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This week on Uprising:

* Boris Yeltsin’s Real Legacy
* Empire Notes on “De-Iraqification”
* Govt Agencies Impact Media Access
* Black Agenda Report on Barack Obama and Dennis Kucinich
* One Man Revolution: Tom Morello’s Newest Project

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Yeltsin’s Real Legacy

GUEST: David Kotz, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, co-author with Fred Weir of “Russia’s Path From Gorbachev to Putin”

Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s funeral was held last week as the Kremlin declared a national day of mourning. Yeltsin died of heart failure at the age of 76 on Monday April 23rd. The former leader is being remembered outside Russia by Western leaders and mainstream press as a defender of democracy for his role in dismantling the Soviet Union. British Prime Minister Tony Blair lauded Boris Yeltsin as a “remarkable man who saw the need for democratic and economic reform.” Many commentators point to the historical moment when Boris Yeltsin stood atop an armored tuck in August 1991 to denounce an attempted coup against then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Yeltsin became president of Russia in 1991 during the last throes of the Soviet Union. His reforms and so-called democratic credentials are the mixed legacy of a controversial figure. In the fall of 2003, Yeltsin ordered troops and tanks to surround and attack Russia’s parliament in an attempt to dislodge rebelling lawmakers. Nearly a year later, President Yeltsin ordered troops into the southern region of Chechnya only to pull out, tens of thousands of deaths later. Russian troops returned and resumed hostilities in the fall of 1999 just prior to President Yeltsin’s surprise New Year’s Eve resignation. His economic legacy is one of free market shock therapy reforms that created a private sector in Russia and also impoverished many of its citizens in the process.

Empire Notes on “De-Iraqification”

GUEST: Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade

Empire Notes are weekly commentaries filed by Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade. Today’s commentary is on “De-Iraqification”

Empire Notes is online at www.empirenotes.org.

Govt Agencies Impact Media Access

GUESTS: Harold Feld, Senior Vice President of Media Access Project, Craig Aaron, Communications Director of Free Press

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), recently announced an auction involving 60 MHz of spectrum at the 700 MHz band that broadcasters are to return as part of the digital TV transition. A public-interest law firm Media Access Project, found that a similar auction last year resulted in large U.S. cable and phone companies and others, successfully blocking potential key new competitors from winning wireless-broadband-spectrum auctions. This year they’re calling on the FCC to adopt anonymous bidding and other regulations to ensure fairness. Meanwhile, in other media access news, a panel created by Congress to set royalties on digital music approved a big increase last month, retroactive to 2006, for companies that stream music over the Internet. This ruling could have a huge impact on internet radio and other community media, including Pacifica stations and affiliate stations that offer audio streaming. Finally, the US Postal Service recently adopted an increase in mailing costs for periodicals that could greatly impact the circulation costs of small publications and independent magazines. The rate hike was based on a recommendation by media giant Time Warner.

For more information, visit www.mediaaccess.org, freepress.net, and stoppostalratehikes.com.

Black Agenda Report on Barack Obama and Dennis Kucinich

GUEST: Glen Ford is a writer and radio commentator and the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report

This week’s commentary is on Barack Obama and Dennis Kucinich. Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

One Man Revolution: Tom Morello’s Newest Project

GUEST: Tom Morello, former member of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, now “The Nightwatchman”

Musician and political activist Tom Morello has just released his first solo album, “One Man Revolution,” as his alter ego, “The Nightwatchman.” Perhaps best known for his innovative guitar solos and heavy rock riffs, Tom Morello turns to his acoustic guitar on “One Man Revolution.” Released this past Tuesday, the album features thirteen politically charged folk songs including “No One Left,” which first appeared on the soundtrack, “Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11.” The songs are a departure from Morello’s previous rock heavy music. This new album features subtle rhythms and melodies coupled with dark politically lyrical themes. The Nightwatchman has long been a staple at political rallies in solidarity with everything from striking grocery workers to immigrant marches. Tom Morello recently reunited with former Rage Against the Machine lead singer Zack de la Rocha in Chicago to perform and celebrate the recent labor victory of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers over McDonalds. Gabriel San Roman and I spoke with him yesterday during a break from rehearsals for the upcoming Rage reunion concert in Coachella.

For more information, visit www.nightwatchmanmusic.com, and www.axisofjustice.org.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“An intellectual is a man who says a simple thing in a difficult way; an artist is a man who says a difficult thing in a simple way.” — Charles Bukowski