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This week on Uprising:

* Obama’s Libya Goals Remain Confusing as NATO Takes Leadership Role
* Obama’s Energy Policy Speech Riddled with Inaccuracies, Misstatements
* Wal-mart Potentially Faces Largest Class-Action Suit in History

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Obama’s Libya Goals Remain Confusing as NATO Takes Leadership Role

The war in Libya against Colonel Muammar Gaddhafi, and assisted by the U.S. and NATO has taken a new turn this week. With rebel forces advancing toward Tripoli, the lines between armed rebels and civilians has weakened. Some civilians have taken up arms and joined the more organized militias. NATO commanders have issued a strong warning to anti-Gaddhafi rebels against harming civilians. Senior NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu that the UN resolution which authorized force applies to both sides of the war and that “those who target civilians will also be targets for [NATOs] forces.” Added to that are news reports that President Obama has secretly signed an order to arm the rebels and that the U.S. CIA now has operatives on the ground in some parts of the country. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the press on Thursday, however, that his organization opposes arming the rebels and that NATO will comply with the arms embargo that was part of the UN resolution. NATO has now taken sole command over the air war as the U.S. pulls back from launching air strikes even as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has come under fire from Republican hawks for not doing enough. Senator John McCain has made public his anger over what he sees as the U.S. pulling back from its leadership role. Gates has responded by assuring lawmakers that U.S. warplanes would be on stand-by.

GUEST: Robert Naiman, Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy

Find out more at www.justforeignpolicy.org

Obama’s Energy Policy Speech Riddled with Inaccuracies, Misstatements

President Obama laid out his new vision for a national energy policy on Wednesday at Georgetown University, calling on the U.S. to cut oil imports by one-third over the next ten years, and reiterating his goal for producing 80% of the nation’s electricity from clean energy sources by the year 2035. Pushed by high gas prices at the pump, Obama explained that there were “no quick fixes” and that a long term energy policy would have to be adopted, namely his “Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future.” Obama also focused on energy alternatives to oil: natural gas and biofuels, with a footnote mention of wind and solar energy. He also promoted electric and hybrid vehicles. A significant part of his plan involves increasing domestic oil production. The President has backed off from his campaign promises of taking a market approach to alternative energy technologies, using a cap-and-trade method for companies to reduce their green-house gas emissions, and investing heavily in clean energy technologies. Congressional gridlock over the past two years coupled with the economic recession, has put an end to that discussion. His post-campaign plan to rely more heavily on off shore oil drilling and nuclear energy has also taken a huge hit with last summer’s BP oil spill and the recent Japan earthquake and nuclear disaster turning public opinion. Despite this, the President in his speech on Wednesday continued to defend nuclear power as being a “clean” source of energy. Media coverage of the President speech has been uncritical however, accepting the premise that oil dependence will continue into the future, and that nuclear power is the only significant viable alternative to oil. But, according to a Stanford scientist, the planet’s entire energy needs can be met through renewable energies. In an article published in Scientific American, Mark Jacobson, a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, proves that the nearly zero-pollution energy sources of Wind, Water, and Solar, can power humanity’s needs by the year 2030.

GUEST: Mark Jacobson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University

Read Mark Jacobson’s article here: http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/sad1109Jaco5p.indd.pdf

Wal-mart Potentially Faces Largest Class-Action Suit in History

The Supreme Court this past week began considering an historic case of sex discrimination against female employees of Walmart that could affect between 500,000 to 1 million women. Six women are bringing a lawsuit against Walmart for being held back from promotions and other job-related privileges because of what they describe as gender discrimination by managers. And, it is now up to the Supreme Court to decide if they are eligible to bring a class-action suit against Walmart based on the claims. If the nation’s highest court allows a class-action to go ahead, up to a million women who work for or have ever worked for the giant retailer, could be eligible for any resulting claims or settlements. The women claim that Walmart has violated the 1964 civil rights act and that “the policies and practices underlying this discriminatory treatment are consistent throughout Walmart.” Walmart’s legal defense brings up the 544 female managers employed at Walmart stores saying the case has no merit because those women are “alleged to be both discriminators and victims.” If the Supreme Court allows it, the suit could end up being the largest class action lawsuit in U.S. history and could cost Walmart billions of dollars. However, the slim pro-corporate majority on the Supreme Court that brought us the Citizens United decision, bodes ill for the women. Additionally, more than 20 companies have filed papers supporting Walmart, including General Electric, Microsoft, and Bank of America.

GUEST: Fatima Goss Graves, Vice President for Education and Employment, National Women’s Law Center

Find out more at www.nwlc.org/fairpay

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“If I seem to take part in politics, it is only because politics encircles us today like the coil of a snake from which one cannot get out, no matter how much one tries. I wish therefore to wrestle with the snake.” — Mahatma Gandhi