Manns Medium

For many, like me, when I first heard about this group calling itself the Oath Keepers prowling around Ferguson, Missouri my first thought was a group of troublemakers looking for a reason to feel relevant but then later, it occurred to me why they were really there and what it meant to all of us as Americans.  Though their ideas, beliefs and concepts may appear foreign to many of us as I am sure ours appear to them, there is one huge fact that we often overlook. According to the article titled “ Oath Keepers Turn Up at Michael Brown Protests in Ferguson, Missouri ” written by Cassandra Vinograd.  She reports “ The Oath Keepers organization says its members — all former military, police and first responders — pledge to "defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."  However, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar described their presence as "both unnecessary and inflammatory."  Protesters and police confirmed that a handful of Oath Keepe...

When I first heard this story on The Rachel Maddow Show, I was immediately concerned that something just wasn’t right.  Based on the story, it was assumed that Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich’s “suicide” came at the hands of the Missouri GOP chairman John Hancock’s false assertion that he was Jewish and the “suicide” death of his aide, Robert Jackson was a result of the many other prominent Republicans did not demand Mr. Hancock’s dismissal.  It is being seen as the results of the new GOP’s brand of politics.  I just can’t see that. As reported in an article titled “ Tom Schweich spokesman Spence Jackson found dead of apparent suicide ” by Dave Helling and Jason Hancock for the Kansas City Star, it states “For the second time in a month, Missourians struggled Monday to understand the unfathomable — why a leading political figure in the state would take his own life.  Robert “Spence” Jackson, a prominent Republican spokesman and media liaison for more than a ...

It’s not hard to figure out just who may be pulling for the City of Ferguson to finally find closure in the shooting death of Michael Brown and who may not be just listen closely at those whom a microphone is placed in front of.  Much of what may be said will clue anyone who is scarcely even listening.  From where I am standing, it appears that the majority of the residents of Ferguson, Missouri would like nothing better than the recommendations handed down by the Department of justice be followed as closely as possible and the people of Ferguson finally receive that service and protection that all Americans, regardless of color or economic status deserve but as life would have it, there are still those who seek nothing but destruction and not constructions.  Bad things happen in our lives everyday but those who are righteous shall always find a non-violent way to deal with it and even come away with a lesson to insure that this particular savagery of a nation never happ...

This story raised my conspiracy hackles when I read it, considering the recent resignations, firings and removals of key personnel after the release of the DOJ investigation.  It truly appears strange that no officer were shot, no lethal force was ever visited upon officers in this manner until the resignation of Ferguson’s Police Chief Tom Jackson.  The article is titled “ 2 Police Officers Shot During Ferguson, Missouri, Protests ” posted by ABC News via Good Morning America.  In it we learn “Two police officers were shot during overnight protests in Ferguson, Missouri, the St. Louis County Police Department said.  A St. Louis County officer, 41, was struck in the shoulder; while a Webster Groves police officer, 32, was struck in the face, said county police Chief John Belmar, who spoke to media members outside of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.  “These police officers were standing there, and they were shot just because they were police officers,” Belma...

What’s the message? It’s simple as long as you wear a badge and a gun, you have the right to initiate a confrontation and if you feel yourself losing that battle, you can now draw your weapon and kill the threat.  You may not be so lucky if you are a civilian but why not take a chance.  You could fall under the George Zimmerman defense or the gentleman who shot and killed that young boy for loud music.  This gives you a 50/50 chance.  But if you are unarmed, hard of hearing or playing with a toy gun, your chances of getting justice may not be so balanced. Consider this, the grand jury said that Mr. Wilson followed the law and the training he received in law enforcement training but I have to wonder if that is true or have the training changed since I attended.  You see, we were instructed never to engage without back up especially if you were outnumbered.  Mr. Wilson’s odds were 2 to 1.  We were instructed to monitor and track until the numbers we...

Residents and leaders of Ferguson, Missouri as well as many well-respected journalist are off on a path pushing and beginning to start a recall for their city council.  The argument is that with 68% of residents being African-American and the city council not is representative of that means change is coming.  It is a very good idea but there is also something that they may need to consider. I call your attention to the City of Detroit who sends quite a few African-Americans to the city council and it changed nothing.  The situation became worse and now the city is bankrupted.  Putting African-American in office does not solve the problem if those elected are not strong enough to fall into the same selfish hole that those who currently occupy that position now finds themselves in.  If you elect a person who pretends to care when it is only their intention to better themselves, then you are electing to keep your city buried under the same blanket. Befor...

In the wake of the Michael Brown murder, the Trayvon Martin killing and so many others who have died because of misinformed neighbors and do-gooders or overzealous cops, one can truly understand why any police involved shooting of anyone is being looked at and scrutinize to no end.  Parents, guardians and caretakers owe it to those who are shot or brutalized by police to look a little deeper than just the surface.  Those placed in charge of society protection should be held to a much higher standard as well as those who fight so hard to carry weapons in public.  If you wear it, you must then be willing to own it which means any actions you take regarding a weapon. Having said that, this statement is also true for those who are not given the authority to protect society.  This statement is true for those who wish to carry and use a weapon for their own gain and to instill fear and commit crimes against society.  They too must be held to account but more than...

The lessons of the Ferguson Missouri-The Michael Brown Story have been played out in so many in oh so many ways as even though people have been educated on what that lesson was, they still did little to change the outcome. It appears that for many, the way to fix an issue is to yell, scream and throw a fit about it.  They still believe that the squeakiest wheel will get the oil.  While that may be true for your little red wagon, it is not true for people’s lives.  People believe that if you provided jobs for the hundreds and thousands of people out of work, that things would be much better and the rioting and looting would not happen.  It is believed that the anger is fixed when you give those who appear to be able to riot and loot because they have so much time on their hands, having a job; they may be too tired to riot or loot.   If the excuse to commit a crime is based upon this premise then you may be right but think about this, many who join group...

If you pick up the paper, two major headlines will probably jump out at you.  The continuation of the massive coverage of the Ferguson, Missouri protests and the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley.  One of these are about to lose its appeal so soon the Ferguson story will soon go by the waste side like Aurora, Newtown, Trayvon Martin and so many others but this beheading of James Foley is just beginning to peak the interest of many.  Not because it is a story that its lessons will ever be heeded but because it was an American who was savagely killed and there are other Americans who may be next.  Now I’m not saying that is a bad thing to be concerned with any America dying especially by the hands of cowards that call themselves brave but can anyone tell me how many military personnel died during this same time? I think, one of the best articles written about Foley’s death was done so by Chelsea J. Carter for CNN titled “ Video shows ISIS beheading U.S. jou...

Throughout the coverage of the shooting and killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, there has been major coverage of the race angle from the disparity of representation in the local government to comparisons of how cities that are not predominately black are governed but all the while, it appears that many have forgotten the lesson that was taught so long ago during the civil rights struggle and made famous by a Baptist preacher known as Martin Luther King. Lest we forget, Dr. King advocated non-violence and maintained that stance even after facing far much more law enforcement resistance than the residents and transplant face in Ferguson.  In an interview with one of the national news agencies, an interviewee was quoted as saying that the reason they were looting was to get justice and instead of those standing near this individual correcting him, they just nodded their heads in agreement.  Seeing and hearing this, I immediately was taken back to the time where e...

I had been waiting on a report that tells us what happened through the eyes of the police officer who was actually involved.  A portion of the officer’s story can be found here but it is imperative that you read the rest of what we could not or did not write here.  In this article,  I've  decided to do something a little different.  Normally I would not interrupt and article that I am quoting but this time I am mainly because you need to see both sides at the same time in order to even begin to understand the complexity of this issue.  My interruptions will appear in parenthesis the excerpts from the article in quotation marks. You can find it in an article written by Eliott C. McLaughlin, Dana Ford and Holly Yan for CNN titled “Caller says she has the officer's side of the Ferguson shooting”.  This was updated at 1:54 AM EDT, Tue August 19, 2014 under the subtitle “Dueling narratives”.  The article reports that “the officer who killed Brown ...

I read a conversation about the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri where some excellent advice was being passed along that dealt with waiting until the facts are in before arm chair or Monday morning quarterbacking the event.  It was something I had said myself so it sounded like really good advice, but the more I read the stronger this thought became.  Is there any such thing as fact? I say that because no one can tell what is actually happening in the minds of those involved in any incident except those who are actually involved.  And many times, things happen so fast that even they have a hard time recanting what they were actually thinking at that particular time.  If Fox News report that something happened in a particular way, is that fact especially if MSNBC reports it happening a different way.  Whose fact are we going to go with?  Does it depends on which one you, as an individual, think is more fair and balanced than the other? ...

According to an article written by Meg Wagner, Cory Siemaszko of the New York Daily News titled “State of emergency declared in Ferguson after day grows heated in wake of Michael Brown shooting, photo of Officer Darren Wilson surfaces” there were a small part that made me begin to believe that true love of community was still alive and well in Ferguson, Missouri.  Now I am sure that many probably missed it because it was not as dramatic as the rioting and looting.  It is not quite as memorable and the conflict between residents and police.  It may not give them as many page views or increase their ratings.  That small piece “Emboldened, some troublemakers tossed Molotov cocktails and the started looting stores, including the Ferguson Market & Liquor — the business from which Brown allegedly stole a $48.99 box of Swisher Sweets cigars.  They were chased out by other demonstrators who stood watch over the store until the troopers could secure the premises.” ...

With the recent shooting of an unarmed black male in Ferguson, Missouri all over the news these past few days.  The question is not about the events which lead to this shooting but more about the tactics being employed by the Ferguson County Sheriff and local law enforcement officers there.  Many in the media wants to know why they feel the need to use military type equipment in an urban environment and why they appear to ignore the rule of law, honor the rights of their fellow citizens and even trample all over the constitution.  Well in order to understand their mindset, one need only to take a few steps back and look at the growth pattern of this surprising occurrence.  Begin with the seed in order to understand how that very large tree got there and then you will understand just how to remove that enormous scene-stealing tree. To do that let’s do this.  Think about the overwhelming sense of unfairness when a town, a city, a community is governed by a gr...

Please don’t get it confused, I do not protest to be the sharpest tool in the shed but even I can see why bad things happen to good people.  This has always been one of the most important questions asked but never answered.  The other was why this world is going to hell in a hand basket.  I think I can answer both those now. As it is my nature, I am going to answer both these questions in the most simplest of terms I can as well as with one point.  That point is, bad things happen to good people and this world is going to hell in a hand basket because good people are sitting too long on their brains and not standing up for what they know is right fast enough. Imagine that police officer who wrote letters to his superiors in Fenton Missouri where that young man, Michael Brown was just shot and killed.  He waited several months before even doing that because he feared losing his job or being retaliated against.  At what point does fear of retaliation...

With the death toll currently at 313 lives lost and billions of dollars possible, there is very little to be thankful for.   Survivors will be grateful for their lives and the lives of friends and family but may never recover from the death of those closest to them as well as those from neighboring states and communities.   The one thing that we know for sure it that America will recover and as we do in all tragedies, come together as one to help our fellow Americans rebuild better than before.   This is of course who we really are as a nation despite all of the rhetoric and vitriol spewed from a small section of this nation.   We are one and all connected to a much better and higher purpose which binds one to another. As reported by Juan Castro Olivera of the Associated Press in his article titled Sprawling devastation as US storm toll tops 310 “v iolent twisters that famously rip through the US south's "Tornado Alley" are formed when strong jet winds bringing upp...