Thursday, October 29, 2009

There Must Be As Many UN Special Rapporteurs As Obama Has Czars

With predictable results.
(Actually, there are more rapporteurs than czars, but we'll get back to that later)
If you thought the US had tzuris from the UN about its drones, you ain't heard nothin' yet.

From The New York Post:
Looks like the notorious UN Human Rights Council has taken a break from its constant bashing of Israel and is focusing on (ready for this?) housing violations in US cities, including New York.

You didn't know that "adequate housing" (whether you pay for it or not) was a universal human birthright?

Neither did we.

Nonetheless, the panel sent its "special rapporteur on adequate housing," Raquel Rolnik, on a whirlwind tour to sniff out these "violations" -- not to say, crimes -- against humanity.

It's nice to prioritize.
Well, at least the US was not Rolnik's first stop:

Actually, since 2000, the UN has had a housing investigator looking into shortages in such obvious places as Cambodia, Kenya and Iran. (Notably, the first place visited was the Palestinian territories.)

But this is its first foray into US territory -- and it remains to be seen whether she'll call for Donald Trump and other landlords to be hauled before the International Criminal Court.

It's just difficult to wrap one's brain around something like this, when you would think there are so many other far more pressing problems in the world.

After all, the problem here does have an easy solution--at least in New York:

On the other hand, there is a perfect site for new "affordable housing": that patch of land along the East River that's been wasted for 60 years on the UN.
After all, the UN should do its part.

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By the way, there are an awful lot of Special Rapporteurs--46 in all:

Thematic mandates
  • Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living (2000-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (1990-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the right to education (1998-)
  • Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (1982-)
  • Independent Expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty (1998-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the right to food (2000-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (1993-)
  • Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief (1986-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (2002-)
  • Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defenders (2000-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers (1994-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people (2001-)
  • Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons (2004-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants (1999-)
  • Independent Expert on minority issues (2005-)
  • Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance (1993-)
  • Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity (2005-
  • Independent expert on the effects of economic reform policies and foreign debt on the full enjoyment of human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights (2000-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism (2005-)
  • Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (1995-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights (1995-)
  • Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children (2004-)
  • Special Representative of the SG on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (2005-)
  • * Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences (1994-)
Country mandates
  • Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus (2004-2007)
  • Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Burundi (2004-)
  • Special Representative of the Secretary-General for human rights in Cambodia (1993-)
  • Personal Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Cuba (2002-2007)
  • Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (2004-)
  • Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2004-)
  • Independent Expert appointed by the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Haiti (1995-)
  • Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Liberia (2003-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (1992-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 (1993-)
  • Independent Expert appointed by the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Somalia (1993-)
  • Special Rapporteur on the situation on human rights in the Sudan (2005-)
  • Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Uzbekistan (2005-)

African Union

African Union Special Rapporteurs of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights:
  • Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial, Arbitrary, Summary and Arbitrary Executions
  • Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression in Africa
  • Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
  • Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention in Africa
  • Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa
  • Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa
Organization of American States

Organization of American States Special Rapporteurs under the aegis of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights:
  • Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression
  • Special Rapporteur on Migrant Workers and their Families
  • Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women
And in case you are curious, here is a list of Obama's 32 czars as of August--From Glenn Beck
NOTE: positions that also existed under previous administrations are indicated with an *.
1. Afghanistan Czar - Richard Holbrooke
2. AIDS Czar * - Jeffrey Crowley
3. Auto Recovery Czar - Ed Montgomery
4. Border Czar * - Alan Bersin
5. California Water Czar - David J. Hayes
6. Car Czar - Ron Bloom
7. Central Region Czar - Dennis Ross
8. Climate Czar - Todd Stern
9. Domestic Violence Czar - Lynn Rosenthal
10. Drug Czar * - Gil Kerlikowske
11. Economic Czar * - Paul Volcker
12. Energy and Environment Czar - Carol Browner
13. Faith-Based Czar * - Joshua DuBois
14. Government Performance Czar - Jeffrey Zients
15. Great Lakes Czar - Cameron Davis
16. Green Jobs Czar - Van Jones
17. Guantanamo Closure Czar - Daniel Fried
18. Health Czar * - Nancy-Ann DeParle
19. Information Czar - Vivek Kundra
20. Intelligence Czar * - Dennis Blair
21. Mideast Peace Czar - George Mitchell
22. Pay Czar - Kenneth R. Feinberg
23. Regulatory Czar - Cass R. Sunstein *
24. Science Czar - John Holdren
25. Stimulus Accountability Czar - Earl Devaney
26. Sudan Czar - J. Scott Gration
27. TARP Czar - Herb Allison
28. Technology Czar - Aneesh Chopra
29. Terrorism Czar - John Brennan
30. Urban Affairs Czar - Adolfo Carrion Jr.
31. Weapons Czar - Ashton Carter
32. WMD Policy Czar - Gary Samore

Is it only coincidence that both the UN and Obama are about equal in accomplishments?
After all, both the UN and Obama have won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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