Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Bryanwatch: Late June 2020
A slow but important week for Congress, as the House addresses the issue of police brutality and DC statehood. On Thursday, June 25, the House passed HR 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It marked the one month anniversary of the death of George Floyd, who was choked to death by a Minneapolis police officer May 25. Only three Republicans supported the bill: Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Will Hurd (TX) and Fred Upton (MI). Every other Republican, including Steil, voted against holding police officers accountable (RC 119).
By John Heckenlively6 years ago in The Swamp
The Red Summer - Carswell Grove
The Red Summer - Carswell Grove The 13th of April 2019, marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the Red Summer, a period of time when more than 30 cities burst into race riots. White communities attacked Black communities, sometimes with the assistance of police and/or the military. There was no media coverage of this tragic event. There was no acknowledgement this event ever happened. It passed with absolutely no acknowledgement from the media, politicians, or even most of the cities it occurred in, but I will make it a point to remind you of the horror that took place between April and November of 1919.
By Glenda Davis6 years ago in The Swamp
Black Lives Matter
Every day we see the same thing, police brutality. Black and brown brothers and sisters downtrodden in the streets because they dare exercise their constitutional right to assembly. Every day we see the same thing. My great-grandfather came from a country, not unlike this one. They were invaded by a populous leader who told his people that what he would do would help them would set their country back on track. What he didn’t tell them was the cost. When the headline read, “Hitler invades Poland,” the German people cheered, and the Polish wept.
By Nikola Tobias Hunter6 years ago in The Swamp
5 Books About the French Revolution
On the 14th of July, 1789, the people of France took matters into their own hands for once and stormed the Bastille Prison, reducing it to nothing as an act of revolution against the monarchy - Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. After this, there were riots, acts of violence and war against their current regime. It was a revolution that would, along the way, eat itself up and be thrown back up with incredible irony.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in The Swamp
White Privilege and Headrights
White Privilege and Headrights Black history is United States history; likewise, United States history is Black history. The only way to understand racism in the United States is to first understand our history – the complete history. For example, the headright system was a form of White privilege which built unfair wealth.
By Glenda Davis6 years ago in The Swamp
Our Oceans Are Dying
They say the ocean is a place with no memory and no future. Its natural beauty is unfathomable, and its currents can take you anywhere in the world. They say there is more life in the ocean than all life on dry land. Yet we continue to destroy it, thinking we can live without it. We can’t and the great oceans will fight back.
By Nikola Tobias Hunter6 years ago in The Swamp
Ideologies At War
There has never been a war long-lasting than that of democracy and theocracy. These ideologies have been fighting almost since the beginning of government. They have been the hidden agenda of leaders past and present with the intent of resolving differences. Democracy is where every person has a say in government and have equal rights protecting free-will by separating religion from governmental processes. Theocracy is where religious laws are the laws of the land and these strict laws suppress resistance and disobedience with severe consequences. The two clash at the heart of the Middle East and the reason for lack of enduring peace. Laws of the theocracy do not necessarily equip the laws of democracy. When religion rules the daily lives of an individual who does not choose freely then it becomes oppressive. Religion has to govern personal beliefs and opinions. It cannot be the law governing the land because we have seen throughout history how wars evolved from religion. The countless dead and immeasurable damage from nations against nations, and peoples against peoples. The current uprising in the Middle East is due to theocracy, not exactly the invasion of democracy. When oppressed people are downtrodden so long and they resort to violence because they lacked the necessities of life such as jobs, food, and housing to name a few, a revolution has to happen. Democracy is ever-changing, meeting the demands of its people while theocracy happens to get stricter and harsher to maintain order. When democracy is confronted by war, it adjusts and changes most of the time for the better. Democracy is not afraid of uniting with others who believe in their people and their economy. Theocracy maintains that life has to be sacrificed and traditions preserved over individualism. Theocracy encourages repeating the same atrocities of the past. The government must break through this wall of ignorance that democracy cannot be steadily guided and in fact, will make a nation unstable. This has been perpetuated by theocracy's supporters. We must remember that theocracy has divided nations against each other, people against one another, and social classes. Democracy can break all those barriers and unite economies and defend freedoms. This war has to end. This is the hidden battle of not only current wars but past wars. We are fighting for the sake of the world. Even Africa has faced the backlash of this war, with nations constantly trying to stabilize the extremists from the Middle East. The extremists find their power in being brutally carrying out the religious laws while breaking them to recruit the young. They use religion as a weapon and theocracy blindside helps them recruit more. We know that someday that one will rule and the other will be lessened. The world has this difficult decision to make but we have to make it. Human rights are born rights and they cannot be denied. The choice of religion is a born right and the government should not choose for its citizens because free-will must be protected and provided by the government. Religion governs consciousness and is the spiritual guider of all people. A religion can only be consistent when it respects rights and does not govern and does not force obedience. Every religion and belief in the world has hints of this philosophy. And we must not use warfare for religious purposes because it increases hatred and oppression in the world. Peaceful means bring peaceful resolves. We have to remind every nation, every people, and every tribe that we come from a common ancestor and we respect their rights ending the war between democracy and theocracy.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in The Swamp
Heal The Nation
We have been given this unusual task passed down by those who love this country. Those who gave their lives, both leaders and veterans alike. We have to commit to this important and imperative task at hand for the future of our America is waiting for us. And they should not wait any longer for action must be taken now to guarantee the future of tomorrow. Everyone must commit to this and it is symbolic of voting. Our heritage and stability depend on America being more equal and more just than ever before. And though it comes with its toils we must strive for this nobility at whatever it may cost as those who did before us. A promise to turn away from fighting and dividing to unite as one for the good of all Americans, American Democracy, present, and future. And though the road is hard, we must keep this promise. This nation has to heal to lead the world in true harmony. We have to set aside divisiveness and lay down justice in a manner worthy of its cause. Many heinous things have happened in the past and that is why we learned from them and grow from them. We have to educate ourselves and our children so they will never happen again. We must tear down the lies of history and debunk the myths of America's past. This will remove the trauma from bigotry and hatred that have scared us far too long. The sooner we deal with its hurtful and wrecking mistakes, the better our nation will be for all of us. We all need to heal from the contradictions of the past, there are things that we were taught which blind us to reality. The more we move in that direction, the deeper our brotherhood and unity will be."Asked not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country," exclaimed John F. Kennedy. We have to look deep inside ourselves and find out who we truly are made of. We have to search the traditions and norms that our ancestors passed down to us and find out if they are truth or lies. Then we have to ask our family and friends to do the same, we must know our history then we can work on the history of our nation. It is when a person finds out their truthiness then they can lead others to the light. We can use that knowledge to open the eyes of our fellow Americans. It is a personal journey. It is not easy to discuss and be criticize for the wrongdoing of the past but it will bring about healing. The reasoning is the greatest advocate in this journey to restore order. We cannot ask a fellow citizen to answer what they have no prior knowledge on however we can make them think about their action and the root cause of their response. Our country has been known for caring about its people, respecting their decisions, and honoring their sacrifices. We must continue this motto and put action behind it. After citizens healed themselves then they can heal their government. Government is supposed to be a reflection of the people but how can it when many voices are shut out and ignored? This has got to change and we must realize that the government is the just consensus of the people. We must continually hope and believe in our country and consciously follow our leaders then as Abraham Lincoln once said, we will be "of the people, for the people, and by the people."
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in The Swamp
America Can't Do It Alone
It appears history has repeated itself and the world is once again in the Dark Ages. Millions are sicked with this disease and hundreds of thousands have died from this disease. It seems like the end of the world and no end of its grip in sight disturbing the very foundation of government. Overshadowing the economy, businesses no longer can operate without customers and employees. With all the world's advancement, inevitable diseases find their way to disturbing humanity. So what do we do and who do we turn to? Science and history have shown that we need our Allies to forge a relentless alliance against such epidemics. It was both immigrants and citizens alike who partnered in the laboratories coming up with vaccines and cures. And now the world faces the question, be at war with one another or be in truce to fight this invisible enemy. And now we know what the old war slogan means "neutrality is death". We cannot battle this alone, we are not big enough and we are not great enough. The world has to come together. America does not have to be best at everything and frankly, no country is the best everything. And even when a country declares itself the best, it is tested by the pride it proclaims. We are better, the world is better when it comes together. If we see our reflection in the world then we can make gains. Our reflection might tell us what we are weak at and what we can do better. On the other hand, pride and strife create chaos because it distorts the reality of the situation. We cannot hide behind the fact that we cannot wait. Do we know that the coronavirus spreads in the body through protein receptors, then why not invest in research that blocks these receptors? We know that the previous coronavirus drains the body of its immunity and vitamins and minerals, then why not invest in research that builds up these areas within the body? Time is running out and refusing to trust allies might be a dire consequence. The sacrifice we make today will make it a better tomorrow for the future. We see the success in other countries, why not share in the success? America is not the first empire that dealt with fatal diseases. America has to empower its research now and reconnect to the world with funding. There is no other choice otherwise we will be held back and our people will suffer from a lack of accountability and transparency. We will be immune to this disease someday, no matter if it changes form if we prepare the science. Science is not the enemy of the state. Science saved us from wars, helped us win, and empower forward-thinking. Science has brought about knowledge and power that has enlightened the ages even though it had its flaws, true science is proven research that tells informative and effective and efficient information. Enough with war, this is about civility and livelihood. We must not fight each other or be partisan dividing we will lose our chance to normalcy. Every general knows, and every captain understands never to declare war on an invisible enemy because that enemy is untraceable. Instead, you must find facts and distribute the truth with diplomacy and eloquence and administer justice. Yes we must keep social distancing, and yes we must wear masks, and yes we must be clean of germs but also we must hurry the science and research that focus directly on reasonable and rational data. Every world leader understands that technologies, science, and research enables a nation to stand the test of time and endure.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in The Swamp
Liberate African Hair
2016 was the year Zulaikha Patel (A South African teenager ) took a stand against the discriminatory hair policies at Pretoria Girls High school. A 13 year old at the forefront of a protest, she most certainly discarded the narrative that labels young potentials as future leaders. Such a term is a contradiction to the resilience that characterises us. We are not future leaders. We are leaders. Being a leader is like being dead, you either are or you are not. Ageism is one battle we are yet to fight and overcome.
By Shirley Makurumidze 6 years ago in The Swamp
