Monday, January 27, 2003

State of Human Rights Address QUOTE OF THE DAY "America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law; limits on the power of the state; respect for women; private property; free speech; equal justice; and religious tolerance." - - George W. Bush (From his 2002 State Of The Union Address) RHINO HERE: Even if it's true that Saddam has the terrible weapons & terrible intentions to use them, that shrub will once again tell us about Tuesday night in his state of the union address, & even if Saddam could ever get by the American & British fighter jets & radar etc. that have surrounded him for the last decade, to actually carry out his "evilness", the thing that troubles me & so many other people, is that the potential personal calamities that we're supposed to fear will result from this menace; meaning the tearing apart of innocent families, rape, torture, murder, etc., are & have been going on daily anyway in so many corners of the world. In spite of shrub & company's insistence that their intentions are benevolent, the U.S. government not only does little to fix these injustices, but our government, through many of its foreign policies, actually causes more injustice. In spite of the fact that this isn't news to anyone's who's been paying attention for a couple or three decades, the U.S. Government still blatantly teaches the arts of torture & whatnot to would-be (& have been) 3rd world abusers. Case in point: "The School Of The Americas". http://www.soaw.org/new/ This week, I'll focus Rhino's Blog on personal human rights abuses & the organizations working to combat them. In my opinion, the foremost human rights organization in the world is Amnesty International (A.I.). http://www.amnesty.org http://www.amnestyusa.org As I understand it, A.I. is careful to never take a position on any country's decision to resort to military force. Instead, their policy is to encourage all governments to only use force as a last resort, and if force is used, to minimize the consequent suffering of civilians. A.I. is currently faced with the dilemma of hearing the issues of human rights, even their own work, being used in the geopolitical arguments to justify an attack on Iraq. A.I. knows about human rights & has been scrapping for human rights, one prisoner & one country at at time for decades. How to respond in behalf of those whose human rights will be trampled by the proposed invasion? THE BOTTOM LINE today is a statement made by William F. Schulz, the Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, on the eve of the 2003 State Of The Union Address. It is an eloquent & passionate statement about what American values are supposed to be about. It speaks to U.S. policies effecting racism, torture, the railroading of justice, the bulldozing of civil rights & appeasing tyrants. It's a worthwhile read all the way to the bottom line. After reading Schulz's address, I urge you to spend time exploring the A.I. web sites. There's a wealth of information on human rights situations & actions you can take in countries like: IRAQ http://web.amnesty.org/web/content.nsf/pages/gbr_iraq http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/iraq/ COLUMBIA http://web.amnesty.org/web/content.nsf/pages/gbr_colombia RUSSIA http://www.amnesty.org/russia/ http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/2003/russianfederation01232003_2.html OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY YOU'RE INTERESTED IN: http://web.amnesty.org/web/content.nsf/pages/gbrcountry+page I also urge you to join me as a member of Amnesty International. Dues are reasonable and the organization makes it easy for you to write letters in unison with thousands of like minded people that actually make a difference. Since the first time I met someone who'd been released from some dungeon because thousands of letters from A.I. members landed on his captors' desk, I've been a member. TO JOIN &/OR MAKE A DONATION, GO TO: https://ssl.ctsg.com/amnestyusa/donations/index.asp?ms=H3&cde=A TO JOIN AMNESTY'S LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGNS, GO TO: http://web.amnesty.org/web/wwa.nsf http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=2223 Rhino's Blog Feedback: Dear Rhino, ...Good job! Two things inspired me and I want to pass it on. Could not the the amphibious assault ship that is planned to rise out of the pieces of the WTC become the vessel in which Rupert Fikes' SUVs full of medicine are loaded into? Thus, it would become a Love Boat of the highest definition. I think there would be a lot of support for the idea. Love, Janet " amphibious assault ship that is planned to rise out of the pieces of the WTC" http://www.makethemaccountable.com/wein/030115_NYSixteenMonthsAfter.htm "Rupert Fikes' SUVs full of medicine are loaded into? Thus, it would become a Love Boat of the highest definition." http://radio.weblogs.com/0103207/ 8:47:04 AM    comment

Stand Up for Freedom, Security and Human Rights NEWS RELEASE - January 25, 2003 Statement by William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA (Washington, DC) -- We have heard it time and again: "The world changed on September 11th." And indeed it did. Americans became more fearful. Our government became more repressive. But one thing did not change: the importance of upholding the fundamental values on which our nation was founded. In fact, September 11th lead us to cherish these American values more than ever. Freedom of speech. Respect for human dignity. Freedom of religion. Justice for all. Tolerance. As former President Jimmy Carter put it so wisely: "We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles." Our nation's borders must be protected. The life and liberty of Americans must be defended. But tragically our government, in pursuit of national security, has cast aside some of the values we hold dear. Ironically, it was President Bush who put those principles so well in his State of the Union address one year ago, "America will always stand firm," he said, "for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law; limits on the power of the state; respect for women; private property; free speech; equal justice; and religious tolerance." Mr. President, those words ring hollow today. Amnesty International stands today in the shadow of the White House, just days before a new State of the Union address, to tell George Bush that his actions in the name of national security run roughshod over American values... READ THE ENTIRE STATEMENT AT: http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/2003/usa01252003.html "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. 8:20:48 AM    comment

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