Manns Medium

When you attend school, people wish to say that there you can gain book smarts but when you education comes from the streets, people say you are gaining streets smarts.  Depending on who you talk to or at the time you talk to them, one would push one over the other and there has even been behavioral test conducted to see which actually came first, the chicken or the egg.  For some reason we think that life is so complicated that we must have a pre-programmable gene within all of us that causes us to act a particular way at a particular time.  Though I can respect these experts’ thoughts and ideas, I have to vehemently disagree with their assessment. This pre-conceived notion to do evil is not a part of our make-up but a direct result of our environment and the choices that we make.  If you make a statement that you believe in a particular thing and you fail to live up to that statement is not a result of anything other than you making a statement you that you fa...

For those Marines who survived this “supposedly hazing, assaults and physical abuse” when it was thought to be the best way to train and condition Marines so that they would be better able to survive wars and what they saw in them as well as survive longer in a prisoner of war (POW) camp than those not exposed to this type of training, we say now how much of a wimp those who now cry when their little bitty feelings get hurt are draining this nation of macho men with balls.  We now use this as the reason so many are committing suicide and begging to get out once they get in or refusing to even joins in the first place.  We do this because we survived it and if we can survive it, then those in the news crying like a little bitty baby should be able to survive it as well but what we miss is that not everyone is like us and to hold ourselves as perfect examples of how others should act is definitely a clear definition of arrogance.  So are we now to display Marines as arroga...

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earths as well as man by breathing life into a pile of dust.  He crafted and created us in his own image as a spirit but because he wished us to hold domain over all else that he created, a vessel was necessary to carry this spirit from place to place.  His design was the boiler plate and identical in all aspects for man and woman.  As he sat back pleased with his design and creation, these same men and women began to stop appreciating what he had done for them and began to seek self-gratification.  They moved around this planet and all others from place to place seeking that place where they felt most at home. This migration to different areas caused our adaptable tissues to conform to that particular region and some developed deeper and more  pigmentation  within their tissues than others.  Some found food a plenty and ate quite well while others found food hard to come by and ae less.  Each...

Maybe it’s just me but to hear people talk about ISIS or ISIL makes me wish to ask why they invest so much into a group of cowardly people who hide in the shadows and pick on people who they have a pretty good idea won’t fight back. I mean, the media makes ISIS or ISIL seem like an army of real soldiers and highly intelligent generals who can give any minimal trained army a real run for it’s money, while I personally see them simple as nothing more than cowards and bullies. I say this not to disrespect anyone but to make a few points very clear to those seeking to categorizes ISIS or ISIL as a force to be feared.  “ Surveillance footage, cab driver offer clues in investigation in Brussels attack ” for CNN News by Catherine E. Shoichet, Frederik Pleitgen and Greg Botelho.  The article reports “ a break in the investigation may have come from a taxi driver who took the suspects to the airport.  The driver contacted authorities after seeing surveillance footage and gave...

The situations that my fellow service members face day in and day out is the stuff of legends and on its own should merit front page in any newspaper, magazine or publication but to use an heroic situation add in a title you believe will get you more page views is an insult to these men and women who work so hard and dedicate so much than just their earthly lives, they risk their very souls. I was forwarded this article by a brother of mine, who is often at odds with me regarding a lot of things.  One of the things we stand in opposition with is President Barack Obama but even though we stand on different sides of any issue, make no mistake, if you place a scratch on him rest assured that I will put a gash on you.  He is my brother not because we have the same mother and not because we have the same dad but simply because we shared the same uniform as a Marine and traveled in the same circles like Beirut, Grenada, Lebanon, Somalia and Desert Storm.  He is my brother ...

Since 2009, it has been a comedy of errors on the behalf of the GOP when it came to choosing who would give the Republican response to the White House State of the Union Address that was until a group of, probably men, made the right choice and chose South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.  Now please don’t get it twisted, there are a lot of things I could easily disagree with the GOP on but when you speak frankly about the current situation our nation faces and take full blame for the part you played in making things as they are, you will find me standing right up front to support that effort.  Gov Nikki Haley knocked it out of the park with her response to the State of the Union Address, maybe not in all she said but what she did say was more truth than anyone has ever heard coming from the GOP in years. According to an article titled “ Haley warns against following ‘angriest voices’ in GOP response ” written by Andrew Rafferty but originally appearing on NBCNews.com, it i...

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 ...

It has always made me wonder why we, as people, have not taken full control of our own actions and therefore reduced evil in the best and only way possible.  That way begins and ends with us as individuals casting out evil from within ourselves because then and only then will we ever be believable when trying to tell others how to defeat evil. This thought re-occurred to me after I heard a friends of mine say something like this “God ain't going to let the devil get no victory”.  What occurred to me was how we tend to rely solely upon God to defeat and rid our world of evil and possibly why so many have become disillusioned to God’s presence because evil never goes away.  Some even question whether God exists or not strictly based on the presence of evil, so to that I have to respond in this manner.  There is some knowledge here that many of us tend to miss or just flat out ignore. We keep waiting on God to deny victory to the devil but that is not God's job, it...

We could all see this day coming, at least those who were not so enamored with ISIL/ISIS.  We all knew that the bombings were going to eventually have the intended affect even if our own media would not admit or report it.  We knew that they day would come when Muslims would finally get tired of being associated with ISIL/ISIS and their way of damaging the religion.  We knew that eventually, those who truly have the power to rid this planet of ISIL/ISIS would finally step up and do so; all we needed to do is show and demonstrate a little faith.  We knew this and I think this article by Jacob Siegel titled “ The Real Target of ISIS’s Child-Soldier Execution Video ” proves it. The article reports “The latest ISIS shock tactic—using a young boy to shoot at point-blank range a ‘spy’ for Israel—is aimed at stifling internal dissent amid reported infighting and losses in Iraq.  In ISIS’s ongoing war in Iraq and Syria, the group regularly publicizes its killing of...

There are those who are running around now trying so very hard to figure out the terrorist next moves but never once considering that they already know what that next move will be.  Yes America we do but we will not act until after it happens and then we will claim to have missed the signs.  To give you a hint, it’s like most things we do when we over-indulge.  We try and get the inside track in the minds of a terrorist when there is truly no such thing.  Simply put people, it is simply the mind of a man or a woman who happens to claim Islam or Christianity or Judaism as their faith.  That is all it is.  If you wish to truly understand the mind of a terrorist, then simply apply what is going on to the workings of the mind of a person.  If one is hurt or injured in any way, they tend to strike out at anything or anyone that they can.  The perception of hurt varies with individuals so many times one may not know for sure if what they perceive f...

Media going crazy over this new attack in France and some of the experts that they are listening too seems to truly have the cart before the horse.  I say that because the word is being quickly spread that this is some kind of Al-Quada or ISIL planned attack because of the somewhat cool and calm way it was perpetrated.  No one truly knows the real reason for it but to think this is from those previous mentioned forces makes me wish that those who agree to come on would at least take a few more minutes to consider all that they have in front of them right now. You have at least three shooters who exited a vehicle, killed several people then escaped.  This is not what is expected from either of those previously mentioned groups.  What it is one person who met several other like-minded people and decided to strike back at something that they knew.  Only one had to know anything about the target and the others went along to provide support and watch the other’s...

Say hello to the newest members of the Islamic State’s desire for a caliphate.  Where is this new caliphate, you ask, well its taking root in your state and local governments as we speak.  What do I mean and where is my proof, well let’s start this off from the beginning, now pay very close attention because there are some serious twists and turns in this journey that if you drift off, you will be lost. It all begins within that beloved book that many of us lay false claim to, we know it as the Bible.  In the beginning, there were those who were seen as privileged and above reproach, these individuals were allowed to make all of the rules and regulations that those they viewed less than them would be forced to follow.  Their intent was never to have those of privilege subjected to the rules that they imposed and they never lost sight of that goal.  There were only a select few who was even able to stand up in front of others and preach the word of God....

So much has been made by the media as to why larger more ample forces in the Islamic World does not wish to get more involved with defeating ISIL.  I am quite surprised that many of them are not saying what Vice-President Joe Biden has said about those Islamic countries but then why should they.  They already have a scapegoat in Barack Obama so like many police forces, once you have a primary suspect why search for anyone else.  Just gather enough innuendo and speculations to support your position even if and when many of those have been dispelled. The question is why Saudi Arabia which was described by Senator Bernie Sanders in his interview with Candy Crowley on CNN as “Saudi Arabia is the fourth largest defense spender in the world,” he pointed out. “They have an army which is probably seven times larger than ISIS; they have a major air force. Their country is run by a royal family worth hundreds of billions of dollars.”  They appear to be a major player in t...

So many people have asked ad many more have searched.  The discussion among the public is joined and all except those of Congress who was hired to help run this country are buckling down and trying to help solve this problem.  The problem ISIS or ISIL whichever way you wish to say it. The situation seems far more daunting and complicated the more people you talk to.  It grows more serious with each passing day depending on the news outlet you favor.  It was made even more obvious by the killing of James Foley and would you believe that we have had the ultimate weapon against them waiting to be activated all this time and never knew it.  Would you also believe that this terrible group is also not truly led by the faces you see on television but covered faces of those you miss seeing? The ultimate weapon against ISIL is none other than the Islamic people.  Those who tire of westerners buying their way into their religion and totally re-writing their ...

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...

Today I heard a very disturbing fact.  One of the many reporters on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri reported that several small but rowdy groups have descended upon Ferguson and is mainly the cause of the unrest there.  It’s disturbing because these “transplants” don’t have to stay there after they make it so very hard for those who do to survive in the place that they call home.  These selfish, unthinking and cowardly people, migrate into an area, create hate and discontent, then slim their way out leaving devastation and hopelessness in their wake.  If this sounds a little familiar, it should because this is the very same thing that is happening in Iraq, Syria, Israel and so many other countries where dialogue and compromise is a very dirty word. We call those who perpetuate this type of discord terrorist but when it comes to people who travel from place to place with their own agenda and not really caring about the cause of the gathering of people but only s...