A special U.N. human rights investigator will visit the United States this month to probe racism, an issue that has forced its way into the race to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
The United Nations said Doudou Diene would meet federal and local officials, as well as lawmakers and judicial authorities during the May 19-June 6 visit.
Reporter Stephanie Nebehay goes on to write that,
Race has become a central issue in the U.S. election cycle because Sen. Barack Obama, the frontrunner in the battle for the Democratic nomination battle, stands to become the country's first African American president.
His campaign has increased turnout among black voters but has also turned off some white voters in a country with a history of slavery and racial segregation.
Well, really! Of course the Reuters 'reporter' somehow managed to miss the fact that the United States is one of the few countries that actively fights racism, and is one of the very, very few in which minorities have achieved progress. And Ms. Nebehay might have done some research and realized that there are actually race violence in much of the world- like in Europe, while the US does not experience much of that at all. The UN might ask whites in Africa how well they are treated by black majorities there, as well as asking how well non-Arabs are treated in the Middle East. But that of course would require some actual context and analysis. Too much to ask of Reuters, apparently.
Like so many stories regarding the UN, this one simply highlights the colossal waste of time and money the UN has become. And Reuters is wasting newsprint by even printing it. Until the UN actually focuses its efforts on countries that have real race problems, forgive me if I fail to take them seriously as a force for good in the battle against racism.
2 comments:
errata -
"Or how about Dr. William Hatfill"
His name is Steve, not William.
Thanks for the correction. I have fixed it- don't know what I was thinking.
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