opinion

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

Human Rights Are Subjective
NOTE: This essay was originally submitted for the 2025 Hubert Butler Essay Prize, on the theme of "Have we no more active rights over life, birth and death?"
By Conor Matthews6 months ago in The Swamp
Air India Flight 171: The Mysterious Fuel Cutoff That Led to Disaster
1. A Catastrophe Minutes After Takeoff On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171—a Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner—crash-landed into a residential hostel in Ahmedabad just 30 to 40 seconds after takeoff. The plane was en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of those aboard, 241 perished, and 19 were killed on the ground, with dozens more injured. Only one passenger survived, later identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh .
By Ikram Ullah6 months ago in The Swamp
Mahmoud Khalil Files $20 Million Claim Against Trump Administration for Wrongful Detention
Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student, has filed a $20 million administrative claim against the Trump administration for wrongful detention. Khalil, a green card holder, was held by ICE for over three months, alleging false arrest, malicious prosecution, and intentional infliction of emotional distress stemming from his activism.
By Kageno Hoshino6 months ago in The Swamp
The Epstein Files Fiasco:
Picture this: March 2025, the MAGA faithful, freshly into a new administration, are strutting out of the White House, practically skipping like kids in a candy store. Why, you ask? Because they’re clutching the Epstein Files like they just won the lottery. “Justice is coming!” they chant jubilantly, as if they were in a poorly scripted superhero movie. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, in a separate interview displaying a smirk that could rival the Cheshire Cat, declares to the cameras, “You’re gonna want to stay tuned, America. The truth is about to drop, and heads are going to roll, because the Epstein Files and reports are on my desk!"
By Meko James 6 months ago in The Swamp
Trump's Frustration with Putin and the Uncertain Future of the Russia-Ukraine War
The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to test the diplomatic resolve of world leaders, with recent developments highlighting growing frustration in the United States. President Donald Trump, who once vowed to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, now faces mounting obstacles in his attempts to broker peace. Despite multiple rounds of negotiations and increasing diplomatic engagement, a ceasefire remains elusive as Russia intensifies its military campaign against Ukraine.
By Ikram Ullah6 months ago in The Swamp
New Mexico Flooding: How Heavy Rains Turned Quiet Towns Into Disaster Zones . AI-Generated.
A Storm That Changed Everything In late June and early July 2025, New Mexico faced one of the most severe flooding events in its recent history. Torrential rains poured across the state, especially affecting rural and tribal areas. Towns that usually stay dry most of the year were suddenly underwater.
By Saad 7 months ago in The Swamp
The Brilliant Plan to Collapse the Economy One Deportation at a Time
The Department of Homeland Security might want to consider a rebrand: maybe something like the Department of National Self-Sabotage. Because what else do you call a government actively purging the very labor force that props up the American economy while pretending it’s all part of some master plan to Make America Great Again™?
By Jeff Olen7 months ago in The Swamp
It's time to leave American Christianity
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. - Abraham Lincoln
By M.S7 months ago in The Swamp
The Hopefuls: Gentrification and the Changing Face of Cities (and Even Some Small Towns)
In 1964, British sociologist Ruth Glass gave a name to a process reshaping urban life in ways both visible and invisible: gentrification. Writing in her book London: Aspects of Change, she described how working-class neighborhoods in London were being "invaded" by middle-class newcomers — both upper and lower — bringing with them rising rents, property speculation, and a cultural transformation that permanently altered the character of the communities they entered.
By Wade Wainio7 months ago in The Swamp
Michael Jackson Didn’t Molest Any Kids: The Case for His Innocence
More than a decade after his death, Michael Jackson’s legacy remains under attack. The accusations that once dominated headlines have resurfaced again and again, most recently in the documentary Leaving Neverland. Yet despite the emotional weight of that film, the actual evidence does not support the narrative of guilt. A closer look reveals a pattern of opportunism, contradictions, and media manipulation.
By Heather Holmes7 months ago in The Swamp
Stop Prioritizing Veterans Over Other Homeless People
Homelessness is on the rise. Certain demographic groups, such as military veterans and disabled people, are at least twice as likely to experience homelessness, through no fault of their own. They deserve better.
By Heather Holmes7 months ago in The Swamp
Elon Musk Launches ‘America Party’ Amid Feud with Trump
In a bold and unexpected move, Elon Musk — billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) — has officially launched a new political party dubbed the “America Party.” This comes in the wake of a deepening rift with former ally and current U.S. President Donald Trump, following disagreements over Trump’s recently passed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Musk has strongly criticized as “a threat to the U.S. economy.”
By Muhib Ullah 7 months ago in The Swamp