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.
On Our Political and Social Incoherence
I have always opposed US intervention in the Middle East, finding it not only immoral but counterproductive. It obviously makes it probable that United States citizens, both at home and abroad, will be targeted in retaliatory attacks. Remember 9/11 but remember it with introspection and logic rather than emotional reaction. Why did it occur? How? Who were the perpetrators? Where did they come from? Who are their friends in the United States? All not only interesting questions but all too relevant.
By Guillermo Calvo9 years ago in The Swamp
Theresa May's Father. Top Story - June 2017.
Theresa May's Father, Reverend Hubert Brasier, was born on 20th August 1917 at 61 Clonmore Street, Wandsworth, London. Like many people a century ago, his was a home birth. Hubert’s father, Tom Brasier, was a military man. He had served as a sergeant in the King's Royal Rifles, but was a clerk by the time Hubert was born. Hubert's mother's maiden name was Amy Margaret Patterson and they had married 8 years prior in Hampshire. Amy and Tom’s first son, James David Brasier, had died within a year of his birth in 1911 in Uttaranchal, India, where Tom Brasier had been deployed whilst in service. Two years later, in 1919, Hubert was joined by his younger sister and only other sibling Jean Robina Brasier.
By Johnny Vedmore9 years ago in The Swamp
An Open Letter To Kathy Griffin
Dear Kathy Griffin, I love you. Truly I do. Your special brand of saying what's on your mind, with a side of crass jokes is what has made you one of the most successful female comics in the business. Your Cher stories are quoted on my Facebook ad nauseam. Your take on the Kardashians always makes me smile and secretly envy that you've met them. Heck, you even made me sort of like Anderson Cooper with your New Years Eve specials. But this week, you went too far and I think that you know it.
By Edward Anderson9 years ago in The Swamp
A Grim Fairy Tale, the Paris Environmental Accord and Its Repudiation
I am a very strong believer in protecting and preserving the environment but I am not a believer in deceptive use of smoke and mirrors to obfuscate that goal. The recently rejected Paris “Accord” was, in my opinion, not only inadequate, but fraudulent. It is non-binding for heavens sakes! How much more than that do real environmentalists (as opposed to political opportunists) need to know? It’s as though the nuclear non-proliferation treaty were non-binding and merely aspirational. Or criminal laws just suggestions. Aspirations are fine for what they’re worth, especially when, as in the Paris Accord, they include details and targets, a positive thing. But to fool progressives into thinking that they are more than wishful thinking and to deflect real efforts to create binding standards likely to be complied with is malevolent.
By Guillermo Calvo9 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Donald... You're An Idiot for Refusing the Paris Accord
Dear Donald, I am an American citizen—one of which would have rather voted for a baked potato as president than you. So, I may be biased. I'm not particularly fond of your anti-gay, anti-woman, or anti-poor legislation.
By Cato Conroy9 years ago in The Swamp
What Was Kathy Griffin Thinking?
Kathy Griffin has never been known for playing it safe, and unless things change, she will never be known for that. While her particular brand of humor has drawn some raised eyebrows in the past, it would appear that a shot taken by photographer Tyler Shields of the comedian has gone far too far.
By Christina St-Jean9 years ago in The Swamp
Dear President Trump
Dear President Trump, Hello. You do not know me. And despite all the coverage on you in the media, I do not know you. I only know what I think of you, what I have been allowed to see. And let me just say, I am not exactly pleased with what I have seen. In my eyes, you perpetrate Islamophobia, misogyny, racism, and hypocrisy among a variety of other errors. It makes it exceedingly difficult to trust you in a position of power, to trust you to make decisions that are in the best interest for our nation.
By J.C. Marie9 years ago in The Swamp
Just as It’s Always Been
Trying to make sense of the polarization in the United States and in the world at large is daunting, especially in the context of perhaps the most thorough and consistent barrage of propaganda I’ve ever encountered, propaganda not from official state organs but from an angry oligarchy whose will has been thwarted but whose tentacles still manage to strangle our society on every level.
By Guillermo Calvo9 years ago in The Swamp
