"Sixty years ago, representatives from 16 nations gathered to begin deliberations on a new international bill of rights. The document they produced is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- and it stands as a landmark achievement in the history of human liberty. It opens by recognizing 'the inherent dignity' and the 'equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family' as 'the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.' And as we gather for this 62nd General Assembly, the standards of the Declaration must guide our work in this world.Got that? “When innocent people are trapped in a life of murder and fear, the Declaration is not being upheld.”
Achieving the promise of the Declaration requires confronting long-term threats; it also requires answering the immediate needs of today. The nations in this chamber have our differences, yet there are some areas where we can all agree. When innocent people are trapped in a life of murder and fear, the Declaration is not being upheld."
This was his only reference to Iraq:
"Brave citizens in Lebanon and Afghanistan and Iraq have made the choice for democracy -- yet the extremists have responded by targeting them for murder. This is not a show of strength -- it is evidence of fear. And the extremists are doing everything in their power to bring down these young democracies. The people of Lebanon and Afghanistan and Iraq have asked for our help. And every civilized nation has a responsibility to stand with them."The President also referred to some U.S. policies and programs regarding HIV/AIDS, hunger, malaria and other causes around the world that are generally accepted to be beneficial and he should be credited for his role in those programs.
But he also criticized the countries of Belarus, North Korea, Syria, Iran, Burma [Myanmar], Cuba, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Venezuela [he mentioned Caracas, the capital] for their abuse of human rights, tyranny, repression, etc.
He said that the government of Zimbabwe has forced "millions to flee their homeland" but he failed to mentioned the more than 2 million Iraqis who have had to leave their country because of the war we started. Kenneth Bacon president of Refugees International said that the "United States and its allies sparked the current chaos in Iraq, but they are doing little to ease the humanitarian crisis caused by the current exodus..."
Referring to Burma Bush stated that the "regime is holding more than 1,000 political prisoners -- including Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party was elected overwhelmingly by the Burmese people in 1990." He did not mention the abuses that took place at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad or the fact that app. 25,000 Iraqis are now being "detained" by U.S.-Iraqi forces, including 800 juveniles as young as 11. He also failed to mention that this week Iraq was cited in the Corruption Perceptions Index as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, along with Myanmar (Burma) and Somalia.
Schools, utilities, etc. in Baghdad, Fallujah and other parts of Iraq are barely functioning and the general quality of life is barely tolerable.
I could go on but you get the idea.
How can he, someone who was at least partially responsible for the chaos and humanitarian crisis in Iraq, accuse other countries of human rights abuses? Does he think that just because it isn't happening here in the U.S. but on the other side of the world that it doesn't count? That no one is paying attention?
Is this just another example of a Republican accusing others of what he himself is doing to draw attention away from his bad acts? If he accuses someone else of being against human rights it means that he must be as concerned about human rights as he claims to be? Or is he just pointing out that there are countries whose policies he thinks are worse than his policy in Iraq?
He also said in this address: "The truth is denied by terrorists and extremists who kill the innocent with the aim of imposing their hateful vision on humanity." Isn't he also denying the truth?
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