A Cruel and Unusual Record

The United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights.

(ATLANTA) - Revelations that top officials are targeting people to be assassinated abroad, including American citizens, are only the most recent, disturbing proof of how far our nation's violation of human rights has extended. This development began after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and has been sanctioned and escalated by bipartisan executive and legislative actions, without dissent from the general public. As a result, our country can no longer speak with moral authority on these critical issues.

While the country has made mistakes in the past, the widespread abuse of human rights over the last decade has been a dramatic change from the past. With leadership from the United States, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 as "the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." This was a bold and clear commitment that power would no longer serve as a cover to oppress or injure people, and it established equal rights of all people to life, liberty, security of person, equal protection of the law and freedom from torture, arbitrary detention or forced exile.

The declaration has been invoked by human rights activists and the international community to replace most of the world's dictatorships with democracies and to promote the rule of law in domestic and global affairs. It is disturbing that, instead of strengthening these principles, our government's counterterrorism policies are now clearly violating at least 10 of the declaration's 30 articles, including the prohibition against "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

This article by Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, was published by the New York Times Continue reading the report at this link.

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Anonymous August 16, 2012 6:33 am (Pacific time)

Carter was more than just a failure, he put our country in very grave danger. Historians, even the mush-brained ones on the clueless left realize how lucky it was Reagan came along. Now with Obama, it is worse. How anyone can support him is beyond belief. What is his record? Why has not the democratic-controlled Senate, as required by law, not provided a budget, which will be 4 years? Those of you misguided fools who hate conservatives, have no clue on what has made America great. Now I see all this sniping coming from outside the country, they have no impact on our laws/mores, except maybe to reinforce you dullards out there who live off the patriots. Obama, like Carter, has no record of continuity of success that you can point to, and I imagine those of you who support these creeps, also have unfullfilled lives.

Editor: Carter is a Christian man who wanted the right things for his nation.

Anonymous August 10, 2012 3:17 pm (Pacific time)

Editor, you obviously cannot point out to anything Carter did that demonstrated why he deserved to have a second term, much less was qualified to be in the Whitehouse to begin with.

Editor: President Carter outed Israel's illegal nuclear program to the world, that alone is a recent development. I was growing up during these years, I do admit that I judge Jimmy Carter for the person he has been in recent years. I have watched the TV clip that ruined his presidency, he told Americans they were living too lavishly, not grounded and not performing their real duty to the world. Well that didn't work but that is because Americans are so conceited that they don't want to be told when they are out of line, unless, just like in the Muslim world, the budding warmongers invoke 'God' constantly the way Bush did/ I hate what Bush did to my people and to the people of the Middle east so badly there are no words for it. You right wing blow hards are just part of the problem.

Ditto for Obama, for he, if re-elected, will light the fuse for WWIII.

Editor: Nobody ever angered the world the way Bush did, all people who supported the Iraq war are wrong, every inch of it was a dirty stinking mistake that the right wing and fundamentalist religious zealot freaks pushed forward with their hate and false interpretation of Christianity. Bush was EVIL and so was his whole team, Obama is a rotten president who works for corporate America, Romney is totally unimportant and his attempt to run for president is comical and sad. The Mormons as it turns out, have a history of racism in the church like you would not believe, although some like this person probably love that part.

Israel will attack Iran moments after Obama wins, and President Romney would not allow that to happen.

Editor: Romney and Netahyahu are old friends from college and their first jobs were for the same firm, you know absolutely nothing!

Rest assured when Romney was in Israel he made it clear that Iran was not to be attacked.

Editor: Actually he did just the opposite.

Pray that Obama resigns asap. Even Biden would be better in terms of future peace. Obama is a loose cannon, or rather the Jewish warmongers that are on his staff. Just think! Who controls the media, Hollywood, Wall Street...they want Iran taken out! We conservatives know what war is, and want to avoid it. Why do you think the majority of veterans and active duty are conservatives? Look up the major polls to verify.

Editor: We are not against any religion, only the actions of governments. Israel in this case.

Anonymous August 10, 2012 9:21 am (Pacific time)

Regarding this statement: "Editor: Carter is the most decent president in modern time." Could you PLEASE provide some info, like what he did during his time in office, to get this assessment by you. Thanks. FYI, during this time period I still had children in school, and was working very long hours establishing my business. My interaction with others in similar circumstances, well we certainly were not appreciating the leadership coming out of DC. Was the editor old enough to vote then? I simply am dumbfounded by those who did not live in this time period who were engaged in the labor force, who actually think Carter was worth any type of accolade. He was really very bad for America in all aspects from our economy, our national security, and he caused extreme heartbreak for our Olympic athletes. Maybe some people, during current times, appreciate his housing activities, but until Obama, he was the worst president we ever had, now he is the second worse. Just look at the data. Anyway, maybe I and millions of others are wrong, so you have a positive total for Carter in the +/- list of accomplishments? Doubtful. The middle east may be a top priority for many of you, but for us to help others around the world, we need to have our house in order. Carter, and now Obama, are causing some severe problems for us. Though it may not be just them, but in concert with their staff, just the same Carter lost for good reasons, and Obama represents a clear and present danger to our country. Just sit down and add up the facts, don't allow your emotions to dictate your analysis. We need real leadership, what you are seeing now is carnival hype, and the prize is your very life, and just how has Obama done in the past as a community organizer? Look at the murder rate, school drop out rate, illigitimate birthrate, poverty rate, etc., from the Chicago community he helped. What has he ever done? He has lied to you, shame on him...you vote for him again, shame on you. Peace.

Editor: President Carter is honest, he calls things what they are, his candor is refreshing.

Anonymous August 9, 2012 6:43 am (Pacific time)

Carter at DNC sends wrong message to nervous Jewish Democrats. It is almost as if President Obama is daring American Jews to vote against him. His acrimonious attitude toward the Jewish state, coupled with his refusal to articulate the obvious fact that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish state, was bad enough. But then former president Jimmy Carter, the personification of anti-Israel sentiment on the left, is invited to speak, albeit by video, at the Democratic National Convention. It is mind boggling that no one stopped this and that the president’s team, which is micromanaging the convention, does not after 3 ½ y ears “get it.” Matt Brooks: “The fact that the DNC would offer a prime time speaking slot to Jimmy Carter highlights just how out of touch and tone deaf they are. Giving a platform to someone who has been openly hostile to Israel and equated the country to the South African apartheid regime is offensive. At a time when the Obama campaign is launching a charm offensive to the American Jewish community this message will resonate loud and clear with American Jews as to why it’s time for a change in 2012.” The offense is so obvious that usually staunch Democrats are speaking out. The National Democratic Jewish Council (NJDC) issued a stern rebuke. The Anti- Defamation League (ADL) did as well: “He is flawed, he’s got an obsession with Israel, a biased obsession that borders on anti-Semitism,” said [the ADL’s Abe] Foxman. “So that’s not somebody I think should grace the podium of a national convention.” When it comes to Israel and the Middle East, President Carter has unfortunately embarrassed himself — as his analysis and commentary has been stubbornly wrong, harmful to the peace process, and getting worse all the time,” said Harris. “I’m confident that he won’t be speaking to the Party about Middle East policy.”

Editor: Israel is a war crime state armed with hundreds of illegal nuclear weapons. It is about saving the people of this world, not religion.

Anonymous August 8, 2012 9:40 am (Pacific time)

I find it a bit strange that Carter would be invited, as his presence will undoubtedly remind people who lived through the Carter years what a mess he left the country in when he was voted out of office after one term. In a lot of ways his tenure and style are similar to Obama's...he came to office largely perceived as an amiable and reasonable statesman, but when his policies didn't work he became increasingly bitter, mean and intransigent.
Skyrocketing gas prices, toxic high unemployment, economy in the crapper, citizens getting slaughtered daily on the streets of Chicago, Iranians on the war path and an idiot in the White House! Let's party like it's 1980 all over again...

Editor: Carter is the most decent president in modern time.

Amandablack August 6, 2012 10:43 pm (Pacific time)

The whole System went to pot during the Bush era, along with the Cheney New World Order.

Josh Akers August 6, 2012 9:39 pm (Pacific time)

I knew the whole system went down when Obama got a peace prize...

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