Manns Medium

As a newborn grows and develops, many often can be heard saying that they think that newborn has been here before.  Not really having any other reason to say that except watching them catch on to things so quickly and saying things that we would normally not equate to a person of such young age.  Many often wonder why and to date, no one has been able to give us a suitable explanation that is up till now.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am not an experts or anything, just a person who probably thinks too much and questions too often but I believe I have a clue and would like to share it with you.  Remember, it is not important that you agree with me or not, what is important is to take a few seconds and think about it to see if it makes any sense to you.  If it does then great but if it doesn’t that is also awesome as well.  The purpose is not to convince but to spark a consideration regardless of conversation. It is written in the Bible that Jesus said to rejoice in death because you

I use the label rogue not because I know the cop personally but because he has been allowed to get away with actions which would have gotten most people fired long before he was allowed to take the life of a 19 year old girl.  To many this is a prime example of being judge, jury and executioner because as with Michael Brown and Dillan Taylor, Mary Hawkes had a few run-ins with the law.  The title of the piece was called “ Cop Finally Fired After Refusing to Turn on Body Camera When He Shot Woman ” by an unknown writer and in it the article reports that  “An investigation that began back in April determined that Officer Jeremy Dear’s camera was intentionally disabled right before he shot and killed Mary Hawkes, 19. Now, Albuquerque Police Chief Eden has fired Officer Dear, as part of what is being called a “zero tolerance” policy on police camera use during citizen interactions.  Officer Dear says that he is being treated unfairly, but in three separate incidences, Dear has claimed tha

I was reminded of something that I had noticed but not written about when I saw a video on Facebook from Randall Anderson and in it was a scene of two people just getting out of jail being re-arrested.  It sparked a thought of why and the truth behind one man telling police that they were trespassing to invoke immediate action from those law enforcement personnel present.  The caption on the video reads “Just got out of JAIL!  So me and the gentleman Mercutio Terrell Southall Sr. were just released from Homewood, Alabama Jail.... Let me know what we did wrong... We were literally 5 feet from MY car trying to leave. He was headed to his motorcycle to leave and was stopped by the officer. Why they beat this man like that?!?!” Now while I cannot tell you exactly where I think the cops were wrong besides the fact of never trying to act as mediator in disputes as they should be seen and going right for a  take-down  and arrest.  I know that when we pull up, the fact that we are there i

Many times, you read an article and think that this kind of stuff only happens to other people.  This allows you to disconnect and not really feel the pain that is the pain of those without resource or a course of action to help them in their situation.  But every once in a while a story crosses your path that reminds you that what you have endured is not exclusive and has happened to others.  You find out that what you thought was only happening to you in your state is happening to others in other states and now you feel their pain. This very thing happened to me when I read an article titled “Couple Brings Sick Baby to ER, the Next Day Police Show Up and Kidnap All of Their Children” by Matt Agorist for The Free Though Project taken from a story by Bridget Bennett for KSFY TV an ABC Affiliate.  In the article Matt and Bridget speak about “Molly Bowling and Michael Becker just spent Christmas without their children after police, acting on behalf of Child Protective Services, kidn

While cruising the internet, I ran upon a post from the Lou Dobbs Show featuring Sheriff David Clarke, the black Milwaukee County Sheriff saying “Al Sharpton is a race hustler; he is a vulgar human being. He's divisive and he spews hatred. No prominent office holder in the United States and that includes the President, the Attorney General, and the Mayor of the city of New York should hold council, be associated with, or be in the company of Al Sharpton”.  He further mentioned that if New York Mayor wanted to resolve the tension between him and the police union he would have to distance himself from Al Sharpton”.  Now after hearing these two thoughts came to mind, the first being where were all of the voices calling him a racist.  Had this sheriff been white and said something like that, would not we see billions of calls for his head on a platter?  Or maybe because this guy is black, those who would be calling for his head wishes not to tainted with that label of racist by as

Much is being made of the booing that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio received while giving a speech at the Department’s graduation but I think more investigative reporting is needed to truly understand why.  Not sure if it will ever happen with today’s media because we all know that only sex and controversy sells and nothing is more important than keeping opposing views at each other’s throats instead of the table to solve these problems.  Articles like the one titled “ De Blasio booed before vowing to protect police ” as written by Jane C. Timm proves that.  It reports that “Mayor Bill de Blasio was booed just moments before vowing to protect police officers at the New York Police Department graduation on Monday, two weeks after the execution-style killing of two NYPD officers.  “On this day that we want to focus on your great achievement. A day that so many of you have looked forward to — I’m sure it is a day you simultaneously feel some apprehension and your families do as well,” th

You may believe that it is not your fault if a police officer, regardless of color, shoots and kills another person, regardless of color but then you would be wrong.  Every decision we make will affect others either directly or indirectly and those decisions that we make are ours be responsible for.  Organizers of protests stand responsible for not making sure that those joining their ranks are peaceful or just looking to blend into the crowd and create trouble.  They are responsible for making sure that a peaceful protest be just that and those involved remain peaceful.  You cannot claim to be representing anyone if you fail to properly represent them.  The biggest division between Martin Luther King and  Malcolm  X was that King wished for and demanded non-violence while  Malcolm  was tired of being pushed around and wanted to push back.   Anyone with any sense of history can clearly tell which movement actually achieved its goal and which one was merely looked upon as just a gr

Multiple media agencies wishes people to believe that the only reason the rash of recent shootings were is because of color, now while there are several good points that may bear that out.  The reports of some shootings fly in the face of that narrative and have to make one begin to wonder if recent over-reacting police officers are no also blinded by race but something else which mixed with race is deadly to others. The article titled “ Native American Attends #NativeLivesMatter Police Brutality Rally, Next Day He’s Killed by Police ” by John Vibes for The Free Thought Project is one such article.  It reports that “This Saturday evening, 30-year-old Allen Locke was shot and killed by police, just one day after attending a protest against police brutality. Locke is a Native-American man who attended a #NativeLivesMatter rally that was being held locally, according to his family.  The police claim that Locke charged the officer who shot him with a knife, however, this cover story i

I was reading an article titled “ Convict in 1964 civil-rights deaths won't confess ” written by Jack Elliott Jr. for the Associated Press.  In the article it talked about a man who was imprisoned for his role in the death of a staple in the movie “Mississippi Burning”.  The article seemed to be fixed on this guy confessing which really makes no sense if he has not done so by now.  He, apparently, has found his peace with what actions or  inaction  he took back in those days and is not afraid of the upcoming meeting he will have with his maker.  No, I was not too interested in the subject of the article but I was intrigued by something that was mentioned within it.  Now to appease that itch that some of you may be feeling, let me give you a little bit of that article mentioned above.  It states “Craggy-faced and ornery, Edgar Ray Killen bears the signs of his 89 years. His hands are still scarred and rough from decades in the east Mississippi sawmills. He has a muscular build even

There is an article titled “How the Cycle of Chronic Homelessness Begins—and Ends” written by Christina Davidson that clearly spells out how such a man-made problem like homelessness could be solved.  The article clearly gives us a road map to fix not only this problem but addiction and violent mentally ill citizens left to disappear on our streets.  It is short, sweet and simple but maybe that adds to the problem of why it is not something in our past and so much still a part of our present.  Many talk about it but do we really want to fix it.  Many make millions saying that they are helping to end it but those same words have been echoing the=rough this country for decades now.  When are we going to put up or shut up, when are going to put our money where our mouth is? The article chronicles a gentleman named Charles and his 18 years on the streets of Washington D.C.  It reports that “This story is part of a CityLab series on the state of homelessness in American cities. For the

So much has been made about those players on Wall Street and how they should be held accountable for wrecking the economy and I stand with that.  There has been as much about cops committing murder and being given a free pass now should find themselves in court and I stand with that.  Few are talking about the coward who executed two New York Police Officers and how that is a result of the protests, considering their point I can understand it but what if their point was made by something that happened in this story.  It is a story about a particular news media that not only does not report in a professional manner but manipulate things to suit their fancy.  The article is called “ Protester Confronts Fox Station That Deceptively Edited 'Kill A Cop' Chant ” by Brendan James and in it he reports that “A Baltimore Fox affiliate apologized Monday night for a report it ran over the weekend that deceptively edited  protesters  to look like they were chanting "kill a cop.&qu

America is going through a new phase right now and it is the phase of protest.  While all peaceful protests should be welcomed for no other reason than through which reform actually comes, those protests which has an element of revenge needs to be deconstructed and the revenge element removed.  Like the gentleman who thought he was justified in killing two police officers while they were sitting in their car, these cowards need to be exposed.  I call him a coward because he took advantage of his situation then took his own life.  If the action that you take is thought to be so justified, then stand tall in defense of it but when you run away from the responsibility of that action, then you has just earned the label.  This goes for people like Edward Snowden and those cops who kill then hide behind their union and the justice system instead of being willing to truly clear their names by standing tall in a court of law. This seems not to be the case if what is reported here in this

Not many ordinary Americans can say that they were the key to finally  bringing  down ISIL but a Texas man may just be the key that authorities have been looking for  to finally dismantle the group.  Much is known about ISIL but still more could be learned.  It was always rumored that their financing came from several cloaked and dagger institution and individuals but this slight oversight by those who have terrorized many may just be that loose thread. In an article titled ” Texas Plumber Isn't Sure How Extremists In Syria Ended Up With His Work Truck ” by Ryan Grenoble for The Huffington Post, it is reported that “a Texas plumber says he has no idea how his company's work truck ended up in the hands of Islamic extremists in Syria. The truck, a black Ford F-250 with the logo for Texas City's Mark-1 Plumbing emblazoned on the door, appeared in a tweet posted Monday by the Ansar al-Deen Front, a jihadist group operating near Aleppo. In the photo, a man fires an anti-air

There are many driving forces that feeds our lack of understanding and because of that, many of us just give up totally on trying to even come close to figuring out what the other person means.  We can’t seem to get it and because we don’t get it, we don’t get them.  Not getting them means you have to rank them somewhere so human beings “catch-all” column for anything or anyone they do not understand is the ignore list.  So why do we do this and how valuable is this list? We do this because when we talk about values we lie because there are only really two values and no one human being is equipped with both so basically each of us that wear this meat suit will either possess and display one value or another.  The two values are being right and doing right.  Now for many of you, your first thought is that you can have both and there we must agree to disagree.  There is a very huge but single difference between being right and doing right.    You have to have one in order to do the

The recent report of an Iraq Vet killing of ex-wife and five in laws tops the news and has been for the last few days but what many are not talking about is the very large and often hidden elephant in the room.  Oh yes, they will mention the lack of services that are available to our service men and women and they may mention post-traumatic stress disorder.  They may mention the signs that lead up to the killing and how someone should have known and acted and of course they will spare no expense in finding something or someone to blame.  Some will stand in defense of the Marine while others will stand in defense of those who were killed and still a few will stand in defense of agencies who were established to help but was handcuffed.  All will have a point but none will discuss or even have the backbone to bring up the one true culprit. Before we begin, let’s just get a taste of what we can expect from those who call the experts to give them their view of how they should report it

To say that this president does not get the credit he deserves is a gross understatement and many in the media and the public blames it on his refusal to truly toot his own horn.  He doesn’t have a mass amount of people waving a flag and announcing how much has changed since he took office and to be honest many in the public don’t really care to hear about it anyway.  Not when it is better to hate and despise this president when makes many think raises page views or viewership numbers.  Controversy sells like sex which is why you see so many barely clothed women in advertising for men.  Sad to say but to be completely honest with you, none of this works in today’s world anymore.  As a matter of fact, it often backfires but you would also never hear that coming from ad executives who find it easier to stay with yesterday’s trends instead of being creative.  Barely clothed women in today’s society only make men disregard them more and search for those wearing less and less not because t

Contrary to all that you were told and wish to believe, any decision you make does have an effect on others, either directly or indirectly.  So many examples of this have been used in other articles before but I still don’t think you get it so I am here to try to educate again. Think about the laws made in our state houses and congress and please tell me how they do not affect other people.  Think about the decision that you make to speed which prevents you from stopping in time to avoid that child who closely follows that bouncing ball into the street and then tell me how your decision did not affect another.  How about this recent post by Jason Marcum which reads “the former Bengals receiver helped bring Christmas spirit to one woman who needed it most.  You may have heard about the sizable tip former Bengals receiver Chad Johnson left a lucky waitress over the weekend. The former Bengals great gave a $300 tip on a $351.92 bill, helping a woman on what he considered a "slow

There is an article titled “ Obama tells BET audience despite grand jury decisions 'things are better ' written by Sara Fischer for CNN which tells “After weeks of racial protests across the country, President Barack Obama is taking the time to deliver encouraging words about the future of race relations in America to a network that reaches a predominately young African-American audience.  "What I told the young people who I met with -- we're going to have more conversations over the coming months -- is, 'This isn't something that is going to be solved overnight,' Obama says in an interview with BET that will air Monday. "'This is something that is deeply rooted in our society. It's deeply rooted in our history.'"  Once criticized for shying away from the topic of race early on in his presidency, Obama has more recently been forced to lead a discussion on the issue.  In his interview, the President says African-American youth need to

Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney is the happiest man in the world these days.  He’s the happiest because whenever torture or terrorism is made Top Story in the news, he gets to add to his ever-growing bank account.  Dick Cheney is showing all business people how they can get rich by just being relevant and many others are beginning to listen.  With the release of the Senate’s report of torture, Mr. Cheney’s calendar has now become full because everyone wishes to talk with him about his role and he is more than happy to do it because they have got to pay him for his time.  Taxpayers have also are on the hook for his security detail and probably much of the travel cost to and from these interviews.  To say that the creators of the Bush-Era Enhanced Interrogation Techniques are the ones who has made millions, is nothing compared to the money Dick Cheney makes each and  every time  torture or even terrorism comes up.  Not to mention the pension he receives from the taxpayers for

Every once in a while there comes an incident which gives rise and credence to an old saying.  The old saying is “sometimes the best defense to something that is indefensible is to keep your mouth shut”.  Someone should have told Jeffery Follmer that. In case you didn’t know Jeffery Follmer is the President of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association and he was a guest on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes.  He had to have known he was going to be a guest before he appeared and should have practiced his talking points and possible questions that he might face on that show.  I am sure that they would have given him the time to better prepare so that he came across as rational and reasonable.  In my opinion, that would have been time well spent, but he did not and said some things that not only offended me as a black man with young black male and female children but offended me as a former law enforcement officer and U. S. Marine.  If he had a point, he might have been better serve