My forefathers fled to these shores with a vision of religious freedom. The right to it was purchased with blood and this fervently embraced freedom is the cornerstone of our Constitution. The words still leap off the page; though now dead, the witnesses still speak. Their thoughts are codified in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. The dry ink of the signatories flows like liquid satin through my veins. I champion this freedom. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” This treasure known as freedom of religion is a summation of its parts. Man is a moral agent with free will. But free will is also extended to those who choose not to celebrate nor particip...
June 22, 2015 at 4:04 pm | News Desk
Have you ever watched a camel take time for an energy boost? If food is scarce a camel will simply dine on bones, fish, leather, or even the owner's tent. It can consume thorns and twigs. The camel's oral cavity lining is tough enough that almost anything can be eaten without injury to the mouth. Camels are not picky. But we should be glad they cannot talk. If they talked like they eat it would be out of both sides of their mouths. The disarticulated jaw with the big teeth are quite a sight to behold. It would be absolutely mesmerizing to watch a camel speak. Camels are ships of the desert. As a species, they are known by fancier names. But when considering how they were created, camels should be known by a more simple designatio...
October 5, 2014 at 12:36 pm | News Desk
Tammy Swofford The truncated analysis offered below is based on documents and images released by the Islamic State. The thoughts are my own. My work is in the category of unfunded independent research. Welcome to the intellectual battle space. The Islamic State will continue to aggressively seek expansion of physical boundaries and acquisition of quality military hardware. The doctrine which is driving the foot soldiers is one of conquest and not of governance. Human beings are the pawns on the geopolitical chessboard, and as such, merely represent a “service industry” to meet the needs of the military men of the Islamic State. Professional standing armies provide needed goods and services of their military branches via th...
September 18, 2014 at 3:26 am | News Desk
Tammy Swofford When a government engages lawlessness, the powerful must be confronted and brought to account. When the Federal branch institutionalizes human trafficking of an uneducated peasant class of children, ugly truth must be addressed. The federal branch is aiding the creation of a future social strata of cheap labor. This is a form of soft slavery. This action is immoral. And yet it is a policy which is being aggressively pursued by the current U.S. administration. The U.S. State Department releases a yearly “Trafficking in Persons Report”. The tenth edition includes a forward written by Hillary Rodham Clinton. “I am pleased to celebrate and reflect upon the last decade of progress identifying and fighting the phen...
August 12, 2014 at 3:20 am | News Desk
Tammy Swofford It took five years before I felt comfortable enough within the world of Islam to formulate a conceptual definition of the word. In 2009, within both private corridor writing and public discourse I began to refer to Islam as a gestalt. Gestalt: A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts. The Islamic gestalt encompasses the cultural expression and pattern of behaviors which are exhibited with degrees of variation within Muslim-majority regions and her micro-communities. But in an era of digital communication this gestalt has become energized. My definition of Islam now r...
July 12, 2014 at 11:41 pm | News Desk
Tammy Swofford Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are the trading bloc which form a constellation known as the Gulf States. The CCASG was established 25 May 1981. The Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have an absolute monarchy. The UAE has a federal monarchy. Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar have a system of constitutional monarchy, albeit Kuwait also supports a parliamentary system of governance. This constellation has a strong showing within a country comparison of GDP per capita on a purchasing power parity basis (using the metric of international dollars) . In 2013, Qatar was the richest nation in the world with a per capita GDP (PPP) of over 105,000 dollars. The UAE and Kuwait are also firmly ensco...
May 10, 2014 at 12:59 am | News Desk
Tammy Swofford In the aftermath of the Devyani Khobragade affair the media tilt against India-U.S. relations has allowed for an estuary-like commentary to prevail. This is most notable within the brackish waters of India's journalism corps. The frank embarrassment of the Indian government, confronted with the reality of a career diplomat arrested in a very public manner and indicted for visa fraud, is duly noted. But the story has lost its freshness. The news print is best recycled to the local fisherman's wharf. Separating the acute and momentary political angst of the day from a greater reality can be hard. Bad news sells because of our primitive need for excitation. Writing the good news is harder work. This is the news writt...
April 3, 2014 at 11:02 pm | News Desk
Tammy Swofford Lethal personalities. Every professional standing army retains leadership with lethal personalities. The doctrine of war, a command and control environment, and need for strategic depth lock these individuals into a trajectory of service. Within state-mandated chain of commands which fall under the authority of a Commander-in-Chief and parliamentary body such men are highly prized. But asymmetrical attack is the new order of business. Eviscerating attacks are targeting civilians. The urban warfare tactics create unmanageable humanitarian crises across the Middle East and African continent. So it becomes necessary for both soldier and scholar to share their weapons. For the soldier, the basic weapon is one of...
March 10, 2014 at 7:49 pm | News Desk
Tammy Swofford The distillation of thought for negotiation on the communal level most likely began with the Al-Fudoul confederacy. But it was a meeting at Wadi Al-Muhassab, and subsequent social boycott of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers which forged the thoughts regarding future domestic and foreign policy endeavors. Undoubtedly, the grandson of 'Abdul-Muttalib and his followers were also emotionally impacted by a trail of ants and the story of their own small intervention to validate the end of a social boycott and the supremacy of the Muslims. This caused the Messenger of a growing cadre of loyalists to say, "I will guide you in the means by which you will gain sovereignty over both the Arabs and the non-Arabs." The...
February 8, 2014 at 11:53 pm | News Desk
Tammy Swofford Every month I submit a payment to my private insurance carrier. It covers monthly healthcare costs. This payment is an economic discipline deployed across a lifetime. My family consumes most meals at home. We choose non-designer clothing and prudently consider our household purchases. Our economic discipline allows us to live in a mid-century home on a tree-lined street with a pond and park at the end of the block. Life is carefully planned around our finances. President Obama assures us that “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” is good for Americans. Many Americans loathe this federal mandate. We remain firmly opposed to what the Democrats have forced upon us. I am one of those Americans....
November 5, 2013 at 11:23 pm | News Desk
Tammy Swofford The many problems afflicting the poor can be heralded as stemming primarily from economic lack. But not all issues are due to economic constraint nor because a lack of formal education. I have found great wisdom, ingenuity and kindness amongst the poor. But the poor are no different than any other demographic when it comes to the need for governmental provision of solutions for heart-rending societal tragedy. It is hard for any of us to examine our history, culture and family to determine the small adjustments which need to be made to bless our future generations. But when little girls die due to cultural acceptance of child brides, it is time for all of us to join hands. This scenario should not be allowed t...
October 7, 2013 at 10:52 pm | News Desk
Tammy Swofford If a nation is likened unto a mother watching over her children, then Brazil is the mother who wears a beautiful necklace. This multi-colored strand contains 200 beautiful gemstones. They are unique and distinct. Each gem represents one of the many indigenous tribes who call this nation their home. Within this demographic are approximately 188 different languages and (an estimated) sixty-seven uncontacted tribal groups that are blissfully unaware of the world as it exists beyond the confines of their habitat. Brazil’s indigenous population presents as an ethnographer’s paradise. Culture and social mores, natural habitat and survival skills, and sociolinguistics and human behavior ...
September 11, 2013 at 7:57 pm | News Desk
By: Tammy Swofford Georgetown University's Al-Waleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding hosted a delegation from Egypt's Freedom and Justice Party on April 4, 2012. I merely made a mental note that a wild donkey does not bray when it has grass. After Egypt hastily scrambled a new constitutional document I wrote about the flaws and my concerns regarding a lack of critical thought within some of the amendments. Things seemed to be off to a rocky start. But I never imagined that President Mohamed Morsi would be a "transition guy" - like the man a woman dates on the heels of a bad relationship - the man who does not represent future permanency, but a mere dalliance. Perhaps my opinion will not be a popular one. But it is o...
August 30, 2013 at 11:40 am | News Desk
ABOUT US Monthly Economic Affairs is a subject special magazine on economy and also provides room for multi-disciplinary subjects of practical affairs that are of prime significance. It is an ABC Certified English language magazine published with monthly frequency from Islamabad, which provides its readers a thorough economic analysis, research reports, corporate updates and tidings of new technologies and products. The Economic Affairs team believes in freedom of expression, transparency and journalism with responsibility. We give great importance to our readers, therefore our professional research keeps on improving the quality of information and its authenticity. It is an honor for Economic Affairs that illustrious economists l...
July 18, 2013 at 4:09 am | News Desk
Sexual deviancy is not a protected civil right. Sexual deviancy exists and is noted by clinical psychiatrists. But deviants should not receive hugs at the White House and a welcomed berth in the military. President Barack Obama is the Commander-in-Chief of the combined military forces of the United States of America. He maintains an unusual focus on detrimental policy changes that weaken the traditions and morale of a professional standing army. Why such intense personal interest? The door was closed the day that my Navy OIC (officer in charge) sat with me and the ten year (mandatory) review of a secret clearance landed on his desk. The officer under review was in my department and under my direct command. He had an incident ...
June 12, 2014 at 2:55 am | News Desk
Tamera Swofford My editor sent along a link and request for a report on the U.S. economy. The link offered a trumpeting headline, "What shutdown? Job growth strong in October”. CNN functioned as one of many heralds for the latest release of the job growth statistics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added 204,000 jobs in October. This is well above expectations of economists. The numbers were there for all to visualize, conveniently displayed with a bar graph. Dashing off a reply, I noted that the job statistics were most likely related to seasonal work in retail and the hospitality industries. So the chase was on.... My life is that of a mathematical dwarf. That being said, I am diligent enough...
December 19, 2013 at 12:11 pm | News Desk
Pakistan Rupee Exchange Rate