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The 15th Amendment

Back in the day on March 30th, 1870 the 15th amendment was added to the constitution of the United States. Coming in the post-Civil War era, the last of the “reconstruction amendments” attempted to federalize enfranchisement for black males. Three versions of the 15th amendment were debated in Congress before final ratification. The agreed upon version was moderate as it simply prohibited states from denying the vote on the basis of race, color or having been enslaved previously. Radical Republicans in Congress had foreseen the coming of Jim Crow in advocating for a version that went further in terms of prohibiting states from imposing property, literacy or birth restrictions on the vote. Of course, since that version was not accepted, the South was able to effectively thwart …

We’ll look at the prospects for immigration reform on the heels of major street marches this month from Washington DC to Los Angeles. And, as the Tea Party movement rebuilds its forces after healthcare reform is passed, we’ll speak with Chip Berlet on how the left is or isn’t responding. Plus, Iraq’s election results are in – we’ll find out what they mean for the country’s future.

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President Barack Obama reached a nuclear arms reduction agreement on Friday with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The United States and Russia, who together hoard the vast majority of the world’s nuclear arms stockpiles, came to terms after lengthy negotiations following the expiration of the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty or START last year. Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association has called the announced commitment “the first truly post-Cold-War nuclear arms reduction treaty.” The new agreement between the two countries, which still needs to be ratified by the U.S. Senate and Russia, calls for the reduction of their respective stockpiles down to 1,550 strategic warheads within the next seven years. That’s almost a 50% reduction. Both the U.S. and Russia, however, are estimated to retain thousands of nuclear weapons even after …

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On Friday the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, ACORN, announced that it was on the verge of bankruptcy. While ACORN has been in the eye of a firestorm fanned by the right-wing, it was never the conspiratorial radical organization as painted by conservative pundits. Very little evidence of illegal activities undertaken by the organization has emerged, despite multiple investigations. Over the forty years that it has been active, ACORN has been a source of empowerment within low-income communities, undertaking voter registration drives, and providing advice on everything from home loans to taxes. However, bad press and harmful allegations have taken their toll on the organization. As a result of constitutionally questionable defunding by Congress and a sharp dropoff in donations, some of ACORN’s offices, including its New York and …

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The President of UC’s Associated Students, Will Smelko, vetoed a bill late Wednesday night that would have called for the University’s divestment from Israel. The week prior to the veto, the student senate had overwhelmingly passed the bill by a 16-4 vote taken in the early morning hours following much debate. Smelko supported his decision on the grounds that the move to divest had not been sufficiently debated. Co-authored by a member of Students for Justice in Palestine at UC Berkeley, the bill called for the ASUC and the UC system to immediately halt investments in two American companies that provide Israel with weapons. General Electric and United Technologies were highlighted in the context of allegations that the Israeli Army has committed human rights abuses in the West Bank and are …

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” — Desmond Tutu

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U.S. Combat Troops Leave South Vietnam

Back in the day on March 29th, 1973, the last remaining U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam. The withdrawal followed a Paris peace accord that was struck two months prior between the United States, North and South Vietnam and the Vietcong. It was also two years to the date after Lieutenant William Calley was found guilty for his role in the My Lai Massacre. The uncovering of such atrocities helped turned public opinion against the ever increasingly unpopular war pressuring President Nixon to act. Though combat troops left, hostilities between the North and the South continued until April 30th, 1975 when Saigon fell and the last remaining U.S. personnel were airlifted out. In the end, the decades long conflict claimed the lives of more …

Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar is out sick on Thursday and Friday 03/25 and 03/26. She will be back live on the air on Monday.

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This week on Uprising:

* Jesse Jackson at the Left Forum

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This past weekend, the largest ever Left Forum took place in downtown New York city, on the campus of Pace University. The annual gathering attracted thousands of progressive activists and thinkers who attended more than a hundred panels on issues like healthcare, the economy, responses to the right, labor, racism, and taking on the Obama presidency. Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar attended the gathering, whose theme of this year was “The Center Cannot Hold: Rekindling the Radical Imagination.” …

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President Barack Obama yesterday signed the landmark healthcare bill, HR 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, into law. He noted however that while this bill was major, it was not radical reform. While some of the most important provisions will not take effect until 2014 or later, there are some immediate benefits to Americans. For example, insurance companies will be prohibited from placing lifetime caps on their policies as well as from cancelling coverage except in cases of fraud or intentional misrepresentation; and children will not be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Children will also be able to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26. Adults with pre-existing conditions will be able to enroll in a new, temporary high-risk insurance plan now, but the ban …