Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Possible Gun Control Solutions
America's epidemic of gun violence is easily solved. There are plenty of gun control solutions and the public is hungry to see those solutions implemented. The problem is that there are too many politicians who benefit from the status quo and the various legal and psychological machinations that keep those politicians in power.
By Ben Kharakh8 years ago in The Swamp
How I Immediately Determine 'Blackness' Upon Meeting Individuals
[Redacted], Darrius 6 February 2018 AFA-1010 How I Immediately Determine “Blackness” Upon Meeting Individuals I do not attempt to. I honestly could not care less whether or not someone is Black, or of African descent. To reference Steve Biko’s brief talk on Black Consciousness in 1971, “The term black is not necessarily all-inclusive.” To reference a similar statement made by Brother Malcolm in his infamous 1964 speech, “The Ballot or The Bullet”:
By Nefarious Darrius8 years ago in The Swamp
Race to Academic Achievement: Leveling Out an Unfair Playing Field
In fall of 2016, I created a charity called VitalPacks. The organization gives care packages to the homeless population, with a primary focus on individuals living on the streets. At the end of our winter season, we had about 50 packages available, and we decided to contact a school in the South Shore area of Chicago, an area we worked in often, and asked them if we could organize a way to help some of their students. This was a local public elementary school under the Chicago Public School System. This city’s school district currently has over 18,117 homeless students, a growing rate yet with a declining district enrollment, per Chicago Coalition for the Homeless [1]. As the largest school district in the state of Illinois, Chicago Public school (CPS) is responsible for providing education for 396,683 students. With 664 total schools under the district regulations, poverty distribution is startling, with 86.02 percent of the total student body being low-income per U.S. Department of Education [3]. The majority of these students are put at a major disadvantage academically and socially, by being forced to attend the lowest 15 percent of elementary schools and high schools in the nation [2], which usually can’t even bring students up to the national grade-level standards. Academically, these inner-city children, from lower-income areas, are put at a much higher environmental disadvantage than their peers in the suburbs, such as Winnetka, or even city children from a middle-high income neighborhood. While historic discrimination on certain communities may have contributed to this, it would be ignorant to assume that de facto segregation is the sole contributor to this problem. De jure segregation, treatment occurring based on law, is the true illicit in the academic disadvantage of these poor students.
By Tayyaba Ali8 years ago in The Swamp
British Values
According to an article in yesterday's Daily Telegraph, an organisation called Education Scotland has recommended that Scottish teachers no longer refer to the concept of Fundamental British Values for fear that they might cause offence, to quote from the article: "...the concept of British values can cause offence and could play into the hands of groups who seek to assert that there is an inherent conflict between being British and being Muslim..." I have had thoughts fermenting in my hindbrain for a while on these values, so, I thought that I would use this article as a means of exploring and extending these thoughts.
By Aaron Jones8 years ago in The Swamp
Brainwashed
We the people! How many times have we heard this phrase? Yet our Democracy is anything but. In truth, the United States is nothing more than a fascist state. We would be wise to remember that fascism operates a corporate state under the guise of a democracy. Fascism is nothing more than Corporatism, the merger of state and corporate power.
By Dr. Williams8 years ago in The Swamp
Government Corruption
The United States government was originally created to protect the citizens of the still growing nation. The Constitution was created in order to regulate what the government was allowed to do and not allowed to do. Today, the United States government is corrupt. The lives of the citizens are constantly being intruded on, and the government is not necessary for the good of the individual.
By Faith McCune8 years ago in The Swamp
What Would Captain America Do?
Each of you, for himself or herself, by himself or herself, and on his or her own responsibility, must speak. It is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying of pulpit, press, government, or politician. Each must decide for himself or herself alone what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic, and which isn’t. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor. It is traitorous both against yourself and your country. Let men label you as they may, if you alone of all the nation decide one way, and that way be the right way by your convictions of the right, you have done your duty by yourself and by your country, hold up your head for you have nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn’t matter what the press says. It doesn’t matter what the politicians or the mobs say. It doesn’t matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. Republics are founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe in. no matter the odds or consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move. Your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth and tell the whole world: “No, you move."
By James Howell8 years ago in The Swamp
How to Establish a Health Care Rights Protest
Health care is a hot topic in this time period. We have to start mobilizing health care protests. As in, we do not want them to put in the pre-existing condition clause again, which is flat out denying people coverage if they have so much as a yeast infection. The state of healthcare in the United States is appalling. I’m lucky I live in California. I have fabulous doctors whose orders I follow well. I’ve been alive for 37 years and out of the hospital since 1991.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
