opinion
Opinion pieces from the left, right, and everyone in between.
British Values
According to an article in yesterday's Daily Telegraph, an organisation called Education Scotland has recommended that Scottish teachers no longer refer to the concept of Fundamental British Values for fear that they might cause offence, to quote from the article: "...the concept of British values can cause offence and could play into the hands of groups who seek to assert that there is an inherent conflict between being British and being Muslim..." I have had thoughts fermenting in my hindbrain for a while on these values, so, I thought that I would use this article as a means of exploring and extending these thoughts.
By Aaron Jones8 years ago in The Swamp
Brainwashed
We the people! How many times have we heard this phrase? Yet our Democracy is anything but. In truth, the United States is nothing more than a fascist state. We would be wise to remember that fascism operates a corporate state under the guise of a democracy. Fascism is nothing more than Corporatism, the merger of state and corporate power.
By Dr. Williams8 years ago in The Swamp
Government Corruption
The United States government was originally created to protect the citizens of the still growing nation. The Constitution was created in order to regulate what the government was allowed to do and not allowed to do. Today, the United States government is corrupt. The lives of the citizens are constantly being intruded on, and the government is not necessary for the good of the individual.
By Faith McCune8 years ago in The Swamp
Television: Is It a Force for Good, Politically?
Television: Is It a "Force" for Good Politically? I know that not every person in the world has a television, but a very large proportion of the population sees televisions programs several times a week. In most “materially developed” countries, the average person watches TV for several hours every day. This average tends to be increased due to the aged and infirm viewing for more hours than active working adults. Often, the motivation for watching is boredom and weariness. Just sitting in front of the TV takes less effort than finding and reading a book. Much of the printed media is devoted to telling people about television and the people who earn a living from it. Television has become the dominant media form in most materially-developed nations, but is this a good thing? The internet challenges this dominance by its availability to so many inputs and because it offers a semblance of interaction between viewer and the input provider. The money made from TV advertising enables those proving programs to distort the “market” in such things as sports and entertainment. They are able to pay far higher fees to sports clubs and to individual actors as compared to smaller clubs and theatres who rely on ticket sales only.
By Peter Rose8 years ago in The Swamp
Why Gun Control Is a Fraud
One of my best friends taught me how to load a shotgun about a month back. He placed the giant, heavy firearm in my hands and guided me through each step, placing my fingers on the safety, the trigger, and the belt. Once he walked me through the motions a few times, he stepped back and let me try it myself. I placed the bullet into the shotgun and cocked it. Each time I did it correctly, he would smile at me and say, "Now, you have a loaded firearm."
By something wilde8 years ago in The Swamp
Why School Shootings Happen
Gun control only works to disarm law abiding citizens, as police, military, and criminals all will still have access to the latest and greatest in the firearms world. Needing gun control to curb school shootings is an overly emotional response created due to pity and fear. Guns are an easy scapegoat, but really, are they to blame? Are knives to blame in stabbings?In my opinion, school shootings are caused by a number of things, none of which have to do with the number of guns readily available to disgruntled children.
By Regular Person8 years ago in The Swamp
Taking Offense
Taking Offense. There is a great deal of media and social media attention given to complaints by somebody taking offense at some remark or action by others. To any rational person who is not directly involved, the offended person often appears to be getting agitated over very little. In our modern world where gratuitous abuse can be heaped on another anonymously, without any responsibility for accuracy or let alone good manners, it is really hard for any sensible appraisal of the reality to be made.
By Peter Rose8 years ago in The Swamp
World War 3 and How to Stop It: We Are Not Superior, We Are the Same!
Let’s get this straight! There are Palestinian children being jailed in Israel, Europe is more unstable than any time in the past 70 years, Russian spies are being poisoned with nerve agent in Salisbury, and children in Yemen are being murdered, without hesitation or regret, by an evil Saudi regime.
By Johnny Vedmore8 years ago in The Swamp
Is America Trying to Mask the Real Problem by Using Gun Control?
Is America trying to mask the real problem by using gun control? Should we really be focusing on gun control or should we focus more on mental illness? That is the question that a lot of people right now are asking; especially in light of the most current situations here in America. The first thing that we should look at is, “What is the 2nd amendment”? Well the 2nd amendment is part of the bill of rights, which states “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” And the 2nd amendment was adopted on December 15th, 1791; but why is everyone so concerned with it right now?
By Karina Layman8 years ago in The Swamp
The War on Drugs: It's Time to Surrender
Ask an average republican what he or she believes are the most pressing issues facing the United States today. Chances are, you wouldn’t hear about our excess military spending or the fact that we dwarf the rest of the world in the categories of both mass incarceration and mass shootings. What you may hear, however, is that the United States has a drug problem and that the only inevitable solution to this problem—the only way the United States can finally defeat those wishing to pump their own bodies full of harmful substances they’ve used their own money to obtain—is to crack down even harder on drug users and imprison more people, helping to contribute to the mass incarceration issue mentioned earlier. An average democrat would likely have a different opinion on the most pressing issues facing the country, but would most likely still support the “War on Drugs” to an extent, maybe going as far as to say that recreational marijuana should be legalized nationwide while maintaining that “harder” substances should remain illicit. While I tend to side more with the democrats on this issue, I disagree with both of these stances, because I fundamentally disagree with their premise.
By Hannah Smart8 years ago in The Swamp
