The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In recognition of the fact that it was sixty years ago today that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted at the U.N., I'm posting this beautiful YouTube video produced by Amnesty International. It's crucial that we consider on this (and every) day that millions of people's human rights are violated routinely, causing horrendous and unnecessary suffering around the world. I would also suggest, however, that we should also be considering the following:

1. Is it not a human rights violation that African-Americans in the United States still cannot expect to exercise the rights they are guaranteed as U.S. citizens by the U.S. Constitution?

2. Is it not a human rights violation that women and women's work is devalued in every nation of the world despite the invaluable -- and widely recognized -- social, cultural, and economic contributions we make to those nations daily?

3. Is it not a human rights violation whenever an individual consumer -- anywhere in the world -- purchases a product made under conditions that violated the human rights of the worker who produced it?

4. Is it not a human rights violation that the public education system in the U.S. is two-tiered, ensuring that the children of middle and upper class families will have an entirely different experience of education than poor children?

5. Is it not a human rights violation that some people in the world have food while others do not, some people in the world have drinkable water while others do not, and some people in the world have access to medical care while others do not...even in the U.S.?

6. Is it not a human rights violation of all U.S. citizens that George Bush (the second) took office as President twice without ever being elected as such?