Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Why You Should Boycott the 2020 Olympics
There are quite a few reasons to boycott the 2020 Olympics, and no, not just because I’m Korean. Here, I’ll explain a few: Japan has committed war crimes, and still has not provided reparations; nor are they accepting the war crimes as truth, such as kidnapping masses of Korean women for so-called “comfort women.” Realistically speaking, they were sex slaves, and the impact of these atrocities are still prevalent in the Korean community. There are still numerous survivors who are now 80+ years old, who are still dealing with the traumatic sorrow, shame, and dehumanization that they were forced to endure, even as young as 13 years old. In addition, Japan took droves of young Korean men as slave workers for major corporations, one of the most prevalent being Mitsubishi. There would be no issues if the Japanese government would cease their attempted manipulation of history, own up to it, and provide support and reparations to the victims; but they simply deny, insult, and ignore. Is this the sportsmanship we want to see from the host of the Olympics? Japan is still killing whales on what they claim to be “Japanese waters,” ignoring many international laws, and numerous orders from the ICJ, as well as the IWC (the International Whaling Committee, made up of several countries who have now outlawed whaling). This show of lawlessness is an attempted power move on Shinzo Abe’s part. Continued whaling will destroy the ecosystem of the East Sea as well as the Yellow Sea. But why do they support whaling? My personal theory is that the meat (it’s gotta go somewhere) is most likely a reserve of cheap mystery meat to be sold in supermarkets and convenience stores as meat fodder. Are they saving the cows for the 2020 Olympics? But why is that meat cheap? It is because the whales have also bioaccumulated radiation and radioactive isotopes in their bodies from when radioactive waste leaked into the ocean in 2011, greatly decreasing the value of the meat. This is also why Fukushima rice and produce is sold for cheap in convenience stores. Japan is using the Olympics to push personal agendas for Japan as a country. Dokdo, as it is known in Korea, was given back to Korea as per a treaty in 1949, but Japan is claiming that a 1951 treaty claims otherwise, when in reality the 1951 treaty does not mention the islands at all. Looking at this history, the islands do belong to Korea, also taking into account that the islands are visible from Korean land with nice weather, whereas it is impossible to see from anywhere in Japan, meaning that it is closer to Korea than Japan. But this topic has been long disputed, which caused the Japanese government to protest the unification flag that North and South Korea competed under in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, which had Dokdo on it. Japan filed a complaint against the flag because of Dokdo being present on it, despite the islands being recognized historically, geographically, and under international law as a territory of Korea. In order to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship in light of the Olympics, Korea decided to compete under a new flag without Dokdo on it. Now the tables have turned. Dokdo is also protected under Korean Airspace, as was demonstrated a couple of days ago when Russian and Chinese aircraft flew over the East Sea. The only planes warding them off from Dokdo were Korean. Japan has put the island on their relay race map as a part of Japan, which of course Korea has filed an official complaint against. Japan has ignored those complaints, which is not a good reflection of sportsmanship, nor diplomacy. They are trying to claim Dokdo as their land because it has military strategic value. Could they not have put that aside for the Olympics and listened to the complaint as the Koreans did in 2018? Sportsmanship was not well demonstrated. Tokyo is irradiated from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant explosion. Shinzo Abe has claimed that the situation in Fukushima is under control, but that simply is not true at all; he is lying to the people, as he is lying to himself. In recent years, he, along with some other Japanese celebrities, was part of a campaign that said, “Fukushima fruits and veggies are delicious!” Many of those celebrities are now ravaged by leukemia due to bioaccumulation of radioactive isotopes such as Cesium 137, and many more that had seeped into the soil and water, and subsequently into the fruits, veggies, and most importantly, the rice (which is being used as cheap rice fodder in convenience stores all over the country). The overall message of the campaign was, “Eat it all up and dispose of it,” which really is not the type of thing you would want to hear about a food that is supposedly “good.” In addition to the food, there is the issue of the nuclear microparticles that are in the wind, being carried at least 300 miles from Fukushima, going well into Tokyo. This is the air that the world’s best athletes will breathe and the food that they will eat. The situation is not under control. All of the discarded concrete from the plant and the irradiated soil containing Cesium 137, as well as several other isotopes are simply sitting in garbage bags in Fukushima. They are not lead-lined bags, they are simple garbage bags that are radioactive. There is so much of the radioactive garbage that they are storing them in water purification plants. This means that the practice sites of the athletes, the places they sleep, the food they eat, and the water they drink will have a heavy toll on their life. By pulling athletes from the Olympics, they are being protected, and by boycotting, you are protecting yourself. Sure a quick visit couldn’t hurt, but over time the bioaccumulation of the isotopes will cause illness such as leukemia and lymphoma. Again, Fukushima is NOT under control. The original safety threshold of radiation levels in populated areas was .30 micro, with the ideal level being 0.1 micro. Even in some parts of Tokyo, there are radiation hotspots that can go up to .50 micro, above what the government used to consider dangerous. The solution? Raise the roof. They are changing the limit of what is legally acceptable, in order to subdue the cost of having to evacuate so many people. The leading cause of death in Japan is cancer. But rumours are just rumouring, right? Wrong. I wanted to confirm these rumours for myself, so I visited Japan myself. What did I find? Not surprising. The family that I was staying with had been living there for over 15 years, and so they knew everything there was to know. They advised me against one thing. Don’t drink the tap water. Why was this the only thing they warned me against? Because the tap water was the only thing avoidable. In Japan, it is practically impossible to avoid food that has, in some way or another, been linked to Fukushima. Food labels are ambiguous with their origins, simply stating “domestic” where the name of the prefecture is supposed to be. In some parts of Fukushima, which was declared habitable, the radiation is 10.50 micro, far too much for humans and animals alike.
SnookeronidjonPublished 5 years ago in The SwampFor the Good of the Faith
The beliefs in which we are raised often form the backbone we use to support our views and arguments. Faith is a wonderful thing. The certainty that there is a benevolent higher power out in the universe watching over us all and guiding us on our best path can be powerful medicine when the world knocks us down. Recently however, the political world has bound itself to the religious. Putting aside the legal and constitutional quandaries of melding church and state into one unit, this joining has very negative consequences for organized religion as a whole.
Erin BrewerPublished 5 years ago in The SwampReflections on Mueller Testimony
Reflections on Mueller's Testimony Before House Judiciary Committee, Yesterday Morning Mueller is clearly not a very fluent speaker, and all too often responded to questions by deflecting to his report, or just flat-out declining to answer the questions. But there were several powerful responses from Mueller yesterday morning:
Paul LevinsonPublished 5 years ago in The SwampMueller Must Go Beyond the "Four Corners" of His Report
“…in many important ways, the United States no longer has a department of justice.” – Leonard Pitts, Jr., Columnist at the Miami Herald
The New ProgressivesPublished 5 years ago in The Swamp"Everything Has Gone up": Democratic Lawmaker Argues $15 Federal Minimum Wage Too Low
The US House of Representatives recently voted to approve a hike in the national minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next several years. For at least one freshman lawmaker, however, that increase is insufficient.
Chris AgeePublished 5 years ago in The SwampReview of 'The Loudest Voice' 1.4
Another powerful episode of The Loudest Voice last night—1.4—in which Roger Ailes lays bare the basis of fake news: "we create the news'. I should say, the basis of real fake news—that is, news that is fake. We need to make this distinction because Trump now daily bashes our legitimate news media as fake news—which would be fake fake news—a tactic that comes right out of Hitler's denunciation of the press in 1930s Germany as the Lügenpresse (the lying press). When you're trying to replace democracy with a totalitarian regime, it's wise to discredit and get rid of the people who can call you out on that and let the rest of the country know—the press (See my short book, Fake News in Real Context, for more).
Paul LevinsonPublished 5 years ago in The SwampHomelessness
I’m not a hero of any sorts, but I am in fact a dreamer for sure. One of my fondest childhood memories was sketching out blueprints for folks with no food or water to live and eat. I had it set in my mind that I was going to fast forward through life and buy out my local 99 Cent store and help those in need.
Kendra BennettPublished 5 years ago in The SwampRational Thinking Is Now Rare
Rational thought is becoming rare. It is strange how selective people can be. The same people who will believe in the wildest exaggerations about President Trump, in America or Mr, Boris Johnson, in Britain; will not believe even the mildest suggestion that the very left wing politician, Mr. Corbyn, has any faults or ever drops short of perfection.
Peter RosePublished 5 years ago in The Swamp'Critics Were Much More Right Than I:' Geraldo Changes His Tune on Trump
Though the veteran broadcaster has been a longtime friend of the president and a defender on a variety of issues, Geraldo Rivera has drawn the line at Donald Trump's recent behavior.
Chris AgeePublished 5 years ago in The SwampThe Anthem
Kneeling during the "National Anthem." Now this is one of the most controversial topics widespread across our country today. It all started back when 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick decided he wasn't going to stand for the anthem to protest civil injustice and it quickly spread across the NFL. So much of politics, economics, and society has been influenced by this movement. Now I'm not here to tell you why you should stand for the anthem. Nor am I here to tell you why you should kneel. But I'm here to voice my opinion on what you should do. And it is simply put like this, do what you feel is right, and allow others to do the same. Honestly, if everyone did this, there wouldn't be so much hate.
Shandon PendletonPublished 5 years ago in The SwampWhy I Feel Sorry for Liberals
Why I Feel Sorry for Liberals First off, I’m not a conservative or liberal. Let’s get that out of the way. My thought is that moderates make for the best leaders. In fact, I would venture to say that moderates are the only ones who have made any real, positive, lasting impacts on the world. Notice I said “lasting” and “positive” in that statement. There are plenty of people who have had fleeting and negative influences, but who needs that? Think about it for a moment. Let’s take politics. Abraham Lincoln, arguably one of the most impactful leaders in our nation’s history—moderate. In terms of civil rights, Martin Luther King Jr.—moderate. This even applies to religion.
You Gals Are Right
I am well aware of you ladies and your disdain for men at times. We spent centuries treating you ladies like second-class citizens, where the only thing you were good for was cooking, cleaning the house, raising the kids that you made, and often at times sex-objects.
Johann HollarPublished 5 years ago in The Swamp