The Last Straw

The Washington Times comments on the Obama Administration's report to the UN regarding human rights issues in the US.

Move over Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria. The State Department has made it official: The United States violates human rights. In an unprecedented move, the Obama administration submitted a report to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights detailing the progress and problems in dealing with human rights issues in this country. The document is a strange combination of left-wing history and White House talking points.

It describes how the United States discriminates against the disabled, homosexuals, women, Native Americans, blacks, Hispanics and those who don't speak English. There is the expected pandering to Muslims, noting that the government is committed to "challenge misperceptions and discriminatory stereotypes, to prevent acts of vandalism and to combat hate crimes," offenses that the American people evidently keep committing. And the current economic woes are blamed on the housing crisis, which itself was the result of "discriminatory lending practices." The implication is that if Americans had only been less racist, they would be enjoying prosperity today.

The report notes that until recently, the U.S. engaged in torture, unlawfully detained terrorist suspects and illegally spied on Americans communicating with terrorists - but the report assures readers that Mr. Obama has been putting a stop to all that.