opinion
Opinion pieces from the left, right, and everyone in between.
Do We Need The UN?
The United Nations is an organization that we’ve all heard of, and one which people seem to have very strong opinions about. But what’s less known is how the Institution actually operates and functions.
Nathalia RamosPublished 4 years ago in The SwampReparations
So im just now learning that alot of my experience in the world is based on the fact that my only career is getting my reparations back. Thats all it is. It doesnt matter what I eat for breakfast or how much money sallie mae owes me. Its not even about what amount of money I make because numbers go on forever. Its about whats owed to me and the fact that I no longer need to work in a chocolate factory to get my reparations. I love chocolate I really do. The thing is, im not even chocolate. Im butter pecan. My favorite ice cream changes all the time. Whats your favorite flavor of ice? Baskin Robbin? One of my favorite analogies is you can't compare me to any white experience. You can only give me my reparations. Because you are that generous. There is alot to discuss in terms of reparations because there is alot of people who are owed. I want to make a point to say that the value you are getting back from receiving your reparations is immense. More than your favorite favorite rappers influence. As a matter of fact, you are wealthier than your favorite rapper because you have your reparations. Theres alot to add to this discussion as well. Especially when it involves eating at your new favorite restaurant. I encourage all of you to listen to your gut and treat yourself. Go eat at California Pizza Kitchen. You will find alot of reparations there. I found some in my cup and in my pizza crust. What pizza place gives you reparation stuffed crust? We've all heard of crust with reparations so lets act like it. Stop putting cheese in crust and put reparations in the cheese grater. Theres alot involved and the process is very simple. There is no process.
Calvin HollowayPublished 4 years ago in The SwampOpinion: Honest win or Cheat, Buttigieg lost Iowa.
It’s been just over 24 hours since the close of the Iowa Caucus and we still don’t know the full results, or the damage done to this election and our Democratic process. At the center of the issue is an app, developed by a little known company called Shadow Inc, the Iowa Democratic Party, and Pete Buttigieg, and I believe that now is the time for Pete Buttigieg to step down to try to save the 2020 election.
Paul BeluePublished 4 years ago in The SwampThe politics of material wealth
The politics of material wealth. Political ideology has been replaced by material possession. While most democratic nations have a party political system and while in most of these nations, one party is often perceived as being for the wealthy while another is for the poor; these distinctions are no longer valid. With the small number of tragic and horrible exceptions, the terms poor and wealthy are now more relative than absolute. There is not mass starvation in western democracies. There are those with far more wealth than the average but even that average have more material possessions and a greater level of materialistic living standard than all but a very few had 100 years ago. Is this an improvement? The answer must be a positive yes, since real starvation and abhorrent levels of deprivation have been largely eradicated, in modern western democracies.
Peter RosePublished 4 years ago in The SwampI Hate The World Outside My Home
I've been thinking a lot about the nineties lately. Maybe it's because that was a decade that summarised a pretty happy time where people weren't so strung up on things like they are today. It was a time that I'd give anything to be a small part of again, to be honest. Back when music wasn't the same repetitive bassline cramming up every corner of the radio airwaves. Back when things were simple – and nothing more.
What do adverts tell us about society
What do adverts tell us about society? Has politics been taken over by the advertising industry? A casual glance at any form of advertising, from the web to P.O.S displays; from “sophisticated “ features in the press, (that look like news items,) to cereal packets. You can see that the key words are: --- quick, easy, simple, no effort required, instant, ready, just heat, half price, two for one, automated, new, latest. improved, celebrity endorsed; and in food stuffs, Spicy, salty, caramelised.
Peter RosePublished 4 years ago in The SwampThe Moral Hypocrisy of Hollywood
There used to be a time when we could count on Actors, Actresses, and Comediennes to actually entertain us. We could watch award shows with excitement to see our favorite movies and actors win. We knew the show would be full of great entertainment such as singing, movie clips and of course, comedy. Those were the good old days. Bob Hope probably cries in heaven when the Academy Awards shows every year. The award shows have become a spectacle of cursing, insults, and preaching to those of us who would dare to vote for President Trump because he is supposedly the one with bad rhetoric and poor judgment. He is the immoral one, heck he was married three times. How immoral is that? He insults people! OH, holy horror! A president who insults those who insult him, his family, and his friends. How dare he fight back.
Karen MagnanPublished 4 years ago in The SwampJames Bond, Oz, A Fool
Something I find fascinating is how often, and (seemingly) how deliberately certain figures on the Right do their level best to look and act like Bond villains. I mean, consider #MoscowMitch. Here he is already about as attractive as a pocket-sized version of Gamera the killer turtle…and, if you ever get a chance, listen to him on Youtube or wherever while he cackles like the Wicked Witch Of Washington and clearly delights in being “the Grim Reaper,” killing off any bill introduced by a Democrat.
Michael Jay TuckerPublished 4 years ago in The SwampI Am An Avowed Liberal Who Listens to Conservative Radio In My Car. This is My Takeaway.
There was an old saying in my neighborhood when I was a kid: “You say white, I say black. We’ll never agree on anything.” If only it was that simple. Today’s rule: The Republican lawmakers must keep their President in the White House at all costs. If not, the Senate assuredly would lose their majority, and the domino effect of lost re-election campaigns would be catastrophic.
Joel EisenbergPublished 4 years ago in The SwampPolitics and the delivery of policy
Politics and the delivery of policy. Political policy has to be delivered and the elite are seeking to take over the means of delivery.
Peter RosePublished 4 years ago in The SwampDear Mainstream Media, Conservative Women Deserve Respect Too.
It's no secret that women can do anything. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female Supreme Court Justice, serving from 1981 until 2006. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was elected the president of the Republic of Croatia in 2015, and she still holds office four years later. Kersti Kaljulaid has been the Prime Minister of Estonia since 2016. Katrin Jakobsdottir became the Prime Minister of Iceland in 2017. Zuzana Capitova was elected as Slovakia's first-ever female president this past March, according to Far And Wide. Although they might be from different completely different countries, all of these women have one thing in common. They have been very public about their conservative views. All of these women have made remarkable strides in history, as they have proven that conservative women can and will achieve anything that their political counterparts can. (Source: Far and Wide, Lists, "Countries Where women Are In Charge", Katherine Gallagher, June 18, 2019, https://www.farandwide.com/s/countries-with-powerful-female-leaders-68152c4b7e6c462e) Unfortunately, it hasn't been an easy ride for American women who think that way. Conservative women are being unfairly silenced, and that is seriously not okay. Heather Higgins, chairwoman of Independent Women's Forum describes it this way in a video for Prager University: "We hear a lot about 'the year of the woman', 'the women's march', and 'the war on women.' But if the mainstream media- the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, CBS, and others-were more interested in accuracy than advocacy, it would be that they are promoting 'the year of the leftist woman' or 'the leftist women's march.'" Higgins' argument is quite accurate, because conservative women are not just ignored by the left, but unfairly smeared and disrespected. If the leftist media is truly out to smear right-leaning women, what are their tactics? The tactics used by the mainstream media are quite familiar. Higgins adds, "They use three strategies. The first is: Omission. If you don't see something, you don't have to deal with it. Open up a glossy magazine. Every liberal woman is glamorized. Stylishly dressed, beautifully photographed, their personal stories are almost always an inspirational version of Joan of Arc: they have overcome overwhelming obstacles to make the world a more compassionate and tolerant place. Glamour magazine recognized eleven Democrat women among their 2018 Women of the Year. No Republican made the cut. Every now and again, the major media will do a story about a female conservative to 'balance things out.' But, let's be honest, it's not balance – it's tokenism. The second strategy the media uses to diminish conservative women is mocking: Making fun of a woman's appearance discounts what she says. You would think the major media would resist this kind of objectification. But they don't. Not if the target is a conservative woman. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, and Kellyanne Conway, the first woman to run a winning presidential campaign, are routinely belittled for their hair, their eye makeup, or their weight. Their significant accomplishments, in contrast, are rarely acknowledged. Why? Because the media doesn't like their boss. And it treats women who work for him as traitors to their sex. The third strategy the media uses to demean conservative women is labeling: Using stereotypes precludes there being a valid reason for conservative women to hold the positions they do. The major media simply can't accept that conservatives have serious and important reasons for their beliefs. So they have to come up with answers to explain this seeming anomaly to themselves: these women must be racist or self-hating or just weak-minded. Here's how Barbra Streisand put it to the Daily Mail in England: 'A lot of women vote the way their husbands vote; they don't believe enough in their own thoughts.' Labeling, like the strategies of mocking or omission, is just another way to display contempt and demonize conservative women. Its purpose is to persuade you to not treat those being labeled with respect, to ignore their ideas, and to even avoid associating with them." This bully behavior sounds straight out of the 2004 smash-hit movie Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Liz Caplan, but it's all too real. The bullying and mistreatment of conservative women by the media has gone on long enough. What can you do to help make things right? Higgins concludes with this strategy, saying, "So if you hold conservative views, you have a particularly important role to play. You need to speak out – to your friends, your family, and your co-workers. Let them hear your thinking. And then let them make up their own minds. The media may pretend you don't exist; they may even mock or label you. They want to intimidate you into silence. That's not fair, and that's not right. Don't let them." Source: Prager University, "Who Does The Media Want To Silence?", Heather Higgins, June 10, 2019, https://www.prageru.com/video/who-does-the-media-most-want-to-silence/) Media bias is already a serious issue, and the mistreatment of conservative women just makes it more of an issue. It's hypocritical, cruel, and plan unfair. The conservative woman deserves just as much respect as the liberal.
Devin Nassar-ReisPublished 4 years ago in The SwampDoes a 5p bag charge do enough?
Plastics, carrier bags, the environment. We have an issue. Does a 5p bag charge do something? Eh, kinda. Yes, it helps support local environmental initiatives and raise money for local communities. But is it reducing plastic consumption enough? I doubt it.
Joshua KiddPublished 4 years ago in The Swamp