Stephen Views the News 5/31/08

* The company we keep – Sixty years ago the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, governments in scores of countries still torture and mistreat their people according to Amnesty International, the world watchdog for human rights violations. I found their recent report disturbing on two levels: acts of inhumanity around the world continue unabated; appearing with the countries of China, Myanmar, Sudan and Zimbabwe for human rights violations is the United States for its use of torture at Guantanamo (and secret detention centers in many parts of the world). Who could imagine in the year 2000 the moral degradation that would take place under the realm of George W. Bush? Who could imagine the complicity of the large number of Americans required for this fall from grace to occur? Where is the outrage from the popular voice who claim they care about this country and its values? Have we pathetically transitioned to believe that the measure of patriotism is wearing a flag pin on one’s lapel? Is this another inconvenient truth?

* The ignobility of going back on your word – A civilized society functions within a framework of rules. Political parties are no different. To whine about rules one agreed to in the event that those rules do not serve ones self-interest is disingenuous and casts doubts upon ones ability to lead. All of which brings to mind Hillary Clinton. Prior to the primary season Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates by the Democratic National Committee because they moved up their primaries in violation of party rules. Only 4 states were sanctioned to hold their primaries in January and neither Florida nor Michigan was among them. Florida lost 210 pledged delegates and 28 superdelegates, and Michigan lost 156 pledged delegates and 25 superdelegates. Obama and Clinton agreed to this decision as well as not to campaign in these states. Obama was not even on the Michigan primary ballot. Florida and Michigan still conducted their primaries and Clinton won both of these states. Having previously agreed that these two states would not count, she now says these votes should count because every vote matters. That was not the case 7 months ago when Hillary Clinton felt she was assured the presidential nomination and the rules had gravitas.