Manns Medium

As a novice and not an expert in Middle East Affairs, I have always said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his loyal followers and party was the biggest obstacle to Middle East Peace but if things continue as they seem to be going right now, the opportunity for the next American President to build his/her legacy on being the one who finally forged peace in the Middle East will be extremely possible and probable.  According to the Wall Street Journal in an article titled “ Supporters Rally Around Netanyahu Amid Police Probes; Pressure is mounting on the Israeli leader, who tells crowd the left wing and the media want to topple him” written Rory Jones, it reports that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a rare public rally here as police corruption probes pose a growing threat to the Israeli leader’s 30-year political career.  Mr. Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party and known by his nickname “Bibi,” on Wednesday blamed the turmoil on a “witch hunt” by...

To the die-hard Democrats and strong supporters of Hillary Clinton, it is very difficult to find any up-side to the stealing of an election by 15 people who makes the ultimate decision of who will lead this country and to the die-hard Conservatives and strong supporters of Donald Trump, it is a time to celebrate and speak the words that avoided them often which is “just give the man a chance”. Now many questions comes to mind none of which seems more relevant than the idea that a female is ill-equipped to lead a nation such as this one but there is one that seems to escape even the most intelligent of our species which is when has a nation built to serve people is better served if we run this country as a business rather than as a nation of people. So far, those being interviewed for key positions is more of a who’s who of those less concerned about unity and more concerned about their own specific ideology.  This strikes fear in many and elation in others all the while th...

Let’s not get it twisted and make no mistake, I have never been and will never be a Trump supporter but now that the choice has been made, it’s time to put away the pitchforks and torches and get down to the business of this country.  Regardless of how you feel either way, we still have a job to do as Americans and that is making sure that we minimize any and all damages by those we choose to lead us or those chosen to lead us by others. If you think that this election was stolen by the Electoral College, as I do, then the first thing we have to do is make a decision.  Do we remove those who made this choice or do we remove the power that they used to make it?  These are our only real choices because sitting around and complaining about the results will get us nowhere accept more frustrated, angry and exactly where those who have always believed that America was not the land of opportunity we claim all over the world.  If you think that those who voted for him w...

When you assume the rank of supervisor within any of the branches of the U. S. Armed Forces beginning at E-4, with it comes the responsibility of troop welfare.  Today, troop welfare has been down-graded on the list of paramount trait required to lead and it appears so far down that list now, many often forget it is even there.  This seems to be the condition that many military commanders and their staff are suffering from right now.  The mission is no longer making sure that their troops are properly prepared and ready to engage at all times, the mission is protecting those in command and the upper echelon from anything that could possibly make waves or result in being skipped over for promotion.  Today, commanders and their staff ignore troop welfare and even troop equipment by concentrating more on troop numbers and anything that will embarrass the command. Today’s troops cannot be compared to yesterday’s troops because of how much things have changed.  ...

A parents number one concern is to try and prevents any harm, injury or death from coming to their children and to that end, we often rush to their defense considering that this actions proves our love but what if I tell you, it is not the action that you perform then but the actions you perform during the beginning stages of their lives that really shows your love.  Each and every time you step up and provide a buffer for your child, you are essentially setting them up for paying a heavier price of pain, injury or death because who will shield them when you are no longer around?  They have grown accustomed to you jumping in to save them and they have lost the fear of jumping in the deep in of the pool because they know you will jump in after them but what if there is a time they jump without thinking and you are not there to save them?  Do they now perish; do you now have to bury them?  The mistake your child makes growing up is the time to educate them and fin...

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...

Pride used to be something that we all felt when we accomplished a goal that we set for ourselves and the majority of the time it was not a goal for all to see or hear about.  That is the major difference between pride and arrogance.  Pride makes you smile from the inside as you recount accomplishing that goal while arrogance makes you smile only when someone sees and comments when you have accomplished something.  We used to take pride in mostly everything we did, which elevated our attention to detail and level of work but today that sense of pride does not exist and we simply only do enough to get by. There used to be a time when we sought to do a better job than we did yesterday not for the sake of the company but for the sake of ourselves.  Coming home at the end of a hard day used to make us walk taller and broader but now coming home after a hard day’s work means that you had to put up with more drama than you did yesterday.  You come home angry and ...

I bet you, no one has ever told you that there are varying degrees of patriotism, each having its own  measurable  marker. I don’t know why not because patriotism, like all others things, is not a one size fits all concept but varies between individuals depending on the experience, beliefs and values of that particular individual. For some, the wearing of a flag pin on their lapel is enough to satisfy that they are patriotic so it has become a part of many people’s apparel.  For some, wearing a shirt or outside garment made of the flag is enough and then for others it is about flying that flag proudly in your front yard.  Now each one of these carries with it, a degree of patriotism that makes one feel good about themselves and seeks to show those around them that they have a love of country.  Sad to say that this alone does not equal another nor does it overshadow the other.  What is does is satisfy your desire to prove to those around you of how...

I attended a VA workshop yesterday, Saturday, April 16, 2016 at the regional VA Office in Chicago to help with a pilot program that is designed to help ease and lower the high number of appeals for disability and discovered that the number one reason that these agencies appear not to be working is not just the policies and procedures but mostly importantly the personnel. The policies and procedures are normally handed down by those in charge but these policies and procedures are composed by the input of those in the position to help shape them.  If the opinions and experience of those who served are not voiced as passionately as they should and those expounding those views are not willing or able to demand better treatment of veterans, then the voices with no experience except what they were told or paid to say wins out.  This is the gist of what is happening right now.  That Veteran Service Officers (VSO) who are supposed to be the veteran’s representative does litt...

You can call it selfishness, you can call it jealousy, you can call it ignorance or you can call it greed but whatever you wish to call it the number one driver of violence is simply the hatred and complete disdain we have for ourselves. There are no truer statements than the one that credit is given to Eleanor Roosevelt which says “no one can make you feel inferior” and the one I coined that says “our only true limitations are those we place upon ourselves”, both meaning that no one else’s causes you more pain than the pain realized when you know within the depths of your very soul that you are the main reason your life is stuck where it is today and every day.  Anyone may have the strength to knock you down but only you can give them the power to hold you there. You can set up all the barriers you want, you can set up all the obstacles you wish and you can put up as large or high walls and hurdles as you please but you will never stop me from achieving that which I find the ...

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 ...

We understand that some of you wish nothing more than to help and reduce the burden this disorder has on those that they occupy but before you can help, you must first understand just what is happening to that person you love so much and would give anything to help but can’t.  First you must realize that it is not all about you and stop thinking that you are failing because you can’t help.  It is and always will be about the person suffering but when you switch it and make it all about you, the help that you could have given is no longer welcomed by the one who is doing the suffering.  If you wish to help, I mean truly want to help then listen closely as I tell you what you can do. First get over yourself and realize that only those who want help will take it and not everyone who asks for help really want it.  The best you can do in this situation is to listen without judging and without conversation.  Just listen as they talk because the more they talk the...

American exceptionalism is often defined as “the theory that the United States is inherently different from other nations” but to some this many not make sense.  Why is not that they may be questioning the truth of this statement but simply because many can’t remember what the word inherently means.  Inherently is defined as “something that is built-in or a part of the makeup of a person or thing”.  I believe that once we understand the word and how it fits in the above definition of the phrase, we then began to restore our pride in being an American and living in a nation truly viewed by others as exceptional.  Others think that this is what makes others seek asylum or any other excuse to come here, they may believe that it is because we are called the “land of opportunity” and they are seeking just that.  They may believe that it is because we are one of the richest nations in the world and one of the most powerful but the truth may surprise even those Americ...

The majority of American veterans do not wish a “hand-out” or to be dependent upon anyone except themselves but today’s “go-getters” seem determined to ignore the veteran’s need for dignity and think that just by throwing money at them, they will soon melt away.  Many “go-getters” seemed determined to not fix the problems faced by veterans because what would they have to run on if they do.  Much that could be done to restore a veteran’s dignity and possible reduce suicides, homelessness and high unemployment among the very group many claim to support, is not being done and one has got to wonder why.  This desire to just sit on your hands and complain instead of doing all that you can do to make real change has now infected many who served or are currently serving.  Consider these situations:  A Marine with over 9 years in Law Enforcement is seems not as an equal to a civilian with 3 years.  The civilian will be featured first for any top job within law e...

You read that title right America, my school will reduce veteran suicides because the numbers do not lie and it is clear that what has been attempted in the past is not working.  We have assumed that throwing money at veterans would be the answer.  We have assumed that holding job fairs and offering businesses tax credits for hiring a veteran would do it.  We have assumed that placing them on disability and welfare would do it.  We have been convinced that donation and charity would answer the screams of veterans all over this nation demanding help and getting none.  We have assumed that saying “thank you” would quiet the voices within the heads of these veterans and within our own very souls.  We were and still are so very wrong.  We are wrong because we lack the understanding that the main underlying issue faced by veterans who contemplate suicide has nothing to really do about money.  It simply has something to do about dignity and respect. ...

If we honestly take a few minutes to truly think about wars, conflicts, battles and skirmishes, these things often originates between two people who cannot seem to agree simply to disagree.  Each find another, just as passionate, defensive and often times arrogant about his/her position and when they fail to sway the other over to their side of the argument, immediately seek others who agree with them and then take open aim at those who don’t.   People can be funny that way because what may have started out as just a difference of opinions has now morphed into a full-fledged war over an idea that neither is willing to compromise on.  We claim that it is a matter of principle and to compromise would mean that we must compromise our principle and nothing defines a human being more than principle.  If the end result of this style of thinking didn’t result in such serious consequences, we could all laugh about it and move on. History is then repeated and lesson...

For years now veterans have been complaining that civilians does not get the mindset of a vet and some have went as far as to plug in former military members in certain section of their businesses hoping to put an end to that argument.  Still the issues of vets seem to survive and many even multiply and grow larger than they once were.  The newest crop of veteran’s organization has stepped up to solve one or more of the issues but still cannot seem to make a dent in the much larger issue.  The largest issue is the missing link between military life and the civilian world.  The largest issue is losing that “ Esprit  de Corps” that many feel when they serve with a group of others that they know will have their backs or watch their six.  The largest issue is hearing that there is support of the troops but failing to see this support in the area most needed and the key to their transition.  The veteran needs to see, touch and feel that support that has gu...

Just when you think Americans can’t drop any lower than they seem to have already, here comes a group of Americans whose idea of getting ahead is taking advantage of the freedoms that veterans won for them by using those freedoms to advance themselves standing on the necks of those same veterans.  With veterans suffering from already high unemployment, those of us who find it hard to secure jobs are now approached by weasels like this group claiming to have the prefect job for us only to learn later that they only wish to use us.  It all begins with a letter like the one you see below, then escalates to money laundering which seems to snare not those scammers and tricksters but the unsuspecting veteran, his/her family and others. Dear Applicant, Our recruitment team has reviewed your resume via VET Boards and We are very pleased with your listed qualifications and would like to conduct an online interview to discuss the duties within the job, along with the pay sc...

To say that I was disappointed to hear that any Marine Corp retired general and Navy Admiral signed onto a letter opposing and even supporting the Iran Nuclear Deal would be an understatement.  I am disappointed because I thought expected more.  I expected more because an enlisted man is supposed to be able to trust that they would set the example and have all of their ducks in a row before voicing any opinion whether in public or private. I am dismayed because it appears that none of them has ever really sat down and read the agreement.  I am dismayed because it appears that many of those with whom we are supposed to see as experts in their field, has decided to base their support or opposition purely on what they heard or was led to believe was in it.  These are the same group of parties that many families trusted with the health and welfare of their children and if this is an example of how they reached decisions about anything having to do with our military, no ...

Never ceases to amaze me how out of one side of your neck, you can say you love and support the troops while out of the other side you are desecrating the very banner all American troops fight and even die under.  Many say that this is a form of and a right to speak freely but we all know it is and never will be the proper form of protest so many wishes us to believe.  This article titled “ Hundreds attend rally at Valdosta State University ” taken from wbatv.com Tells us “ tensions are building on the campus of Valdosta State University after a flag protest.  Channel 2's Matt Belanger traveled to Valdosta where thousands of her supporters gathered Friday some are calling the woman a hero. Belanger spoke to students who said they support what  protesters  did Friday, but they weren't happy VSU cancelled classes as a national debate over treatment of the American flag came to the South Georgia city. "I just hate to see that kind of hatred in anyone," sa...