Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in The Swamp.

Knowledge Is Power: Why Julian Assange Is a Champion of Democracy
Love him or hate him, the arrest of Julian Assange is most certainly a travesty of not only justice, but also of the core democratic values that the Western world prides itself on. Of course, politicians in Washington are rather delighted to see the downfall of a modern-day muckraker who has exposed the US government on numerous occasions throughout the years. Yet, it has been quite stunning to see that many common American citizens on both sides of the political spectrum seem to be celebrating Assange’s arrest and advocating for his potential extradition to the US, where he could be subject to government sanctioned-torture (“enhanced interrogation,” if you prefer euphemisms) and serve a lifelong sentence at a maximum security prison. Unfortunately, the reason why so many American citizens are cheering on the prosecution of Assange is because those who are born into the free world oftentimes take democracy for granted - so much to the extent that they forget to acknowledge what such a term really means, and are therefore rendered incapable of understanding precisely why his arrest would represent a threat to the fundamental pillars of democracy itself.
By Alex W.7 years ago in The Swamp
The Birds and the Bees
It's a summers day, the grass is lush and green and soft beneath my feet. The air is full of butterflies and other insects, and the bees go about their daily task of pollinating the flowers and making honey, something they have done for thousands of years. To my right is a line of ancient oak trees. The soft breeze gently blows through the leaves, creating dappled patterns of light on the forest floor. In the distance, the light dances on the surface of the lake, sparkling like millions of silverfish and I feel peaceful. The year is 1983, and in my naivety, I think this is how it will always be.
By Jean Luc Lafitte7 years ago in The Swamp
The Problem of Race
Racism and prejudice have been present in almost every civilization and society throughout history. Even though the world has progressed greatly in the last couple of decades, both socially and technologically, racism, hatred, and prejudice still exist today. It lives deeply embedded in old-fashioned, narrow-minded traditions and values. People like being right. When confronted by a different person's views, they get angered. That is what the United States is—a country is built on people having their own views and points. Although this is good, it can become fatal. America as a nation has a deep central problem with the way it views people that are not ‘white,’ it stereotypes and places people in boxes that make it difficult for them to get out of, unless we go out of our way to neglect stereotypical views we see or hear from people and the media, the racial issues and problems deeply embedded in American history will never be fixed. The only way to teach about the issues of racism in America is through education, one way being Ta Nehisi Coates “Letter to My Son” because it helps the reader understand the fear of being a black American and relate to the issues that will not only affect them but the people around them.
By Ade A7 years ago in The Swamp
Bryan Watch: April Week 2
The second week of April was pretty slow for Congress. Only 11 votes cast, and six were non-party line votes. Of the five party line votes, three were procedural.
By John Heckenlively7 years ago in The Swamp
Political Manipulation
All the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put Humpty together again. One of the good things about social media, is that politics, which was once confined as a whole to the country that you lived in, has now moved into the geopolitical arena. So it may surprise many Americans that in Europe, in my case England, we watch the story of President Trump unfold with as much interest as many Americans.
By Jean Luc Lafitte7 years ago in The Swamp
Is Real Life What We Want?
Is real life what we want? Could we cope with reality? It often appears that we—that is modern people living in developed nations—live our lives through images of other people. Some seem to want to live their lives through their children, wishing they live as their parents would liked to have done. Could any of us cope with "real life," whatever that means?
By Peter Rose7 years ago in The Swamp
Introducing Andrew Yang
America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, once said, “An informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy,” and in light of that, it’s time to become informed about 2020 presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, as well as some of the policies he stands for.
By Cheyenne Harbison7 years ago in The Swamp
Why You Must Have Close Friends that Have Political Beliefs Different from Your Own
I've always had close friends of different political stripes. It's enriched my life, and enabled me to have empathy for people who I may disagree with, but still able to continue to have a cordial relationship with.
By Kubvoruno Dzimiri7 years ago in The Swamp
The 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment is a heavy situation to write about. You see, natural citizens are born in the United States. To take away birthright citizenship is to destroy a huge cornerstone of what American law is about. In 1868, a historic decision was made to allow all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves, to have “equal protection of the laws.” This was the first of three amendments to abolish slavery or so we are told in history class. The Reconstruction era was a time of establishing civil and legal rights for black Americans, as well as becoming the ultimate cornerstone of Supreme Court decisions.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
We Hold These Truths to Be Self Evident
History is an invaluable tool for if used wisely the lessons learned, chances are history won't repeat. But, too often it has been our own failure to not heed the lessons that history is supposed to teach us. Today, we find ourselves on the verge of yet another period when history is again playing out similar scenarios that have occurred more than 80 years ago. Though, not much has changed over the past 80 years. Human nature is pretty consistent. There are those who see truths in an entirely different light. Then there are those when they are faced with truths are blinded by their ignorance.
By Dr. Williams7 years ago in The Swamp
The Caging of America
Since the colonial times, black people have been treated as objects with no mind, meaning or purpose other than to serve white people. Even our Founding Fathers owned slaves. “Thomas Jefferson enslaved over 600 human beings throughout the course of his life.” Even our first President owned slaves. “Of the 317 enslaved people living at Mount Vernon in 1799, a little less than half (123 individuals) were owned by George Washington himself.”
By Diego Estevez7 years ago in The Swamp
5 Things You Never Knew About the Civil War
We all know the history of the Civil War. The men and women who fought for our country have sacrificed their lives so that we can live peaceably on earth. In today's world, there is still war going on and it's just the beginning.
By Michael Reynoso7 years ago in The Swamp