The United States and Human Rights

Author: Thomas C. Weiss
Published: 12th Dec 2014
Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A
Additional References: Discrimination and Abuse Publications

Summary: In the United States of America, the rule of law appears to only apply to those who are not wealthy and privileged.

Main Document

The protection of fundamental human rights was once a founding stone in the establishment of the United States. Since that time, a central goal of U.S. foreign policy has been the promotion of respect for human rights as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United States understands that the existence of human rights helps to secure peace, deter aggression, promote the rule of law, combat crime and corruption, strengthen democracies and prevent humanitarian crisis. Due to the fact that promoting human rights is an important national interest, the United States of America seeks to:

Hold governments accountable to their obligations under universal human rights norms and international human rights instruments.

The U.S. Government has failed in this regard by torturing people in, 'black,' sites around the world. The U.S. Government has violated its own citizens human rights on a regular basis, most notably by pursuing racial, gender, disability, class, and police policies which have found people in America itself suffering and dying. I hope the U.S. Government is proud of itself.

Promote greater respect for human rights, including freedom from torture, freedom of expression, press freedom, women's rights, children's rights and the protection of minorities.

Women in today's America remain underpaid, for example. The fact that they are is only one of the extremely grievous violations the U.S. Government has committed. Children in America, one of the wealthiest nations on Earth today, are living in poverty. Police officers are killing unarmed Black, Hispanic and Disabled Americans with little to no accountability.

Promote the rule of law, seek accountability, and change cultures of impunity.

In the United States of America, the rule of law appears to only apply to those who are not wealthy and privileged. There is no accountability where the actions of admitted war criminals are concerned. Efforts to change cultures of impunity are not taking place at anything resembling an acceptable pace.

Assist efforts to reform and strengthen the institutional capacity of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.

While harboring known war criminals, the United States of America cannot possibly pursue these goals. Instead, America places these war criminals in custom-made suits and parades them through media sources as if they have any credibility whatsoever.

The U.S. Government adores pointing fingers at other nations, all while pursuing support for known war criminals, killing unarmed Black, Hispanic and Disabled Americans. The U.S. regularly executes people; the state of Texas has executed 518 prisoners since the 1980's for example. There is no possibility that the United States can ever be taken seriously as long as these kinds of actions are taken by the U.S. Government.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United States of America

Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person." The U.S. Government has denied each of these to its own citizens, all while pointing fingers at other nations for human rights violations. When a young man with Down syndrome loved a movie so much that he wanted to remain and watch it again, refusing to leave, the police in America killed him; for example.

Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." The news this very day tells a story of a U.S. Government which, having been caught torturing prisoners, suddenly finds those in power declaring they somehow did not know what was occurring. Others in the U.S. Government refuse to prosecute admitted and known war criminals, despite their statements of support for human rights.

Article 6 states, "Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Article 9 states, "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile." Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone is entitled to 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."

When Black, Hispanic, Disabled and other citizens are killed by police without any kind of trial; when prisoners are held in Guantanamo Bay and tortured - when war criminals run free with taxpayer-supported suits and pensions, it is clear to the entire world that America is a massive human rights violator that must be brought to justice. The human rights violations by the U.S. Government keep piling up, but no one in the U.S. Government is being held accountable.

Article 12 states, "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor or reputation. Everyone has the right to protection of the law against such interference or attacks."

In regards to these rights, the U.S. Government is such a horrific offender it is difficult to know where to begin. The U.S. Government has violated the human rights of every single citizen of this nation through spying by the NSA. It has done the same through the TSA - people at airports may very well find a filthy-gloved TSA Agents molesting them at an airport. The U.S. Government, through the TSA, has molested everyone from Seniors to Veterans to People with Disabilities without regard.

Quite sadly, this is only the beginning of the human rights violations committed by various levels of the U.S. Government against its very own citizens. SWAT police teams regularly kick in people's doors - even the wrong doors, and kill people, family pets, destroy property, remove people's personal property through, 'civil forfeiture,' and worse. Meanwhile, the President somehow expects people to, 'put it behind us,' and simply ignore these incredible violations of human rights.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

Say the wrong thing in America and find yourself exiled, hunted, or thrown in prison. Edward Snowden is highly aware of this fact, as is a certain CIA operative who attempted to reveal the torture the CIA has been pursuing. The U.S. Government is so guilty of abusing Article 19 it amazes me that people in high office have not been thrown out and placed in front of a court of law.

Article 21 states, "Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives."

In the United States of America there is a 2-party system that continually bickers and obstructs attempts to run the nation. Instead of pursuing the interests of the people of this nation, the U.S. Government presents privileged candidates - not average citizens, for public office, leaving little choice for the voters of America. Both parties are guilty of pandering to large corporations and spend billions upon billions of dollars on war, all while leaving people with disabilities on SSI incomes of a few hundred dollars a month, for example.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection."

As mentioned, America's government has no issue with expecting people with severe forms of disabilities to survive on a few hundred dollars a month. It has no problem whatsoever denying the realities of systematic income inequality. The U.S. Government has no issue with costly health care, the creation of part-time jobs with no benefits in order to benefit corporations, taking money from retirees, or leaving children in America to live in poverty; none whatsoever, and all while government leaders parade around in designer clothing, eat lobster cocktails, and sip on fine beverages.

Article 28 states, "Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized."

Article 30 states, "Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein."

The U.S. Government is guilty of killing vast numbers of innocent people around the world through use of everything from cluster bombs to flying killing machines called, 'drones,' and shows no signs of a desire to stop. The government of this nation has fought and is fighting a war against its very own citizens. It is time to kick all of the rats off of the ship and confine them. If this takes International support it does.

People live in fear in America because of their very own government. I am one of them. My name is Thomas Weiss and I am a 40% rated disabled veteran. Both my father and my uncle served 2 tours in the Vietnam war. If this government is going to imprison, torture, or otherwise punish me for exercising my right to free speech so be it - I am old and disabled and attempts to do so would only further the case that this government is essentially a polite dictatorship.

The U.S. Government is harboring known, admitted war criminals, ones that run around in taxpayer purchased designer clothing and appear on national television. The, 'Department of Justice,' refuses to hold these war criminals accountable, pointing to such an incredible violation of human rights it is difficult to fathom. As the apologizers for these war criminals continue to pursue efforts to deny their responsibility, the rest of the world is watching.

What Are Human Rights? Video Presentations
www.humanrights.com/#/what-are-human-rights

United Nations Human Rights
www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx

Human Rights Campaign
www.hrc.org

Human Rights Watch
www.hrw.org

Post to Twitter Add to Facebook

Latest Discrimination and Abuse Publications
The above information is from our reference library of resources relating to Discrimination and Abuse that includes:
	Language in Sexual Offense Judgments Makes Victims Responsible Judgments are supposed to reflect objectivity of the courts, but when we use language we inevitably express some kind of idea or conception of the world. Publish Date: 19th Sep 2024
	Lack of Sexually Injuries Does Not Mean Rape Victim Is Making It Up A new study reveals the absence of sexually related injuries cannot be used in court to infer that rape victims are making it up. Publish Date: 8th Oct 2023
	Why Sexually Harassed People Might Not Come Forward Immediately or at All What would a reasonable person do? Exploring the gap between experienced and anticipated responses to sexual harassment. Publish Date: 10th Jun 2023
	Some LGBT Allies Don't Want Gay Neighbors Study explores stigmatizing behaviors expressed by avid supporters of sexual minorities in a survey 8.5% who said they were fully accepting of gay people did not want gay neighbors. Publish Date: 6th Mar 2023