Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
The Importance of Nuance in Political Debate
Two things where opinion has gotten ridiculously polarized and any attempt at nuance will get your head bitten off, especially in the U.S.: Russia and Israel.
Guns
Guns: When it comes to guns, we are stubborn, selfish, and foolish with the direction and mindset most of us to have on gun control. Most of the actions and opinions of these politicians and gun nuts have bewildered me and highlight the corruption and stupidity of our society. I wonder if there was a time when it didn't take a tragedy or a few kids getting shot to care about one another. How is it that when you're the age of 18, you are old enough to buy an AR-15—an assault rifle which was created to make it easier to slaughter humans—but be too young to buy a Bud Light.
Pappa PlantPublished 6 years ago in The SwampMental Health and Firearms
On December 14th, 2012, Adam Lanza committed the second most lethal mass shooting in American History. After killing his own mother and then twenty-six adults and children at the local elementary school, America was left with the burning question of not only why this happened, but how it could have been prevented(1). Lanza was clearly mentally ill, and it played a major role in him committing this atrocity. It did not take New York State’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, and the State Senate and Assembly long to respond to this tragedy. On January 15th, 2013, the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, or SAFE Act, was signed into law(2). The SAFE Act has many different components, but one section that has bothered both Second Amendment supporters and mental health professionals is that regarding mental hygiene. Specifically, section 9.46. This section requires that a mental health professional file a report to the local director of community services if he or she feels that the patient is, “’likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to self or others(3).’” While this sounds reasonable and productive in preventing future tragedies like Newtown, this law is deeply flawed when it comes to mental health.
Evan BradyPublished 6 years ago in The SwampGun Control Debate
The gun debate has two sides, one being gun control, the other being those who want to maintain the access to guns and change nothing. However, in my opinion as a former crisis interventionist, a lot of these situations stem from an inability to resolve conflict.
Nazis and White Supremacists in the Mainstream
Since Donald Trump has been elected president, the hate groups seem to come out of the woodwork. The Klu Klux Klan and the neo-Nazis have been showing up to what should be peaceful rallies and causing harm and agitating crowds. They have been actively recruiting online, although a lot of them have went on the dark web, in order to remain hidden.
James HowellPublished 6 years ago in The SwampBritain Has a Disease
Britain is infected with a horrible disease; a form of cancer which is having an effect on the entire nation. That cancer is HUNTING WITH DOGS.
Graeme PuxtyPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp- Top Story - March 2018
5 Movies Featuring the Most Virtuous U.S. Presidents
In 2018, the frantic pace of political news cycles can make every week feel like a year. It can be difficult to keep an optimistic view of our national governing institutions, which ought always to be full of civil servants who put the good of the citizenry above their own.
Christopher RoycePublished 6 years ago in The Swamp The Quiet Battle To Return Pre-Existing Conditions to What It Was
There is a quiet war being waged on people with disabilities also known as a pre-existing condition. As a child, I knew about this war since getting covered for my type-1 diabetes was hard. Many people have pre-existing conditions. Heartless politicians want to make sure these people do not get coverage. The American Health Care Act is a step backwards even if they still cannot charge sick people more for insurance. The House has no idea what they are doing with regard to how this impacts people with pre-existing conditions. Insurers can stop covering, even for people with continuous coverage.
Iria Vasquez-PaezPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp2018 Will Be the Most Important Year in the History of Our Young Democratic Republic
A lot of America is hurting. Republican policies have shrunk the middle class, to the point where it really is almost nonexistent. It started with Ronald Reagan and "Trickle Down" economics, which America just fell for one more time, or rather, they will take the tax cut while things are going well. Deep down inside many are feeling uneasy about it. Sure, most of us will get a nice little tax cut, while really rich people and corporate America will get a HUGE tax cut, on the backs on hard working Americans. Trump argued during the campaign that the Obama economy was a "catastrophe" and now takes credit for every positive aspect of the now eight year long recovery, the one where President Obama was president for 7 years of. Heck, Trump took credit for the record stock market high a few days after he took office. Of course now as the markets are getting rocky and heading towards a Bear market, the man is silent. The man is a dangerous buffoon. The Republicans have dug in and are satisfied to try to control him as long as he keeps favorable poll numbers with the base, which he has, and as long as he doesn't become a complete political disaster, which he will be in the end. Hypocrisy knows no boundaries in the new Republican orthodoxy.
Scott BowenPublished 6 years ago in The SwampWhy Do I Act 'Woke'?
I always get the question "Why are you so woke?" and I just cannot stand this question; it literally irritates so much. Just because of the fact that I don't let people tell me anything they want to while you just sit there and accept it does not mean I’m woke. I don't always say things to people when they are in the wrong but I know what I can handle. That's like when TheToday Show made a model of what they say Queen Nefertiti would have looked like and it was a tan white woman, even though everyone with sense would know that Egyptians were black. I mean, they were in Africa in the Archaic period. After that, Twitter went to town on The Today Show, making sure they knew that Egyptians were black. I would not call that woke, though. It's just that people love being ignorant so I mean why not just cut them off right at the start?
Anaya ChambersPublished 6 years ago in The SwampMost Powerful Female Political Leaders Right Now
From Angela Merkel to Ivanka Trump, these women hold more political power than you can imagine. Named as Forbes' Most Powerful Women of 2017, each of these women have claimed their rightful spot for being some of the top game-changers of the world, on top of being successful, powerful, and intelligent.
April DemarcoPublished 6 years ago in The SwampCrisis Point
Thinking back to the financial crisis of 2008, one would think that another such economic catastrophe would somehow elude us. It was just ten years ago that the United States plunged the world into the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression. Yet here we are, a decade later, no wiser and even more foolish. You would have thought that we would have learned from our mistakes, but time and time again, history proves that we are still prone to repeat mistakes of the past. When will we ever learn? Today, what we have is déjà vu of the 2008 financial crisis. So what we have now are almost the same set of circumstances that are poised to unleash an economic debacle more sinister and more devastating than the one in 2008. To understand how this is happening, we first have to look at what transpired leading up to the 2008 crash.
Dr. WilliamsPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp