Gainesville, Florida (Special to Informed Comment) – In the long history of struggle to establish a national health insurance system for the USA, Medicare was finally established on July 30. 1965. Congress enacted Medicare under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide health insurance to people age 65 and older, regardless of income […]
Archives for July 2023
Thom Hartmann’s “The Hidden History of American Democracy: Rediscovering Humanity’s Ancient Way of Living”
Thom Hartman interviewed on The Mark Thompson Show: “The Hidden History of American Democracy: Rediscovering Humanity’s Ancient Way of Living” Thom Hartmann is the host of the Thom Hartmann Show on Youtube. His new book: Thom Hartmann, The Hidden History of American Democracy: Rediscovering Humanity’s Ancient Way of Living. Click here. “About The Hidden History […]
Conspiracy-Spewing, Anti-Vaxxer Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Gets a MAGA Boost to Weaken Biden
Chicago (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – The right’s thinly veiled crusade to elevate Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.–an exemplar of through-the-Black-Mirror politics — culminated last week with his alternative-reality testimony at a GOP-instigated congressional hearing. He was welcomed by Republicans to the House “weaponization” subcommittee to drive their fabricated message of government […]
Iranian Court Sparks Controversy By Diagnosing Hijab Protesters With Mental Illness
By Roya Maleki Left to right: Iranian actresses Afsaneh Bayegan, Azadeh Samadi, and Leila Bolukat were all arrested for appearing in public without the mandatory hijab, or head scarf. At their sentencing, judges ruled that they were “mentally ill.” ( RFE/RL ) – Judges in Iran have diagnosed three prominent actresses sentenced for […]
Could the Law of the Sea be used to protect Small Island States from Climate Change?
By Ellycia Harrould-Kolieb, The University of Melbourne; and Margaret Young, The University of Melbourne | – Climate change will wreak havoc on small island developing states in the Pacific and elsewhere. Some will be swamped by rising seas. These communities also face more extreme weather, increasingly acidic oceans, coral bleaching and harm to fisheries. Food […]
The Ugly Side of American Exceptionalism: Refusing to Play by the Rules
( Tomdispatch.com ) – In 1963, the summer I turned 11, my mother had a gig evaluating Peace Corps programs in Egypt and Ethiopia. My younger brother and I spent most of that summer in France. We were first in Paris with my mother before she left for North Africa, then with my father and […]
Chaos as Israel departs the Ranks of Democracies, Adopting the Hungarian Model of Elective Dictatorship
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli newspaper Arab 48 reports that on Monday, the Israeli parliament or Knesset passed the article removing the power of administrative review from Israeli courts on grounds of “reasonability.” The measure passed 64-0 in the 120-seat body, with the far right wing coalition of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu unanimously […]
Beating Warheads into Windmills
By H Patricia Hynes and Timmon Wallis | – While we were planning this article, a cascade of crises shattered climate records. July 3-6 set a record for the hottest world average temperatures yet measured. In our state, western Massachusetts was saturated almost daily with heavy humidity and record-setting rain, whose floods devastated $10 million […]
Sudan: 70% of Hospitals not Working as Army and Rapid Support Forces Militia Continue Fierce Battles
( Middle East Monitor ) – The Sudan Doctors’ Union said yesterday that 70 per cent of hospitals are not operational in the areas where fighting is taking place between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. The union pointed out that there are “62 hospitals suspended from service, and 27 hospitals fully or partially […]