General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUN Committee Issues Scathing Report U.S. Government's Human Rights Record
* the U.S. targeted killing program;
* the lack of progress in the closure of Guantánamo, urging the U.S. to expedite the process of transferring detainees out of the prison, including to Yemen, and reiterating its position that the U.S. must end its practice of indefinite detention without charge or trial;
* the secrecy and lack of accountability around Bush-era abuses, including the limited number of investigations, prosecutions and convictions of contractors and high ranking U.S. officials for killings and torture of detainees;
* the imposition of the death penalty in a racially discriminatory manner and the conditions on death row;
* reports of criminalization of people living on the street for everyday activities such as eating, sleeping, and sitting in particular areas, raising concerns of discrimination and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment;
* the use of prolonged solitary confinement, particularly for at-risk people and those in pretrial detention, urging the abolition of solitary for people under 18 and for people with serious mental illness, and strict limitations on its use, overall; and
* the targeting of Muslims by the NYPD, and racial profiling overall (while underlining its support for recent plans to reform the use of stop and frisk).
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)What is it with you people?
Haters gotta hate, I guess.
Regards,
TWM
Solly Mack
(90,758 posts)So much so my sense of humor (and I can find humor in most anything) goes out the window and down the street - where it is run over by a steamroller.
But I take your point.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)This place is getting to me, sorry.
Solly Mack
(90,758 posts)I'm the one in a less than pleasant mood right now.
I apologize. I, too, employ the use of sarcasm. (most of the time)
Catherina
(35,568 posts)MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)I'd intended to.
SwankyXomb
(2,030 posts)there are too many people that don't recognize the difference between RealManny and ThirdWayManny, and assume he's just like those other Professional Posters of Nonsense.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)By Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) and Robert Greenwald - March 27, 2014
Three years ago last week, a U.S. drone strike hit the small town of Datta Khel in Pakistan. Local business owners and leaders were in the midst of a two-day tribal council meeting, called to address a dispute regarding a chromite mine in the area. Local authorities had been notified about the meeting, which is a traditional forum employed to resolve community conflicts. As the second day of the meeting commenced, missiles fell from the sky, ripping into the gathered crowd. Shrapnel and rock ruptured outward from the blasts. A new video on the Datta Khel strike from Brave New Films speaks to the havoc wrought by the attack. Though estimates of casualties and injuries vary, a United Nations report released this month states that more than 40 people died in the Datta Khel strike. Another 14 were wounded. The impact of the attack was substantial a large number of tribal elders were reportedly killed and wounded - and it devastated Datta Khel, as well as the surrounding communities. Pakistani officials strongly condemned the attack, calling it a violation of human rights.
The precise number of civilian casualties, again, varies depending on the source. The Bureau for Investigative Journalism has positively identified some civilian deaths. The U.N. report states that the overwhelming majority of those killed or injured in the Datta Khel strike were reportedly civilians. Despite media coverage and human rights investigations that covered the Datta Khel strike, the American government has not acknowledged that the strike occurred, or provided any other details on the incident. As such, it remains incredibly difficult to confirm numbers, identities, and other details of the victims of the Datta Khel strike or any other U.S. drone attacks.
...
But this week, the U.S. government did the opposite of that. In fact, it said that it wont participate in U.N. Human Rights Council negotiations regarding a resolution that seeks greater transparency and accountability in drone strikes. The draft resolution urges States to maintain transparent records on drone strikes, and reportedly encourages independent investigations in incidents where human rights violations have occurred such as civilian casualties of drone strikes. The resolution will come up for a vote this week, and the U.S. is not expected to support it. That is a mistake.
Its time for our government to shed some light on its drone practices. Transparency, as uncomfortable as it may sometimes be, is an essential part of our democracy. Americans need the facts the who, what, when, where, and [most importantly] why in order to decide if the benefits of these strikes outweigh the negatives. And for the people in other countries, whose lives are so profoundly impacted by Americas drone activities, people like Rafiq ur Rehman and the individuals in Datta Khel, they deserve some closure too.
...
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/homeland-security/201863-come-clean-on-deadly-drone-activities
DU rec
ProSense
(116,464 posts)...the UN "defended" the Iraq invasion by failing to call out Bush's illegal war. (Yes, that's absurd.)
Still, some important thing happened recently with respect to Guantanamo and reforming the NSA.
Uruguay agrees to U.S. request to take some Guantanamo inmates
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024698737
The political importance of a terrorist conviction
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024734324
ACLU: President Announces Reforms to Rein in NSA Spying on Americans
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024737421
On the death penalty and treatment of the poor, many states have a long way to go.
Last year, Maryland became the 18th state to abolish the death penalty.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/us-usa-maryland-deathpenalty-idUSBRE9410TQ20130502
G_j
(40,366 posts)are you attempting to sell?
JackRiddler
(24,979 posts)It's not like there's any other ammo left to defend U.S. foreign policy under the present administration.
SunsetDreams
(8,571 posts)a better price?
Good one.
I have found little in these threads that have merited a laugh,
but yours did it.
G_j
(40,366 posts)seriously though, today some people have pissed me off more than any other day in the last decade here at DU.
Most of them were not even here when we were desperately trying to stop shock and awe before it happened.
mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)Single speed, 40 gal/mi. It has a steering wheel, but it's been welded in place so the car goes in only one direction. To further reduce cost, the gas pedal has been replaced with a button that is always on, guaranteeing the car continues to go in its proscribed direction until it is turned off. The ignition switch is hotwired and a cage buit around it so it's impossible to turn off the car. All user-adjustable settings have, in fact, been removed, so the vehicle takes no input.
G_j
(40,366 posts)for consistantly standing up against torture and human rights abuses.
Solly Mack
(90,758 posts)I don't expect much to come from the report. I've been waiting for the release and now it's been released.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)Because some us still care about this shit.
WHEN CRABS ROAR
(3,813 posts)How many here has read it?
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)All in the name of freedom and democracy? G0d bless america ...and fuck everyone else.
mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)They're a bunch of haters
bvar22
(39,909 posts)In order for us to FIX these problems,
they must first be recognized.
Autumn
(44,982 posts)a very sad rec from me.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Thanks Solly Mack.