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This week on Uprising:

* Independent Voters Decide Fate of Elections
* Empire Notes on the Elections and the War
* Pakistan Gears Up for Parliamentary Elections
* Black Agenda Report on the United Nations
* Israel Worsens Its Siege of Gaza
* Mumia Abu Jamal on the media portrayal of Kenya

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Independents are Greatest Swing Vote in Election

GUEST: Jim Mangia, Chair of IndependentVoice.Org, the nation’s largest organization of independent voters

According to the Associated Press, as of Friday February 15th, Illinois Senator Barack Obama leads his rival, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, in the number of delegates needed to win the Democratic Party nomination. Obama has 1275 votes – this includes the votes of 163 so-called Super-delegates. Meanwhile, Clinton has 1220 votes, including 242 Super-delegates. Much of Obama’s success has been attributed to independent voters – he won almost every “open” primary election on Super Tuesday, where independents were allowed to pick a Democratic nominee. The Washington Post ran an editorial a week ago about independent voters and their role in this year’s presidential race. The “Disaffected Voters Who’ll Decide 2008,” according to the Post, are “a crucially important new bloc of voters who are clamoring for bold, nonpartisan solutions and are disgusted with today’s Washington politics.” In fact, a new Gallup poll found that only 24% of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country, with both President Bush and the Democrat-controlled Congress at record-low levels of popular approval. More than 40% of all voters consider themselves independent, loyal to neither of the two major parties.

For more information, visit www.independentvoice.org.

Empire Notes on the Elections and the War

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 about the presidential elections and the war on Iraq.

Empire Notes is online at www.empirenotes.org.

Israel Worsens Its Siege on Gaza

GUEST: Gabriel Piterberg, Associate Professor of History at UCLA, author of the forthcoming book, “The Returns of Zionism.”

Israeli officials vowed earlier this week to intensify an armed offensive against Gaza with the hopes of bringing down Hamas within months. The Israeli government also hinted at renewing political assassinations as Vice Premier Haim Ramon noted that the army should target Hamas leaders “directly or indirectly” involved in Qassam rocket attacks. Taking the threats seriously, major officials of Hamas have not made public appearances in several days. In addition to elevated military threats, Israel announced and implemented a reduction of electrical power last Friday to the Gaza Strip. Critics of the ongoing siege say that in addition to the decision to close border crossings, the further cuts in energy amount to a collective punishment of the people of Gaza. According to a UN official, the siege has already resulted in less access to food rations and running water in Palestinian homes, and the failure of proper wastewater treatment. Rolling blackouts were already a fact of life before the energy cuts.

Black Agenda Report on the United Nations

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

This week’s commentary is about the United Nations. Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

Pakistan Heads Toward Elections Despite On-Going Violence

GUEST: Shahid Mahmood, former editorial cartoonist for Dawn, a national newspaper in Pakistan, now internationally syndicated with the New York Times Syndicate

On-going suicide attacks have plagued Pakistan, targeting political rallies in the lead up to parliamentary elections on February 19th. Violence has escalated since the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December. Investigators from Scotland Yard just concluded that Bhutto was killed as a result of a head injury from the force of a suicide bomb blast. Bhutto’s supporters and party members are adamant that she was killed by a bullet to the neck and blame incumbent dictator, Pervez Musharraf for her death. Pakistani officials arrested two more suspects in connection with her death. Meanwhile, the Army Chief of Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has announced that the army will have no role in the upcoming electoral process, except to maintain law and order. Kayani took over from Musharraf’s Army post two months ago and has begun to reverse some of his predecessor’s policies, including recalling military officers who were installed in many influential civilian posts. Still, because of the on-going suicide attacks, an atmosphere of fear pervades the election, with candidates nervous about appearing in public to campaign. Additionally, a new poll found that the majority of Pakistanis expect massive election rigging on February 19th.

Mumia Abu Jamal on Kenya

GUEST: Mumia Abu Jamal, political prisoner and award winning journalist

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Kenya in a move intended to display US concern about the on-going violence since the recent controversial presidential election results. Mumia Abu Jamal is an award winning journalist and political prisoner. Today’s commentary is about how the media are portraying Kenya.

Listen to Mumia’s audio commentaries at www.prisonradio.org.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day:

“Democracy forever teases us with the contrast between its ideals and its realities, between its heroic possibilities and its sorry achievements.” — Agnes Repplier