opinion

Opinion pieces from the left, right, and everyone in between.

The Censorship Wars in Media
Recently we have seen a digital cleansing, of sorts. You see, the world of social media has received immense pressures from the mainstream media to silence voices of opposition. This week, that is exactly what happened! The way the social media outlets and big tech companies have been purging the internet of people who share views that are contrary to them is unprecedented. We are in a digital book burning of sorts. I mean this, we can refuse to let people who say things that we don't like have an opinion, but it is a matter of time before it happens to all of us. The media outlets have been the ones pushing for censorship on the internet, and now that they suddenly have it, they will not stop.
By Bradley Perry7 years ago in The Swamp
Why Are You Ranking: Best Case for Medicine Free of Controls in the United States Listed from Healthy to Fit
To say that someone is “happy” to pay taxes on health care is like saying that someone enjoys having a pistol pressed to their temple. The money that is generated by Americans ought to belong to them. Each individual ought to be able to use his or her money at their discretion. With “Medicare for all” and “Obamacare for everyone” we tend to forget just from where those funds stem. Money has to be stolen from the United States citizens to pay for their neighbor’s tonsillectomy. Why should an individual use his smart earned dollars to see that their potential enemy has the “right” to an operation? Stealing is wrong in any context. No matter how many democratic votes that a committee receives, it still doesn’t change the fact that government run health care programs are evil. Health insurance to boot is in a dizzying tailspin. They are vicious because of the fact that the individual has no say in how his or her money is utilized. The beauty of the United States (as it was founded) are the principles that said that a life belongs to an individual to go about as he pleases and not infringe upon the rights of others—liberty holds that that person can go about without the gaze of tyranny holding him or her back—property, although it was omitted from the Declaration of Independence is not just stuff that someone owns, but their ability to dispose of such items, including their own body—and the pursuit of happiness means a man or woman going after their version of what brings them joy in this world. So, get your medical records for, Why Are You Ranking: Best Case for Medicine Free of Controls in the United States Listed from Healthy to Fit.
By Skyler Saunders7 years ago in The Swamp
Lies and Statistics
Lies, damn lies and statistics. I see many posts on Facebook claiming “evidence” for things that are simply not true. I am sure that someone has devised a statistic to enable the claim to be made but statistics can hide the truth as well as indicate one possible truth.
By Peter Rose7 years ago in The Swamp
Overcoming Fascist-Racism
The thing about hating somebody different from you is that you don’t get a chance to actually talk to this person. Talking to somebody different from you helps you overcome stereotypes, lack of knowledge, and, in general, the way racism can sink its teeth in you. The modern-day fascists are racist people who want to curb immigration completely. They support everything certain people do to stop it because the ban wasn’t totally successful. There is also such thing as being uncomfortable around people different from you. The key is to keep talking to them until you beat your discomfort.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
The Unbreakable Peace
Nuclear weapons have been in the news quite regularly over the last year, from North Korea's technological breakthroughs to troubles with the Iran Deal. Yet the public concern which accompanies these topics is wildly disproportionate to the effect they stand to have over our future. The word "nuclear weapon" gets no more attention in the news than a major corporate announcement or an important local election. Perhaps some can view this as a good thing. The American hegemony which emerged with the fall of the Soviet Union meant that everyday citizens no longer had to think about the possibility of everything they ever knew or loved being disintegrated into ash at the push of a button.
By m z7 years ago in The Swamp
Why Are Political Leaders so Out of Touch?
Why are the political leaders so out of touch? Why do polls get it wrong? The question has been asked in Britain and USA and is being asked in Germany and France; why are the political elite and political polls getting it wrong? The answer lies in the belief of political leaders, and especially the bureaucracies they depend on for advice, that the only people who actually matter live in cities.
By Peter Rose7 years ago in The Swamp
When Coffee Was a Dime
The world when coffee was a dime seems so distant now. The turbulence of the times mirrors much of the events that occurred almost like it was 86 years ago. Even though much has changed, much remains reminiscent of the times when coffee was a just a dime. In the 1930s, the world was filled with so much despair, woe, and misery. Sadly though, history always has found a way to repeat events that have played out before. And today the times are not that much different for millions when all you needed was a dime for that cup of coffee.
By Dr. Williams7 years ago in The Swamp
America, I'm Looking for You
This is an open letter to America. I am looking for you, we all are. As a child I admired America and I was proud to be American. Over the last few years that feeling has greatly diminished and I am left with the feeling of sadness and loss. I am 26 years old and have lived here my entire life. As a child I watched the world around me with a light in my eye. I had role models who had high moral standards, Presidents who had common sense, and a sense of safety that I feel I will never feel again in my own country. I am not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way America forgot who she is. She forgot what she stands for and what she stands against. I, at 26 years old, am watching my great country fall apart. Everyday there are stories of senseless acts of violence being committed in our country against one another because of the color of someone’s skin, their religion, and their sexuality, all things that we are either born with. We cannot continue to hurt each other. We have enemies in too many other countries for us to turn on one another. This new “normal” in America: It is “normal” to be afraid to go to public places because you don’t know who will yell disgusting language at you or potentially harm you. We are afraid to send our children to school for fear that a gunman may take their lives. We are afraid to be our true selves for fear of being outcast. When did this happen? When did we forget what America stands for? When did we forget how to be DECENT human beings? That Golden Rule we were all taught as CHILDREN has been forgotten. Instead of people taking accountability for their actions we now allow people to make excuse, we EXCUSE the behavior because someone has had a hard life, or because they can afford to pay off whoever makes the consequences. And what is worse is that instead of us holding the PERSON accountable, we look at their race, their religion, their political association, or where they came from and we judge them based on that. We blame their behavior on those things instead of the many other things that really contributed to their behavior. Sounds like the news, right? But unlike the news, politicians and celebrities, I understand that this is ALL our faults. What everyone fails to see is that this isn’t a Democrat vs. Republican issue, or a Black vs. White issue, this is a HUMAN issue. We all share one thing in common: WE ARE HUMAN. We all hurt, bleed, cry, get angry, say horrible things, and lash out but we have forgotten that we are only HUMAN. I turn on the news daily and it’s always the same rhetoric. No one is trying to solve the issue. Our president is not the issue—we all are. We can only control the way that we react and nothing else. This constant eye-for-an-eye behavior must stop. Someone must take a stand and say, "NO MORE." We will no longer behave in this ridiculous manner. We must stop pointing the finger and instead hold our hand out in hopes that the other side will reach out too. This is not the best that America has to offer and it’s not the worst, yet. If WE, and I mean everyone in America, does not put a stop to the intolerance, violence, and crude language that is being used to hurt one another, then, America: I am afraid we have lost you forever.
By Dominique Hansley7 years ago in The Swamp
Radicalization: Warm Up, Performance, Finale
Radicalization takes many different forms, but the process of it seems to be identical in each instance. In my opinion, there are two most pressing instances of radicalization at the moment: Islamic radicalization and White supremacists.
By ovaryacting7 years ago in The Swamp
Translating Trumpese
BRYCE ON POLITICS - America is separated by two languages, not ideology. Click for AUDIO VERSION. Like a lot of people, I often get confused by news reports expressing different interpretations of what President Donald Trump allegedly said. Even when you hear it yourself, it is not uncommon to read or hear a different interpretation altogether from the press. At first, I thought it was nothing but spin by the main stream media, but it finally occurred to me, Americans speak two different languages based on English, Liberal and "Trumpese." It is a simple matter of translation. In studying the lexicon of both, I have discovered how Liberals translate Mr. Trump's comments and vice versa. For example, when liberals say something is "backwards," it is translated to "forwards" for everyone else. Other examples, "disabled = strong", "disgruntled = happy," etc. For a more complete list, see the bottom of this article.
By Tim Bryce7 years ago in The Swamp
Institutions vs Independent Living
The issue of putting the elderly or people of disabilities in institutions versus allowing them to live independently has been a debate for years. While there are many arguments for both sides, many people remain uneducated about the effects each lifestyle has on the population being housed.
By Lorraine Woiak7 years ago in The Swamp
It's Now or Never: Will You Answer When the Caller Is Change?
The world is a big, crazy, scary, and emotionally draining place. The ups, the downs, and the in-betweens keeps us emotionally unstable despite our best efforts to keep it together. These days, confusion is running rampant, everyone is emotionally distraught, and help is nonexistent. We've gone from it takes a village to calling the police on kids selling lemonade. Kids don't know what it is to play outside, police violence has replaced gang violence in the news, riots are everywhere, and the face of our nation promotes racists rhetoric. We can spend all day talking about what's wrong or even where things began to go wrong, but the bigger question is how do we fix the problem? Who's going to fix the problem? Better yet, who's going to admit there even is a problem?
By Janyne Jackson7 years ago in The Swamp