the so-called Human Rights commission

I guess that Sudan's nomination to the UN Human Rights commission turns the meaning of said commission on its head: Human Rights means "The Right to Slaughter Humans."

In late April, the Human Rights Commission expressed concern about the situation in Sudan's western Darfur region. It stopped short of formal condemnation of the government, which has been accused of backing militias that are destroying villages, executing civilians, raping women and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

"A government that engages in wholesale abuses of its citizens should not be eligible for a seat at the table, especially a country just criticized by the commission," said Joanna Weschler, U.N. representative for Human Rights Watch, which is part of the coalition.

...In recent years, Human Rights Watch has complained that the growing number of nations on the 53-member commission with poor human rights records have been sticking together to cover up abuses.

(It's stuff like this and UNSCAM that's caused me to question my heretofore unexamined assumption that the UN is unfailingly good and worthy of unquestioning support.)

Comments

[Donald W. Larson]

Susan,

The United Nations is a mostly failed institution, imho.

There are four things I think the United Nations does and could do well:

1) Distribute food to the hungry

2) Deliver medicine to the sick

3) Deliver education to the uneducated

4) Provide shelter for the needy

The other things the United Nations has been charged with delivering have shown to be useless. It is useless in preventing war and defending nations. It is useless in Peace Keeping. It is useless when it comes to the security of major nations.

I would prefer the remnants of the United Nations leave American shores. For it to go to some other country and waste time there except for the four areas I listed above.

I'm glad the Unites States defends itself, makes alliances as the Administration feels the need. That's the model for other countries to follow, if they can. If they can't then I guess the odds are against them.

Don

[red bottom]

So cute! I already like you on FB and also get your posts on Google Reader. :)

[Belstaff store]

I just sent this post to a bunch of my friends as I agree with most of what you’re saying here and the way you’ve presented it is awesome.