Amendment
I would like to amend my rhetoric a bit regarding my post on the Supreme Court's decision on the death penalty, in which I wrote that now we can at least claim to be 'slightly' better than countries like Iran and Syria in human rights.
Well, that was a bit of flourish that was a bit misleading. As a dedicated member of Amnesty International, I believe very strongly in these things. There are two issues at stake:
a) for people who are innocent, and being abused, tortured and intimidated, around the world, often for their political or religious beliefs, it is necessary to put pressure on governments in countries like Zimbabwe, Thailand, and so many others, as well as to offer asylum to people who may otherwise be hurt or killed for their beliefs. Also, for the unjustly accused rotting away in prisons for crimes they did not commit, if we claim to have the moral high ground we must stand up against all forms of abuse.
This means that the US, as well as other European and Western countries, should set an example. IN this sense, it is good that America is now going to not execute children and retarded people, which means that hopefully the US can finally sign on to the International Declaration on the Rights of the Child.
b) For people who are guilty, surely it achieves nothing except to drag us down to their level if we stoop to abusing prisoners. Again, if we want to be an example to the world, we have to start at home, and treat even guilty criminals as human beings even as we incarcerate them.
America is not Iran, China, or Zimbabwe. Even though some of our thousand-plus year legal traditions based on innocent until proven guilty, the right to representation and due process, the illegality of holding a suspect without charging him with a crime, and the checks and balances requiring the judiciary, not politicians, to have the final say in such detentions, are being chipped away, we in America and Britain still have the right to free speech, free press, and in theory at least, free assembly. People in America and Britain may be occasionally hassled for their beliefs, but let's face it, people are not being 'disappeared' in their thousands, as happened in South America in the 80's. It's important to keep that in perspective. Still , we must cling doggedly to our human rights to make sure that that never happens and that we maintain the checks and balances which have, for the most part, prevented America from veering into imperialism and totalitarianism.
Over and matt.
Well, that was a bit of flourish that was a bit misleading. As a dedicated member of Amnesty International, I believe very strongly in these things. There are two issues at stake:
a) for people who are innocent, and being abused, tortured and intimidated, around the world, often for their political or religious beliefs, it is necessary to put pressure on governments in countries like Zimbabwe, Thailand, and so many others, as well as to offer asylum to people who may otherwise be hurt or killed for their beliefs. Also, for the unjustly accused rotting away in prisons for crimes they did not commit, if we claim to have the moral high ground we must stand up against all forms of abuse.
This means that the US, as well as other European and Western countries, should set an example. IN this sense, it is good that America is now going to not execute children and retarded people, which means that hopefully the US can finally sign on to the International Declaration on the Rights of the Child.
b) For people who are guilty, surely it achieves nothing except to drag us down to their level if we stoop to abusing prisoners. Again, if we want to be an example to the world, we have to start at home, and treat even guilty criminals as human beings even as we incarcerate them.
America is not Iran, China, or Zimbabwe. Even though some of our thousand-plus year legal traditions based on innocent until proven guilty, the right to representation and due process, the illegality of holding a suspect without charging him with a crime, and the checks and balances requiring the judiciary, not politicians, to have the final say in such detentions, are being chipped away, we in America and Britain still have the right to free speech, free press, and in theory at least, free assembly. People in America and Britain may be occasionally hassled for their beliefs, but let's face it, people are not being 'disappeared' in their thousands, as happened in South America in the 80's. It's important to keep that in perspective. Still , we must cling doggedly to our human rights to make sure that that never happens and that we maintain the checks and balances which have, for the most part, prevented America from veering into imperialism and totalitarianism.
Over and matt.
posted by Matthew at 11:41 AM
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