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This week on Uprising:

* Rubén Blades on Honduras, Panama, and Michael Jackson
* Empire Notes on the Honduras Coup
* Viva Palestina USA Attempts to Break Gaza Siege
* Black Agenda Report: US Allies on the Ropes in Somalia
* Derrick Jensen: Personal Change Does Not Equal Political Change

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Rubén Blades on Honduras, Panama, and Michael Jackson

Talks between Manuel Zelaya and Roberto Micheletti in Costa Rica broke down on Friday with the two men failing to even meet one another. Following his unsuccessful attempt to return to Honduras, ousted President Zelaya has been touring Central America to gather support. The Organization of American States has suspended Honduras from its membership after the opposition refused to reverse the coup. Zelaya tried to fly into the main airport in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa last weekend but was prevented from landing by the opposition which covered the runway with military vehicles. Thousands of Zelaya’s supporters gathered at the airport to greet him and clashed with police – at least two people were killed in the ensuing violence. Meanwhile in the nearby nation of Panama, the new president Ricardo Martinelli was recently sworn in. The pro-business conservative has billed himself as a political independent and vowed to enact changes in Panama’s economy. I had the opportunity recently to speak with the former Tourism Minister of Panama and cultural icon, Rubén Blades. Blades is well known for his work in music particularly Central American nueva canción as well as politically inspired salsa. He is also an actor, song writer, and lawyer.

GUEST: Rubén Blades, former Tourism Minister of Panama, singer/song-writer, actor, lawyer

Empire Notes on the Honduras Coup

Empire Notes are weekly commentaries filed by Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade. Today’s commentary is on the Military Coup in Honduras

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

Visit www.empirenotes.org for more information.

Viva Palestina USA Attempts to Break Gaza Siege

High level talks between the US and Israel last week were focused on resolving an apparent dispute between the two countries over the continued expansion of Israeli settlements into Palestinian territory. Israel has lifted restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank as a conciliatory gesture but the talks apparently failed to break the stalemate. Meanwhile the United Nations has nearly completed its investigation of the Israeli war on Gaza early this year. The UN is looking into allegations of war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead, even as Israeli authorities refused to cooperate. Over the past year, efforts by ordinary citizens have had much success in challenging the Israeli occupation. Last week a stand-off occurred between the Israeli Navy and a boat carrying members of the Free Gaza Movement along with aid materials. The activists arrested and eventually deported include former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Laureate Mairead Macguire. Now, another similarly high-profile effort is in the works. Following up his successful Viva Palestina convoy from Britain to Gaza last year, outspoken member of the British Parliament George Galloway is currently in Egypt with a delegation from the United States that includes war veteran-turned peace activist Ron Kovic.

GUEST: Fatima Mohammady, National Organizer of Viva Palestina USA.

Find out more at www.vivapalestina-us.org.

Black Agenda Report: US Allies on the Ropes in Somalia

Glen Ford is a writer and radio commentator and the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report. This week’s commentary is called US Allies on the Ropes in Somalia.

Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

Derrick Jensen: Personal Change Does Not Equal Political Change

If you’re a politically progressive minded person like me, you are conscious of your footprint on the planet. Maybe you drive a hybrid car, carry your own canvas tote bags to the grocery store, have traded plastic disposable water bottles for a reusable metal one. Maybe you shower in 5 minutes or less, patronize your local farmers market, use only energy-efficient light bulbs, and eat organic. Perhaps you grow your own vegetables and compost your scraps. Or even shop exclusively at used clothing stores, and recycle gray water in your yard, hoping that if everyone modified their own behavior, we could save this planet ravaged as it is by green house gases and chemical pollution. That’s the standard mantra of many individuals and groups who quote Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the Change you wish to see in the world.” It’s a comforting thought, but an entirely ineffective way to save the planet according to writer Derrick Jensen. In his new essay Jensen asserts that “[c]onsumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance.” Further Jensen makes the provocative claim that “simple living as a political act is suicide.”

GUEST: Derrick Jensen, activist and the author of many books, most recently What We Leave Behind and Songs of the Dead.

Read Derrick Jensen’s article here: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/07/08.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“The role of an activist is not to navigate systems of oppressive power with as much integrity as possible, but rather to confront and take down those systems.” — Derrick Jensen