LINKS OF THE WEEK FOR 15 NOV 2008

a) Despite Obama’s anti-lobbying rhetoric, corporate lobbyists are big winners in the aftermath of his election and continue to be a major part of his transition team’s network of influence.

b) Democracy Now! interviews Pulitzer-winning author Alice Walker. In a recent open letter to Obama, Walker writes, "Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about." Click here for audio of the interview, here for video.

c) From the Washington Post: Just when you thought it was safe to play video games again, a new report out in the journal Pediatrics claims to cinch a link between violent video games and increased hostility in young children and teenagers.

d) From pubrecord.org: President-elect Barack Obama, in one of the first policy statements of his transition, demanded that the Bush administration either submit the proposed U.S.-Iraq "status-of-forces agreement" to Congress or leave an opening for him to change it next year. Obama’s transition office posted a statement on its Web site, declaring that any agreement on the future of U.S. troops in Iraq "should be negotiated in the context of a broader commitment by the U.S. to begin withdrawing its troops and forswearing permanent bases."

e) From afterdowningstreet.org: The peace movement and every justice movement in the United States should simply overwhelm Congress members during the next two months with one and only one demand: Pass the Employee Free Choice Act in January. This is, of course, the bill that the labor movement has been trying to pass for years, and that Democrats in Congress and President Elect Obama have committed to making law: http://aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca