controversies
It seems every time one racially-charged incident ends, a gender or religious controversy takes its place; Ruminate on the issues dividing our nation and world.
You Are On Stolen Land
Something that gets missed a lot in the conversation about Indigenous peoples around the world and the land that was taken from them is that even the most well meaning people are still on stolen land. Australia, Canada, The USA, the Congo, even most of Mexico was all stolen. Now to a lot of people this doesn't matter, but to some people it does or at least it should.
By Jessica Riffle6 years ago in The Swamp
Lessons from Corona virus
Lessons from world wide Corona virus. The politics of world wide epidemics. During early parts of the year 2020, in democracies all over the planet, rules and laws restricting individuals freedom and rights, are being put in place to slow the spread of infection. The overall plan is to slow the numbers being infected to a level that the health systems can cope with. It is widely accepted that there will be no instant cure, and so containment to enable the hospitals to cope, is the strategy being employed. Ultimately a vaccine will be found, but the virus my mutate and render this ineffective. Politicians are having to accept that the usual political rules do not apply in periods of national and international emergency. Only the extremists and the fanatical activists will try to use the fear and the levels of unusual restrictions to criticise their government. Criticism is cheap and easy while preventative action is so very difficult. When the infection rates are reduced to levels that allow some normality to return; then political rivalries will reassert themselves. All over the globe, democracy or otherwise, the immediate requirement will be for economic recovery. How big a problem this turns out to be will be influenced by how many people have died and how much has been spent trying to cope with emergency medical and economic effects, during the epidemic. Thoughts will eventually turn to problems of the future. It is probable that every nation will see a recognition that its health care system needs an upgrade and needs both plans and resources in place should there be a future global infection of some sort. This will change the economics of the world, it will also change the perceptions of what are basic civil rights in democratic nations.
By Peter Rose6 years ago in The Swamp
We’ll say it again; Stop using SARS-CoV2 as an excuse to be racist!
SARS-CoV2 is the virus that causes Covid-19; perhaps better known as the “Coronavirus”. Much like a noxious, parasitic weed, the Coronavirus has had both serious direct and indirect ramifications that have managed to worm roots into even the most remote of places across the globe. The direct consequences of course include those who have contracted either a mild or serious form of this virus and of course those who have since perished. The indirect consequences however appear to keep manifesting as the world adjusts to such a pandemic. Perhaps the most controversial consequence of Covid-19 is the racism and conspiracies directed toward China. Please, if you don’t want your racist or idiotic theories and claims debunked by science, I urge you to stop reading.
By annabelvarvara6 years ago in The Swamp
Time to believe the liars
We live in strange times for many reasons, not least because the people we like to hate and ignore are trying to keep us alive. Its a bit of the cry wolf situation, they might have lied and twisted the truth before but this is all for real. This virus will kill many people unless they obey what each individual country instructs us to do. In America maybe don't listen to the president, maybe stick with the advisors he likes to ignore.
By ASHLEY SMITH6 years ago in The Swamp
Let's All Clap for the White Man
The White Savior Complex is sometimes accredited to Rudyard Kipling's The White Man's Burden, a poem espousing the moral obligations of white folks to civilize non-whites living in the darkest corners of the earth. Inspired by the Phillipine-American War, Kipling urges the White Man (sic) to exercise patience and fearlessness in meeting the needs of his captives, (in this case the Filipinos,) who are described as "Half devil and half child". It seems strange that an India-born White Man would describe his brown-bodied brethren in such a way; yet the roots of white supremacy run deep and does not require strength in numbers, and remember that his most famous work does center around a brown-bodied man-cub who was raised by wolves. And how lauded Kipling is today for having brought such humanity not only to the beloved animals of The Jungle Book, but to the uncivilized Mowgli as well.
By Ashley Mellinger6 years ago in The Swamp
The First Demand for Slave Reparations
A Few Words Before: This is written for those who argue against reparations for slavery on the grounds that slavery happened oh so very — too — long ago to be a rational idea; for those who contend that no living black people were slaves; who argue that no living white people were slave owners; for those who go on and on about the fact that "Africans old their own people" into slavery; and for people who insist, therefore, that the time to ask for slavery reparations has long since passed. And, anyway, why didn’t the ex-slaves themselves demand reparations/compensation?
By HERBERT DYER6 years ago in The Swamp
Liquor Stores Remain Open In Some States As "Essential Businesses"
Liquor stores will remain open in some states while most other businesses are closed during the coronavirus pandemic. Some people can't wrap their heads around why New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and other governors have included liquor stores on the short list of essential retail businesses to continue operating while so many other businesses have been ordered to be closed. There might be a good reason for the decision. So, what is the reason?
By Margaret Minnicks6 years ago in The Swamp
COVID Pandemic Exposes the Ugly Secrets Hidden in America’s Healthcare System:. Top Story - March 2020.
Picture courtesy of Lenore Stutznegger and Norman Rainock (Norman Rainock Art Ca.) COVID, the hallways are eerily empty because of you. At night, where there normally exists an air of calmness as patients sleep, the hospital walls that surround me instead convey a sense of uncertainty. It is palpable. It is heavy. It is unlike anything I have ever encountered as a physician. Perhaps this is because deep down in places where fear and dread reside, we know you are there watching and studying our patterns of behavior. All the while, you silently spread yourself at exponential rates, knowing that our testing capabilities, while ever-growing, still fail to keep up with you. For this, you mock us. You are learning the truth about the American healthcare system as it stands. On the outside we are strong, with sophisticated buildings, fancy technology, and state-of-the-art equipment. To nearly any onlooker we appear to be thriving, at the top of our game. Yet you aren’t fooled by this; no, not at all because you have already penetrated these walls, exposing the hidden prison behind the shiny facade of our healthcare system.
By Dr. Megan Babb6 years ago in The Swamp
