Manns Medium

Failure of the media to place as much emphasis on missing minorities as it does on missing Caucasians first came to my attention when I saw a segment of a HSN production of Dr. Drew Show.   I had not given it much though before and honestly I have no one to blame for this but myself.   I was comfortable with seeing the overwhelming coverage of missing people in the media and some parts of me was okay in believing that this was not happening as much in the minority community.   I now beg for the forgiveness of all for not helping to apply as much pressure as one man could in forcing the media and all law enforcement to give missing minorities just as much coverage and attention as they do for the others. In an article written by Tambay for Indiewire.com titled S. Epatha Merkerson To Host New TV One Series, "Find Our Missing" (Searching For Missing Black Americans) it is revealed that   “Nearly one-third of the missing in this country are black Americans, while we make up

Today we want to talk about the Calendar and dates that we hold so  dear.   The issue is whether we should continue to follow common wisdom or begin to think for ourselves.  Jehovah Witness say Jesus was born in October and some point to the Greek calendar to say it was other  months.   Regardless of what date you decide to observe and celebrate the birth of Christ, the main point is that you celebrate it.   What we have come to call the birth of Christ on the 25 th of December has  stopped meaning celebrating the best gift this world could have ever gotten, to seeing just how many  lights we can strum upon our house, how many presents we can put under the tree, who can out spend  whom on this date.   The news is not about the birth of Christ and instead we are bombarded with  Christmas Specials as if Hollywood has the answers to our salvation.   Kids get to see all the old Christmas  Cartoon Specials and for weeks get to hear all different artists doing their rendition of those

I have seen a trend but until recently never really thought about it until now. I would wonder, sometimes, how Blacks could be a part of something that refused to respect their history, a business or organization that looked upon all that they have endured as nothing more than a fluke or irrelevant in many ways.   A business or organization that never considered their struggles or sacrifices but was only useful to have around for no other reason than “window dressing”.     Then it occurred to me, maybe it was for the same reason that women were paraded around in front of the cameras.   Something to use and show that some was not as exclusive as their rhetoric describes them.   I speak about the current GOP and its leaders. During the reign of Herman Cain, I did not see too many Blacks paraded in front of the camera in the GOP to comment on his policies and ideas about what was wrong with this country and his vision of where we should be headed.   There are a few who are asked their

Many experts are wondering what the reason was for the Obama Administration’s denial for not approving the Keystone Pipeline permit and it simply can be put into two words “exposing hypocrisy”. According to Deborah Solomon and Laura Meckler of the Wall Street Journal in their article titled Obama Says No, for Now, to Canada Pipeline “the Obama administration rejected the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, saying a congressionally imposed deadline didn't allow enough time to review the project's environmental impact. President Barack Obama said the decision, which put the pipeline on hold following a review that began in 2008, "is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline" and criticized next month's deadline as "arbitrary." The administration suggested that the pipeline's builder, TransCanada Corp., could reapply.”   This action worked perfectly and again made many in opposition of anything this ad

At the South Carolina Debate much of the discussion center on the exchange between Juan Williams and Newt Gingrich about his comment of President Obama being a “food stamp president”.   While neither seemed to win on what the Newsmax wires called a “racial exchange” in their article titled Gingrich Slams Juan Williams in Racial Exchange , it was clearly revealed that Mr. Gingrich took offense to being called out by Mr. Williams. Being a long-time politician, Newt Gingrich knows how to get his point across without demeaning or belittling the interviewer, only when he feels slighted or defensive does he strike back so violently and without regard.   This is what happened during their exchange.   According to Newsmax, Williams question was defined as badgering.   Here is where they both failed to make any end-roads toward reconciliation. When Williams asked “Can’t you see this is viewed, at a minimum, as insulting to all Americans, but as particularly to black Americans?” and Gin

To some this may be a sign that the Republican Establishment has won and now the party will get behind one nominee but to me it creates a much larger question. According to NBC’s Jo Ling Kent and Domenico Montanaro, “Jon Huntsman will drop his presidential bid and endorse Mitt Romney, according to campaign sources.”   This is taken from their article titled Huntsman to drop out of presidential race, endorse Romney and MSNBC’s First Read.   The questions began with the swift turn around it took from when Huntsman declared that it was on to South Carolina and getting the endorsement of The State.   The question continues over how at one time Huntsman can say that Romney is unelectable but now somehow Romney is qualified and gets Huntsman’s endorsement.   The questions crests with whether now Huntsman was the man many of us thought he was when we saw him as someone with integrity and a strong spine.   Regardless of how it may have appeared to some, Huntsman was the only real choice

According to Deborah Charles of Reuter’s article titled Evangelical leaders back Santorum “at a weekend meeting at a ranch outside Houston, Texas, the group of 150 conservatives agreed on the third ballot to support the former Pennsylvania senator.”   Now to truly understand what this really mean as far as the Republican nomination process, we first need to understand the definition of Evangelism. The free dictionary describes it in two different forms.   Both are nouns but the distinction is whether it is spelled with a small “e” or large one.   Small “e” evangelist is defined “any zealous advocate of a cause” which may explain why they seemed more interested in pushing their agenda than teaching God’s word.   Big “e” evangelism is defined as “any of the writers of the New Testament Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John” which explains why this definition appears to not be relevant to this topic because none of those leaders are any one of those authors. The article reports

Latest news being offered regarding the Gingrich Super Pac, Winning Our Future is that “Newt Gingrich begins to distance himself from the "King of Bain" ads” this is according to Joy Lin of Fox News in an article titled Pro-Gingrich Group Asks Romney for Help in Identifying 'King of Bain' Inaccuracies .   While many believe that this ad is what may be propelling Newt Gingrich in the polls, I believe it is something else. One of the most die-hard of any sentiment for Americans is feeling that they are being told who they should vote for.   This is one freedom many will never relinquish.   The established Republicans who fall in line behind Romney may soon learn that their wish is not always the command of the voters.   Voters know that they are really the ones who decide the person or persons that they wish to represent them and no matter how much the establishment yells, their voices could fall on deaf ears. The only problem with this is the voters still have

Maybe it’s just me but it appears that Iran seem to always raise its rhetoric mostly during an election here in America.   I do not know if they are secretly attempting to find allies in our nomination process or ways to contribute via Super Pac for influence in our elections. According to Parisa Hafezi of Reuters/Raheb Homavandi, in the article titled Iran sends rare letter to U.S. over killed scientist reports “Iran said on Saturday it had evidence Washington was behind the latest killing of one of its nuclear scientists, state television reported, at a time when tensions over the country's nuclear program have escalated to their highest level ever.   Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz leading to the Gulf if sanctions are imposed on its oil exports, and has threatened to take unspecified action if Washington sails an aircraft carrier through the strait, an international waterway.” I believe that this is only an attempt to instigate a fight with the US only

Fox News Staffers penned an article titled Two more lawmakers tied to VIP loan program which they say was taken from The Wall Street Journal reporting that “two more congressmen have been identified as receiving loans through a Countrywide Financial Corp. program that has prompted a House investigation into whether the fallen mortgage giant approved loans on favorable terms to win political favor” but what this really brings to light is whether   Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee will investigate them as vigorously as he is known to have chased down this White House.   If he does then he would demonstrate that no one is above the law but if he tiptoe or treats this information with “kids’ gloves” then what has been expected by many will be proven. As reported by the above mentioned article “Howard McKeon and Elton Gallegly-veteran Republicans from Southern California-acknowledged they are among the four whose names wer

Oh say it isn’t so.   The Obama Administration may have just acquired another victory with his foreign policy and that would seriously undermine the opposition talking points. Many of us can remember the immediate attack that those seeking the Office of the President launched when they were ask to commit on the death of Kim Jong Il.   Some made it a point to demean this administration’s foreign policy in the process staying constant on telling us how mistaken this president was but never being forced to reveal what they would have done differently and how that would have been a better option. According to Foster Klug and Hyung-Jin Kim of the Associated Press in their article titled NKorea keeps door open for food-nuke deal with US it is being reported that “the Associated Press reported before Kim Jong Il's Dec. 17 death that the United States was poised to announce a significant donation of food aid to North Korea. That would have been followed within days by an agreement to su

Of all of the articles and news stories I have heard about Bill Daley’s departure as Chief of Staff, none puts it in a more clearer light than the article written by Bloomberg’s Mike Dorning titled Daley Departs as Obama Shifts Strategy to Confronting Congress in it he outlines the rise and fall of this appointment and makes quite a compelling case of strategy change.   Personally, I believe that it may have played a role but the largest role was played by frustration. As the article reports “Obama turned to Daley, a former JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive and U.S. commerce secretary, in January 2011 as the president sought to improve relations with U.S. businesses and congressional Republicans following the 2010 midterm elections in which Democrats lost their House majority and saw their margin in the Senate shrink.”   I believe that Daley had no idea just how strong the hatred for this president was and was taken aback when he experienced it first-hand.   It was probably more than

When the Amber Alert program was first released and connected all law enforcement agencies, many thought that it was a great idea but with the mistaken deportation of a US teen, I believe that it should be expanded to include runaways. According to an article by Juan Carlos Llorca and Linda Stewart Ball of Associated Press titled US teen deported to Colombia could soon return , it was reported that “Jakadrien Lorece Turner, a 15-year-old Dallas girl, who ran away from home more than a year ago, was recently found in Bogota, Colombia, by the Dallas Police Department with help from Colombian and U.S. officials.”   Now the grandmother is “questioning why U.S. officials didn't do more to verify her identify.”   Common wisdom is if you give a fake name to law enforcement then you have determined your own fate and the fault falls directly at your feet. I surmise that if the Amber Alert program is extended to runaways and that information is sent to all law enforcement agencies includin

Often times we hear the talking points of those opposed to anything and everything this administration has attempted to do as something naive or careless.   The recent battle over the budget and deficits seem to have been forgotten as the new Pentagon strategy was released.   Some of those very same people crying about the deficits and demanding cuts are now crying foul because their wish has been granted. David Alexander and Phil Stewart of Reuters article titled New Pentagon strategy stresses Asia, cyber, drones details some of those same voices finding fault with this new strategy without defining what it is they do not like, why they do not like it, what they would do differently and the proof of their rethoric.   The American public deserves a better defense of their position and should demand that they provide more than just lip-service when they publically demean the actions of our Commander-in-Chief in front of the world.   Words have consequences and when they publically dem

Many times the cause of a problem will not be found in events that cover actions taken or not taken the few hours prior.   Sometimes the answer to that most elusive question will be found in the weeks and months prior.   The key reason for this assumption is the one sentence found in an article from Christopher Sherman of the Associated Press titled Texas police kill 8th-grader carrying pellet gun .   That sentence was “shortly before the confrontation, Jaime had walked into a classroom and punched a boy in the nose for no apparent reason.” Yes, there was a reason for Jaime Gonzalez punched that kid in the nose and until the circumstances surrounding that punch are thoroughly and impartially investigated the real reason for this kid bringing in and branching that pellet gun may never be really known.   Right now the focus is on whether the police action were justified, which I believe they were but it could have been handled better, and why three shots instead of a well placed one.  

Parts of me have to wonder why this story has surfaced now and how long ago this may have happened.   Not having met either Tiger Woods or his ex Elin Nordegren, I can by no means be considered an expert with their relationship but like many others I do have an opinion. Shane Bacon of Devil Ball Golf in the article titled Tiger Woods’ ex-wife bulldozes $12 million home, his question was “Why in the world is she still in Florida? Wouldn't you want to move back home for good?”   I can not answer that question but it does bring up a few ideas on the subject.   We did not hear much from or about her until Tiger began to make some strides in his possible “comeback”.   We did hear a little from his former caddy but not so much from his ex.   I’m thinking that they were quite content to see his game suffer and his life follow suits but now that things may be turning around, they may become a little more bothered. With $100 million dollars, it is my guess that you can buy, bulldoze and

When it comes to any type of substance abuse whether its alcohol, drugs or just plain over-the-counter medication, many experts say that to truly understand the reason for abuse, we must first understand the reason that caused the abuse.   Not being an expert, I have come up with another way to deal with this issue. Through observation and the seldom used talent of listening, it occurs to me that the primary reason to take begin substance abuse is nothing short of a desire to see how it feels.   The primary reason to continue is nothing short of fear and embarrassment.   Fear that any short comings or long hidden desires which may have crept out during your time of abuse will never be erased.   Embarrassed because you were so very sure that no drug or substance would ever be able to control you only to find that you were so very wrong and is now being literally led by the nose by your need to have it. The fear is soon masked by your rationalization to blame others for your lack

I’ve read a little about the pipeline dispute but still can never really paid that much attention to it until now.   The earth-shattering issue seems to be more manufactured than magnificent.   It could be quite easily solved if all parties would truly be willing to fix the problem instead of playing political games. Matthew Daly of the Associated Press reports in his article titled “ Obama, Congress begin 2012 in oil pipeline dispute “that “ President Barack Obama and Congress are starting the election year locked in a tussle over a proposed 1,700-mile (2,735-kilometer) oil pipeline from Canada to Texas that will force the White House to make a politically risky choice between two key Democratic constituencies.”   His article covers the enormous fight that would occur and how greatly President Obama would suffer with this choice.   While I can agree that some who supported this president in the past may be extremely pissed and pledge their loyalty to others but if they do then consi

There has been very little talk about the Afghanistan War and with the ending of the Iraq War, you can be sure that many will soon begin to focus upon it.   While few may be able to understand why we are there and why we stayed so long, they may be as confused to learn that it all may be over in less than one year from now. Ishtiaq Mahsud of the Associated Press reported in his article titled “ Al-Qaida, Taliban ask Pakistani militants for help ” that “Pakistani Islamic militant commanders say prominent al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban fighters have asked them to set aside differences and step up support for the battle against U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.   The Pakistani Taliban commanders say the request came during two meetings in Pakistan's tribal region in November and December.   They said Monday that the senior al-Qaida commander Abu Yahya al-Libi attended both meetings, as did Sirajuddin Haqqani, the de-facto head of the most feared militant group in Afghanistan.   The comman