history
Past politicians, legislation and political movements have changed the course of history in ways both big and small. Welcome to our blast to the past.
Dead Men Do Tell Tales
In 1995, John F. Kennedy Jr. started a magazine to launch a new era in American politics. Today, there is a conspiracy theory that he succeeded, two decades after his death on 16 July 1999. The theory hypothesizes that Kennedy's aim in naming his magazine George was twofold. In part, the masthead referred to America's first president, George Washington. But—the story goes—Kennedy also used the title to accuse the person who allegedly helped to engineer the assassinations of his father, John F. Kennedy, and possibly his uncle, Robert F. Kennedy. That person was the later head of the CIA, George H. W. Bush.
By LC Douglass6 years ago in The Swamp
Women of Kokoda
I grew up in Australia, and was 7 years old when Paul Keating drew our attention to the importance of our army's efforts at Kokoda. As I grew older, I became more aware of my own family's connections to the Pacific, and heard every now and again a mention of my great-aunt Consie going to Papua New Guinea during World War Two as a nurse.
By Kirstie Close6 years ago in The Swamp
Make America Think Again: King, Dictator, or Tyrant
I tend to look at current events through the prism of the past. It gives us the most perspective on what to expect next. Since Trump has been referred to as a King, Dictator, and Tyrant, I thought it appropriate to evaluate the actions of our “elected leaders” through the prism of history to determine who is acting in such a manner.
By Bill Croft6 years ago in The Swamp
Growing Up in a Post-Integration World
I grew up on a combination of Military Bases all over the United States, and in junior high my family settled in South Central Louisiana. Just before moving to the South we lived on a military base near Rapid City South Dakota. This was an enlightening experience for me as it was my first glimpse of prejudice.
By Craig Braquet6 years ago in The Swamp
The View from the Dumpster (Pt. 2)
The View from the Dumpster, About Clotilda, and My Original Intent When I started the view from the dumpster blog it was to talk about waste, recycling, and other environmental issues. Lately, some of my posts have dealt with religion, politics, and race relations. I’m sure that many of you were thinking that I’ve bumped my fool head. While it is true that I have bumped my head on more than one occasion, I assure you that there is method to this madness. Really it involves a lot of madness of both types; my anger with the state of the world and the pure madness of the world and those attempting to run it. What is missing is the understanding that all of these subjects are related, when you look at the world and its environment you have to acknowledge the ruling apes and all of their habits and peculiarities, especially when it comes to the relationship with each other and to the rest of the world. Everything that happens on this planet, whether it’s a butterfly farting in the Amazon or the bullshit being tossed around in DC, affects everything else.
By Heinz Weverink6 years ago in The Swamp
The True Origin of The Religious Right
Up until the 1960s when you thought of Christian activists and protesters, certain images came to mind. Volunteers in soup kitchens trying to help the homeless, marchers asking for civil rights and women's suffrage, and if you went back even further, those who demanded humane treatment for society's outcasts, according to NPR. Before that, Christian activists were the men and women who deeply desired an end to slavery. After the 1970s, though, that tune changed. In the post-Vietnam era, Christian activists started staging more aggressive protests. They traded in turning the other cheek for fire and brimstone, and with every generation the rhetoric grew more intractable, fearful, and hate-filled. This was the rise of the Christian Right, which has driven policies like opposition to civil rights for LGBTQ+ people, the restriction of abortion, and other attempts to combine their faith with the law of the land.
By Neal Litherland6 years ago in The Swamp
September 11th
I will never forget where I was when 9/11 happened. I was just waking up. I was in my room. I turned on the TV. I was watching NBC news. Katie Couric was reporting on what was happening in New York. I saw the first tower burning. I was confused. I thought it must be some scene of the latest action flick. Then I saw the second plane hit the second tower. That was when I knew it was real. It felt like we were being attacked. It felt like war.
By Maria Ayala6 years ago in The Swamp
Remembering 9/11
This morning as I drove into work I couldn’t help but think of all of those who made it into work 18 years ago thinking it was just another day at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, or were boarding United Airlines Flight 93. I wondered about how their week was going. September 11th, 2001 was a Tuesday; were they starting the week on the right foot or did it already feel like this week was ten weeks long?
By Emily Christyson6 years ago in The Swamp
Colonel Allensworth's Dream of a Black Utopia
My father’s parents settled in Allensworth, California as near as I can confirm around the 1940s. Granny Annie as we called her had a little white house with an outhouse in the back. The summer of 1960 we began our Tradition of visiting her every other Sunday. I dreaded these visits, because Granny did not have a TV, and there was nothing to do out there except count the tumbleweeds. I resigned myself to this Journey as long as we got home in time to see The Wonderful World of Disney, which came on TV at 7 PM.
By PAT CHANEY6 years ago in The Swamp
World Politics Since 1945 - A Dive Into It!
Politics have existed since creation. A school of thought thinks that God Almighty himself is a politician, because he had long-term animosity with the devil himself, Satan, who was clearly not a demon until the 'war.' They said the two sides could have saved the situation by arranging the disputes between them. After this "Heavenly War," politics have been a part of humanity.
By Osei Agyemang6 years ago in The Swamp
My Jaw Dropping Day Reliving Spanish History and the Transition to Democracy
A few days ago I got a text from a close family friend asking if I wanted to go on a tour of the Congreso de los Diputados. Of course I accepted, not thinking much of it. It wasn’t until I arrived that I realized what I had signed up for. We had been invited on a private tour of the Spanish government and parliament house! These buildings are only opened to the public once a year, and here we were getting our own tour!
By Nathalia Ramos6 years ago in The Swamp
Visiting the Holocaust Museum
“Think about what you saw.” Those are the words posted outside of the entrance to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. I can think of none more fitting. It’s one thing to know what happened, quite another to see it, yet still something else entirely to carry it with you in your heart and mind.
By Acamea Deadwiler6 years ago in The Swamp
