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This week on Uprising:

* What South Africa’s Mining Massacre Means for the Future of the Post-Apartheid Nation
* Dissecting the Republican Party’s Sexual Politics
* The Question of Climate Change in this Year’s Election

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What South Africa’s Mining Massacre Means for the Future of the Post-Apartheid Nation

Eighteen years after the end of white minority rule in South Africa, 34 mine workers were shot and killed by police at the Lonmin platinum mine on August 16th. The workers were protesting at the mine in Marikana which is about 60 miles outside Johannesburg. The police, who were armed with semi automatic weapons shot into a crowd of 3,000 protesters who were seeking better wages and safer conditions. The situation had been escalating from clashes the weekend before when ten people had been killed.

The Marikana mine is the third largest platinum mine in the world and is owned by the London based company Lonmin. While platinum prices hover at over $1,500 an ounce, workers at the mine earn poverty level wages of less than $500 dollars a month. Most workers live close to the mine in shanty towns where they have no proper water or electricity services and many of them have high rates of lung disease and HIV/AIDS.

Julius Malema, former head of the ruling African National Congress’ youth league pointed to the unjust treatment of workers and the overall inequities among blacks and whites in South African society and demanded that the mines be nationalized. The Sowetan newspaper stated, “[i]t has happened in this country before where the apartheid regime treated black people like objects. It is continuing in a different guise now.”

GUEST: Douglas Foster, is the former editor of Mother Jones Magazine and is the author of the forthcoming book, After Mandela: The Struggle for Freedom in Post-Apartheid South Africa.

Dissecting the Republican Party’s Sexual Politics

Days before the Republican National Convention, the GOP released its draft party platform. The ordinarily contentious issue of abortion was quickly dispensed with as party representatives accepted the same plank from four years ago, that includes supporting a so-called “fetal personhood” amendment to the US Constitution, and denying abortion in all cases including rape and incest, except in small instances when the life of the mother is at risk.

The adoption of the extreme stance on abortion is in odds with the majority opinion in the US. It also comes in the middle of a raging controversy over comments made on Sunday by GOP Representative Todd Akin who is running for the US Senate. In comments made during an interview, Akin answered a reporter’s question about abortion in the case of a pregnancy from rape saying “from what I understand from doctors that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Akin was repeating a commonly held belief among the anti-abortion community that rape rarely leads to pregnancy. Since then, he has apologized for using the term “legitimate” to describe rape and has released an ad admitting “[t]he fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy.” Still he has vowed to remain in the race amid a firestorm of criticism from Democrats and even his own party, with some Republicans calling for his immediate withdrawal from the Senate race.

Presumptive GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney called Akin’s comments “insulting” and “inexcusable.” But Romney and his Vice Presidential running mate, Paul Ryan hold general views on abortion that are quite in line with Todd Akin and the party platform. Romney’s views have evolved over the years from being pro-choice to being anti-abortion except in cases of rape, while Ryan is even more absolute in his views being against abortion in all cases with no exception. Ryan once co-sponsored a bill with Todd Akin seeking to withdraw federal funding of abortions for those rape victims who are not victims of so-called “forcible rape.”

GUEST: Nancy Cohen, historian and author. Her latest book, just out in paperback is called Delirium: The Politics of Sex in America

The Question of Climate Change in this Year’s Election

Do a search on the word ‘heatwave’ in Google News, and the following headlines show up: Italy heatwave brings down historic wall section in Rome, Balkans Heat Wave Fuels Forest Fires in Bosnia, Heat wave continues in Europe, Heat wave in Bulgaria over weekend, Wildfires, Heat Threaten Southwest France, and more. The global heat wave has led many around the world to worry about the rapidly manifesting effects of global warming.

Also linked to climate change is the largest outbreak of West Nile virus ever seen in the US. According to the Center for Disease Control, West Nile virus, which spreads through mosquito bites, has been reported in 38 states, and a total of 1,118 cases have been reported, including 41 deaths. The recent mild winter allowed more mosquitoes than normal to survive, and the current heat wave has enabled mosquitoes to more effectively pick up the virus before spreading it via bites.

Meanwhile scientists have been shocked at the rapid increase in Arctic ice melting seen this year. The record-breaking rate of melting has been linked to the severity of storms and hurricanes at summer’s end.

With such ominous signs pointing to a rapidly warming planet, it is a wonder that neither major party Presidential candidate in this year’s election has made any mention of climate change. Quite the reverse – presumptive GOP Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney this week unveiled his energy plan which includes “aggressively” drilling for oil on off-shore territories and increasing coal production and nuclear power. Romney also intends to approve the permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline across the US. If implemented, his plan would greatly increase the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

GUEST: Bill McKibben, one of the nation’s leading climate activists, founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org, author of a dozen books about the environment

Visit www.350.org for more information.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“The earth we abuse and the living things we kill will, in the end, take their revenge; for in exploiting their presence we are diminishing our future.” — Marya Mannes