Manns Medium

  Reading this article titled “ Two men arrested in plot to kidnap Michigan governor were Marine veterans ” by Philip Athey for Your Marine Corps , October 10, 2020, got me to wondering just where this idea of committing such an act originated from?   The article read “ Two of the 13 men arrested in an  alleged domestic terrorism plot  to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer  were Marine veterans , according to Marine officials.   Joseph Morrison was a Marine reservist who joined the Corps in March 2015 and was  discharged from the reserves  as a lance corporal on Thursday, Capt. Joseph Butterfield, a headquarters Marine Corps spokesman, told Marine Corps Times Saturday. He was assigned to Engineer Support Company, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Battle Creek, Michigan, and his awards included the National Defense Service Medal and the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, Butterfield said.   Dani...

​ There is an article titled “ Everyday words and phrases that have racist connotations ” written by Scottie Andrew and Harmeet Kaur, CNN with a contribution from CNN's Anna Bahney. It begins with “Master bedrooms" in our homes. "Blacklists" and "whitelists" in computing. The idiom "sold down the river" in our everyday speech. Many are so entrenched that Americans don't think twice about using them. But some of these terms are directly rooted in the nation's history with chattel slavery. Others now evoke racist notions about Black people. "Words like 'slave' and' master' are so folded into our vocabulary and almost unconsciously speak to the history of racial slavery and racism in the US," says Elizabeth Pryor, an associate professor of history at Smith College. But America's reckoning with systemic racism is now forcing a more critical look at the language we use. And while the offensive nature of man...

I and so many others tried to warn millions that there were more to the recent rash of cops acting as judge, jury and executioner than met the eye.  We attempted to educate you that there was more than that thin blue line that gave some cops the arrogance to see themselves as above the law and beyond questioning.  Well for those who doubted us, take a look at this article titled “ Outraged and Indicted Officers Declare War on Patrick Lynch ” written by Will Bredderman for the New York Observer and now say that what you were not warned about has any truth to it. The article mentions “a slate of insurgent Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association trustees and delegates—three of them under indictment for their involvement in the 2011 Bronx ticket-fixing scandal—announced their intention to unseat incumbent President Patrick Lynch and his reigning ticket of union officers.  Led by hulking Brooklyn South trustee and Lynch rival Brian Fusco, who is not in any legal trouble, the “...

America is going through a new phase right now and it is the phase of protest.  While all peaceful protests should be welcomed for no other reason than through which reform actually comes, those protests which has an element of revenge needs to be deconstructed and the revenge element removed.  Like the gentleman who thought he was justified in killing two police officers while they were sitting in their car, these cowards need to be exposed.  I call him a coward because he took advantage of his situation then took his own life.  If the action that you take is thought to be so justified, then stand tall in defense of it but when you run away from the responsibility of that action, then you has just earned the label.  This goes for people like Edward Snowden and those cops who kill then hide behind their union and the justice system instead of being willing to truly clear their names by standing tall in a court of law. This seems not to be the case if what i...

Recent articles on cops being judge, jury and executioner and getting away with it, has made so many paint entire departments with the same broad brush.  These are the same people who say that evils done by a portion of any community paints the entire community is wrong.  How can anyone say that what one percent does makes the other ninety-nine percent just as guilty?  We need to stop judging the entire world by the actions of a few.  There is a story which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are good cops out there, putting their lives on the line just like the bad ones except the good ones do not pre-judge people based on color or economic conditions. The story was brought to us by Fox News 17 out of Nashville, Tennessee titled “Woman Caught Stealing Food for Family Gets Police Delivered Donations”  It took place in Tarrant, AL and reports that “a woman who stole three eggs and the officer who decided to help and not arrest her are topping nation...

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...

There is so much wrong with this story that I truly do not know where to begin.  I say that because it does not have just one lesson that we all should take from it but several which make me even more sure that things happen for a single reason.  That is so that we, as human beings, will learn from it and make the necessary changes in our culture and our lives to not repeat them. Here are the lessons that I took from this. Police over-reach is a serious and deadly problem where police are becoming emboldened and taking the lives of people without having to face any serious consequences for making ill-advised choices.  That thin blue line that many talk about has become a huge yellow streak down the backs of those watch commanders, trainers, police captains, chiefs and politicians who were hired to serve and protect.  They all sit idly by and allow event after event to take place all over this United States hiding from the truth and running away from responsibili...

As a former law enforcement official, I have become dismayed and dishearten by the recent events where my fellow badge totters have exercise a severe lack of proper judgment when it comes to responding to incidents.  One the one hand, I feel quite connected to them and truly want to see that they do no harm while on the other, I am quite aware that there is a small percentage of all workers in any industry that tends to put personal pride before professionalism and cause all those associated with that industry a “black eye”.  These are those who have been recently caught on tape performing in a way that is far contrary to the education received before graduation.  I have searched for a possible motive and I think I may have found it. Take for example, this article titled “LA Cop Punches Special Needs Girl in the Face, Tries to Confiscate Video of Incident” brought to us by The Free Thought Project.com.  While most of it is becoming part of the norm, one part of ...

While this recent story does not end in the tragic death of anyone the message is the same.  Police over-reaction to a situation is becoming more and more rampant.  Officers, whose primary task, is to serve and protect are operating like some hidden force with the legal right to disrespect and defile anyone and everyone that they encounter.   For pulling over people for no real reason except boredom to getting away with violating the rights of citizens and being cleared from committing blatant murders.  Now the simple act of going to the grocery store has become a reason to fear.  According to the article titled “ College Girl Attacked by 6 Cops for Buying Water, Now Suing the State for $40 Million ” found in the Times Dispatch, “A University of Virginia student charged last year with assaulting ABC agents attempting to stop her for underage possession beer that turned out to be sparkling water has filed a $40 million lawsuit against the state and seve...

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, ...

I read an article by Juan Lozano of the Associated Press titled “ Houston black leaders laud release of police video” where a “ Houston community activist Quanell X released the tape to Houston television station KTRK, which aired it Wednesday evening.”   In a statement released by Quanell X stated "This never, ever should have been kept from the people.”   "What's on that tape, the world will get a chance to see now how they truly behave in public with young black men."   While others leaders in Houston's black community applauded the release of what they called the "appalling" and "outrageous" actions of "rogue officers."   They do have a very valid point and I can understand exactly what they are saying but I have to question as to whether this was done for the betterment of the community or to give them exposure and elevation. I say this because I also can understand why the opposition to the release of this videotape point as ...