Is Netanyahu's Refusal to Step Down to Face Charges a Foreshadowing for the US?

by Nomad

What with the impeachment hearings and the non-stop insanity emanating out of Washington, you will be forgiven if you haven't been keeping up with the constitutional crisis unfolding in Israel.  Most of us would agree that we have enough on our plates, especially during Thanksgiving. 

The events in Israel might seem far away and trivial. However, they could well be a portent of what's to come in the US if Trump loses the 2020 election.  

Journalist Chemi Shalev, writing for Haaretz, observes that Israel is currently in a state of chaos with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding his own country hostage in his " unrelenting effort to avoid criminal prosecution"  after being charged with fraud and breach of trust. 

CNN Report: Non-Profit Group Brings Free Healthcare to Those Who Cannot Afford It

by Nomad

I am not sure whether this CNN story about the current state of healthcare in the US is depressing or inspiring. What do you think?

Second Week of Impeachment Hearings in Full Bloom

by Nomad

Last week, Democrats launched the public phase of the inquiry with testimony from three career public servants: William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine; George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs; and Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Monday is undoubtedly going to be a day of preparation and behind the scenes action.

Why US Suicide Rates are on the Rise While Western European Rates are Declining

by Nomad

Hard Cold Facts about a Difficult Subject 

Despite this public reticence, you might be surprised to learn that suicide now ranks in the top ten leading causes of death in the US. 

Each year 44,965 Americans die by suicide. Roughly 16 out of every 100,000 Americans will take their own life.

To put that in perspective, there were a total of 17,250 reported murder and non-negligent manslaughter cases in the U.S. in 2016. In fact, suicide is 250 percent more common than murder.

"A Cheap Soulless Bully"

by Nomad

During the Kavanaugh hearing when Christine Blasey Ford reluctantly testified about her alleged sexual assault, Trump did not hesitate to mock Ford.
Charles Pierce shared his feeling in a poignant article in Esquire magazine. Here's an excerpt:

"In my life, I have watched John Kennedy talk on television about missiles in Cuba. I saw Lyndon Johnson look Richard Russell squarely in the eye and say, "And we shall overcome." I saw Richard Nixon resign and Gerald Ford tell the Congress that our long national nightmare was over.
I saw Jimmy Carter talk about malaise and Ronald Reagan talk about a shining city on a hill. I saw George H.W. Bush deliver the eulogy for the Soviet bloc, and Bill Clinton comfort the survivors of Timothy McVeigh's madness in Oklahoma City.
I saw George W. Bush struggle to make sense of it all on September 11, 2001, and I saw Barack Obama sing "Amazing Grace" in the wounded sanctuary of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.