Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Bush's speech to the UN

I'm impressed by the unmitigated gall of the man to not recognize the import of what he said today in his speech at the United Nations. Heck, for a long while I couldn't get past the way he started the third paragraph. . .

The United Nations and my country share the deepest commitments. Both the American Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaim the equal value and dignity of every human life.
Bells rang in my head, and rather than read further I went to seek out all those sections of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the policies of the Bush Administration have violated. Oh, here's just a few. . .

Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
Yup, the Patriot Act and Abu Ghraib and the Iraqi invasion and Gitmo. . . all violations of these principles. And, of course, this is just a taste.

Did his people even read the documant before they inserted this reference at the very beginning of his speech, or are they truly so blinded by their neocon urges that they don't even see how ludicrous Bush's statement is?