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This week on Uprising:

* Beyond the Hype: Dissecting Barack Obama’s Historic Speech
* Black Agenda Report on the Obama-Biden Ticket
* Understanding Thailand’s Crisis of Democracy
* Katrina Pain Index: New Orleans Three Years Later
* Largest ICE Raid Ever in Mississippi: Nearly 600 Arrested

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Beyond the Hype: Dissecting Barack Obama’s Historic Speech

On Thursday August 28th, in front of a crowd of nearly 85,000 people in Denver, Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama gave an historic acceptance speech. He spoke on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s …

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Yesterday, in front of a crowd of nearly 85,000 people in Denver, Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama gave an historic acceptance speech. He spoke on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s I have a Dream speech, invoking more economic populist rhetoric than ever before. Responding to the Republican critique that he had not provided specifics about his plans as president, Obama spelled out his position on the economy, the environment, education, health care, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more. He clearly delineated himself from his rival John McCain, and current president Bush.

Today we take a look at Obama’s stated policies with Ethel Long-Scott,

GUEST: Ethel Long-Scott, Executive Director of the Women’s Economic Agenda Project, (WEAP), and editorial board member of the Black …

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Thousands of activists in Thailand have occupied a government office compound demanding that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s government resign. Nearly 2000 police surrounded the mass sit-in by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) yesterday and clashed with them, leaving several people injured. A court has issued warrants for 9 of the protest leaders. This confrontation is the culmination of months of protests to unseat the current government. But going further back, the PAD was instrumental in fomenting a December 2006 military coup that toppled the previous government of Thaksin Shinawatra. Since then, under military rule, the country has drafted a new constitution and had a general election which brought into power Sundaravej’s party run by Mr. Shinawatra’s allies. The demonstrations have brought central Bangkok to a halt …

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Note: During the interview our guest informed us of the breaking news that workers returned to work following the brokering of a deal by Mayor Villaraigosa

Workers at Los Angeles International Airport are expanding their strike today to all airport terminals. Employees who provide services for Southwest, United and American airlines walked off their jobs yesterday afternoon in dispute with their contractors. The strike, which was authorized by the Airport Workers United union last week, commenced after service companies failed to offer a satisfactory proposal in talks this week. The union, which represents 2,500 LAX employees including airplane cabin cleaners, security, baggage handlers, and wheelchair attendants, have demanded for months in negotiations for an increase in pay, better job training, and improved health care benefits. Currently, workers on strike …

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

Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

Listen to today’s Subversive Historian

The Chicano Moratorium by Subversive Historian Gabriel San Roman

Thirty-eight years ago on this day in people’s history, the largest anti-war demonstration staged by Chicanos in the United States occurred in East Los Angeles. On August 29th 1970, more than twenty thousand protesters marched against the Vietnam War’s destructive effects on the Chicano community. As demonstrators converged on Laguna Park, hundreds of helmeted police advanced and attacked the peaceful crowd without warning. Numerous people were injured, over two hundred were arrested and three were killed, including journalist Ruben Salazar. After covering the moratorium, Salazar retired to the Silver Dollar Café on Whittier Boulevard for drinks. Armed deputies in riot gear arrived outside the Café and without warning, fired tear gas canisters into the establishment. One of them struck Ruben Salazar in the head and …

“Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions.” — Molly Ivins

- Ethel Long-Scott, Executive Director of the Women’s Economic Agenda Project, will join us to dissect Barack Obama’s historic speech on the closing day of the DNC.
- Understanding the crisis of democracy in Thailand as thousands of protesters continue to occupy a government office compound.
- LAX workers go on strike
- The Black Agenda Report about the Obama-Biden ticket

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Frenzied media coverage of the major party conventions has all but submerged the upcoming third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The tragedy that resulted in at least 1,600 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, is being marked by community organizations across the country, from New York, to Los Angeles, and of course New Orleans. Nearly three years later, injustices abound. Tens of thousands of homes are unoccupied and rents have risen by nearly 50%. According to a study by PolicyLink, 81 percent of those who received the Federally-funded, State-administered Road Home grants had insufficient resources to cover their damages. Racial disparities are also prevalent: African-American households on average had an almost 35% higher shortfall in funds for rebuilding than white households. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll …

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Bill Quigley is a human rights lawyer, a law professor at Loyola University New Orleans and author of the forthcoming book, Storms Still Raging: Katrina, New Orleans and Social Justice.

Earlier this week he published a series of staggering statistics called Katrina Pain Index – New Orleans Three Years Later. The audio version of these statistics is read by Teddy Robinson and Donna Walker of KPFK. Music by Terence Blanchard from the soundtrack to When the Levees Broke.

The Katrina Pain Index: New Orleans Three Years Later, by Bill Quigley, can be read here: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/
2008/08/24/11127/