The United Nations: Not All Human Rights Are Universal

I came across this in The Coloradoan, an opinion piece by Michael Dalrymple about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from the UN in general and Article 25 in particular:

It says in paragraph one: "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."

The only proper response to that statement is: "No, they don't!"

There is a big difference between having a thing by right and receiving a gift.

Having a right to something means a person is entitled to have that thing simply by virtue of existing, without having to do anything to justify it except perhaps verifying his identity.

If I have to buy something from someone, whether it is a service or a commodity, in order to obtain it, it is not mine by right, at least until after I have paid for it.

The things I have by right generally fall into three categories:

• Those that I produce myself by my own labor.
• Those which I have obtained from others by the free exchange of value for value.
• Those which I have if I am simply left alone by others who might seek to control me, i.e., life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

No one can have a right to require someone else to provide him with something.

Read the whole thing.

Mr. Dalrymple makes no reference to the Middle East, and I have no idea what is opinions are on the subject, but the kind of mindset that he identifies in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights--and by extension, within the UN itself and the majority of its member states--is active on the world stage.

This mindset will be on display at Darfur II, which is expected to once again be an orgy of Israel demonization.

It is seen every year on November 29 during the UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, when the UN actively delegitimizes a country she herself recognized and welcomed into the UN while celebrating the 20th century fabrication of a Palestinian people and of their rights to a land that throughout history has never been their own.

It is the mindset that creates a special UN agency for descendants of Palestinian refugees, while all other refugees are under the aegis of a single entity--and not surprisingly, Palestinian refugees are alone in remaining refugees--for over 50 years.

It is seen in UN Resolution 3236 which

recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to regain its rights by all means in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations [emphasis added]

and whose ambiguity has left the door open for terrorists to use the UN to defend their actions.

It is the mindset that recognizes the rights of all parties in the Middle East, except for Israel--who, when she reacts to defend her citizens from rocket attacks from Hamas and Hizbollah, is told that her actions are disproportionate and punish innocent civilians.

Finally, it is the mindset that puts the rights of Israel beneath those who seek to destroy it, a mindset that has no compunction about putting Israel's rights and interests second to terrorists.

It is time for the UN to apply their much vaunted Universal Declaration of Human Rights to Israel

Technorati Tag: Israel and UN and Palestinians.