The Swamp
The Swamp examines the crazy but true world of Politics. Discover its history, corruption, politicians, activists, and more.
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Stories in The Swamp that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
Regarding the Image of God
This post will be a bit of a strange one. I wrote most of the following piece about six months ago, as certain governmental policies and actions were starting to roll out - and while reflecting upon certain ongoing atrocities. While these reflections revolve mostly around those claiming and practicing the Christian faith (and our failures to do so rightly) I do believe that they might be provide valuable insight - or at least something to think about - for folks of all perspectives who are willing to read them. So without further ado, here are a few of my recent reflections regarding the biblical concept of the 'image of God.'
By Gabriel Huizenga21 days ago in The Swamp
The Forsyth House Fire
Since 1851, Forsyth House has stood on the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street in the heart of Glasgow. Its iconic, or was... because on Sunday 8th of March, 2026, a fire broke out in a small, seemingly un-named shop in the building and tore all that history down. As I write, the rubble is still unsettled and the street is still blocked off. Central Station is quiet on the upper level, and around 30 small businesses have quite literally gone up in smoke.
By S. A. Crawford25 days ago in The Swamp
A Gathering of Evil Bosses
“I’m the queen of chin jutting while I smooth my hair, attacking, insulting, and deflecting to protect my appointer.” “Oh, please, Blondi, my hair is curled, highlighted, and longer than yours. I feature television commercials telling immigrants that we will give them a free plane ride home, and if they voluntarily turn themselves in, they will be allowed to legally apply for re-entry. It runs everywhere, and I look good in it! You can’t compete because of your blond hair. Mine is nicer, and my lips are prettier than yours.”
By Andrea Corwin 2 months ago in The Swamp
The Saddest Thing - The Billionaires Who Rule America Aren't Even Enjoying Themselves
This single post says more about our ruling class than a thousand policy papers. The saddest thing about today's system is that the men robbing the rest of us - sabotaging our economic prospects, our pensions, our access to affordable healthcare - are not even happy.
By Scott Christenson🌴2 months ago in The Swamp
Why Black History Matters in America?
The United States of America is celebrating their 250th anniversary in 2026. I'm proud to be an American and as someone who was born here, I wouldn't imagine myself living anywhere else. This is a country where opportunities are possible. Where anyone can be successful in anything they desire to do. Equality, community, and togetherness are the backbones of what America is and should be about. However, we have an administration who wants to erase and disregard those who have made positive, meaningful impacts in our country, specifically Black figures, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Maya Angelou. President Trump and his administration have been constantly complaining and fighting against what they call the "Woke agenda". They use this excuse as a distraction from other issues they refuse to address, such as the high cost of living, climate change, and inflation. That equality is dividing America, when in reality, it's bringing us together. Being woke is not tied to a specific political party. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, you can still care about other people and their plights. Compassion and empathy for others isn't tied to a political party, either. We were taught as children to treat others the way we want to be treated and not judge others because they're different from us. Caring about others isn't a personal attack on your beliefs. It doesn't make you any less of a person. People who are easily offended over African American figures, past or present, or anything related to it, are grasping at straws. Current and future generations need to know who people like Harriet Tubman and Shirley Chisholm were, especially in the classroom. Black History is part of American History. It should be recognized, not hidden or forgotten. Besides, you can't shield children from everything, just because your feelings are easily hurt.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 2 months ago in The Swamp
Wack Friday
Black Friday. We all obviously know what it is. As a kid, I'd see horror stories of people getting trampled to death in the doors of shopping centers. I didn't even understand what Black Friday was at the time or why everyone went so crazy about it. I didn't grow up with cable TV, so I really didn't have an insane amount of access to news or anything. The little I did see on the matter was enough to terrify me. My tiny child eyes sincerely thought these people were criminals robbing stores... and it was allowed. If the Purge was real and had already come out in the early 90's of my childhood, I would have thought Black Friday was the day it took place.
By Sara Wilson4 months ago in The Swamp
Dear Author
Today I read a Dear Abby column that really bugged me. It was about a woman whose best friend of thirty years abruptly stopped speaking to her because of differing political beliefs. They supported opposing parties, and her friend ended their relationship over it. The writer was hurt, but she hoped that there would be a way to work things out. When the friend had a grandchild, she wrote her a text congratulating her. Her friend responded with a "Who's this?" Our writer was ravaged and wrote the Dear Abby letter, and Abby's response was rather lacking.
By Stephanie Van Orman5 months ago in The Swamp
Collections
Themed story collections curated by the Vocal moderators.
Dear Donald
Open letters to the President of the United States from the people of the world. Submit your own grievances, praises, and suggestions through Vocal today.
Political Humor
Where political gaffes become comedy fodder.
Dear Theresa
Open letters to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; do it like they do on Downing Street.
Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Does Donald Trump Intend to Use an Atomic Bomb in a War?
The idea of a U.S. president using an atomic bomb in war is alarming and highly consequential. Currently, there’s no credible evidence that former U.S. President Donald J. Trump has publicly expressed an intention to use an atomic bomb in conflict, and such a move would break longstanding U.S. and international policy prohibiting first use of nuclear weapons. Yet recent world events and Trump’s rhetoric have renewed debate about U.S. nuclear policy and the risk of escalation.
By shaoor afridiabout 11 hours ago in The Swamp
Trump’s expletive threat to Iran raises concerns, calls for 25th Amendment removal from office
Let him cuss. We’re in a good war with a bad president. Let this unhinged, uncouth president say whatever the hell he wants. Secretary of Defende Pete Hegseth is just as horrible but he made a great statement about the rules of engagement.
By Skyler Saundersabout 16 hours ago in The Swamp
THE MIRROR OF DESPOTISM: Caligula, Trump, and America
I am sitting in my living room, vibrating at a frequency that shouldn’t be possible without a prescription or a lightning strike. The air smells like burnt ozone and wet dog; I just gave my dog a bath, and he’s taken up the couch next to me. Outside, the American experiment is wheezing on its side in the gutter, and nobody is calling an ambulance because we’re all too busy filming the death rattle for the ‘Gram, and hoping it’s our video that goes viral.
By Meko James a day ago in The Swamp
The "Benefits Cliff"
The System Is Not Cash, It Is Replacement For a family of five in Salem, Oregon, the low-income support system is not built primarily on direct cash transfers. It is built on a small number of high-impact programs that function as after-tax purchasing power, replacing major expenses rather than adding to pre-tax income. This distinction matters because it changes how the system must be evaluated. Income is taxed before it becomes usable, while benefits replace costs that would otherwise require after-tax dollars. That means these programs effectively operate as a parallel income structure, but one that is locked into specific categories such as food, housing, childcare, and healthcare rather than flexible cash.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast2 days ago in The Swamp
The Ecosystem
Why Swamps Are the Planet's Most Important and Most Misunderstood Landscape THE WORLD'S MOST HATED ECOSYSTEM 🐊 For centuries human civilization has treated swamps, marshes, bogs, and wetlands as wastelands, as obstacles to progress that should be drained, filled, developed, and converted into productive land, and this attitude has resulted in the destruction of approximately sixty-four percent of the world's wetlands since 1900 with the rate of loss accelerating in recent decades despite growing scientific understanding that wetlands are not wastelands but rather among the most ecologically valuable and productive ecosystems on Earth, providing services worth an estimated forty-seven trillion dollars annually including water purification, flood protection, carbon sequestration, biodiversity support, and coastal storm buffering that no human technology can replicate at comparable scale or cost, and the continuing destruction of these ecosystems represents one of the most catastrophic environmental miscalculations in human history driven by the fundamental misunderstanding that an ecosystem's value is determined by its utility for agriculture or development rather than by its ecological function 🌍
By The Curious Writer2 days ago in The Swamp
Creators We’re Loving
The creative faces behind your favorite stories.
Scott Christenson🌴
208 published stories
Andrea Corwin
492 published stories
Stephanie Van Orman
116 published stories
Cadma
207 published stories
Autumn Stew
62 published stories
Jeff Olen
42 published stories
Atomic Historian
535 published stories
S. A. Crawford
222 published stories
Lana V Lynx
593 published stories
Iris Harris
130 published stories
Paul Levinson
745 published stories
Hayden Searcy
14 published stories
