Manns Medium

For as many years as I can remember, people have always sought a savior to save them from certain impending doom and when their chosen savior fails or refuse to oblige them, they lash out as if what they demanded from others was somehow their right to receive.  I guess Christians are spoiled by the reading of the Old Testament where the Israelites cried to God to save them from the Egyptians and God answered by sending Moses.  I guess we think the same should happen by screaming for LeBron James to sit out a few Cleveland Cavaliers games to effect change of the grand jury on indictment of the officers who were involved in the Tamir Rice shooting.  Really people, have we gotten so lazy, shiftless, selfish, cowardly and weak that we have to seek, find, secure and demand a savior at each and every turning point in our lives.  How about we stop asking others to do a job that we are and have been granted the authority to fix for ourselves.  Now for all you who think...

After completing and publishing my newest book titled A Twist of Faith-The Emergence of a New Religious Doctrine, I was asked what my purpose for publishing it was.  My answer to make people think on a deeper level about religion and began to use their own analytical skills to determine how it should work for them.  It wasn’t until last night did it occur to me that the answer should have been more detailed. I suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD and when it hits, I find myself easily angered by the smallest of things.  Through-out the years, I have learned a great deal about the disorder and have come to be able to control it instead of it controlling me.  What I mean by control is not being able to bring it on and cut it off because no one can control that.  What I do mean is when it strikes, I do not allow it to take complete control of me and do something that I would not do during non-affected times.   In the beginning I used t...

As a retired U.S. Marine, there are few things that truly makes me wish to grab certain people and shake them until an apple falls out except when I read that I have lost another brother simply because some loud-mouth politician decided to start a war that they did not have to fight in.  It makes things even more frustrating when those who saber-rattle are also those who can make the changes to correct these suicides but refuse.  I assume that they believe having “yes men and women” on their payroll allows them the conscientious to sleep at night because those yes men and women are former military and tells them exactly what they wish to hear.  I guess my frustration is even more aimed at myself because even after writing a book on how to handle this, it still appears not enough and the more that I attempt to do the less it seems to matter.  That was before I read this article titled “ Suicide Claims 14th Marine From a Unit Battered by Loss ” written by Dave Philipp...

The Islamic State rose into power not because of what they did but because of the sudden and great interest shown by the public about them and what they were all about.  It’s troop levels grew because of the lack of richness in the country, the lack of advancement of its society, the lack of leadership within its ranks and most importantly because of a few who saw an opportunity to get rich quick by jumping on the “infidels bandwagon”.  They used the fear of the people to accept them and grant them overlords to the sparse freedoms that they had.  We made them larger than life by all the reporting and the touting of their power.  Countries trembled at the very mention of their name and citizens turned on one another to avoid their deadly rampage but what many forgot and only a few knew, the Islamic State is just like any other organization in the world.  You hit them hard and heavy with a consistency that only a country like the United States can.  You hit ...

Many in the African-American community wishes to blame the fact that blacks have such a high unemployment number or they cannot secure a decent job at a decent pay because of closet racism but the truth of the matter is some who are blessed to secure a good job with a living wage presents those hiring managers and those in charge of these businesses the best excuse possible not to hire blacks.  This is all they need to deny blacks any opportunity that their experience, knowledge and skills level demands and it is proof positive that any decision you, as an individual make, will have an effect upon others. The article is titled “ 2 Bankers Charged with Creating A.T.M. Cards to Steal From Accounts ” written by Stephanie Clifford.  In it reports that “ The 15 JPMorgan Chase bank accounts had a few things in common: They had high balances, there was little activity on them and they belonged to elderly clients — indeed, at least eight were dead.  And all 15 of the account...

When you have high profile shootings where everyone tends to have an opinion and none seemed to be even slightly wishing to listen to the other sides, you get a well-thought out and programmed response from those whose job is to dispense equal justice within the law.  For those on the other side of that line, finding a reason to allow those officers a way out instead of jail is the only course of action they feel is best because of the situation that they find themselves in.  For those on the side of the line where voices are never heard and often ignored, the results is all the proof they need to demonize police , prosecutors and judges.  Both sides lack true conviction is making things right and neither wishes to see nothing but what they has deemed a clear victory.  In the end, no one wins, we all lose and none of us seem smart enough to know the difference. From the prosecutor’s side having to work closely with the police, they tend not to wish to alienate t...

Growing up in a small town like Brownsville, Tennessee, there was very little that was going on at the time that a black kid could hold their heads up to.  What we saw on the ole black and white television were people who didn’t look like us and all the heroes of my time wore white like the Lone Ranger or blue like Adam-12 and the team from Emergency.  Some wore white like Marcus Welby, M.D. or Dr. Ben Casey but the ultimate hero for me was John Wayne another that only allowed me to watch his antics on the screen and model myself after.  That was before the Harlem Globetrotters were televised a few times and then was the only time that I could ever dream of making it on the big screen. The only downside to this dream, to me, was having the ability to play basketball and of all the skills I possessed, playing basketball was one I sorely lacked in.  The next major obstacle was over-coming the sneers and jeers I would hear about these men from people of my own race...

In the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, so many have come to rest on the untrue facts that the way to stop terrorist attacks here in the United States is to stop all Muslims from entering or living here.  If this sounds a little too familiar then it should because it was the same reason many you spoke to assumed when it came to the Jews, the Buddhist and any other form of religion that was not Christianity.  Wonder when we will learn that if you seek to go to a different place than you have been, it may be smarter to take a different route? Many are willing to say that the Quran teaches Muslims to hate others but in saying so are we not now teaching other Christians how to hate Muslims?  What if it is discovered that the Quran is nothing more than another version of the Bible?  What if we discover that those spoke so highly about in the Quran are none other than those spoken so highly about from the Bible?  Would that make us less or more likely to hate...

The story listed below is a primary example why media may filing to perform the one and only job it has, to inform the public.  When a story first hit, we tend to assume that it will be filled with facts so that we, who read these articles and then form our own opinions for the  water cooler  conversation, could do so and not look like a complete and utter fool.  We read the article, compose our own ideas about the cause and effect then use these to exchange with our co-workers or family members.  We only wish to sound as informed as we see ourselves to be but are often left completely holding the bag because of the unprofessional  styling  of those expected to report the news.  We begin with a solid base of why we think things happened as they did only to read another take on that same story and find out more information that was not in the first one.  This new information tends to sway our first thought but in order to change directio...

Often time’s things happen in life that forces us to ask the question “What was that about” and when that happens there are but two clear choices.  The first is you deserve the fire for what you did but choose not to remember or it is what is referred to as “displaced anger”.  In order to know which one, take a step back and search your very soul to find out if it was truly something you did.  If it was then simply apologizing will correct the situation but if it wasn’t then take heart in knowing that the anger you just witness is an indication of something much deeper and if that person is truly a friend.  It is a sign that maybe you need to offer your help in solving. Many times anger directed toward us is really not about us and more about a deeper unsettling of the person expressing that anger.  Suppose you have finally gotten your fill of someone seemingly to be taking advantage of you.  You feel less like telling them where to go and drawing them...

Personally, I can’t see anything wrong with finding pride in which you are.  My problem begins and ends with that picture of you being a concoction of how others see you versus how you see yourself.  If you see yourself a particular way and it gives you the strength to carry on, move forward and stay positive then more power to you but if does not then I beg each and every one of you to rethink your definition of who you are even if you might have to deeper within you than you have ever gone before to find it. Many say that this may be the failings of blacks that we do not look deep enough within ourselves to find who we really are and therefore end up accepting the definition handed down through the ages.  What does it really mean to be black?    Was it just a definition of a people that was designed to help slave owners tell the difference between those they brought back and those that was here already?  Was it true of a race that the Klu Klux K...

Back in the day, the most celebrated holiday was Christmas but now it seems to have been replaced by others thought up by particular groups.  Christmas could be found in every single home with all proudly displaying bright lights, candles and good cheer.  Not so much today as now we wish to make it seem we must celebrate  Kwanzaa  and others like it instead.  It’s as if we have to choose between one and the other to prove something to someone much more important to us than we are to ourselves and that is a shame. Could it be that many who was first taught to believe in God, stopped and therefore felt an urgent need to replace it with something that they could celebrate?  Could it be that commercially we began to sell out our beliefs for what we were being told by a television show or advertisement?  Could it be that we gave up on what I believe the true meaning of Christmas is so that we may fit in with the majority or those we thought was the maj...

It is a statement often made but seldom ever explained which is quite unfair since it is so easy to explain.  May be we do not explain it because we do not know what to say or how to say it?  May be we do not explain because we don’t know ourselves or maybe we don’t explain it because we never really thought about it only repeated it because it sounded good to say? Maybe it is time we explained why we know that God will only allow that pain and suffering that he already knows you can handle.  We know this frankly because it is the same that he did for his only son Jesus.  Remember back in that book we call a Bible where satan wished to tempt Jesus?  Remember he had to get permission from God before he could.  God granted satan three chances to get Jesus to condemn him and three chances was all he got.  We know that he failed all three times and had to stop there because his power was nowhere near the power of God.  If he loved his son as much...

So many times in our lives, we look back and count the number of times that we made mistakes.  Some mistakes are obvious while others take a little more time to figure out but all of them may cause many a period of regret and we all know that regret is not a good feeling.  We also should know by now that regret can easily lead us into other directions which is far worse than simple regret.  Before we begin to cross the line between a regret and more other serious situations, let us consider using another word that may not cause us such a high rate of pain and discomfort.  Let’s try using the word miscalculation instead of mistake for no other reason than it hurts less and is much easier to fix in most instances. The definition of a mistake is an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong while the definition of a miscalculation is an error or misjudgment.  Both sounds quite similar but when spoken the word mistake sounds much more harsh and in many insta...

For years now, the GOP has been trying all kinds of things to trap President Obama and make something stick to him.  Much of what they tried in the past all turned out to be more fluff than substance but this time they just may have something.  Many who just can’t stand this man have been talking impeachment even though, being lawyers themselves, they knew that there was no grounds for it.  According to an article titled “ GOP report: Administration misled Congress on Bergdahl swap ” written Deb Riechmann for the Associated Press.   It details a 98 page report which charges that the Obama Administration violated the law by not giving Congress a 30 day notice about the transferring of five Taliban detainees in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.  It reports “ House Republicans are claiming in a new report that the Obama administration misled Congress about the effort to release five Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who ...

If you have ever wondered if Fox News was truly “fair and balanced” then this will be the test for you.  If you have ever wondered if MSNBC was biased or if CNN was just following everyone else then pay close attention to this little bit of news.  We learned yesterday about this “no Child Left Behind” bill signed into law by George W. Bush which gave the federal government more control over underachieving schools by taking that power away from the states.  We didn’t hear much fuss about it when it happen, since so many who claim GOP affiliation always seems to claim over reach by the federal government and has co-oped the saying of “smaller government”.  Well since the worst president ever, according to some has now reversed their representative’s action and gave back the power over their schools, what will they say now? The article is titled “ President Obama to sign 'No Child Left Behind' overhaul bill ” posted by Joseph Edwards for our local TV station WREX....

An article titled “ Minnesota man accused of conspiring to help Islamic State ” written by Jeff Baenen for the Associated Press details how another Minnesota man was captured by FBI and charged with conspiring to help the Islamic State.  It reports that “ Another Minnesota man has been charged with conspiring to help the Islamic State.  Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, 20, of Eagan was charged Wednesday by criminal complaint with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.  Court documents allege Warsame tried to help other young men from Minnesota's Somali community travel to Syria to fight for the Islamic State. Nine others in that group have already been charged, authorities say.  According to an FBI special agent's affidavit, one man who was planning to leave for Syria appointed Warsame to replace him as "emir," or leader, of the group. "As the new emir, Warsame immediately encouraged those with passports and money to travel to Syri...

What is this that is God-given? But man can’t seem to keep, Paid for by the blood of the Lamb, But cost not one of us a dime. Has been around for a very long time, But still remains fresh and new, It houses the essence of who we are, And stays our earthly course. It guards the good and the bad in all of us, And makes us well aware of them both, It shelters our disappointments and despair, As well as our hopes and dreams. What is this you may ask, That’s worth its weight in gold, It’s full of the milk of kindness, It's simply called your soul. R.Manns 12/04/2015

You listen too much to what people say especially when it comes to the mass shooting in California and so many others like that.  The number one question asked is if it was the action of terrorist and the number one lesson we spread is how important it is that we do not let the terrorist win.  But then there comes a story and a few more stories like that one, soon it begins to become clear.  The terrorist have won and those who refuse to believe it are the ones who keep us blind to it. Consider this story “ At school on Oct. 24, 2014, J.A. misheard what a friend told her. "It sounded like you said, 'We're going to play with chemicals,'" she told the friend, and both girls laughed.  Two other girls told a fourth-grade teacher that J.A. and her friend were talking about chemicals. The teacher sent them to report it to a guidance counselor.  The guidance counselor asked J.A. and her friend about it as they stood in line to go home on the bus. The two girls were ...