Manns Medium

In our rush to wring out of life all that we can, we may just be choking the life out of the human race.  Take for example the rush to produce a more genuine and healthy crop and livestock by moving them from their ability to range free to an area populated by several others with little if no room to move around.  We claim that this type of lavatory farming produces a better cut of meat but does it really? Stories swirl about the condition many of these facilities are in and the lack of particular attention being paid to those very animals.  Back in the day, a farmer’s day began quite early as they made their rounds to feed and inspect their livestock.  They would make sure that the animals were well taken care of, fed and watered so that they could grow healthy and strong.  They knew that the healthier their animals were, the bigger the paycheck would be when they were sold to the slaughter houses.  Many of these farmers took pride in raising healthy ...

Matthew Daly of the Associated Press penned an article about the Senate and House Committee finally reaching an agreement regarding the emergency bill to help relieve the very large number of veterans waiting on VA doctor’s appointments.  In it he reports “After more than six weeks of sometimes testy talks, House and Senate negotiators have agreed on a compromise plan to fix a veterans health program scandalized by long patient wait times and falsified records covering up delays. The chairmen of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees have scheduled a news conference Monday afternoon to unveil a plan expected to authorize billions in emergency spending to lease 27 new clinics, hire more doctors and nurses and make it easier for veterans who can't get prompt appointments with VA doctors to obtain outside care.  Louis Celli, legislative director for the American Legion, the nation's largest veterans group, said the deal would provide crucial help to veterans who have b...

I was somewhat happy to hear the news that was reported by Ramkumar Iyer and Devika Krishna Kumar in their article titled “Dollar Tree to buy Family Dollar for $8.5 billion” not because I own stock in either but mainly because it may be time for Wal-Mart to finally receive it comeupings.  What I mean by that is Wal-Mart has located in distressed areas all over the United States and in areas of towns that sorely needed jobs but that is all that they have really done for those areas.  They preach that they care about community but I find that hard to believe when many of their workers still have to seek governmental assistance to make a decent life for them and their families.  You would think that all Wal-Mart needs to do is offer a wage that a family could satisfy the needs of their family with just one job and not have to be added to the list of those having to seek help elsewhere especially while Wal-Mart owners and shareholders pockets grow and their bottom line incre...

In an article titled “Marco Rubio defends gays, attacks gay marriage” by Benjy Sarlin, it is reported that “Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio stated acknowledged Wednesday that American history was “marred by discrimination against gays and lesbians.” But in a speech at Catholic University in Washington, Rubio drew the line sharply at marriage equality and accused supporters of same sex unions of “intolerance.” “Rubio said. “This intolerance in the name of tolerance is hypocrisy. Support for the definition of marriage as one man and one woman is not anti-gay, it is pro-traditional marriage.” Which I must admit is true; to demand that your voice be heard on the values you hold dear does not give anyone the right to ignore the same desires being expressed by another.  In this nation of so-called adults, we must remember that there are others who have the same rights and freedoms as we do and deserve as must respect of them as we demand for ourselves.  And while, Rubio was...

Trying to understand and keep some women constantly happy is an age old journey that men have been on for years and is still searching for an answer today.  One can assume that it began when Eve was born of Adam’s Ribs.  When it was first realized was probably also when the phrase “walking on eggshells” came from. Here’s the condensed version of the situation.  Some men will go out of their way to make the lady in their lives happy even if it means doing a lot of things that they really do not want to do.  They will rationalize it as “no big deal” or “a happy wife is a happy life” but really it is to keep the drama and noise down at home.  If you wish to watch your favorite television show, you must first make sure that you have done everything your lady wants you to do before it starts, so you ask the question and whatever she says at that time, you make happen.  Once you have satisfied all of those requirements, you confidently think that now you wil...

Just another thank you that this nation owes our veterans.  Think back, there was not so much focus on post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) until it became a front page issue regarding the trials and tribulations of our returning veterans.  Those acting unbecoming on the battle field as well as committing murders and suicide when they came back home.  Since that time, America became aware of something that has probably been the driving force behind crimes being committed but never addressed.  Thanks to our veterans, now we know even more about PTSD than we ever had before and now maybe we can get to addressing this disorder and finally really taking a bite out of crime. It was believed, at first, that PTSD only extended to combat veterans but since the staff at Mayo Clinic redefined this disorder to “a mental condition which occurs and brought on by a terrifying event”, we now know and can clearly see that the key to reducing crime could be as simple as educat...

You know that every once in a while, I think that Hollywood can make a very valid and thought provoking point with some of the shows it produces but most of the time I think that they just cobble ideas together and find more drama than substance.  I say that to make a point about something I had not thought about and am sure many others haven’t even considered. First a little background.  I was watching the show called “Criminal Minds” where the father of an abducted son was asked why he stopped going back to the place where his son was abducted after during so for several years like clockwork.  His response was because he felt that his son was no longer alive so he felt no need to continue to go there.  It got me to thinking about all those other times I had heard the similar statement coming from parents and loved ones of those who have gone missing and the result of them owning that feeling that they were still alive and never losing hope.  It made me be...

I am sure that you have heard this saying before “God works in mysterious ways” and I believe it is a saying to try explaining why things happen that we don’t quite know how to put into words.   I've  used this phrase myself, a time or two, and just used it recently.  That was until I was sitting in front of my “idiot box” or television and saw this commercial for a website called “Christian Mingle”.  The ad goes on to say that they have so many members and many of those members often think that they had to wait on God to move on finding them that perfect person while God is telling them that it is their turn to move.  I heard that and almost immediately, I was struck with the sense that this commercial was wrong and maybe so were we for thinking all we needed to do was sit back and wait on God to act.  Maybe the reason many of us miss out on golden opportunities and open doors that God has presented us with because we have become lazy and wish not to take...

Many discussions have been had about the subject of Capital Punishment or the Death Penalty.  Some have even gone as far as to use the words contained within the Bible to defend and justify their stance.  I had not, personally thought about it much until I stumbled upon these passages as I was researching a totally different subject. In my early years, I too, had accepted the phrase “an eye for an eye” and was confused when I heard that Jesus asked us to “turn the other cheek.”   You see, I was so accustomed to vengeance and revenge that turning the other cheek was strange to me and because I had lived by the eye for an eye thing for so long and came to believe in it so strongly, turning the other cheek is very hard for me.  I can assume, that it is also very hard for the rest of us as well but if I am to demand of you a change from vengeance which is the only directions given to us by the first covenant to the forgiveness that is the only direction given to us...

Never let it be said that some people do not know how to exit the stage in style.  Yes, I must agree with those that said his exit from Cleveland was not the most compassionate way to leave but his stay in Miami was worth all the trash and crap he had to take because of it.  His temporary stay in Miami brought that city the glory that they so craved and now he has decided to finish what he started some time ago.  LeBron James has decided to go home. Look out Cleveland, the King is returning so all of you who burned his jersey and spoke nothing but ill-opinions about him are now about to eat your words and more.  You see, King James is not only returning to bring Cleveland a long awaited championship but he is there for a few more important reasons.  Now this is me talking not him so do not make it sound like he said all that I am about to say.  I honestly believe that if management listens carefully to what he says and not what they want to hear, Cleve...

For those who find themselves entangled in this on-going debate about our immigration problem, there appears to be one thing that many are missing.  That is how hypocritical this nation looks as those who wish to yell “go home” and deny anyone a safe haven are the very same who appears to be singing a different tune when it comes to war. Example is look very closely at those who say that America and this administration is lacking in its response to the fighting going on in the Middle East right now.  They cite the excessive loss of life as a reason for us to step up and step in yet these very same people are singing a different tune when it comes to the growing number of illegal aliens being captured and detained at the southern border of Texas.  Is there really a different or does it depends strictly upon the person who is screaming the loudest? Can we really have it both ways?  Be gung-ho to charge into a civil war but turn a blind eye to refugees who are ...

Lately I have been on a roll where I have taken the liberty to answer the tough questions like why people hate God, why God allows bad things to happen to good people and now I want to talk to you about something that will probably scare the stuffing out of some.  I want to talk to you about death. One of the major reasons, people are more able to be manipulated and controlled whether it is by criminals or bullies is the threat of death.  Think about that and you may be able to see, instances where you were influenced to change or modify your positions because you feared dying.  You could no longer see yourself as being a part of this world and felt unready to go because there was still more you wished to do with your life or things you wished to say.  At the apex of any terrifying event always comes a moment where many will see their entire lives flash before their eyes and in that moment we began to pray for a little more time.  Promising to do better tha...

We all should be very much aware now that post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD does not only affect combat veterans but all of us if we have experienced a terrifying incident.  Yet this knowledge and recognition has not translated to the awareness of people in charge providing those workers/employees with the necessary personnel or information to properly deal with this fact. Much like military members who have served in peace time had to constantly deal with the possibility of being called to duty at any time while they wore that uniform, so is the case for every police officer and correction official who steps into that arena, trying to make a living and provide for his or her family.  And as much as those veterans who are often overlooked as suffering from such, so are many departments overlooking those officers previously mentioned. Now don’t get it twisted, this is not an excuse for their actions because even if they are suffering from this disorder, that does ...

The word enemy is thrown out frequently and often means the same to everyone who hears it but what would you say if I told you that we all had it wrong.  That those we consider our enemy is nothing but a person with a different view of things.  That the outcome which often accompanies that label “enemy” is not necessary in all cases and often times is unwarranted in many. The true definition of an enemy is something or someone you know whose only intention is to cause you pain, suffering, injury or death.  Something or someone you know who harbors nothing of value except for the value that they place themselves within, far and above the value that it or they place upon others similar but different than them or it.  Something or someone who is consistent in their loathing or anything or anyone that exist within their sphere or vicinity.  This enemy can be one or many and even sometimes may not even exist in reality at all. Just because you fancy yourself...

One of the most asked but never answered questions man has is why God allows bad things to happen to good people.  Many even use this unanswerable question to determine and explain why they do not believe in God.  Well I wonder now what excuse you are going to use because your answer is in the next paragraph. God allows bad things to happen to good people simply because he believes that by seeing these things, you will then modify your behavior.  Children who are discipline do it all the time but it seems that the older we get, the more we think we know and more right we are.  God may believe that even if you see or hear about things that happen to others, this could cause you to think twice before traveling the same path.  Ask yourself, how many times you have altered your actions after experiencing something that caused you pause and how many times did you think about changing your ways but  didn't , only to wish a couple of days later that yo...

During preparations for my Internet Radio Show called A Twist of Faith, I was trying to find the right words to express what 1 st Corinthians Chapter 14 was saying to me.  Taking a break to allow my thoughts to clear I hear a phrase on the television which really made me wonder.  The question was asked someone who did not believe in God and used the excuse that because there are so much pain and suffering out there that any real true God would never allow those things to happen to his children.  This was what began to make me wonder, if this is why so many feel that there is really no God. It really made sense because until now I had a very hard time trying to understand how people could even consider that God does not exist.  It makes sense because if you are judging whether there is a God based on the enormous amount of pain and suffering going on in life, it is easy to see why you could arrive at that conclusion.  But excuse me for throwing a monkey wre...

Was watching the Rachel Maddow Show last night on MSNBC and she had a segment on how what is happening now as far as the first call for military  advisers  in Iraq was around 200 just before President Obama announced that he was sending 300 more to provide embassy protection and airport security only yesterday to announce another 200.  Pentagon Spokesperson said that this was going to be a short mission but those who know or have studied the history of the Vietnam War, showed eerie similarities between that and this. They are similar since I was Dwight D. Eisenhower who first sent in a small number of military  advisers  into Vietnam because he did not want to send a larger group of troops.  Word is that later, John F. Kennedy inherited that mission and even though beefed up the number of  advisers  in Vietnam would have probably never increased them past that point.  The Maddow piece further explained that after Kennedy d...

Today’s ruling as reported by Adam Liptak in his article titled “Supreme Court Rejects Contraceptives Mandate for Some Corporations”, “Justices Rule in Favor of Hobby Lobby” has done nothing for advancing the cause of women and their rights and in its swift action to play politics with women bodies, they have done nothing but doom the closed corporations and family-owned businesses.  Mr. Liptak reports that “The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that requiring family-owned corporations to pay for insurance coverage for contraception under the Affordable Care Act violated a federal law protecting religious freedom.   The contraceptive coverage requirement was challenged by two corporations whose owners say they try to run their businesses on Christian principles: Hobby Lobby, a chain of crafts stores, and Conestoga Wood Specialties, which makes wood cabinets.  The requirement has also been challenged in 50 other cases by almost 200 for-profit groups, according to the Bec...