humanity
Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of politicians, legislators, activists, women in politics and the everyday voter.
American Ostrich
Americanus Ignoramus. Successor to the now extinct American Eagle. Symbolic emblem for a nation of 350 million people unwilling to face increasingly unpleasant realities. Icon of a country spoiled by prosperity to a point that they are no longer willing to administer their own affairs with any semblance of maturity.
By Dan Johnson9 years ago in The Swamp
Religious Privilege: Child Marriage
In December of 2010, the US Congress held a vote on S987, which would grant support to young girls in other countries, who were trying to escape forced, child marriages. This bill needed a 2/3 majority approval in congress to pass, which it did obtain in the Senate. In the House of Representatives, however, the bill was defeated due to a last minute push by Republicans. Of these Republicans, 157 opposed the bill, and only twelve supported it.
By Jesse Booker9 years ago in The Swamp
The Human Cost of Healthcare
To say healthcare is hard, regardless of what aspect of it you're discussing, is an understatement of incredible proportion. It doesn't matter if you're talking regulation, measuring treatment outcomes, economics, or any other angle you want to tackle. Healthcare policy is unquestionably near the top of the list when it comes to complicated topics.
By Joshua Guess9 years ago in The Swamp
Arrested for Wanting to Live?
Last Thursday I logged on to Facebook and was shocked to see videos of Capitol Police forcibly removing disabled protestors from the hallway in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office. It was appalling to see how the protestors, who were exercising their constitutional right, were being treated. One of my friends was among those forcibly removed from their wheelchairs and carried out. With her hands zip-tied behind her back, she was later put back in her chair so she could be loaded into a police bus and taken away to be officially arrested and processed. Thankfully she is alright. The recently aired Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, released June 22, will treat approximately 75 million Americans with that same level of care and compassion regardless of age, race, gender, or ability.
By Erin Vallely9 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Black People
Before slavery, the inferiority of Africans did not exist and definitely not in the way it is perpetrated now. People from different parts of the world were not reduced down to the basic epithets of ‘black’ and ‘white’ but were referred to by their nation name. Slavery changed all that, making it necessary to label African people in a particular way to fuel the trade and stem any early counter arguments against it. The problem is, people across the world have taken these lies as gospel and that is the basis for much of modern racism against African peoples.
By Dre Joseph9 years ago in The Swamp
A Handbook to Ending Injustice.
A specter is haunting the world. The specter of capitalism! Today five of the richest people in the world own more than half of the world's wealth. Five people own more than three billion people.This inequality is a part of the capitalist society, some have too little whilst others live in excess. The driving force of this inequality is the notion that freedom is material accumulation and individual competition. But, can this be changed? According to Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels, yes it can.
By Phillip Woodford9 years ago in The Swamp
Fade to Black
When most people see a spider in their house, more often than not, their first reaction is, "Oh shit? Where's my slipper!" or something along those lines. Oddly enough, though, "house" spiders do not aim to harm us (humans), they're simply just trying to get from point A to point B in their ordinary, daily lives as insects. They're just trying to do what spiders do--eat bugs, give birth to smaller baby spiders and, of course, avoid becoming a tiny gush stain on the mean end of a size 10.5 slipper).
By Dre Joseph9 years ago in The Swamp
Moving Tribute From the Whole Country
The hardest thing of all is when you are a victim of any kind of trauma that we hear about every day; most importantly the recent events that we have heard about, seen, helped, and applauded. This is the only way to go about it when something like this has made an impact on so many lives recently; if it wasn't for Ariana Grande fighting back, raising money for the Manchester victims at her concert bringing everyone together, Simon Cowell may not have taken a leaf out of her book as a father. He can understand how horrible it must have been to lose a child in that way; I could be wrong but I'm giving him the credit on the count that he brought singers in and most importantly added a touch of community spirit to the song that has been recently released.
By Lizzy Arrow9 years ago in The Swamp
Freedom? More Like Controlled Movements
The world in which we live spins around space, and orbits the sun; gravity holds us down. Common sense right? I know. But something many don’t seem know or think about, expect the few that long for freedom, is how come we don’t get to feel the unknown? How come we're always protected, obeying the rules, and forced by laws of nature? How come our safety and health is so important to others and not so much ourselves? Almost as if we're apart of something bigger, a bigger plan, for the human race.
By Alexandra Clausen9 years ago in The Swamp
The Wonder Woman of Tel Aviv
There’s a billboard on the Tel Aviv highway that proclaims “We Love You” under a picture of Wonder Woman. More accurately, under a picture of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. In Israel, she’s kind of a big deal. And if you’re wondering why all you have to do is watch her late night interviews. She mentions her home country in all of them. Jimmy Fallon? Check. Kimmel? Check. Even Conan. And Conan didn’t even interview her. During a segment where she takes him through her workout regimen, he mentions that she was trained in the Israeli army (she served for two years). Now imagine you live in a country like Israel, where United States exposure to your culture is limited. And if somehow you do manage to break into the cultural sphere, odds are the focus isn’t really on where you’re from. It might be mentioned in an offhand question - “You’re from so-and-so, what do you think of America?” - but the bulk of the questions will be fun personal anecdotes about your breakfast, your kids, or that time you met that other famous person and you were just so star struck. But there’s Gal. On American TV. Talking about Israel.
By Zane DeYoung9 years ago in The Swamp
