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This week on Uprising:

* Progressives Join Republicans in Calling for Defeat of Healthcare Bill
* Black Agenda Report on Disaster Capitalism on Display in Copenhagen
* Hundreds of Solidarity Activists Plan New Year’s Eve March in Gaza to Commemorate 1 Year Anniversary of Israeli War
* Glenn Beck Named Misinformer of the Year!

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Progressives Join Republicans in Calling for Defeat of Healthcare Bill

The United States Senate cast a Christmas Eve final vote of 60 to 39 on the massive healthcare overhaul that has …

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Thirty years ago today the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and sparked what was to be a 10 year-bloody occupation, claiming the lives of 10,000 Soviet soldiers, and more than a million Afghans. Often referred to as the USSR’s “Vietnam,” it served as a a sober lesson to many Russians, and, today also being the 3000th day of the US war in Afghanistan, the Soviet occupation offers a warning to the this country. In fact the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan, Andrey Avetisyan articulated a warning in an interview to the German Press this week, saying that Afghanistan was not like World War II. Now, one of President Barack Obama’s most vocal critics on the topic of the Afghanistan War, Congressman Eric Massa is calling for an up or down vote on …

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A recent decision by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board to farm out poorly performing public schools to charter and other independent entities has been met by a lawsuit from the United Teachers of Los Angeles. UTLA contends that the so-called School Choice plan opens the door to the privatization of education. The district and the union did come to an agreement last week to open a number of semi-independent pilot schools, which are an option to charter schools that UTLA prefers. Meanwhile, Ramon Cortines, LAUSD Superintendent, made waves this week in his announcement to drop poorly performing teachers from the classroom. The second-largest school district in the US has been plagued for years by a host of issues involving a massive bureaucracy, poorly performing students, high …

“If we don’t change our direction, we’re likely to end up where we’re headed.” — Chinese Proverb

Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar and producer Gabriel San Roman will be on vacation between 12/15/09 and 01/04/10. Please tune in for special programming during the holidays. On Monday – Wednesday (12/28 – 12/30) South Asian Network Executive Director Hamid Khan will host a three day morning special on the important issues of 2009. And on 12/31 – 01/04, tune in for special editions of the award-winning program Alternative Radio.

Sonali and Gabriel will be back live on Tuesday January 5th, 2010.

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The United States Senate voted 60 to 39 yesterday morning on the last of several procedural votes paving the way for a final Christmas Eve vote on the massive healthcare overhaul that has occupied much of Congress and the White House this past year. In overcoming the last hurdle to a filibuster-proof 60 votes, Democrats made sweet-heart deals with certain Senators. Among them is Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who opposed the bill saying he wanted no federal subsidies connected to insurance-provided abortions. Nelson eventually conceded after being promised full and permanent coverage of his state’s expanded Medicaid pool. The bill mandates health insurance coverage for all Americans, providing subsidies for some, and exemptions for others, creates a private insurance market place for individuals to buy plans, expands the medicaid program, …

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While the issue of women’s reproductive health has become a political football in the healthcare bill being tackled in Congress, multiple attacks on the same issue have been launched by anti-abortion groups nationwide. In Kansas the on-going case against the alleged killer of Dr. George Tiller has rallied right wing groups to assert that it is okay to murder abortion providers. In Oklahoma where that state’s legislature has become known as one of the most anti-abortion in the country, a bill is being discussed that would require doctors to ask their patients requesting abortions a list of personal health and other questions and then have that information posted publicly on the internet. Earlier this year right wing activists launched a nationwide campaign called 40 Days for Life where …

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On Monday, the international humanitarian organization “Doctors Without Borders” released its twelfth annual top ten list of the worst humanitarian crises of 2009. The plight of civilian populations victimized by conflict and the lack of adequate funding to address pressing health concerns such as HIV/AIDS permeate this year’s compilation. In particular, the organization highlighted the pattern of governments blocking crucial aid to populations in need in countries such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Sudan. Also noted was the severe hampering of Doctors Without Borders to carry out medical humanitarian work in conflict-ravaged countries such as Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition, the “top ten” list focused on public health crises and the inadequate responses of the international community. Chief among them was the reduction and limitation …

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Somoza’s Earthquake

Back in the day on December 23rd, 1972, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the Nicaraguan capital of Managua. The Central American city violently shook forcing the displacement of two-thirds of its residents and the deaths of between 3,000 and 7,000 people. Having taken place under the U.S. supported dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, the 1972 Managua earthquake reverberated far beyond its immediate geographical consequences. The Somoza regime immediately appealed for aid from international relief agencies and governments only to embezzle it. The National Guard was also given a free pass to loot the urban ruins in the quake’s aftermath. The leftist Sandinistas, who had been largely consigned to the rural countryside, were able to make gains in the cities after disaffection grew with the regime’s corrupt handling of the …

“Genuine politics — even politics worthy of the name — the only politics I am willing to devote myself to — is simply a matter of serving those around us: serving the community and serving those who will come after us. Its deepest roots are moral because it is a responsibility expressed through action, to and for the whole.” — Valclav Havel