The United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights.
Revelations that top officials are targeting people to be assassinated abroad, including American citizens, are only the most recent, disturbing proof of how far our nation’s violation of human rights has extended. This development began after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and has been sanctioned and escalated by bipartisan executive and legislative actions, without dissent from the general public. As a result, our country can no longer speak with moral authority on these critical issues.
While the country has made mistakes in the past, the widespread abuse of human rights over the last decade has been a dramatic change from the past. With leadership from the United States, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 as “the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” This was a bold and clear commitment that power would no longer serve as a cover to oppress or injure people, and it established equal rights of all people to life, liberty, security of person, equal protection of the law and freedom from torture, arbitrary detention or forced exile.
The declaration has been invoked by human rights activists and the international community to replace most of the world’s dictatorships with democracies and to promote the rule of law in domestic and global affairs. It is disturbing that, instead of strengthening these principles, our government’s counterterrorism policies are now clearly violating at least 10 of the declaration’s 30 articles, including the prohibition against “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Recent legislation has made legal the president’s right to detain a person indefinitely on suspicion of affiliation with terrorist organizations or “associated forces,” a broad, vague power that can be abused without meaningful oversight from the courts or Congress (the law is currently being blocked by a federal judge). This law violates the right to freedom of expression and to be presumed innocent until proved guilty, two other rights enshrined in the declaration.
In addition to American citizens’ being targeted for assassination or indefinite detention, recent laws have canceled the restraints in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to allow unprecedented violations of our rights to privacy through warrantless wiretapping and government mining of our electronic communications. Popular state laws permit detaining individuals because of their appearance, where they worship or with whom they associate.
Despite an arbitrary rule that any man killed by drones is declared an enemy terrorist, the death of nearby innocent women and children is accepted as inevitable. After more than 30 airstrikes on civilian homes this year in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai has demanded that such attacks end, but the practice continues in areas of Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen that are not in any war zone. We don’t know how many hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed in these attacks, each one approved by the highest authorities in Washington. This would have been unthinkable in previous times.
These policies clearly affect American foreign policy. Top intelligence and military officials, as well as rights defenders in targeted areas, affirm that the great escalation in drone attacks has turned aggrieved families toward terrorist organizations, aroused civilian populations against us and permitted repressive governments to cite such actions to justify their own despotic behavior.
Meanwhile, the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, now houses 169 prisoners. About half have been cleared for release, yet have little prospect of ever obtaining their freedom. American authorities have revealed that, in order to obtain confessions, some of the few being tried (only in military courts) have been tortured by waterboarding more than 100 times or intimidated with semiautomatic weapons, power drills or threats to sexually assault their mothers. Astoundingly, these facts cannot be used as a defense by the accused, because the government claims they occurred under the cover of “national security.” Most of the other prisoners have no prospect of ever being charged or tried either.
At a time when popular revolutions are sweeping the globe, the United States should be strengthening, not weakening, basic rules of law and principles of justice enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But instead of making the world safer, America’s violation of international human rights abets our enemies and alienates our friends.
As concerned citizens, we must persuade Washington to reverse course and regain moral leadership according to international human rights norms that we had officially adopted as our own and cherished throughout the years.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Yup, Jimmy Carter clearly supports terrorist! He put that "rule of law" thing in there. Terrible!!!
I'm glad to see that you quoting Jimmy Carter! Maybe there is hope for you yet!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
I'm glad to see that you quoting Jimmy Carter! Maybe there is hope for you yet!
I'll see if I can find a Dick Cheany op-ed. Something more in line with your foreign policy views of assassination, spreading democracy and protecting us from terrorists.
I'll see if I can find a Dick Cheany op-ed. Something more in line with your foreign policy views of spreading democracy and protecting us from terrorists.
IMO, Jimmy Carter has done more for the USA and for the World, than any other former US President.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Interesting you would like this considering you been praising the actions Jimmy Carter is against in this article
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
Interesting you would like this considering you been praising the actions Jimmy Carter is against in this article
Jimmy Carter is an Honest Man... a rare find in today's politics. I disagree with Carter's view on Abortion also... but I respect the man and I know that he is working for what he considers the best interest of our country.
Unlike you who seem to worship your candidate as if were an infallible GOD... I've disagreed with many of the policies of politicians that I've supported and voted into office.
Clinton should have pushed for Health Care Reform, but he was sidetracked in his first term after ALMOST making it happen. I disagree with Obama on some parts of his Health Care Reform and on his evolving stance on Gitmo.
Unfortunately if our choice is between the Mitt and Obama there is no choice for me. You, on the other hand are bound by your deity to worship at the Ron Paul Altar!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Is Carter kidding here????? Look who's calling the kettle black!! (relax..nothing racist here folks...just a saying) Carter was the WORST president ever!!! In 1979 a weak Jimmy Carter gave up the shah to the evil Iatola Komani who lead his barbaric reign of terror! And by the way mr. carter....we are still waiting for the ice age. And by the way mr. carter....we have been waiting for 40 years for our water supply and energy to be depleted!!! How did that rescue of our american solders turn out mr. carter?
the obama administration is almost a carbon copy of the carter administration!!!
All smoke and mirrors here folks!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
In 1979 a weak Jimmy Carter gave up the shah to the evil Iatola Komani who lead his barbaric reign of terror,”
It wasn't any business of the U.S. to get involved. How many Americans has Komani killed? The demonizing of Komani and Iran is because they are not part of the central banking system.
Don't believe the neo-con propaganda. Carter had a horrible big government domestic policy, but his anti war foreign policy wasn't too bad.
........and then of course there was good old Saddam................the u.s. government played chess with him too!!
Quoted Text
Don't tell anyone, but Saddam Hussein was funded, trained and put into power by the United States
Saturday, January 17, 2004 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
As this article discusses, when the U.S. captured Saddam Hussein, it essentially nailed an ex-employee. Saddam was on the U.S. payroll for nearly a decade. The CIA, in fact, put Saddam in power. This simple fact is never mentioned in the popular press, of course. Saddam must be portrayed as an evil demon, not as a person who was funded, trained and put into power by the United States of America. Original source: http://www.lewrockwell.com/ips/lobe37.html
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
If Ciero and Box can find common ground their really is hope!!! All kidding aside the two of you have the best discussions/arguments on this board. You both actually think and make valid points coming from completely different prospective's. Now end this BS love fest and back to the fighting
If Ciero and Box can find common ground their really is hope!!! All kidding aside the two of you have the best discussions/arguments on this board. You both actually think and make valid points coming from completely different prospective's. Now end this BS love fest and back to the fighting
A Better Rotterdam, I have been tasked with the near impossible endeavor of 'enlightening' poor Cicero. I know, I know, you say that no one can do that, but difficult as it is, and as reluctant as young 'grasshopper' is to learning anything... that is my quest.
As yet, I have failed to instill much of what he needs, and I should probably resign from this chore, but Cis, who seems almost immune to learning anything, does present a challenge, and who among us is more in need of enlighteningment... I think Confucis had Cicero in mind when he said: "He who learns but does not think, is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger."
So Better Rotterdam, any assistance you can lend to this gargantuan assignment, will be greatly appreciated.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
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