Egypt, Uganda and the global village

The ongoing anti-Hosni Mubarak protests in Egypt and to a somewhat lesser extent Ugandan gay activist David Kato's murder have made headlines over the past week. And both stories raise questions mere sound bites and tweets cannot answer. Who will prove a suitable alternative to Mubarak if his regime falls? Should anti-gay American evangelicals who operate inside Uganda be held accountable for Kato's death? And should Americans even care about these and other events that take place thousands of miles away from the homeland?

My friend Paul became an American citizen at Boston's Faneuil Hall on Thursday, Jan. 27. One of the most poignant parts of the ceremony was when the judge asked the new citizens to stand after he called out their countries of origin: Angolans, Brazilians, Haitians, Jamaicans, Sierra Leoneans, British and Egyptians--yes, Egyptians--were among them. This simple, yet powerful act once again demonstrated the world is a global village. And Egypt, Uganda and other countries that continue to dominate headlines are not as far away as one may naively think.

Passage of health care reform is personal

It’s rather ironic I continue to suffer from spring allergies in the wake of last night’s health care reform vote, but it was certainly a breathtaking thing to watch.

Partisan-inspired rhetoric, patriotic speeches, homophobic and racist slurs and ludicrous predictions, such as a 20-year-old Pittsburgh man’s claim on C-SPAN this bill would lead to the president “telling people when to sleep,” simply fail to capture the fact this issue remains intensely personal for so many people in the country. I have not had health insurance since Feb. 2007. And while I remain healthy--I’ve even lost 35 pounds and lost more than three inches on my waist in the last six months due to regular exercise, a largely Mediterranean diet and an all-around healthier lifestyle--a sudden illness or injury would instantly prove financially catastrophic.

This bill almost certainly does not go far enough to ensure all Americans have access to quality and affordable health care, but last night’s vote is a historic step towards that goal.