politics
Politics does not dictate our collective cultural mindset as much as it simply reflects it; We've got to look in the mirror sometimes, and we've got one.
Dear Donald... Think About The Kids
Dear Mr. President: As a high school English and French teacher, I get listened to more often than I realized. Kids are quick to point out when think they hear something incorrect or improper pass from your lips, and I learned early in my career to use that to my advantage, usually for a teachable moment of some shape or creation. It's led me to really think about the words I use both in and out of my classroom and especially around the kids in my life.
By Christina St-Jean9 years ago in The Swamp
Conversation with Robert Kennedy Jr.. Top Story - May 2017.
It is no secret that we are currently in an unprecedented environmental tailspin. Carbon levels are rising dangerously, the polar ice caps are melting, and species are rapidly disappearing etc. While the rest of the world has taken steps to mitigate the damage humans cause the planet, The United States has taken a cynical and irresponsible path towards climate change.
By Michael Lee Nirenberg9 years ago in The Swamp
Playing Russian Roulette With the Trump Administration
This is my very first attempt into writing articles, so I would urge everyone to sit back and relax, grab a cup of tea and a biscuit, you may just learn something. As a global citizen, I have found myself among billions of other human beings captivated by the ever evolving political drama gripping Washington. The Trump administration is lurching from one crises to the other on a weekly basis since they took over the reins at the White House in February.
By Michael Taguma9 years ago in The Swamp
That's Stupid
For several years now I have administered discipline in high schools and middle schools, which has given me a unique insight into human behavior and American culture. Our children are tiny, carnival mirrors reflecting the best, and the worst of us in obscene and sometimes inaccurate proportions, but reflecting truth none the less. One way observing young people is useful is to see them as negative role models. Essentially, if you want to act like an adult, stop acting like your children.
By David Bulley9 years ago in The Swamp
Manchester's Defiance in the Face of Violence
This morning I woke up to the news that there had been a terrorist attack in my home city. It seemed unreal, like it was almost a dream. The last time that I woke up from what I thought was a lucid dream, the 8 o'clock news announced that Donald Trump had been elected US president. It's a weird world that we live in. But last night's events occurred less than a mile from where I live, and the reality of that hits one square in the face. I didn't hear the explosion, even though the Manchester Arena is so close to my apartment. I had the TV off, and was insulated from the Internet. I was blissfully unaware until I woke up today.
By Katy Preen9 years ago in The Swamp
Clear and Present Dangers Staring Us in the Face
There are really only two political leaders I trust and their perspectives are very different but they’re both decent, well informed, honest people: Dennis Kucinich and Jim Webb. Coming from the real progressive left, former Congressman Kucinich’s criticism of the current efforts to stage a soft coup against President Trump, with whose policies he does not agree (a perspective I share), has real weight behind it (see here).
By Guillermo Calvo9 years ago in The Swamp
Societal Maladies
Societal Maladies, How to Recognize and Treat Them, a Hypothesis It seems clear that society suffers from serious maladies that negatively impact honesty, decency and equitable and fair conflict resolution, especially in the United States. Observations during the past decade strongly imply that the cause of such evolving and expanding maladies can, in large part, be attributed to the creation, distribution and assimilation of a related series of very negative memes and memeplexes (see, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memeplex) propagated by and through our entertainment and news media (now in too many cases seemingly not a branch of journalism but rather of propaganda and entertainment) via the quotidian programming we are exposed to on television, the cinema, literature and the media (now including social media). Not exactly an epiphany of course, our grandparents warned their children about the subliminal evils of music and entertainment of which they did not approve (remember Elvis’ hips) but perhaps it’s past time to consider the issue from a new direction.
By Guillermo Calvo9 years ago in The Swamp
Stuck Between a Rock & a Hard Place
It's General Election time in the UK and for approximately 21 years I voted SNP. Wasn't complacent in my choice of party and wanted Scotland to have a referendum on independence, playing the long game. Even after losing the referendum, I continued to vote for the SNP in the 2015 General Election. The Smith commission proposals were important for further devolution to the Scottish parliament. Looking back on the series of events it was actually John Swinney MSP and Deputy First Minster who was the main figure in the negotiation of Smith, what did the SNP MP's actually achieve for Scotland at Westminster ?
By Harmony Flower9 years ago in The Swamp
The Failings of Trump And Our Government
For the first time in recent memory, the United States has a sitting President who by all accounts has demoralized the office of the Presidency. Since his term began there have been crisis after crisis of internal conflicts that have all originated by Trump's own actions. Not one of his campaign pledges has come to fruition. In fact, most of these self inflicted crisis have nothing to do with the real concerns facing millions of Americans each and every day. If we consider the House repeal of the Affordable Health Care Act as a sign of things to come under this Administration, the majority of Americans will be faced with insurmountable hardships in the years ahead. It is too bad that our Founding Fathers omitted one important detail in the Constitution. The Constitution outlines that federally elected officials are exempt from voter recalls. Today, many states can recall their state and local elected officials when these elected office holders fail to uphold the duties of their office. We have seen in a recent case when the Governor of California was recalled and in a special election was voted out of office. Just think that if our Founding Fathers had not omitted that one important detail about voter recalls the public today would be demanding a voter recall to dismiss Trump as President and vote for an entirely new candidate. And, today, the most favorable candidate to take his place would not be the Vice President but Senator Sanders.
By Dr. Williams9 years ago in The Swamp
