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This week on Uprising:

* Wisconsin Voters Pick Dem Rival to Walker; Indianans Dump Lugar; and North Carolina Reaffirms Gay Marriage Ban
* Homeowners, Activists Protest Outside Clooney’s Obama Fundraiser
* Palestinian Hunger Strikers Demand End to Harsh Conditions
* Two Orange County Police Officers Face Charges in Beating Death of a Homeless Man

* * *

Wisconsin Voters Pick Dem Rival to Walker; Indianans Dump Lugar; and North Carolina Reaffirms Gay Marriage Ban

Voters in Wisconsin this past Tuesday chose Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to run against incumbent Governor Scott Walker in the June 5th gubernatorial recall election. Barrett easily beat his opponents, winning 56 out of 72 Wisconsin counties. The embattled Governor Walker, who in facing a recall, has to fight to keep his job, easily beat his GOP opponent in the primary, but fell short of garnering as many votes overall compared to the combined Democratic vote. On June 5th, it is assumed that most if not all those who voted in the Democratic Primary, will vote for Barrett to replace Walker.

In Indiana, veteran GOP Senator Dick Lugar lost his reelection bid by a landslide. He was beaten by Richard Mourdock, whom the Christian Science Monitor referred to as a “Harley-riding, tea party hardliner.” Lugar’s loss is being explained in part by a complacency he developed toward his home base, after six terms as a veteran Senator. However, it is also an indicator of the re-emergence of the Tea Party – even though Lugar outspent Mourdock by a 3-1 margin, Mourdock was backed by the NRA, and such right-wing organizations as Freedom Works, and the Club for Growth. Senator Lugar was known for reaching across the partisan aisle to compromise with Democrats particularly on foreign policy, as well as the DREAM Act.

Meanwhile, voters in North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage, in a pre-emptive bid to ward off legal challenges to their existing marriage ban. Tami Fitzgerald, chairwoman of the group backing the measure, justified the vote saying, “the point… is …that you don’t rewrite the nature of God’s design for marriage based on the demands of a group of adults.” The vote came the same week that President Obama unveiled his public support for same-sex marriage. This summer’s Democratic National Convention will be held in North Carolina.

And, in West Virginia, GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney easily won his primary election, with nearly 70% in a field of five candidates. Interestingly, President Obama faced a Democratic challenge in West Virginia by an inmate serving 17.5 years for extortion – the President won 59% – 41%. Romney, who is considered the de facto Republican nominee, also won primaries in both Indiana and North Carolina.

GUEST: John Nichols, associate editor of the Capitol Times in Madison, Wisconsin and a correspondent for The Nation magazine, contributing writer for The Progressive, co-founder of Free Press, author of many books including his latest called Uprising: How Wisconsin Renewed the Politics of Protest, from Madison to Wall Street

Homeowners, Activists Protest Outside Clooney’s Obama Fundraiser

Deep-pocketed Hollywood big-wigs rubbed elbows with President Obama on Thursday inside actor George Clooney’s Los Angeles mansion. Outside the fundraiser, a group of protestors demanded more protection for the average homeowner. The LA-based Campaign for a Fair Settlement called on the President to prevent homeowners at risk of foreclosure from being evicted by increasing pressure on mortgage lenders to reduce their principle amounts owed and to modify mortgages.

The President has officially begun his reelection campaign, triggering an outpouring of support and opposition. His announcement on Wednesday that his position on same sex marriage has evolved, and he now openly supports it, was widely viewed as a calculated campaign tactic. Thursday’s fundraiser raised $12 million dollars through a combination of tens-of-thousands of small contributions made as part of a sweepstakes to win a seat at the star-studded event, while Hollywood industry big shots paid $40,000 a plate each. Meanwhile, grassroots groups that may ultimately support Democrats will be protesting at campaign events throughout election season. Occupy Wall Street groups and other grassroots organizations are planning on turning-out crowds at next weekend’s NATO summit, and at the Democratic National Convention in September. The Campaign for a Fair Settlement has vowed to dog the President until they see a change in his housing policy.

Uprising correspondent Kevin Walker was on the scene of Thursday’s protest near the Clooney home in Studio City. He filed this report.

Palestinian Hunger Strikers Demand End to Harsh Conditions

Palestinian prisoners cotninued their hunger strikes now in the fourth week, protesting abusive and sub-standard conditions in Israeli jails in what has been dubbed by supporters as the War of the Empty Stomachs. The 1,500 inmates are demanding the Israeli government restore visitation rights to family members and end the use of Administrative Detentions, which allows for the arrest and jailing of suspects without trial. On May 4, the Palestinian Authority’s minister of detainees said that if demands for improved prison conditions were not met, another 3,000 prisoners would join the hunger strike. On Friday May 11th, inmates upped the ante by refusing vitamin supplements and prison clinics. Two of the higher profile prisoners, Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahlah are 70 days into their hunger strike and in imminent danger of dying.

The Israeli government has shown signs that it wishes to bring the strike to an end. In early May, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch convened a special meeting to discuss the situation and indicated a possible reduction in the use of administrative detentions. This most recent wave of prisoner unrest comes just 2 months after the release of Khader Adnan, who went without food for over 60 days and attracted intense international pressure on the Israeli government.

On Wednesday, UN envoy to the Middle East Robert Serry urged Israel to resolve the crisis, however, overall international response to this round of hunger strikes has been mild. Richard Falk, UN special rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, has bemoaned the lack of coverage by western media, writing in a recent blog post that, “when Palestinians resort to non violent forms of resistance … their actions fall mainly on deaf ears and blind eyes.”

GUEST: Richard Falk, UN special rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, an Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and a Visiting Distinguished Professor in Global and International Studies at UC Santa Barbara

Two Orange County Police Officers Face Charges in Beating Death of a Homeless Man

A judge in California’s ultra conservative Orange County this week announced that police officers from the city of Fullerton would stand trial for the fatal assault on a mentally ill homeless man. Thirty seven year old white man, Kelly Thomas suffered serious injuries after an altercation with at least four police officers, two of whom now face trial. Thomas died in the hospital five days after his beating and arrest.

Officer Manual Ramos faces charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, with potentially 15 years to life in prison, making him the first Orange County officer to face a murder trial for actions he undertook while on duty. Corporal Jay Cicinelli, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force with a possibility of 4 years in prison if convicted. It is possible that a third officer, Joe Wolfe may also be charged at a later date.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas introduced a graphic police video this week in the OC Superior Court in Santa Ana, which caused a stir among reporters and the public. In it, the four police officers are seen piling their weight onto Thomas at once. Thomas can be heard begging for mercy, repeatedly crying “I can’t breathe,” and “I’m sorry,” as well as calling for his father. Rackauckas asserts that officer Ramos initiated the encounter, which seems to be corroborated by the video.

On Tuesday, a coroner’s pathologist testified saying that the cause of death was directly linked to chest compression, and exacerbated by excessive bleeding from his nose and mouth. However, the officers’ attorneys have countered that the emergency medical workers on the scene are to blame for Thomas’ death by failing to push air tubes promptly enough into his passages.

GUEST: Brandon Ferguson, Contributor to the OC Weekly

Click here to watch a video of the brutal beating of Kelly Thomas. WARNING: This is a very graphic video that may cause trauma in viewers.

Click here to read Brandon Ferguson’s cover story.

Read all of OC Weekly’s coverage of the Kelly Thomas case at www.ocweekly.com.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day:

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” — Isaac Asimov