opinion

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

Martin Luther King
On January 17 millions of Americans will stay home from work in honor of Martin Luther King. Even those who are not fortunate enough to get the day off will no doubt be reminded of him as they scroll through their various social media feeds. You will see friends, family, (Especially.) politicians, and even businesses quoting or referencing him, commending his accomplishment and claiming to eximplify some aspect of him. Television shows and podcasts will discuss him at nausea. Almost all of these conversations will be focused in one of two areas, his work on civil rights and voting rights. Now let me be the first to say that he deserves all the recognition he gets in these areas, no question. However I want to ask a question a teacher once posed to my class in gig school, did Martin Luther King want to help the poor? Most of us would answer yes, in fact that was how we all answered in my freshman year of high school too. It seemed obvious, all of us having heard of the March on Washington and his I Have a Dream Speech, his work on the Birmingham Campaign, so we all assumed that he wanted to do something for the poor. With all of us on the same page my teacher asked another question, what did he do for them or was he trying to do for them? Being high school freshmen this may surprise you that none of us could come up with compelling answer. The sad truth is though that most adults, heck many people reading this probably can’t tell you what he was really trying to do for the economically challenged. My teacher though had an answer, The Poor Peopls’s Campaign and a guaranteed income.
By JR Stine4 years ago in The Swamp
I’m So Confused
In the year 2022, I just heard the Republican’s Upper House Minority Leader rant about how obvious racist policies are to ensure the integrity of the country. I’m a father of three & mentor to others, and I can’t honestly tell those I lead that this country is truly inclusive to nonwhite citizens. What I hope for is the spread of truth. Sad to say America’s truth is an ugly one! Kindness is the easiest act, to me, once you are self-aware. I truly do my best to learn every day, create every day, love every day, & reflect every single day! It’s hard to walk a path of enlightenment and not see beauty in everything! Then you’ll work to nurture that beauty! So, kindness is a given in my lifestyle. I strive to embody these principles and hope my children supersede my ambition. Something I cannot do is lie to anyone I lead, love, or respect. Here are a few reasons it’s hard to be of “African descent” & blindly believe there’s inclusion in the hearts of politicians in America. We can march, sing, destroy cities, and write poems until the cows come home! As long as money controls politics here, black people as a whole are in danger!
By Richard Lee Scruggs III4 years ago in The Swamp
Things Like That Don’t Happen in Scotland
On 13th March 1996, Thomas Hamilton, a former shopkeeper, armed with four handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition walked into Dunblane Primary School and shot at a class of five and six-year-olds.
By Malky McEwan4 years ago in The Swamp
We're Hurtling Toward Another Trump Presidency in 2024
The way things are going, I'll be shell-shocked if Democrats are able to hold their majorities in either the House or the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections, and it looks as though 2024 is going to be a Republican coronation ceremony rather than an election. This becomes more likely the worse Democrats do in the midterms, in a cyclical bit of self-fulfilling political destiny.
By Alexander Ziperovich4 years ago in The Swamp
I still think America is the greatest country on earth.
Any honest person can plainly see, American capitalism cannot survive without exploitation. Let me share a perspective I first learned from Professor Richard Wolff. History will show you America has always demanded the exploitation of some people. The Native Americans were the first. When they were exhausted, who followed? Slaves from Africa. But America couldn’t keep them (except if convicted of a crime, see the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution). Despite everything, the slaves were ostensibly freed. But the fires of our modern day Mordor demanded coal. In the early 1900s, children worked the mines for coal, but that too was outlawed. Until today; child labor is back on the legislative agenda because capitalists refuse to pay living wages. Over and over, we’ll repeat the same old same old. Money has it’s own morality and it usually comes at the expense of someone or something. It’s never free.
By Mitchy Mitch4 years ago in The Swamp
The Formula For Resistance
Resistance is a refusal to give in or something that slows down or prevents something from continuing. For example, in physics, resistance typically refers to the amount an object impedes or resists in an electric current. In everyday life, examples of resistance are apparent to us all the time. For instance, when children are introduced to a new set of parenting tactics, they may be resistant. Or, when technology companies launch new technological capabilities that may seem far-fetched, society might not be as accepting of their innovations. In companies, large groups of people often tend to resist changes in their organization and maintain the status quo. Similarly, on a grand scale, let’s say an entire country perhaps - individuals tend to resist change due to wanting to hold onto the security that traditional approaches to life can bring.
By Jordan Craft4 years ago in The Swamp
The Consequences Of Our Inaction
The world today is too small for nations to resort to petty squabbles that have always had reverberating consequences for their nations populations. In fact they have had drastic after effects for the whole world. The United States is not alone in exasperating global conditions. But, we have had a hand in creating major disruptions and so called regime change in countries all over the world. Ever since the Korean conflict we have blundered our way through foreign policy after foreign policy. Never has any action since been for the benefit of US citizens.
By Dr. Williams4 years ago in The Swamp
Are Oxford High School Officials to Blame for the Recent Shooting?
The Backstory An ominous cloud of sorrow, anger, allegation, grief, regret, fear, and devastation overshadows the Oxford High School community in Oxford, Michigan.
By Dr Deborah M Vereen4 years ago in The Swamp
Ex-Muslim, Ex-Living
It was a gradual change that came from roots planted in childhood doubts, but the first time I admitted to myself my new label might be "atheist", and not "Muslim", it felt as if I had stopped living.
By Frida Shah4 years ago in The Swamp
Why I Cannot Support Black Lives Matter
This title may be a bit deceiving, but I didn't know how else to write it. I want to make a clear distinction between Black Lives Matter, the organization, and the statement or idea that black lives matter. Black lives MUST matter. Black lives should absolutely matter. No person should face discrimination or hate because they are black. If there are indeed problems with law enforcement unfairly targeting black people, especially black men, then that needs to be dealt with. This I fully, 100 percent support.
By Chris Hearn4 years ago in The Swamp
Gun Lust in America
I've had extensive exposure to gun violence. I grew up in California, and I knew the sound of a gunshot before I knew my ABCs. I was raised in San Bernardino. I bet that name sounds familiar to you. Fortunately, I wasn't there during the mass fatalities caused by an errant gun nut who decided to kill an office full of people.
By CH Sandler4 years ago in The Swamp
One of History’s Dumbest Arguments
What do Norway and Venezuela have in common? What about New Zealand and the former USSR? Switzerland and North Korea? Very little in reality, but depending on who you ask, they are all worthy of the scarlet ‘S’ of American politics.
By Joe Draper4 years ago in The Swamp