U.N. rogues gallery: Human rights farce

May 19, 2009 
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Original Source: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_625692.html http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_625692.html#

It's official. The United States is now a bona fide member of the United Nations' Circus of Self-Serving World Critics, more commonly known as its Human Rights Council.
The price for this privilege will be America's lost credibility by association with a collection of the world's worst human rights offenders.
That embarrassment already has begun: Of the three countries up for the same number of seats for the council's Western European and Others group, the U.S. garnered the least U.N. General Assembly votes behind Norway and Belgium, according to Reuters. Slap!
The 47-member council -- with such outstanding human-rights defenders as China, Cuba and Russia -- has become its own good fellas club. The capos protect their own blood-stained turf while hurling missives, predominantly at Israel.
The problem is, there's absolutely nothing to stop reprobate nations from joining or retaining membership -- even those under U.N. Security Council sanctions for rights abuses. So, how will U.S. membership make a whit of difference working from within?
Unless the council's rules are reformed -- which isn't likely -- council membership for the United States is akin to joining a rogues gallery.