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.
A reason for homelessness
Jordan Biehn is another homeless person I love, love, love. Her street name is Barbie. I think of her as a lovely woman - a kind of modern Eve. I know her to be a complex. injured, independant, masochistic artist. She knew Olya Stefania Marko, my deceased partner, and would sometimes sit with us in Tim Hortons, but never for long. Olya called Jordan my fantasy woman. Olya and I could talk about anything. Olya wasn't really describing just a sexual ignition system. Olya was talking about a desire, on my part, to matter. In Jordan's case by helping her recover from own heavy judgements. Olya and I often talked of the 'wiggle room' that people might extend to themselves: regular forgivenesses, self-allowances, especially during societal failures, to be sometimes angry, to sometimes act out in embarrassing ways. This is especially true in the homeless population which are, amongst other things, some of the most profoundly doctrinal law and order types that you will come across. So much so, that I fear they help elect conservatives who sometimes seem to pretend that the homeless are not really there.
By Budsy Huggys5 years ago in The Swamp
The Case for International Gun Registration
The War against Guns has always been a priority not just in America but also in the world. Guns are one of the biggest polluters on the planet. It is not enough for one country to ban them or their high magazine but all countries must ban together to end all wars. What made the War on Drugs so deadly? Drug dealers have unlimited access to guns and weaponry, And they did so because of the jurisdiction of other countries. Drug dealers would hide in other countries to terrorize the countries' people to win power. Guns have always existed to overpower others. This is why there is a need to eliminate their effect on civilized societies. And when the internet came along, it strengthens the Black Market which sells drugs, guns, and all types of exotic things including humans. This must not exist any longer in society. Someone has to answer to this crime and we must and the world must break through this barrier to secure future generations. There cannot be any doubt about the consequences of leaving guns unchecked and balancing the power of the weaponry. There can be no peace and harmony while guns are freely given to anyone without a dignified purpose. Each year, we hear about the mass shootings in schools because of unauthorized access to guns, not only in America but around the world. We hear how school children are kidnapped due to some terrorism in foreign continent's nations such as Africa. If we are to win this then we got to make a mark for all people.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous5 years ago in The Swamp
Selling ourselves short.
American work culture has us selling our souls for minimum return. It depends on where you fall on the totem pole as to what kind of return you get for your investment. Please don’t misunderstand me, I believe that an individual should put forth effort in creating a future that suites them and also helps support the community. However, that would be an easy feat if we all started out with the same privilege, if any.
By Caralee Core5 years ago in The Swamp
The Man who Knelt
I know next to nothing about football. I played a very short game of flag football in Junior High, picked up the football after a down and everyone yelled at me. Apparently that was wrong? I had asked how to play and no one had answered, so after that I decided to return to not caring about the game.
By Karalynn Rowley5 years ago in The Swamp
The weight of lives
*This story was written in 2016 after Dallas Incident. “Don’t shoot”. A young boy who is wearing a snapback hat holds his hands up in the air. During the New York City trip, Bushwick gave me the deepest impressions. And especially this mural painting, which was painted by Brooklyn-based street artist Lmnopi, was the number one.
By Han Jolene Katrin Shin5 years ago in The Swamp
Volunteering at the border before Trump’s family separation policy
It was 2018 when I was asked to help with an asylum case for an anti human trafficking organization Abolish Slavery Coalition. I volunteered on both sides of the border, between San Diego California, and Tijuana Mexico. The volunteer work as a victim advocate, and bilingual translator was to help a father who had petitioned for asylum at the border after risking his life to testify against a corrupt leader involved in organized crime who had exploited his daughters, he was separated from his family at the border at a time when family separation had yet to make the headlines and well before Trumps family separation policy was in full effect.
By Gia Santos5 years ago in The Swamp
The War on the Uyghurs
Since 2017 the Uyghur people — the largest ethnic group of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of northwest China — have been systematically detained in secret concentration camps, tortured, forced to work against their will, and coercively re-educated by the Chinese state in order to erase their Muslim identities and distinctive cultural heritage. The Uyghurs are an indigenous Turkic people of China who converted to Islam a thousand years ago. Closely related to the Kazakh, Uyghur is a language written in the Arabic script with a long and developed literary tradition. In recent decades, when Uyghurs sought de facto political independence from China, the Chinese state has responded by accusing these “separatists” of “terrorism.” Although the atrocities currently being perpetrated against the Uyghurs are now public knowledge, significant activist initiatives have yet to emerge from the left. This should change, because the oppression of the Uyghurs is as urgent an issue as others on which the left is more active, such as Palestine.
By Rebecca Ruth Gould5 years ago in The Swamp
“The Cold Winter War”
The Year was 2017. The month was January. And we were seven days into the new year. Embracing for the launch of the 45th Presidency of these states united. And that was the last time, snow feel in my section of these states untied. It was then that five point three inches fell from the chief executive of the universe. And today some four years and twenty days later, nine days into the 46th Presidency, this time headed by Joe Biden. The head of the universal kingdom decided once again to send me a late Christmas gift? I am so excited, but it seemly like I’m hiding it, because I am curious today why this snow storm occurred? Was it just because the atmospheric temperature is at or below freezing (0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit) and there is a minimum amount of moisture in the air? Or was it because the atmosphere is freezing because some of souls of those who occupy it is contributing.
By Erik DeSean Barrett5 years ago in The Swamp
We are David, the system, Goliath
The police murder of George Floyd reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight against police brutality, redirecting national attention back on the egregious acts of violence by law enforcement prevalent across America. While every few years instances of police violence flood national headlines, the spotlight eventually fades, and the issue is never seemingly resolved.
By Nissa Tzun5 years ago in The Swamp
