Tammy Swofford

The date is July 13, 2013. A jury panel of six women enters a courtroom. George Zimmerman is declared innocent of all charges levelled against him. He is cleared of second degree murder charges. He is cleared of what could be a lesser charge of manslaughter. A 17-year-old young man lost his life. His name […]

Who would have known it? Pink Floyd provides the theme song for Boko Haram. “We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers leave them kids alone. Hey! Teachers leave them kids alone. All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall. All in all, […]

Once again, Americans have gathered across the nation to celebrate the Fourth of July. It is a day of great rejoicing. We converge in many public parks to share family picnics and impromptu games of touch football. Families fire up the grill for brisket, chicken and ribs. Boats buzz across our lakes with flags waving. […]

The big jungle cats who lapped up the milk for the NSA have let out a startled meow. We scarcely know the scope of their violation of client trust. Congress has let out the usual purr that discussion is welcome. In Latin, this script translates to peto abyssus. The government engages extensive surveillance against peaceful […]

On May 25, 2013, the government very quietly removed an elderly gentleman from the sidewalk in front of the Independence Hall in Philadelphia. He had set up a small display with the original documents known as The Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution. They rested on hand carved wooden easels on either side […]

There is a good reason why I do not have a Twitter account. My privacy is a commodity. You will never catch me tweeting my thoughts. It just isn’t going to happen. Tweets are a waste of time. My journalism is not based on public consensus. But the nonsense sent out by a man with […]

9/11, 7/7, the Fort Hood massacre, the underwear bomber, the Boston Marathon bombing, the public butcher and the beheading of an English soldier on the streets of London. I no longer refer to these events as terror attacks. I note them as Muslim on non-Muslim violence. Fusilier Lee Rigby was killed in a savage attack […]

The film The Bourne Ultimatum contained a chilling scene that provided a prescient warning for professional journalists. We are engulfed in the current news of the Department of Justice’s interference in the professional rights of a free press. In the aforementioned, Simon Ross, a correspondent for a British newspaper attracts the attention of the CIA. […]

Standing on the bank of a river coursing through the steppes of Mongolia I observed a beautiful sight. Galloping wild horses made their way toward the opposite bank. They veered to the right and forded the river a few metres from our medical camp. I have never forgotten the majesty of that moment. Their heads […]

Former NBA player Jason Collins recently announced he is a homosexual in an essay published by Sports Illustrated. Many Americans are suffering from what I call ‘gay fatigue’. But the fatigue is deepened when the POTUS once again offers political obeisance to a powerful PAC. The gay community are primarily DINKS (double income, no kids). […]