Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Scapegoat
Throughout history leaders have always tried to put blame on others for their rationale. Whether their ventures were successful or not, the decisions they made affected so many others in ways that seem almost incomprehensible. History is full of incidents where people of authority take great pains to put blame on certain individuals who to no fault of their own did what was required of them. This is especially true in times of great adversity and yet when tragedy struck they are accused and too often convicted through their actions as the cause of that tragedy. It has been proven time and time again these accusers were actually trying to cover-up from their own inefficiency.
By Dr. Williams8 years ago in The Swamp
Should Self Identification Replace Gender Recognition Certificates?
I'm in quite a unique position to write this piece; as both a transgender woman and a budding journalist, I'm seeing two sides to a heated debate—and I'm seeing the reasonable points of both sides.
By Skylar Rose Pridgeon8 years ago in The Swamp
Deterioration of Political Debate
There are lots of reports of extreme nastiness and violent hatred over political opinion. Rationally this is difficult to comprehend since politics is such a fluid every changing concept and these are opinions, however strongly held that are only opinions. History is the only real judgment on any political policy and even then we have to be cautious since “history is written by the victor.” Judgement on the merit of a future policy has to be an opinion.
By Peter Rose8 years ago in The Swamp
Looking at the Next Conservative Leader
When Theresa May announced on the 30th of June 2016 that she would be running to replace David Cameron, few expected her to succeed. The position had long been touted as a straight race between the then Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne or the former Mayor of London Boris Johnson. However following a short fight between Johnson and Micheal Gove and with Andrea Leadsom withdrawing, May emerged victorious. Upon taking the role however, she quickly shone, appealing to the middle ground of working class voters outside number 10 and scoring a commons victory over a then under fire Jeremy Corbyn in PMs questions. Upon calling a snap election it looked certain to everyone involved that a landslide victory would be inevitable. However following an overconfident campaign in which May was forced to backtrack on main polices such as a policy that could see the elderly pay for their medical treatment. The majority earned by Cameron was swiftly gone and with it May's credibility as leader.
By Alex butters8 years ago in The Swamp
George Lucas Did Not Rape My Childhood, but His Sith Informed My Politics
Oprah Winfrey killed it on this year’s Golden Globe Awards. The ovation was staggering. Men and women both were crying. She addressed the #MeToo and #ItsTime movements, and minutes later was touted as our next U.S. President. Those on the other side of Oprah’s fence defiantly, and immediately, posted images of her and Harvey Weinstein—together and looking quite friendly—on social media.
By Joel Eisenberg8 years ago in The Swamp
5 Close Calls to Nuclear War
With the possibility of North Korea constructing and using a nuclear missile against South Korea, Japan, or the United States, perhaps we should look back into history during the days of the Cold War on the five closet calls to Armageddon before and how we managed to avoid it.
By Joseph Pecher8 years ago in The Swamp
Homelessness
Imagine yourself having to live on the street, sleeping on cold concrete with nothing for warmth or protection. You wonder where your next meal will come from. You have to constantly watch what little you have in order to make sure no one takes it when you aren’t looking. Think about your town installing barriers and spikes, so that you can’t sleep in your usual spot, or being turned away from a shelter because it’s already full. Meanwhile, we are in our cozy houses, complaining about it not being warm enough. So, we simply go and turn the heat up.
By James Howell8 years ago in The Swamp
That Sinking Feeling
As the winter Olympics take center stage without too much fanfare, the Trump Administration is poised to unleash a budget filled with draconian cuts in just about every safety net there is. These safety nets have had significant success in keeping millions of Americans from falling through the cracks of an already unbalanced society. Yet we have Trump and the rest of the Republicans incapable of hearing the cries of the impoverished multitudes that continue to languish in desperation, hoping for better times ahead.
By Dr. Williams8 years ago in The Swamp
Why the United States Should Support Planned Parenthood
In a world full of wrongly accused reputations and (almost) an entire government trying to destroy a business, there are people like me who want to stand up for what is right. Planned Parenthood is not just a clinic a young girl would visit to get an abortion. Planned Parenthood is a place of refuge and support for young women all around the United States. Without them, we would have young women doing things they would not do otherwise if they were properly educated. We would have young women dropping out of college to take care of a baby that they tried every way in the world to prevent. We would have young women dying of cancer caused by Human Papilloma Virus because they aren’t provided scans or vaccines. Without this company, and its refuge, our young women would be in a state of crisis. As a country, we should be supporting a company that just wants to help and educate our youth, instead of trying to tear it down. Many people, when they hear the name “Planned Parenthood,” become panic stricken. Lots of people may think, “Oh no! Killing tons of babies! That is so wrong. How could anyone live with themselves?” when there is so much more to the company than just abortions. Not only do they provide this service, (safely if I might add) they also are the leading source of sexual education in the country. We should not need our population to get sexual education after they have made the mistake already; our population should have already known about these things and why they are important. Because they do not already have this information, the employees at Planned Parenthood have been trained to deliver this important information to everyone that comes through their doors. The Planned Parenthood education staff doesn’t only educate patients, they also educate students and children. The company itself reaches 1.5 million people each year. Out of that 1.5 million people, 65% of them are middle school or high school aged students. Their outreach program provides information useful for everyone. They have sex education information for people with no medical insurance, curious kids who have no parental support, and safe, non-biased support for people within the LGBTQ+ community. All in all, even if the company did nothing else, they provide important information for anyone willing to listen and receive it. Although Planned Parenthood plays an important role in the education and support of both men and women, they have a large portion of their company that deals with Women’s Advocacy. They are a large supporter of anything that benefits a women’s overall well-being. The widely encourage women to get to know their bodies and become familiar with its usual functions so that when something goes wrong they can identify it much easier. They have something within their clinics called a Well-Woman Visit, where they do many different check-up screenings to make sure the woman is at her best and that she stays that way. They have these screenings adjusted into different age groups. For example, if you are under 18, you may be given the HPV vaccine and have a conversation about your cycle to make sure everything is as normal as it could be. For me, this would have been much less awkward than my experience with the male doctor that gave me this vaccine and talked to me about becoming a “woman.” When you’re twelve years old, and in pain, all you can think is, “This man doesn’t even go through this, how would he know?” In conclusion, Planned Parenthood is more than just an abortion clinic. This is a place of safety, support, and refuge for all young men and women who are lost and need help. They have made a huge impact on the United States, and we should be intelligent enough to give them as much support as possible so that they can continue to impact our nation positively.
By Makenzie Hicks8 years ago in The Swamp
