the GOP. She claimed, “If amnesty goes through, America becomes California and no Republican will ever win another national election.”

In its heated reaction, CPAC provided a vivid example of the fevered, insular mindset that the RNC committee sees as a huge problem for the party.

“The Republican Party needs to stop talking to itself,” the report opines.  The writers went on to say, “We have become expert in how to provide ideological reinforcement to like-minded people, but devastatingly we have lost the ability to be persuasive with, or welcoming to, those who do not agree with us on every issue.”

Ironically, while the RNC is saying let us open the doors to new people and new ideas, a litany ofCPAC speakers was composed almost entirely of insular ideologues, gay-bashers, gun fetishists, religious fundamentalists, birth control foes, and devotees of wacky conspiracy theories.  CPACheadliners such as Sara Palin, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Allen West, Donald Trump, and the National Rifle Association’s Wayne LaPierre do not represent a new direction for the GOP.  They represent exactly what the RNC is warning against; “CPAC: A Trip Back to the Future.”  Have no doubt; there is a battle afoot for the soul of the GOP.

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.comor http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.

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

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

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

http://news.yahoo.com/republican-disarray-on-full-display-at-cpac-151848460.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1qw3IbGOpo&list=UUXgSdJoSGVClzLFb63CYyOw

http://theeverlastinggopstoppers.com/2013/03/white-cpac-attendee-african-americans-allowed-vote-africa-video/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57574789/7-takeaways-from-cpac-2013/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/03/19/palin-cpac-fact-check-budget/2001297/

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-republican-soul-20130318,0,5342922.story

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/rnc-autopsy-may-rile-up-base-89010_Page2.html

http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/2013/03/19/sen-rand-paul-talks-cpac-straw-poll-victory-looks-ahead-2016

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/sarah-palin-cpac-speech-2013-big-gulp-bloomberg-18753388

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/16/ann-coulter-cpac_n_2892646.html

http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/at-cpac-the-marriage-fight-is-over

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/16/politics/cpac-5-things

It’s time to Break It Down!

Yesterday’s billowing black smoke from the Sistine Chapel meant no new Pope; back to the drawing board.  Cardinal Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was elected Pontiffby the Conclave of Cardinals on April 19, 2005, three days after his 78^th birthday.  He went on to serve 7 years and a little over 10months as Pope Benedict XVI, the 265th Bishop of Rome.  Though he had reached an advanced age prior to his elevation, it is worth noting that Cardinal Ratzinger is not the oldest man elected Pope.  It is just as noteworthy that the youngest person to assume the position was a teenager at the time.  (See both in the list below).   

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

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16%3A18-19&version=NIV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s time to Break It Down!

In 1859, Charles Dickens penned the classic A Tale of Two Cities.  The opening paragraph, one of the most famous in all of literature, reads thusly:

There are undoubtedly a great many sociological evaluations and assessments delving into why these issues are plaguing the Catholic Church.  Without exhausting the full range of possibilities, one observation screams so loudly, it is difficult to ignore. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/26/anti-gay-rhetoric-of-religious-leaders

It’s time to Break It Down!

There are many current events that vied for todays post.  Pope Benedict transitions to, His Holiness Benedict XVI, Emeritus Pope at the end of tomorrow, lacking some unforseen miracle, the next round of budget malaise, otherwise known as, The Sequester, begins Friday, conservatives are still in apoplexy over First Lady, Michelle Obama, announcing Argo’s Oscar, in South Africa, another Oscar (Pistorius) finds himself embroiled in controversy after killing his girlfriend…(Reeva Steenkamp) on Valentine’s Day, and another Black History Month comes to a close tomorrow.  Alas, I opted for none of the above.

Instead, I chose to take a walk down memory lane.  Five years ago today I wrote a post about the venerable and vaunted Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament.  At the time the event was in its third year in Charlotte.  In honor of that post, and in recognition of the fact that the CIAA, Time Warner Arena (Formerly Bobcats’ Arena), and the Charlotte community are doing it again this week, I am reprising that edition. 

The Conference, which celebrated a century of great basketball last year also selected a new Commissioner in 2012; Ms. Jacqie Carpenter.  The conference’s first female Commissioner, was lured from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where she held down a number of responsible positions, including head of the Men’s NCAA Division I Championship.

The following information first appeared, as it does below, in the February 27, 2008 edition of “Break It Down!”          

Over the course of six months of blogging, I have come to accept the inescapable certainty of natural law. To wit, during holidays, there will be more recreating than reading. As a result, I have adopted a Prime Directive similar to that of James Tiberius Kirk, intrepid Captain of the USS Enterprise. My General Order #1 is, to take no action to interfere with the normal affairs of the readership.

I have it on good authority that this week, the attention, and schedule of many of the readers of this periodical will be focused on the 63rd edition of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Basketball Tournament. Now I can hear some saying what is that? Others are bemusedly thinking that is no holiday. And some are simply waiting for me to…Break It Down!

Well for starters, I will stipulate that for the next five weeks, Charlotte will be transformed into the center of the CBU, College Basketball Universe. The metamorphosis began on Monday, February 25th when the CIAA Women’s Tournament kicked-off at Bobcat’s Arena in Charlotte. The basketball and festivities, and there are a lot of both, conclude on Saturday, March 1st, with the crowning of both the 2008 Men’s, and Women’s Tournament Champions.

The Double-A, as the event is affectionately called, is not a battery, nor a shoe size. Neither is it really a holiday; it is actually a holi-week! I will address that later, in greater detail.

In less than two weeks after the CIAA packs it in, the vaunted Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament will take up residence at Bobcat’s Arena, as Charlotte hosts the Conference’s 55th Tournament, March 13th – 16th. Finally, after another much needed pause, the third in the trio of collegiate basketball sporting events, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Eastern Regional Basketball Tournament takes center stage, also at Bobcat’s Arena, March 27th and 29th.

Most people, sports fans or not, are familiar with the NCAA Tournament. The phrase, The Road To The Final Four, has been oft repeated for many years. It’s a National phenomenon. The ACC Tournament now includes teams from Boston to Miami, and is also a widely popular brand, know throughout the Country. Fewer people know about the CIAA. But that does not diminish its appeal, success, or venerable history.

While many may find it surprising, the Double-A is older than the ACC Tournament. In fact, the Conference is much older than the ACC, having been established in 1912. The ACC was formed in 1953. The CIAA Tournament also boasts a level of success on par with its better known, younger counterpart. For the third year in a row, the event has sold out Bobcats Arena months in advance. Like the ACC, there are no general ticket sales. Tickets are allocated to member Institutions (the ten member colleges and universities), and sold through them.

The 2007 CIAA Tournament entertained 165,000 fans and patrons at its various events. To be sure, the CIAA is not just a basketball tournament. Its part reunion, part party, part history lesson, and all fun! The Conference has already reached an accord for a three-year extension, ensuring that Charlotte will host the event through 2011.

The Tournament features great men’s and women’s basketball. Several of the CIAA’s best have left, and continue to leave, their mark on the NBA. Vernon Earl “The Pearl” Monroe (Winston-Salem State University/Baltimore Bullets & New York Knicks), Alvin “Al” Attles (NC A&T State University/Philadelphia-San Francisco Warriors), Sam Jones (North Carolina Central University/Boston Celtics), Derrick “Rick” Mahorn (Hampton University/Detroit Pistons), Charles Oakley (Virginia Union University/New York Knicks), Ben Wallace (Virginia Union University/Detroit Pistons & Cleveland Cavaliers), Terry Davis (Virginia Union University/Dallas Mavericks), Ronald “Flip” Murray (Shaw University/Detroit Pistons), and Darrell Armstrong (Fayetteville State University/Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, & Indiana Pacers) are all CIAA alumni.

There are currently ten member schools in the CIAA. Two more are scheduled to join, Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), and Chowan University (Murfreesboro, NC), for football only. The ranks currently include public and private colleges and universities in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland:

Member schools

Eastern Division

Bowie State University Elizabeth City State University Saint Paul’s College Virginia State University Virginia Union University

Western Division

Fayetteville State University Johnson C. Smith University Livingstone College Saint Augustine’s College Shaw University

Bowie State University

Location – Bowie, Maryland

Founded – 1865 Affiliation – Public Enrollment – 5,454

Nickname – Bulldogs

Varsity Sports – 11 Joined – 1979

Elizabeth City State University

Location – Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Founded – 1891 Affiliation – Public

Enrollment – 3,025 Nickname – Vikings

Varsity Sports – 10

Joined – 1957

Fayetteville State University

Location – Fayetteville, North Carolina

Founded – 1867 Affiliation – Public Enrollment – 6,085

Nickname – Broncos

Varsity Sports – 10 Joined – 1954

Johnson C. Smith University

Location – Charlotte, North Carolina

Founded – 1867 Affiliation – Private/Non-sectarian

Enrollment – 2,500

Nickname – Golden Bulls

Varsity Sports – 13 Joined – 1926

Livingstone College

Location – Salisbury, North Carolina

Founded – 1879 Affiliation – Private/African Methodist Episcopal Zion

Enrollment – 1,100

Nickname – Blue Bears

Varsity – 11

Joined – 1931

St. Augustine’s College†

Location – Raleigh, North Carolina

Founded – 1867

Affiliation – Private/Episcopal

Enrollment – 1,700

Nickname – Falcons Varsity Sports – 14

Joined – 1933

Saint Paul’s College†

Location – Lawrenceville, Virginia

Founded – 1888 Affiliation – Private/Episcopal

Enrollment – 750 Nickname – Tigers Varsity Sports – 14 Joined – 1923

Shaw University† Location – Raleigh, North Carolina

Founded – 1865

Affiliation – Private/Baptist

Enrollment – 2,500

Nickname – Bears Varsity Sports – 13

Joined – 1912

Virginia State University

Location – Petersburg, Virginia

Founded – 1882

Affiliation – Public Enrollment – 4,300

Nickname – Trojans

Varsity Sports – 14 Joined – 1920

Virginia Union University

Location – Richmond, Virginia

Founded – 1865

Affiliation – Private/Baptist

Enrollment – 1,525

Nickname – Panthers Varsity Sports – 12

Joined – 1912

If you have never attended the Double-A, and have the opportunity, by all means do so. Just be advised, this is not your father’s Oldsmo…, I mean tournament. The activity is non-stop, and multi-dimensional. There are multiple venues, and it is common to see folks engaged in milling about, visiting, viewing exhibits, eating, watching people and a host of other endeavors…during games.

By the same token, there are staunch fans of the game who wouldn’t think of missing the action on the court. Fortunately for them, there is a virtual panoramic parade of activity going on inside the arena, ranging from Mr. CIAA, to cheerleaders of teams that have been eliminated, haven’t played yet, or just not playing at the time, but who are committed to providing their own fashion show.

As an alumnus of a CIAA constituent member institution, I am intensely interested because I have a stake in the outcome…no matter how much of a long shot it is. But I have found the event to be enjoyable and entertaining on its face. I am certain I would feel this way even were I not the proud owner of a degree from one of the schools…with no outstanding college loans.

The fun is just getting started. Catch it if you can. I am out; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.comor http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.

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

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

http://www.charlottesports.org/ciaa/

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/CIAA_History

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/Commissioner

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/Schedule_of_Events

http://206.142.5.6/ec_promo/107/promoproducts.asp?TFSession=S8FdSEwZzWv9ht4heUPr09kI3k3m9j4ccKFUnC8NY3HFhv1M5bDqV3YYxCk71Pjn

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/CIAA_After_Party

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/2008_CIAA_Ford_Fan_Experience

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/Sonic_Boom

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/Black_Magic

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/2007_Tournament_Highlights

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/2008_CIAA_McDonald

http://www.earthquakeproductions.net/

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/Mobile_Marketing_Tour

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/Press_Kit

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/Press_Conferences

http://www.ciaatournament.org/content/page/title/Sponsors

It’s time to Break It Down!

Essie Mae Washington-Williams is not a household name; she is not someone with whom most Americans are familiar.  That she died early this month probably resulted in far more attention than she would have desired.  For 78 of her 87 years, Mrs. Williams lived, in a sense, a shadowy existence.  Nothing really sinister; just by choice mostly, declining to reveal in totality, the full and complete dimensions of her famous heritage and lineage.

In December, 2003, Mrs. Williams decided to share, by entering into the public domain, a deeply personal secret of more than seven decades.Back home, in her native South Carolina, she went on record, telling an assembly of more than 250 reporters that she was the daughter of the legendary and recently deceased, Senator Strom Thurmond, South Carolina.

The history, accomplishments, and overarching legacy of Strom Thurman fill a virtual palette with factoids, many of them of the simply amazing variety.The list includes, but is not limited to:

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/essie-mae-washington-williams-daughter-strom-thurmond-kept

It’s time to Break It Down!

Last night, President Obama delivered his 5^th State of the Union Address; the 1^st of his second term.  The moment was pregnant with pomp, pageantry, and historical significance.

Whenever the President takes the stage, steps to the podium, or takes the mic, there are elements of pomp and pageantry.  That this President won election in the first place; secured a second term, and then delivered his 5^th address defining the status of our nation is a sequence of events of such momentous historic significance that any and all of the elements would have been considered improbable 5 years ago.  Moreover, in the face of high unemployment and an incredibly motivated opposition, President Obama’s re-election was considered unlikely as recently as a year ago.  So, historic; you bet!

But the history that leapt out at me does not involve President Obama.  It does not apply to the specific tenets raised during the President’s speech, or to Mrs. Obama’s guests.  It doesn’t even apply to former Rocker Ted Nugent attending the function.  Nugent, as you may recall, asserted last summer that if President Obama were re-elected, he (Nugent) would be dead or in jail by that time next year.  Mr. Nugent is the invited guest of Rep. Steve Stockman, Texas.

It is customary for the Republican Party to provide a counterpoint response whenever the Presidentmakes a formal speech.  Last night, the Republican Party inadvertently paid President Obama the ultimate compliment.  Oh, they will never concede the point, or call it that; but the fact of the matter is, by choosing to provide, instead of the traditional Republican Response, two responses, the GOP made several statements, including:

• They conceded the Republican Party is substantially split, and does not trust its leadership to represent “the Party as a whole.”
• They demonstrated that the Tea Party Movement (which both of the GOP candidate respondents represented) is apparently split among itself.
• Their actions showed the President’s convincing win in November among numerous voting blocs, including, women, people of color, Latinos, Asians, and youth, has Republicans shaken to the core.
• Their reaction served as an admission that the President’s articulation of values,   e.g., investing to grow and strengthen the middle class, a fair tax     system, an affordable and excellent education, and a belief that we are most prosperous when we pursue policies that demonstrate we are all in it together was a winner; their own tactics and designs, not so much.
• Big ups, Mr. President!

It’s time to Break It Down!

Bang-gate?  Last month’s news!  Skeetgate?  So last week!

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

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

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/butt?s=t