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This week on Uprising:

* Mandatory Health Insurance On Top of HMO Wishlists
* Black Agenda Report about Black Studies Programs
* The Eye of the Whale: New Novel on Dangers of Chemical Industry
* Mumia Abu Jamal on Van Jones
* Activists Allege Free Speech Violations Ahead of the G-20 Summit

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Mandatory Health Insurance On Top of HMO Wishlists

The day after President Obama delivered a speech on health care reform to a joint session of Congress, new data was released showing an increase in the numbers of uninsured. According to Census Bureau statistics, the number of Americans without access to health insurance increased to 46.3 million in 2008. Prior to the new figures, Obama addressed revamping the nation’s health care system through a myriad of mechanisms including a public option, a tax on insurers, and mandates for individuals. In light of the increasing numbers of Americans without health insurance, Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for a single-payer system, remains critical of the President’s plans. Drawing attention to the notion of requiring individuals to purchase private health plans, PNHP cites the example of Massachusetts. The latest statistics available on the state, which passed a similar compulsory reform in 2006, show a slight increase in the number of uninsured persons in 2008. As the poverty rate in the United States recently reached an 11 year high exacerbated by the current recession, the current number of Americans without health insurance is probably much higher than the Census Bureau data reflects.

GUEST: Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, Physicians for a National Health Program. For more information, visit www.pnhp.org.

Black Agenda Report about Black Studies Programs

Glen Ford is a writer and radio commentator and the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report. This week’s commentary is on Obama, the Black Caucus and Healthcare.

Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

The Eye of the Whale

The California State Assembly is due for a vote on a ban of a dangerous chemical in baby bottles, sippy cups and other items. After the state Senate narrowly passed SB 797, the Assembly, heavily lobbied by chemical and manufacturing companies, has delayed the vote at least once. The chemical in question is Bisphenol A, or BPA, a known endocrine disruptor linked to an array of disorders including obesity and cancer. It has been banned in several countries and even several states in the US. And it’s one of the many known toxins that plays the role of lead villain in Douglas Carlton Abrams’ new book, Eye of the Whale. Writing what’s called “fact-based fiction,” Abrams tells a thrilling tale of how a marine biology PhD student named Elizabeth McKay attempts to interpret urgent new sounds made by whales, only to find that they may be warning humans about the dangers of toxic chemicals facing us, and particularly our children. It is a story that weaves together both honest and corrupt scientists, conniving corporate executives, traditional whalers, and radical eco-activists.

GUEST: Douglas Carlton Abrams, author of Eye of the Whale.

For more information, visit www.douglascarltonabrams.com.

Mumia Abu Jamal on Van Jones

Mumia Abu Jamal is an award winning journalist and political prisoner. Today’s commentary is about Van Jones.

Listen to Mumia’s audio commentaries at www.prisonradio.org.

Activists Allege Free Speech Violations Ahead of the G-20 Summit

Ahead of the G-20 Summit to be held later this month in Pittsburgh, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the Center for Constitutional Rights has filed suit on behalf of protesters. The two-day gathering scheduled to begin on September 24th is expected to draw world leaders, financial ministers and representatives of the European Union to the city as well as scores of demonstrators. In filing a complaint in federal court, the ACLU and CCR contend that the free speech rights of those seeking to peacefully protest the summit have been violated by Pittsburgh city officials. Activist organizations, including Bail Out the People, CODEPINK, and the G-6 Billion, also name the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in the suit claiming that the city has failed to promptly issue protest permits. They allege that first amendment rights have been violated as demonstrators were, among other things, unable to obtain the use of Point State Park during the week of the summit and hold a march near the Thomas Merton Center where it is taking place.

GUEST: Bill Quigley, Legal Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights . For more information, visit www.ccrjustice.org.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“Censorship reflects society’s lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.” — Potter Stewart