Manns Medium

By Ron Manns It often times appears that we only acknowledge history when it is convenient for us otherwise we pay no attention to it even when it is happening directly in front of us.   With the recent revelations of top tier politicians being captured in blackface, America’s protectors of the innocent are all up in arms claiming to care, if it wasn’t so serious, it would be laughable.   I say this because there is a history and while it was occurring in prime time very few if any complained as loud as they protest now.   Lest we forget. There was something called minstrel shows which has its roots in guess where, you got it Virginia.   These shows were a popular form of entertainment beginning in the early 19th century and featured comic skits, variety acts, and music performances, among other things, that depicted white people wearing blackface  showcasing blacks often as uneducated, lazy, superstitious, someone to laugh at and not ever to be ...

I am sure you have heard the saying, be careful for you wish for.  Well the voters of Illinois are probably regretting their strong support and vote for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner now.  Since taking office, many of the planned projects designed to better equip Rockford to join the 21 st Century have been put on hold as well as programs designed to help those struggling families of the Stateline being cut under the guise of balancing Illinois budget. Never mind that over 3 million dollars, which could have been used to fund many of the programs Rauner is, has or thinking about cutting was used to upgrade the governor’s mansion.  Supporters say that was because that money was slated for that cause so my question becomes hy then is he justified with taking the money slated for those services and using them for other purposes? Classic example is an article found on WREX.com from the Associated Press titled “Democrats to hold hearing on Rauner education czar's sa...

Some people are still wondering just what this election is all about.  Many do not see the advantages that they have because for some reason the nation as a whole recovering does not appeal to them as much as how they are recovering.  For some it’s like a slap in the face that when this economy was going over the edge, we all felt it in our hearts and we all reached out to do our part to keep it from going completely over.  Now that it is doing better and even better than those who knew even thought it would, America is still broiled in this confusion of wrong direction or right direction.  People please remember we are not supposed to nor are we designed to agree with every decision made by those we hired to govern but to not embrace the wins as much as we choose to acknowledge the loses is ludicrous.  This mid-term is much more important than many wish us to see.  It is the difference between where we were and where we are.  It is the difference...

One of the most interesting and a questionable thing that has happened in the new lately has been this article reported by the Inquisitr.com titled “Detroit Water Fight: Activists Ask United Nations to Declare Service a Basic Human Right”.  In it they report that “nearly half of Detroit water customers cannot pay their bills, so they are turning to the United Nations for help. Activists on the Detroit People’s Water Board are now lobbying the UN to declare access to water service a basic human right to ensure that those who can’t or merely don’t pay their water bills continue access to the flowing liquid when they turn on their faucets.  The average Detroit water bill is $75 per month. According to a Free Press report, the average monthly water bill in other areas of the country is approximately $40 per month.  Detroit water and sewer rates have reportedly doubled in the past 10 years. During this same time period the poverty rate in the city...

According to the Associated Press in their piece titled Amtrak, 15 states, including Illinois, get $2B Florida lost, “the Obama administration is giving Amtrak and rail projects in 15 states the $2 billion that Florida lost after the governor canceled plans for high-speed train service.   A Department of Transportation statement today said the largest share of the money — nearly $800 million — will be used to upgrade train speeds from 135 mph to 160 mph on critical segments of the heavily traveled Northeast corridor.   Another $404 million will go to expand high-speed rail service in the Midwest, including newly constructed segments of 110-mph track between Detroit and Chicago that are expected to save passengers 30 minutes in travel time.   The money had initially been awarded to Florida for high-speed trains between Tampa and Orlando. Gov. Rick Scott canceled the project.” So much for governors looking out for the citizens in their state who is unemployed.   I...

I had often wondered about the statement made at the healthcare town halls of those who decried that “they wanted their country back”.   I think now the actions of some governors and state house may provide us with a clue of what they meant.   Very few have reported on the recent invasion of Benton Harbor by the new governor of Michigan but mainstream media has been all over the uprising in Wisconsin.   I could not help but see how these and all of the other things happening around this nation was linked and nothing made it even more cleared than this Jennifer Page article titled Martial Law Now a Reality in Michigan which reported that “t he Michigan   AFL-CIO   released a   press release   in response to Benton Harbor: "This is sad news for democracy in Michigan. It comes after the announcement of Robert Bobb in Detroit ordering layoff of every single public school teacher in the Detroit Public School system," says Mark Gaffney, President of Michig...

You have got to consider it kinda strange that a governor preaching succession since the election of our current president would now seek the help of the entity that he said Texas hated more than anything else.   Could these wildfires be a sign to those of Texas to return to the age of inclusion? According to Sarah Wheaton , New York Times,   Texas Wildfires Rage on With No End in Sight “ Firefighters in Texas on Tuesday continued to battle raging wildfires that were consuming more than a million acres and showing few signs of abating.   “The bull’s-eye is on West Texas and the Panhandle,” said April Saginor, a spokeswoman for the Texas Forest Service, referring to the area where conditions were considered “critical to extremely critical” — as they had been for days.   On Monday, firefighters responded to 10 new fires, in addition to battling 20 existing uncontained blazes — “actually kind of a light day,” Ms. Saginor said.   Texas’ worst drought in nearly hal...

It is or should be expected that any decision made by this administration will be looked at in nothing more than a political frame but every once in a while; one wishes that there will come a time when we all are more honest than political.   May be wishful thinking but looking for your better angels is not at all as bad as many would like you to believe. In Erin Kelly   and   Dennis Wagner of USA Today article titled   National Guard troops to leave Mexico border in June , you can find the contrast of criticism from an honest prospective and one from a totally political one.   Individuals quoted in this article can easily be tagged as partisan and to better prove this point take heed to a comment by   Arizona Governor   Jan Brewer "It's inexcusable and inexplicable to consider withdrawal of National Guard troops from our southern border at a time when cartel violence continues and the security of the border region remains under threat from drug and...

Never thought that I would see the day again, when some of my fellow service members would be used as pawns in a game created by politicians.   We expect it when it comes to fighting for the freedoms of this nation.   Hell that’s what we signed up for but to be used to fight our own because a group of politicians do not wish to spread the pain of economic recovery around evenly was not what many signed up for. As you may have already heard in one form of another the Governor of Wisconsin has checked to see if the National Guard would be free to help with the backlash he is sure will come when he cuts the states budget and place the burden of carrying an entire state directly on the backs of Wisconsin’s middle class.   If he had to even contemplate the use of the National Guard tells me that he knew the injustice of his actions long before he took them and that kind of arrogance slays me.   Its worst than hiking the Appalachian Trail. Granted equal blame has to be s...

In a country as rich as ours and one who constantly have much to say about the radicals which inhabit other nations, one would venture to think that what we rail so much about would be something that we would never condone.   One would be wrong. The belief that to proper settle any kind of disagreement is best by shooting first and asking questions later is exactly the take that those radicals from another country take to settle their differences.   Radicals hide behind God or their equal to justify the killing of a fellow human being to create fear and dominate their opposition.   Radicals seek bombings to get their point across and depending on the mindset of the driver behind the wheel, do not mind that those harmed or killed never said one cross word to them.   Radicals claim that the voice of God has instructed them to take lives in order that their way of life will be embraced.   They claim that since they are to only true chosen ones that no other idea, ...