activism
Grassroots campaigns have proven instrumental in bringing about political, social or environmental change; you've got to start somewhere-might as well start here.
Health Care Rights
Currently, patients have limited rights. Our healthcare system in the United States is barbaric and one huge monster besides. We willingly pay huge bills every time something goes wrong. Why are we so brainwashed? Do you normal folk realize that people are brainwashed? Why do you not care more about the heavy bills you will get? Hospital bills have massive errors often enough. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and that was my first introduction to the health care system in the United States. I haven’t tried health care elsewhere like in Spain or Chile since I’m half Spanish, half-Chilean. I consider myself American though, and I’m appalled at the way our health care system is seriously broken.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
To Racists
Racism is silly, and it revolves around hating somebody for their skin color? It used to be a very popular sentiment before the Civil War. But these days, we are more enlightened and there are many people who are mixed race. Don’t stare at mixed people because you make them feel awkward. Racism is stupid. Some people cannot see this at all. They have no idea just how silly they sound. Racism is wrong because it is demeaning. You have all these racial slurs to throw at people who didn’t really do anything to you.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
Love Wins Together Manchester
It’s one year since the Manchester Arena bombing, and like last year, I attended a vigil in Albert Square. The first vigil was hurriedly arranged, with speakers and volunteers phoned up with a few hours notice to attend. I can’t imagine how many favours must have been called in on that night. Still, everyone pitched in to provide a necessary outlet for our collective loss and disbelief. This time, there was more room to prepare.
By Katy Preen8 years ago in The Swamp
School Shootings
So I saw not too long ago about the school shooting in Texas. My thoughts and positive vibes go to the victims and their families. I don't even know where to start on this issue. Honestly. It saddens me to hear that there have already been "22 school shootings where someone was killed or hurt" as reported by Saeed Ahmed and Christina Walker in this CNN article.
By Samantha Gittemeier8 years ago in The Swamp
How to Start a Political Campaign
I know it may sound difficult but I assure you, the steps necessary to start a political campaign are easier than you think. If you follow the important steps below, use common sense, and immerse yourself in political knowledge—I would recommend checking out the top 10 political books to read in 2018—you'll be ready to tackle anything. Getting started may be easier than you expect, but running for office can be grueling. So in order to ensure you have the best chance of success, get started off on the right foot.
By Carolena Trissel8 years ago in The Swamp
My Initial Reactions: Charlottesville, VA
I want to start by saying this is a very emotional piece for me that I wrote on Aug 17, 2017. According to Aljazeera, at 1:42 PM on August 12 a car rammed into a crowd of people protesting against a group of white supremacists. I don't remember what I was doing when I even found out this occurred, but I remember my reaction. It was the same reaction I had up until today, August 17, at around 1 PM. "Man, that's crazy!" You see I had only heard about what had happened and seen pictures from here to there on Facebook and YouTube. I heard the jokes about the irony that white supremacists were marching with tiki torches. I also talked about how annoying it was that they were screaming "White Power!" when at any moment WW III could begin because of North Korea's president and Donald Trump's diplomacy tactics. However, I had made a conscious decision to not watch any media that showed the video, so I was sort of speaking out of turn. I just didn't want to watch what happened! I already knew it was bad! I thought I didn't need to watch it to deem it wrong or stupid, but I don't know if that was the best decision. Today I got a glimpse of what happened that Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville and it just broke me.
By Robyn Thomas8 years ago in The Swamp
Help Save Our Oceans
Going to the beach has been something that I enjoy doing every day and night. I have learned so much about life just from going to the beach and always had a passion for studying marine biology. We all know that we receive so many health benefits from the ocean, right? Like sea salt, omega three from fish, vitamin D from the sun, vitamin K from kelp, etc. Now with some of us human beings traveling on cruises and boats, or even having a day or night out on the beach, we sometimes throw plastic products on the sand, depending on the people who clean our beaches to do the work. Now when we do that, sometimes the plastic products end up in the water by the wind. When a thing like this happens, it puts the marine life in danger, and ours. About 6.3 billion gallons of oil each year to make plastic bottles is used. More than 90 percent is used once, especially in medical fields and at home. In this year alone, 300 pounds of plastic, which is 136 kilos of single-use plastic, is in our oceans. Many human beings dump about eight million tons of plastic every year, but only 70 percent sink to the bottom of the ocean. As the plastic slowly breaks down its particles in the ocean, many marine lives, including coral reefs, feed on it. In the Western Mediterranean, approximately one to two ratios of plastic are in plankton and coral reefs. There are approximately five trillion pieces of plastic found around the world. The polyethylene used worldwide in products of toothpaste, cosmetics, and facial scrubs are significant sources of polyethylene.
By Maydha Rani Sheomangal8 years ago in The Swamp
Unpaid Parking Meters
The fifth gunshot was still ringing in the hallway rafters when they latched the stall door shut behind them. He’d never been in the girl's bathroom at the high school before and she hadn't seen him since his family stopped coming to church. It wasn’t uncommon to go months without seeing someone at their school given the number of students that attended. He was surprised that she wasn’t crying. He remembered the day at church when he saw her crying in the pew across from his. He had tried not to stare that day but he couldn’t help but notice the way she tried so hard to stifle her tears and the way her parents remained straight-faced the entire mass.
By Katie Healy8 years ago in The Swamp
Revolution
Today, we live in a world filled with deception, deceit, and lies. The United States government continues to perpetrate gross injustices on the public. Sadly, though, there really hasn't been a unified effort to make our government accountable for all the travesties they have imposed on the American citizen. Remember the 99 percent movement of just a few years ago? That protest never got organized, for if it did, maybe, just maybe, things would be a little bit better today. It is the public, though, that have been so indoctrinated in accepting whatever the government mandates. There have been countless numbers of unfunded mandates imposed on the American citizen, all of which have put financial strains on practically every American. That is just part of the issues facing us today.
By Dr. Williams8 years ago in The Swamp
My Experience in the National School Walkout
Even though most online writers are adults, I'm one of the few teenage online writers. Yeah, I know. I'm just a high school student who usually writes about movies and theories. But every once in a while, I write a political article, and today, it's time for another politics article.
By Jonathan Sim8 years ago in The Swamp
It’s Time for an Honest Conversation About the Second Amendment
I don’t think I am one to talk. I lived in a house where mom and dad despised guns, to this day. Yet, I went the other day shooting at a range here in Charleston, and they seemed to be happy for me that I got to have some fun trying something I’ve never done. How could that be possible? Now the real question stands, can we have a healthy talk about what’s tearing our country apart?
By Tristan DeJesus8 years ago in The Swamp
