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 ...

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 ...

Stumbled upon this article titled “Commentary: Walker’s budget calls for schools to stop reporting sexual assaults” written by Shane Nicholson, Managing Editor of The Rock River Times.  It was so unbelievable that I had to read it several times to make sure that what I thought I read was really what I read.  If you haven’t read it, pick up the March 4-10, 2015 Volume 22 Issue and find it on page 12 in the Commentary Section.  I am sure you are not going to believe your eyes. The commentary reports that “ Buried in Scott Walker’s proposed budget for the state of Wisconsin, which calls for over $300 million in cuts to higher education, is a small note of massive consequence.  The Republican governor would like schools to cease the reporting sexual assaults on college campuses.  Here’s the passage in its entirety: 25. DELETE LANGUAGE RELATED TO SEXUAL ASSAULT INFORMATION AND REPORTING Delete the requirement that the Board direct each institution and colleg...

Heard a story about this new bill working its way through Congress called “The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for America Veterans Act” on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.  This bill calls for independent evaluations of all mental health-care and suicide-prevention programs in VA and the Defense Department, a student loan repayment program that would offer up to $120,000 per year to recruit psychiatrists who commit to working for VA, and a program that would take back unneeded prescription drugs from patients at VA facilities.  Now while all this may sound good and is needed much of it is actually worthless in solving the problem of veteran suicide.  Clay Hunt’s mother said that after he finally got in to see a  psychiatric , he called her and said that he was not going back, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)  and other veterans groups believe to solve this problem VA needs more psychiatrist.  Both completely ignoring the fact that mor...

Tonight, the Rachel Maddow Show updated the story she reported regarding the shooting death of Tom Clements.  Tom Clements was a high level official with the Colorado Department of Corrections.  He was shot to death when he answered the front door of his home.  I also tracked down this article written by Jennifer Brown for The Denver Post titled “ Widow of Tom Clements angry and frustrated by murder investigation .  In this article she further reported the following; “Cl ements and the couple's daughters know who pulled the trigger but do not know who else, if anyone was behind the plot. And she believes there were others involved, that Evan Ebel, a recently paroled prisoner who spent much of his time in solitary confinement, did not act alone.  "It's very difficult for me to believe that he planned and orchestrated and financed this act himself," she said. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa, whose agency is leading the investigation, told The Denver P...

If you have been following any of the news today, regardless of which channel you prefer, you should have no doubt have heard about the proposal House Republicans took to the White House.   While I am ever so weary of these games played by both sides in Washington, only a blind person may not be able to see that the Republican fire spoken so frequently about has gone out and not one ember remain.   Before I tell you how I think it could have been done and all of this unnecessary drama avoided, let me tell you why I think it all went wrong.   The number one reason is this “blind hatred” of Barack Obama.   Republicans allowed themselves to be played like a five dollar fiddle because they were so focused on maintaining an adversarial relationship with this president and his administration.   Proof is all around you if you allow yourself to take a few minutes and look.   Before he was even sworn in, there were forces meeting to insure that anything he...

Many people are asking several questions and some are so far off the mark, it’s comical.   I heard a commentator mention the security procedures at the Navy Yard as a reason the shooter was able to get in.   This is comical because anyone who believes that security measures will stop the evil that is rampant in this society is asleep at the wheel.   To address the evil of this world, there is only one place we have to go and that is to our knees.   Evil will only be eradicated once we are willing to face the fact that evil exist. Some use the spectacle of those Colorado senators losing their sea after being recalled when they pushed “common sense” gun legislation through their congress.   This is laughable because they fail to see the entire story behind those lawmakers losing their jobs.   First allow me to inform and educate you that those jobs were not those law makers to keep or lose.   They were hired to do a job and they courageously did i...

At some point one would think that all the venting of ideas and speculation as to why the Obama Administration is taking certain actions, someone would stumble upon this one.   Regarding the Attorney General sitting down with journalist, off the record, many well-established, news bureaus say that they refuse to speak based on the off the record meeting with them because they want to be able to write about it.   Some are sitting down because they say it is important to hear what the Justice Department has to say and that this issue needs to be addressed and finished.   For me I say this. I salute those who are willing to sit down because it says to me that they not only have nothing to hide or fear but that they are willing to help solve the problem instead of stretching it out to sell more page views, newspapers or increase viewership.   Those who refuses, sends a message that they seek to keep this thing alive and may not really have anything worthwhile to h...

One of my staples when it comes to cable news is the Rachel Maddow Show.  Not because she says everything that I want to hear but because she as well as Lawrence  O'Donnell  and sometimes Chris Matthews, get a hold of a certain subject and present it so that both sides are plain and it is easy to understand where each is coming from.  Like the rest of cable news, one can also plainly see where their allegiance lies but still is oftentimes seen as equal presentation of the facts.  This makes it quite enjoyable for a political news junkie, like me, to make an educated decision on which side I wish to rest or whether I create a much different view than any provided. Rachel Maddow was speaking on how the monitoring of the Associated Press (AP) phones were the death of unbiased and investigative journalism.  She seemed to favor the “whistleblower” and seemed annoyed at the fact that the Obama Administration’s Justice Department handling of this m...

We learned today that Susan Rice has decided to withdraw her name from contention because she said it would bog down the confirmation process.   She spoke like a lady who see this as something bigger than her which is commendable but still gives “wayward” lawmakers an excuse to keep playing games instead of doing the job they were hired to do. Tell military members that their welfare is far less important than making up “talking points” to get on television or try to make a president look bad.   To say you love this country but fail to pass the jobs bill or hold up advancement of this nation for the billionaires makes no sense.   What has happened to a party who once champion military service?    What has happened to a party that once champions the worth of individuals over interest? Three major “loudmouths” and “weak minded” political pundits saw an opportunity to better their standing in the senate and cared less about the results of their actions. ...

Many have asked the question of why a Presidential Nominee would ever think about not supporting the backbone of this nation, it’s middle class.   Not many have offered an answer to this dilemma that is until now.   Imagine being conditioned and educated that industry knows best of how to make a countryman rich and getting there by your own sweat and tears is not the most productive of ways to accomplish this feat.   We look back at the history of Mr. Willard Mitt Romney and we find a gentleman who has been blessed with the ability to lure people to his way of thinking from the time he took a bunch of fellow students with him to give one of their classmates a haircut to the time where he created a company designed to acquire, break up and sell off failing companies while making a pretty good profit for all those following his lead.   He had discovered a legal way to rob from the poor and give to the rich.   This aggressiveness made him one of the most ...

Having not being able to view the Obama-Romney Debate live and in person, I subjected myself to hearing the recap from pundits, commentators and those experts who seem to have their finger on the pulse of the political events shaping our world.  According to them, I half expected to see Mitt Romney as an aggressive overseer, holding a whip and taming both Barack Obama and the moderator Jim Lehr.  The vision I had was Romney’s complete command from beginning to end and Obama just standing in a corner somewhere refusing to look in Romney’s direction in fear of being lashed for disobedience.  However after watching it in it’s entirety, the debate that I saw was completely different than the one I had heard about.  This made me begin to questioned if I had witnessed a completely different one. The one that I saw, showed me how gracious Obama really is toward someone he disagrees with.  It showed me that he could deliver a devastating and direct hit to his opponen...

For as long as any of us could remember, there has always been a gap between those who fared well and those who didn’t.   Those who have, enjoy the pleasure that comes with being able to buy when and whatever they wish while those who haven’t could only dream of such expenditures.   What began as a spark to ignite those who were good in sports to get better or for those who dreamed of improvements to existing products was the drive to reach that level enjoyed by those who fared well.   With the growing divide and the selfishness and greed of those who have, this is becoming more and more difficult. The poor and the middle class had an avenue to getting up on their feet through homeownership but greed from those who have so much has managed to partially destroy that.   The poor and the middle class had an avenue to getting up on their feet by securing jobs with retirement savings but those who have so much has managed to almost destroy that.   The poor and m...

Where do we find these politicians who say that they are about things that the majority of us would like to see in our political leaders only to then speak senseless in the next breathe.   When are we going to demand that they have at least a clue about what it is they would do about the issues facing this nation and have answers to the simple questions that arises when they open their mouths? I’m reminded about this when I listened to Mr. Samuel Wurzelbacher interview on The Last Word with Lawrence O Donnell last night.   He was asked about his tax plan and mentioned the old Herman Caine refrain of 999 but did not seem to know the unjust result that plan would have on the majority of those he claim to want to serve.   He was asked about the Grover Norquist pledge of never raising taxes for any reason and his take on the signing of this pledge by those who are now reneging was that those who renege was not men and women of their word.   He was asked what he t...

I have seen a trend but until recently never really thought about it until now. I would wonder, sometimes, how Blacks could be a part of something that refused to respect their history, a business or organization that looked upon all that they have endured as nothing more than a fluke or irrelevant in many ways.   A business or organization that never considered their struggles or sacrifices but was only useful to have around for no other reason than “window dressing”.     Then it occurred to me, maybe it was for the same reason that women were paraded around in front of the cameras.   Something to use and show that some was not as exclusive as their rhetoric describes them.   I speak about the current GOP and its leaders. During the reign of Herman Cain, I did not see too many Blacks paraded in front of the camera in the GOP to comment on his policies and ideas about what was wrong with this country and his vision of where we should be headed.   Th...

Republican National Committee (RNC) offers Political Action Committees (PACs) “access to top RNC leadership throughout the Convention and an opportunity to network with other Fortune 500 Companies and Trade Association executives,” for a fee.   The fee is “a contribution of $15,000 to join the Majority Fund for 2011 and making an additional contribution of $15,000 in 2012.”   The two year membership commitment opens PACs to access to “four credentials and two hotel rooms in Tampa.” What does that really mean and how does this prove how money has taken control of our politics and election?   It is quite safe to assume that any entity that pays this much to have access to our political representatives will eventually get something in return.   No one will pay this much and get nothing in return.   This contribution promises contributors a “Grand Majority Fund status and will be invited to attend and receive premier credentials to special events at the 2012 RNC Co...

When I first heard President Obama say that his administration would do all that they could to create jobs even if congress and Republicans would not help, I really did not know how he was going to be able to keep that promise.   I got the answer while watching the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC last night. Apparently while Republicans and some Democrats are happy to let Americans continue to go unemployed, our bridges and roads to continue to disintegrate, and teachers and first responders to suffer, this administration does not.   Rachel Maddow reported on several police departments winning an award from the Justice Department which allows them to not only keep those first responders on the job but in many cases allowed some departments to even add officers. Since these awards are coming from these individual agencies and their budgets have already been approved, Republicans and those few Democrats can not block these job creations.   It appears that this administ...

Move over Jon Stewart, there’s another show which should soon come to Comedy Central and it is titled “Democrats Folly”.   It’s a story about Progressive, Liberal and Moderate Democrats who travel the country addressing the same problems that’s been plaguing the African-American, Hispanic, Middle Class, seniors and Veteran Communities for years. This story begins in 2009, where all hopes were laid at the feet of one man and each time this one man did not perform as many wanted him to, these democrats would gather together and rant about his inability to fix their problems.   Some will demand that he become as stubborn as his opposition and fight, fight, fight.   They will insist that he stand his ground and never compromise because that’s what they would do.   Of course none of them are under the same intense pressure that this one man is nor are they privy to all of the information and head winds he face each day from several different directions at the same time, ...

If someone had told me that ushering Barack Obama into the White House would eventually lead to more Americans coming together than many have seen in eons, Republicans, Democrats and Independents, I probably would have said that they were not operating from a full deck, I would be wrong. The midterm elections were a time for progressives to declare that they were so very disappointed in Obama and many other Democrats that they were going to teach them a lesson and stay home.   Their base followed their lead and became missing in action at the polls.   This allowed the fringe elements to come together and elect those that they believed would be their friends and support the causes that they campaigned to believe in.   Now the State Houses are filled with Republican legislators and governors who showed their true colors almost immediately after being sworn in.   Their campaign for creating jobs gave way to an all out assault on women, unions, the middle class, the poo...

If you love great theater, yesterday was your day to watch MSNBC and the other “major” cable news outlets.   To virtually a person, each one had their own take on how disappointing the president’s plan was.   It was too much for some and not enough for others.   The scary part was, much of the disagreement with Obama spanned the political spectrum and was mostly centered on the cost and how broke this country was.   Sad to think that these same “heavy hitters” were not screaming as loud when we were being lead by the nose into these wars. Many, who would normally be on opposite sides of any issue, now bands together and scream that since we killed Osama bin Laden, we can now bring all of our troops home and then use that money to help restore this economy.   I can somewhat understand their premise but I have to chuckle at the thought that those who are supposed to know really do think that bringing all the troops home will really allow us the use of the money c...