Updates and Notes

Thanks to two sedars and a knee injury, time was limited this week for a column. Instead, here are some updates on recent topics......

Genocide in Sudan: This week, rebel forces attacked the capital city of Chad, signaling the potential expansion of the Darfur conflict into a wider Chad-Sudan war. The Chad rebels launched their attack from Darfur and the Chad government contends they were supported by the Sudanese government. Meanwhile, the janjaweed militias who have been committing genocide of African tribes in Darfur, expanded their attacks into refugee camps across the Sudanese border into Chad. The escalation of violence and the expansion of the conflict show that the current African Union peacekeeping force is inadequate.

The African Union is set to cede control of the Darfur mission to United Nations peacekeepers later this year. However, earlier this month, the Sudanese government blocked a high-ranking UN official, Jan Egeland, from visiting Darfur as scheduled. "We are having an endless nightmare of administrative obstacles to our work in Darfur," Egeland said. As bureaucracies grind, the suffering continues.

Here in the US, the House passed the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act this week calling for a Presidential enjoy to the region and sanctions against the Sudanese government. The Senate passed a similar bill and the two houses will now meet in committee and attempt to work out a joint bill to send to the President to sign. This is a positive, if late and continuously slow, development.

Darfur advocacy groups are planning a significant march in Washington, D.C., at the end of the month. They hope to gather a million petition signatures prior to the march - click here to add your name.

Health Care in Massachusetts: The rosy political alliance between a conservative governor and a liberal legislature became a bit less rosy when Governor Mitt Romney line-item-vetoed several provisions of the much heralded Massachusetts health care plan. Romney vetoed a fee employers would have to pay if they did not provide health care to their workers, gaining the ire of Massachusetts House speaker, Sal DiMasi.

While the reception of the health care bill remains overwhelmingly positive, there are many questions about its applicability on a larger scale. The Boston Globe concludes in this article that the plan is unlikely to work as a national model.

Immigration: I have been asked by several readers for thoughts on the current immigration debate. I don't feel qualified to discuss the particulars of the bills being discussed, but I have been moved by the passion and organization of the recent rallies. I believe that in several decades, when Hispanics have political power proportional to their numbers, we will look at this moment as a key turning point. I found this article by Juan Williams in the Washington Post particularly thoughtful on the subject.

Just Weird: I read this week that McDonald's is experimenting with using call centers to take drive thru orders at some restaurants. The customer will pull up and be connected to a person at a call center perhaps thousands of miles away (though at this point, still in the US -- phew) through the internet. The call center will take the order, which will appear on screens in the kitchen at the physical restaurant. The system is said to improve efficiency, accuracy, and customer service. It will also result in decreased labor costs, code for fewer workers. I found this development somewhat strange and disconcerting, particularly since one of the first phrases I spoke as a working person was: "Welcome to Corky's. Can I take your order?"