opinion
Opinion pieces from the left, right, and everyone in between.
The Anthem-Star Spangled Banner
It's the battle cry of the republic. It's the symbol of patriotism. It's the hope and prays of the union to continue as one under God. Yet at one time it symbolism did not always mean free. The song creator did not always believe in his words that expressed the American ambition to always stay free. History has revealed the many flaws of our past and now we have to reconcile the wrong. Women and minorities did not have the say or right to think freely and this song of patriotism was born under that era. For many decades, this song was held dearly by former slaves and people without a right. It is up to us the next generation to understand our history and use what we know for good. We must adopt the words and apply them to our own lives and live our the true meaning of its creed. And now it is debatable to honor the words of a slaveholder. America can honor his gifted poetry which got many Americans thinking about freeing their slaves and denounce his livelihood which agrees with slavery. We must face the contradictions and break their trance on American society realizing that they have stained our past. We must break down the song that confronted America's transgressions. America must try to redeem its past and focus on a more equal future among the races. Children have learned these verses without understanding them. Children in belief in the betterment of their country proclaimed those verses as if they were written by God and in stone never to be changed. Our children must be told the truth and they must accept what their ancestors went through and know their place in the history of America. Education must teach the harsh truths of history so America can be better and learn from the mistakes of the past. Thus, America will not repeat the past's sins and emerge as a nation of unity and not division. Immigrants have come to our country believing that they too can become a part of the American Dream. Their truest desire to become a part of a nation where they could fight for it and dream along with it. We must end the attack on immigrants for this nation was made from them. We must welcome all who find our creed noble and our power divine. America is privileged to lead the world and we did not exactly earn it. Every life is precious to building up our nation and the protection of our borders. We must end the ridicule of immigrants because they are a part of America, we hope for. Soldiers have died with these words of the songs fighting endlessly in war and never seeing lasting peace. This song made it the American Way to fight for peace, "the bombs bursting in the air." We must end the idea that peace can only be accomplished through war. War is devastating and traumatizing. We must end the glorification of war. Generations have been lost at war, nations have been divided because of war. Peaceful diplomacy will save our union, not destructive ambitions. Silent soldiers with tears down their eyes hoping for a day without a battle and they secretly resist. We must find a way to bridge all these gaps in knowledge. We must put the song in perspective orchestrating the peace that can last a lifetime. May we never forget what our freedoms and rights are and never think too highly of ourselves preserving the union for ages to come. We forgot we maybe forged out of war and wars do that but we do not have to remain at war with others and ourselves.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in The Swamp
Putin's Strategic Style Explains Afghanistan Bounties
The current uproar in the U.S. news cycle concerns Russian bounties offered to criminals and Taliban militants in Afghanistan, in order to incentivize them to kill U.S., British and other NATO personnel. This short piece seeks to clarify why Russia pursued this course of action and counters far-fetched proposed explanations.
By Shahaf Rabi6 years ago in The Swamp
Why I Believe What I Believe
My content is usually pretty well-organized and thought-out. But today, things are coming at me a little differently. It’s Independence Day, the 4th of July. Previously known as one of my favorite holidays. But this year? It feels wrong. It feels wrong to celebrate a country that still holds so much racism, sexism, and the like. As I push into my late twenties, I’ve felt more comfortable and confident to stand by my morals and beliefs, whether people despise me because of them or not. I am anti-racist. I am anti-sexist. I am against any belief or moral that diminishes the value of another human life or strips them of their rights. In America, these beliefs and morals are still very much alive and practiced by millions of people.
By Shaley Speaks6 years ago in The Swamp
Fixing a Broken Society
In a time when human beings are seemingly more divided than ever, there is one thing I am willing to say that we can all agree on. The reality of human existence, the systems of the global human civilization is broken. Though this is not a startling revelation to any reader, it is interesting to note, that you could ask any human if they thought the current structures and state of humanity are functioning the best that they can, and I would be confident that the answer would be a resounding no.
By Jeff McCarty6 years ago in The Swamp
Taking a bullet for a President
There are jobs in the world that I am thankful that I do not have. Lion tamer. Plummer. Dentist. A postal worker. These are all professions that I am glad are carried out by other people. My gratitude is based in part on my understanding of my relative strengths and weaknesses. This understanding has allowed me to understand why the job of taming lions and repairing other people's pluming belongs in the hands of other people. If forced though to identify one professional position that I would be profoundly ill suited too, particularly at this juncture in our nation's development, it would be that of a secret service agent, tasked with overseeing the protection of our current protection.
By frederick Hurst6 years ago in The Swamp
Why is everything a -gate?
Watergate was a political scandal in the United States that occurred in 1972 that resulted in the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon. It was called "Watergate" because the Watergate hotel was where employees of the Nixon campaign broke in, to attempt to steal information about the Democratic Party's plans during the election. Those employees failed, were arrested, and were eventually traced back to the Nixon campaign. It was referred to as the Watergate Scandal because it had originated at the Watergate hotel, and resulted in the resignation of a president.
By Rory Hoffman6 years ago in The Swamp
Festivities of The 4th of July
As the 4th of July is upon us, I cannot help but wonder how many of us will be celebrating the day 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. The birth of America became a federal holiday in 1941 but has long been celebrated since the 18th century. The question of independence in 2020 has surfaced on the entire world. It has made us aware that we may not be as free as what we have thought from generations before us. History is being abruptly brought down and hidden away to leaving the question, is our history being taught with truth to impressionable minds that ultimately hold the future in their hands. In today’s world, independent is defined as “not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct, etc.; thinking or acting for oneself: an independent thinker” according to Dictionary.com. As wearing masks is still being touted to be worn and celebrations are not allowed in many places, how are many proud Americans celebrating their patriotism to the land they call home?
By Heather Cash6 years ago in The Swamp
Questions on war
I’ve been thinking about wars from various perspectives in last few days and wondered that history has been repeated a million times, so many wars have been fought, whether a kingdom invaded other kingdom only to be invaded by some other kingdom and this loop continues without an end but what ends are uncountable human lives and what remains is pain, sorrow and hatred which many a times triggers another war.
By Aayush Mishra6 years ago in The Swamp
Intolerance is killing democracy
Intolerance is killing democracy Is this deliberate? World wide wars have been fought, millions of people have died, all in an effort to save us all from the extreme intolerance of fascism. Governments through some form of democracy has been maintained, at least in part, to ensure intolerance does not take control. Yet, if the media is to be believed, intolerance is silencing opinions, declaring that some views are not “acceptable”. Acceptable to who? To a democratically elected majority? Sadly no. Ideas are declared unacceptable by a self appointed un-elected group who consider themselves so superior to everyone else. Is this an accurate statement? or is the truth far more sinister. Is the present politically correct intolerance actually an extremist plot to destroy democracy? Is it extreme socialism or extreme fascism, that is trying to suppress ideas they do not agree with? Could be either, as in actual real effect, as experienced by the governed, they are the same.
By Peter Rose6 years ago in The Swamp
Where women lead, the virus loses
Today I became aware of a country I'd never heard of before: Sint Maarten, somewhere in the islands of the Caribbean. It's only 34 sq kms in size and has a mere 42,844 people, but it's a full fledged parliamentary representative democracy. Its prime minister is a 51-year-old teacher called Silveria Jacobs.
By C Y Gopinath6 years ago in The Swamp
