Duane Gran’s log of thoughts

Today, October 30th, we celebrate UN Day to commemorate the founding of the United Nations on October 24th 1945. Rotary International has a rich history in the founding and support of the United Nations, so the issue is dear to my heart.

These days it is fashionable to critique the UN for its failings, particularly with respect to the oil for food program in Iraq, but I believe the organization holds the promise for promoting diplomacy. Rather than taking the cynical view I believe the UN should undergo continual reformation to meet the challenges of our age in order to avoid the 20th century warfare. This requires nations to submit a modicum of sovereign will in exchange for lasting peace — a good bargain for all concerned.

On that note, the Miller Center forum is hosting Ambassador William H. Luers, President of the United Nations Associations of the United States of America. He will discuss the relationship between the United Nations and the United States in the aftermath of 9/11. The event is sponsored in conjunction with the The Blue Ridge chapter of UNA-USA. If you are in the Charlottesville area it is well worth your time to attend.

In a surprising move, 200 employees walked out on Walmart this week when faced with absurd wage and hour cuts. What is particularly impressive is where the leadership of the movement arose:

The protest wasn’t led by any union group. Rather, it was instigated by two department managers, Guillermo Vasquez and Rosie Larosa. The department managers were not affected directly by the changes, but they felt that the company had gone too far with certain new policies. Among them were moves to cut the hours of full-time employees from 40 hours a week to 32 hours, along with a corresponding cut in wages, and to compel workers to be available for shifts around the clock.

When managers lead their employees in the struggle for fair conditions it sends a strong message of solidarity to the owners. I can only hope this is a template for thousands of other stores which will face similar choices as walmart migrates from 20% part-time employees to 40%. If this bold move were replicated in just 10% of retail stores it could become a ground swell for unionization. Whose store will be next?

A prescient article in The Atlantic Online illustrates the complex threat and opportunity which lies ahead for North Korea, otherwise known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea:

Yet for all Kim’s canniness, there is evidence that he may be losing his edge. And that may be reason to worry: totalitarian regimes close to demise are apt to get panicky and do rash things. The weaker North Korea gets, the more dangerous it becomes. The question that should be of greatest concern to the U.S. military in the Pacific — and the question that will likely determine the global balance of power in Asia for generations — is, What happens when North Korea collapses?

A peaceful collapse, akin to what took the world by surprise in the years between 1989 and 1991 among Communist nations is unlikely in Korea. The closest analogue is the former Romanian regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, who held an iron grip on the people but lost it rapidly to insurgents. The expression on Ceausescu’s face when the people turned on him epitomized the end of his reign. I have no doubt that North Korea’s Dear Leader knows the story well. Consider the following, which was published while this essay was in draft:

More than one Chinese academic agreed that China yearned for an uprising similar to the one that swept away the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 and replaced him with communist reformers and generals. The Chinese made an intense political study of the Romanian revolution and even questioned president Ion Iliescu, who took over, about how it was done and what roles were played by the KGB and by Russia.

Mr Kim, for his part, ordered North Korean leaders to watch videos of the swift and chaotic trial and execution of Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, the vice-prime minister, as a salutary exercise.

Kim Jung Il is betting that membership in the nuclear weaponry club will improve his negotiating power but I suspect that he will be further isolated. Iran, not surprisingly, is the only country endorsing the nuclear test. But what is the next move?

While the DPRK may have detonated a bomb they may not yet have a weapon which can be deployed at will. Some view this as a window of time to dismantle the regime before it hones its skill in delivering the weapon. Others believe the country is properly contained already, but I suspect that is little consolation to the residents of Seoul who grow weary of the sunshine policy.

Ultimately China, Russia, South Korea and Japan have the most stake in the matter, but if I were placing bets I wouldn’t be surprised if China orchestrates the collapse of North Korea.

This evening I will be a guest on WINA 1070 AM from 5 to 5:30pm on Coy Barefoot’s popular “Charlottesville Right Now” program. I will be joined by guests from Kiwanis and the Lion’s Club to talk about the impact of service groups, such as Rotary, in our local community and abroad. My points will largely echo previous comments I’ve written but I hope to expand a little on specific philanthropy efforts. For my far flung readers (all three of you) I suspect the show will be cataloged via podcast in the next few days.

Update: (16 Oct 2006) The audio is available, courtesy of the Charlottesville Podcasting Network.

I have steered clear of making any statements about the political race for the Virginia Senate seat, which pits challenger James Webb against incumbent Senator George Allen. However, I’m puzzled by the behavior of local GOP staffers in yesterday’s brief visit in Charlottesville by the Senator. A Daily Progress article says:

Albemarle GOP Chairman Keith Drake positioned himself in front of a Webb staffer tracking Wednesday’s event with a digital camera so that she could not get unobstructed images of Allen talking.

When the woman, who gave her first name as Joan and said she lived in Vienna, tried to hold her camera over Drake’s head, the Allen supporter turned and thrust his camera in front of hers, repeatedly blocking her view.

I have no position on personality issues which hound the incumbent, other than to say that it is bad press to appear like you have henchmen guarding you from the appearance of accountability. Every politician has to assume that their words will be heard and parsed. Given enough time on tape everyone will gaffe, but worse than indiscretion on tape may be the appearance that party loyalists are desperate to block video coverage of the Senator’s statements.

None of this should reflect poorly on the Senator, but I would think party loyalists in Albemarle County would rethink their strategy.

Update: A Hook article sheds some more light on the matter. According to Drake, who blocked the camera, Joan was being disrespectful at the event. If that is the case, then both sides need to raise the standards on decorum at these events.

An article in The New Atlantis beautifully expresses my thoughts on the value of craft over consumerism:

Because craftsmanship refers to objective standards that do not issue from the self and its desires, it poses a challenge to the ethic of consumerism, as the sociologist Richard Sennett has recently argued. The craftsman is proud of what he has made, and cherishes it, while the consumer discards things that are perfectly serviceable in his restless pursuit of the new. … Knowing the production narrative, or at least being able to plausibly imagine it, renders the social narrative of the advertisement less potent.

I’ve heaped praise on the innate worth of labor and I’ve vilified the habits and aims of advertisers, but I never saw the connection between the two until now.