Darfur a First-Person Account John H
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Nov. 19, 2007AmericaTHE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY $2.75 Darfur A First-Person Account John H. Ricard Also: When Church Teaching Meets Wall Street Mary Ellen Foley McGuire WAS NEVER a member of the so-called obstinacy of the administration have process school of philosophy, but bequeathed a Pandora’s box of troubles, nonetheless Alfred North Whitehead, not just to the next president but to the America the mathematician and logician who next generation: restoring the constitu- Published by Jesuits of the United States Iinspired that approach, is one of my tional balance between civil rights and favorite thinkers. The scholasticism of pro- security, respecting the rights of foreign Editor in Chief cess philosophy put me off, and, to be hon- nationals, reinstituting checks and bal- Drew Christiansen, S.J. est, I find metaphysics—“cosmology” to ances in government, reviving the nation’s the Whiteheadeans—too speculative for standing in world affairs and righting the Acting Publisher my practical turn of mind. I drew insight imbalances in the national economy. In James Martin, S.J. from books in which Whitehead anticipat- addition, health care needs a real fix, and ed or distilled his vision, like Science and the Social Security needs a plan for sustaining Managing Editor Modern World, Modes of Thought and Essays its long-term viability. Robert C. Collins, S.J. in Science and Philosophy. Even more I have Correcting the failed policies of the found myself over the years drawing on past seven years would be a daunting Business Manager works that describe fundamental human agenda for any politician, but the next Lisa Pope experiences, especially Religion in the president will also face an array of global Making and Adventures of Ideas. The latter challenges that will not wait. Not to Editorial Director was his philosophy of history and civiliza- address them is to court disaster or, at Karen Sue Smith tion. best, rapid decline. Above all, a new inter- Online Editor A phenomenon that preoccupied national regime to curb global warming Whitehead was the life and death of civi- and reduce its worst effects needs to be Maurice Timothy Reidy lizations. He believed that a particular type worked out. Just as important is re-estab- Associate Editors of civilization had only a limited life-span. lishing a system for nuclear nonprolifera- It could repeat itself only for a restricted tion. Tensions with Russia, expansion of Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J. period of time before facing decline. Only the terrorist threat and instability in George M. Anderson, S.J. a rapid transition Pakistan, not Dennis M. Linehan, S.J. to a new “ideal” to mention James P. McDermott, S.J. can save a civiliza- Of Many Things the Iranian tion from decay. nuclear pro- Matt Malone, S.J. My gut feeling is gram, all James T. Keane, S.J. that for the United States the 2008 elec- heighten the risk of nuclear catastrophe. tions will be that kind of moment. We As globalization advances, devising sys- Literary Editor stand at a historic turning point, where tems for managing the world economy Patricia A. Kossmann “stale repetition” of worn-out ideas (and will be a challenge; and outfitting the practices) will hasten America’s decline, or American economy for the global market- Poetry Editor reinvigoration with new ideas and a new place will likewise be a formidable test. James S. Torrens, S.J. sensibility will allow its rebirth. None of these challenges are suscepti- I worry because the leading candidates ble to the solutions of conventional wis- Assistant Editor of both parties seem to offer us govern- dom. They all require imaginative think- Francis W. Turnbull, S.J. ment-as-usual at a time when continuity ing and inspiring, resolute leadership. could not be more problematic. Sen. This is an epochal election, in which what Design and Production Hillary Clinton refuses to put any mean- passes for “experience” in American poli- Stephanie Ratcliffe ingful distance between herself and the tics will count for very little. Yes, powers hostile foreign policies of the Bush admin- of persuasion, coalition-building skills and Advertising istration; and Rudolph W. Giuliani, the old-time charisma will be enormous assets Julia Sosa former mayor of New York, threatens to in addressing so large an agenda; but be even more bellicose than the incum- catering to the party base, “triangulation,” 106 West 56th Street bent, if such a thing is possible. Even the the Christmas-stocking approach to leg- New York, NY 10019-3803 Democratic Congress, elected in the hope islative initiatives with a small gift for Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596. of effective opposition, seems captive to everyone and tough talk to assuage the ill- E-mail: [email protected]; the same mentality, unable even to put defined fears of the masses, while they [email protected]. itself on record against the disastrous poli- may win elections, will set the nation on a Web site: www.americamagazine.org. cies of the White House. Their calcula- downward slope of decline and the world Customer Service: 1-800-627-9533. tion seems to be, as James Traub suggest- spinning into greater instability. America’s © 2007 America Press, Inc. ed in the New York Times Magazine for renewal and the future of a globalized Nov. 4, that Americans are neither ready world depend on the advent of a new gen- nor able to relinquish their fear. eration of American leadership that Cover art African Union Mission in The public’s thralldom to fear is cer- understands the future belongs to those Sudan (AMIS) peacekeepers prepare to tainly a consideration for any politician. who will guide the public on a historic leave for patrol in Muhajiriya town, South The times, however, call for extraordinary “adventure of ideas.” Darfur, on Oct. 10, 2007. Reuters/Stuart leadership. The miscalculations and the Drew Christiansen, S.J. Price. www.americamagazine.org Vol. 197 No. 16, Whole No. 4794 November 19, 2007 Articles 9 Will Darfur Dance Again? 9 John H. Ricard During the latest of several visits to Darfur, the author found a dogged hope that recent peace efforts will bear lasting results. Catholic Social Teaching 14 Meets Wall Street Mary Ellen Foley McGuire Smart investments can both make money and promote social change consistent with the Christian vision of justice and compassion. Current Comment 4 19 An Appreciation Two Red Hats 5 Signs of the Times 6 Morality Matters 8 A Grim Task Maryann Cusimano Love Faith in Focus In Mystic Silence William Johnston 19 Book Reviews 23 The World Without Us; The Voice, the Word, the Books; The Mother of the Lord Poem Paperboy William Hart 27 Letters 30 The Word 31 The Roots of Christian Spirituality Daniel J. Harrington This week @ On our podcast, singer/songwriter Bill McGarvey considers Bruce Springsteen's new album, "Magic." From the archives, FADICA president Francis J. Butler on raising America Connects money for Catholic causes. All at www.americamagazine.org. Current Comment side world, much less to the art world that traditionally Hollywood’s Drama nurtures such talent. His story is a reminder that art can Strike! After an 11th-hour bargaining session between rep- flourish in the most unlikely of places, and that the men- resentatives of the Writers Guild of America and the tally ill can have rich imaginative lives. Ramírez reportedly Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers never spoke a word while he was in the hospital, yet in his failed, the Writers Guild called a general strike on Nov. 5 art he found a means to communicate, and 50 years later for the 12,000 scribes covered by the guild. It has been his drawings—especially his towering, mesmerizing almost 20 years since the writers last walked out, a 22- Madonnas—still invite contemplation. In an earlier age he week marathon that cost the industry half a billion dollars. might have been appreciated as a visionary, a man who This time the stakes are even higher. The entertainment despite his suffering found consolation in silence and industry has expanded rapidly in the past two decades, and work, and through his art offered the same to others. That the defense and aerospace industries that fueled Los he was locked away until his death in 1963 is an indict- Angeles’ growth have collapsed, leaving entertainment ment of society’s meager ability to engage the mentally ill. with ever-larger economic influence on the region’s 13 million residents. “The fight is never about grapes or lettuce,” Cesar Chavez once said of his work organizing California’s farm Women and Human Freedom workers, “it is always about people.” It may be hard to feel Five religious sisters of the Poor Clare community in the same sympathy for Hollywood hipsters as for laborers Raseli, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, were facing harsh conditions in California’s fields. The labor dragged, beaten and had their clothes torn on Oct. 25 as troubles writers face, however, are also primarily about they returned to their convent from a family rosary prayer people, not just famous wordsmiths but hundreds of thou- gathering at the home of one of their Catholic employees. sands of others whose livelihood depends on the labor and The attackers were members of a fundamentalist Hindu capital of the entertainment industry. This fight also has organization that favors sati (the ritual suicide of widows). repercussions for organized labor elsewhere in the United All five sisters were hospitalized, one with a broken leg. States. The United Auto Workers were recently forced to Another sister required seven stitches to her head.