“We love you!”
“Stay Out!”
Yesterday, Americans sent two very important and very different communications to our friend Dr. Wee Teck Young, a Singaporean physician and activist who lives and works in Kabul, Afghanistan. The “We love you!” was a press release announcing that the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) had awarded him their “International Pfeffer Peace Prize” in recognition of his contributions to peace working with dedicated young Afghans in Kabul. The “Stay out!” was from the American government, refusing him a visa to enter the United States with these young people, in the furtherance of this work. It seems all too likely that the actions and choices which have earned him his well-deserved award are the same factors that persuaded U.S. consular officials to deny him entry to the United States. The question is whether we can be a voice to affirm that his work, and the work of the young Afghans working with him, has value in the United States, where awareness of the costs of war, and of the lives of ordinary Afghans, is desperately needed.

June 28th marked an important day in history for women’s health. The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act enables millions of women, who previously were ineligible or did not have the economical means, to have access to quality and affordable healthcare. This includes full coverage of birth control and other preventative services, such as cancer screenings. The ACA also ensures that healthcare premiums for women, which have been significantly higher than men in the past, will be much lower and affordable. Given the recent outpour of conservative political dogma against women’s healthcare and rights in general, the passing of this act is a huge step forward for women and other groups that have neglected by the government in the past. Access to affordable healthcare is a vital basic human right and I am proud that the U.S. is taking steps to offer medical justice for all citizens.

A U.N. Committee has formally requested the United States government to provide information on the use of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) as a recruiting device in the nation's high schools.

In a report issued July 3rd, The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child has asked for additional information related to the Second Periodic Report of the United States to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, (OPAC). The Committee calls into question a range of laws and programs that allow the U.S. military to actively recruit children under 18. At issue is a range of recruitment policies and practices in the high schools that undermine the safeguards contained in Article 3.3 of OPAC regarding the voluntary nature of underage recruitment, the right to privacy of children and the requirement of prior consent of parents (or legal guardians).

The Committee specifically mentions the recruiting provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, the ASVAB, and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs operating in the nation's schools.

To run a competitive campaign for a seat on Columbus city council, which consists of 7 members elected citywide (i.e., “at large”), a minimum of $250,000 is necessary. To raise that kind of money, political contributions are needed from big-money donors, who almost always want something in return. Partly because of these relationships between candidates for municipal office and wealthy contributors, almost all academic research on the at-large model of governance finds that it unduly strengthens the influence of well-funded and well-organized constituencies at the expense of regular citizens. It is historically and widely considered a mechanism of control by the power elite of a community.

In a close, 5-4 decision, the Supreme court voted to uphold the entire Affordable Care Act - including the controversial individual mandate, which was preserved as a tax.

Firedoglake writers and activists have worked tirelessly on health care rights and were instrumental in the fight for the public option and women's' right to choose. We've taken that wealth of knowledge and put together a resource page at Firedoglake with fact sheets, in-depth analysis and more.

Head over to our Affordable Care Act Resource Page for more information on today's Supreme Court ruling

So what happened with this ruling?

Chief Justice Roberts found that even though it is not a constitutional use of Congressional power under the Commerce Clause or the Necessary and Proper clause, the individual mandate is a tax and therefore constitutional because of Congress's taxing powers.