Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Confederate Flags, Kneeling, and the USA: Part 2
One of the examples I can give is the Zoot Suit Riots in 1943. In the 1930s the US deported between 500,000 and two million people, including up to 1.2 million legal people of Mexican descent (illegally, I might add) so that they could ease the strain on the economy at the time. Many Latinos and Mexicans resided in historic areas. More recent immigrants joined them as they were segregated to part of the town which was the worst from housing to financially. In L.A., the newspapers ran articles using derogatory terms to describe the Hispanic and Latino communities, and urged that the teens were rampant troublemakers. Sound Familiar? This caused severe discord between the Caucasians and the minorities such as Mexicans and Latinos.
By James Howell8 years ago in The Swamp
What's Wrong With the Boys?
I remember evenings as a young boy, my Dad would come home from work. My little brother and I already busy bothering my Mom and antagonizing each other. My Dad would come down to the basement and we’d rough-house, we’d slap-box and and toss footballs and do push-up competitions and race down the hallway. I can still hear my Mom shouting things from the kitchen like, “It’s all fun until someone gets hurt!” My Dad would calm us down and after dinner he’d come back downstairs with us. He’d tell us goodnight and we would just talk. We’d talk about our day, and we’d talk about whatever we were going through; our fears, our triumphs. Our failures and our adventures. It was a moment in the day that was meaningful for all three of us, and in looking back, it was those moments that taught me that it was okay to be vulnerable, and it was okay to talk about how I felt.
By Patrick O'Neill8 years ago in The Swamp
An Open Letter to the Picket Passerby
You are going about your day, taking the roads you normally take to get to the place you normally need to go and the job you need to work. Some of you are alone in your cars. Some of you have family members, friends, and children. If you’re anything like me, your commute is probably a blur. The scenery is always the same, the same buildings, the same scenery, and the same roadwork. But this past weekend, it’s been different. There are lines of people, groups of them, outside of regular buildings and outside the schools with signs and different noise makers. And you have a choice on how you respond.
By Courtney Lynn8 years ago in The Swamp
TV Review: Hulu's 'The Looming Tower'
The Looming Tower is a terrific bit of potboiler television. That it also happens to hue very closely to the historic record prior to and immediately after September 11th makes it all the more compelling. Based on Lawrence Wright’s incredible 2006 bestseller, Hulu’s The Looming Tower is a remarkable achievement that is occasionally slowed by TV conventions but is nevertheless endlessly compelling.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in The Swamp
Confederate Flags, Kneeling, and the USA: Part 1
There seems to be a lot of controversy in the world today. We have protests on both sides, civil unrest, innocent people being murdered, and we don’t have a clue how to stop it. It is, in my opinion, a socio-economic and equality issue. “If we can keep the people poor and enslaved, they can’t rise up.”
By James Howell8 years ago in The Swamp
What Would Jesus Do?
It's hard to pin-point the moment that my disbelief really began. Like most who don't affiliate with a religion, it wasn't necessarily a specific moment as much as it was a series of moments in conjunction with my environment that lead me to where I am now. Having said that, I do remember moments in my childhood that shifted my paradigm. Small cracks in the veneer of my youthful suspensions of disbelief. The shooting massacre at Columbine occurred four days before my tenth birthday. It was a Tuesday and that night I remember my parents trying to explain what had happened in whatever way you explain something that horrible to a kid that age. Later that week, I remember sneaking into the TV room late one evening after my parents had gone to bed, I watched re-run news coverage and I just sat there; stunned, confused, and scared.
By Patrick O'Neill8 years ago in The Swamp
Standing in Solidarity with My American Colleagues—Ban Guns.
So, this week, my profession has been under scrutiny again—not in the UK, but in America, where their illustrious leader decided that it would be a great idea to get the teachers in their schools to carry guns.
By Marie-Clair Goswell8 years ago in The Swamp
Political Promises
Political promises Lies Under Another Name I keep seeing social media posts, supporting politicians who promise to deal with all the world's problems. If only they get into power. They make it seem so simple: they will end homelessness, they will end poverty, they will bring about world peace, they will end injustice. They will personally see that the public health services have all the money they need, they will ensure the ending of higher education tuition fees, they will change the world, they will ensure wonderful summer's of peace, love, and prosperity. They will end terrorism.
By Peter Rose8 years ago in The Swamp
17 Minute Protest?
It’s hard, you know, being a parent. You have to be there, always, even when you yourself want to run and hide. You have to be the protector, the rock, the defender. You have to always be strong even when you feel weak. No matter what. It’s hard. And the current events in our world don’t make it any easier.
By Jessica Lussier8 years ago in The Swamp
