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.
Why We Need to Intervene in the Syrian Civil War, for the Sake of Humanity
'At least in heaven there's food.' A mother of a boy, no more than 5 years old exclaims; she has come to terms with her own son's death, she is waiting and longing for her son to pass, because at least then he'll be without pain, without the worry of survival, without the worry of finding enough food to survive the day. No mother should ever have to say, or even think these thoughts, and no child should ever suffer these harsh consequences to settle disputes they have played no part in—we need to intervene to save the innocent who have become the spilt blood on their leader's hands.
By Elliot Harris7 years ago in The Swamp
One Nation Under God
When you hear independence, liberty, and justice, what is the first image that pops into your head? For many, this is a simple question with a generic answer. Independence, being able to do what you want, not answering to anyone; come and go as you please. Liberty, the joy of being free, similarly to independence. And Justice, what about justice? Justice, being treated fairly, an eye for an eye.
By Chris Ricks7 years ago in The Swamp
Resist, Part 1
Saul Alinsky’s book, Rules for Radicals has been very influential in Western political circles in recent years. The book is all about putting together grassroots communities and suggests a range of approaches for activists to adopt, which can then be applied to a wide variety of situations.
By David Morrison7 years ago in The Swamp
7 Steps to Resist the Termination of TPS and All Other Political Adversities
*Content warning for mentions of sexual violence “A state of shock is not just what happens to us when something bad happens; [it’s] what happens to us when we lose our narrative, when we lose our story, when we become disoriented. What keeps us oriented and alert and out of shock is our [herstory]. So a period of crisis like the one we are in is a very good time to think about [herstory], to think about continuities, to think about roots. It’s a good time to place ourselves in the longer [humin] story of struggle. ”
By Detroit REPRESENT!7 years ago in The Swamp
White People Need to Speak Up!
White people need to speak up. Racism is running rampant in our country and it has got to stop. I’ve heard the counterarguments, “My family didn’t own slaves,” and, “Slavery was a long time ago, get over it.” Well, you can’t forgive someone for stomping on your foot if they are still stomping on your foot. Racism clearly still exists, whether the whites want to recognize it or not. This is not a problem created by people of color, and it can’t be fixed by them. The more blacks and other people of color protest racism, the more it seems to rear its ugly head. I don’t mean to say that they shouldn’t protest, by all means they should. But since whites, our ancestors, created the problem, we, as whites, should do everything we can to fix the problem. It’s not their problem to fix. It’s ours. It’s our bad behavior. What we allow is what will continue. Racism is ugly, hateful, stupid, and mean. Racism exists still, because whites need a scapegoat for their own insecurities and shortcomings. If you are racist, you are weak. Furthermore, if you don’t speak up against the problem, you are part of the problem. We need to create a better future for our children, all of our countries children.
By LittleFish BigPond7 years ago in The Swamp
Of Course a Sitting POTUS Can Be Indicted!
If I hear one more talking head, so-called expert, or congressperson say "Of course you can’t indict a sitting US President," my head is going to explode—the complacent leading the apathetic! For fuck's sake Americans, we are fast becoming the generation that Ben Franklin (one of the founders of this country) feared.
By The Disruptors7 years ago in The Swamp
Shut It Down!
I am not sure why is has taken me almost two years to tell this story. My first story got deleted. That's life. But this story is too important not to document. I want to take this time to write an open letter to the 45th President of the United States and his administration. I have so much anger against them. These are not just my feelings! I have black folks saying that they feel that white folks seem to carry themselves with an ego towards black folks, and even our elders! It has never felt tighter or more difficult to land a job as a Black women. Even if I am pursuing my college degree, the education system continues to teach in the format that benefits white and Asian folks at the expense of black student understanding. The administration seems to be getting passes for hate-speech on social media, stripping away immigrants' safety, the right to be able to serve in the military, our access to voting, and to safe homes to live in. This is such a violent culture!
By SAYHERNAME Morgan Sankofa7 years ago in The Swamp
Plastic Straw Bans
The plastic straw ban has everybody in frenzy mode because some of us need straws. California is closer to a ban on plastic straws at full-service restaurants. Some scientists hope the idea will spread across the United States just like the plastic bag ban. That particular ban caught on in a very fundamental way. The vote passed 45-20. California is a major trendsetter as history has proven. The plastic bag ban happened in 2014 from Governor Jerry Brown. The plastic bag ban has succeeded somewhat since cloth bags are an easy replacement but straws are more difficult to just phase out.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
Our Duty to the Environment
I hear a lot of people telling us that we have to protect the environment. We hear sayings like, "It's our duty since it's our home," and, "Our children will suffer the consequences of the actions we make today." I agree that humans are the central cause of pollution in the world but we have almost eight billion people on this earth and this number is still growing. One of the obstacles we have to overcome is that we all have the same goal in life. We want to survive in the most comfortable way we can. How do we live comfortably and not hurt the environment? Almost all of the things that allow us to live comfortably hurt the environment. We understand that the environment is a concern and we're constantly trying to find a remedy for this problem. One option is to consume less and reuse as much as we can to reduce our carbon footprint. With our world population continuing to grow how effective is this option? One of the more drastic measures currently being explored is colonization of foreign planets such as Mars. I wonder if it's even something that is possible? If that doesn't work, there is a simple solution that I'm sure will be the most unpopular of the three and that would be to let nature run its course. Stop prolonging human life and let diseases and human evolution do their thing. What if it wipes all of us out? There are a lot of unknowns with this one but you can see why this is the least popular idea.
By Brian Anonymous7 years ago in The Swamp
The Age of Complacency
Every once in a while, there's an event that everyone thinks will shake things up. Whether it's reports of things like concentration camps for illegal immigrants, the leak of the Panama and the Paradise Papers, or even the revelation that the government was spying on all of us, something that conspiracy theorists had been saying (and getting ridiculed for it) for years.
By Nicola Vanzetti7 years ago in The Swamp
