A bill offered by Minnesota Republicans would have the state condemn the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The bill’s language comes directly from ParentalRights.org, a subsidiary of the Home School Legal Defense Association, which is also responsible for Generation Joshua, a program that enlists Christian children to campaign for Republican candidates.

SF63/HF402 “condemns the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child” and “urges the United States Senate to reject its ratification.”

The U.S. and Somalia are the only countries that have not ratified the treaty which was first drafted in 1989. Two Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, helped draft the treaty, and they were successful in getting portions of the U.S. Constitution included, according to Amnesty International.

A total of 193 countries have ratified the treaty, more than an other international treaty to date. The treaty encompasses several aspects of human rights: “the right to survival, to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life” as well as the principles of “non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child.”

If passed into law, SF63/HF402 — introduced by Republican Sens. Mike Jungbauer of East Bethel and David Brown of Becker, and Reps. Sondra Erickson of Princeton and Pam Myhra of Burnsville — would direct Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to send the resolution condemning the act to all members of the U.S. Senate, President Obama and leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill contains a hodgepodge of conservative critiques, including the concerns of the Tenthers; as with all treaties, Congress would have jurisdiction under the child rights treaty, not the states.

“The Congress of the United States would acquire primary jurisdiction to legislate to meet our nation’s legal obligation to comply with the treaty if ratified, thereby shifting from Minnesota and her sister states to the Congress of the United States powers not formerly delegated which are currently reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the bill reads.

The bill also expresses concerns about provisions in the treaty that call on governments to protect the welfare of children living in poverty; such actions would would expand government.

“[The treaty] requires a level of socialized spending programs for the supposed needs of children (which in too many cases simply employ more government workers) that would bankrupt any American state,” reads the bill.

The bill also gives a nod to the sovereignty movement.

The bill states, “[T]his represents a wholesale abandonment of the ultimate sovereignty of the United States on matters within the scope of the treaty; and this abandonment violates the core principle of our self-government: to wit, only American legislatures and the people themselves have the moral authority to make law for America.”

The bill was not authored by Minnesota Republicans, but was produced by the Home School Legal Defense Association. HSLDA and ParentalRights.org share the same resources including employees, and among their main concerns with the bill is that it could prevent parents from spanking their children. The treaty “bans all corporal punishment, including reasonable spanking by parents,” the bill states.

HSLDA’s concerns have prompted the group to get more involved in the political process, a move that spawned its Generation Joshua program.

“Generation Joshua wants America to be a perpetual city on a hill, a beacon of biblical hope to the world around us,” the group’s mission statement states. “We seek to inspire every one of our members with faith in God and a hope of what America can become as we equip Christian citizens and leaders to impact our nation for Christ and for His glory.”

Generation Joshua members are homeschooled Christian youth ages 11 to 19 and have been active in Minnesota, particularly in Minnesota 6th Congressional District, where the bill’s author, Sen. Jungbauer, resides.

Jungbauer is also carrying another bill written by the HSLDA. It’s a resolution calling on Congress to create a Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Sen. Sean Nienow of Cambridge is also an author of the Senate version and Republican Reps. Glenn Gruenhagen of Glencoe, Peggy Scott of Andover and Ron Shimanski of Silver Lake have introduce the House version.

Rep. Keith Ellison. Photo: WDCpix

Rep. Keith Ellison has been vocal in recent weeks about the plight of the people of Iran, many of whom are taking to the streets demanding increased freedoms under a totalitarian government. In December, Ellison introduced a bill imposing stricter sanctions on Iran, and now he’s urging Minnesotans to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran.

“This crackdown in Iran is not only in violation of Iran’s international obligations but also a violation of Iran’s own Constitution,” Ellison told the Minnesota Independent. “The United States should demonstrate strong support for the universal human rights to which all Iranians are entitled by working with the international community to continue to press for accountability for Iran’s human rights abuses.”

To that end, Ellison has introduced the Stand with the Iranian People Act (SWIPA). An important part of that bill would prohibit the United States from contracting with businesses that provide censorship or surveillance tools to the Iranian government.

With massive protests captured on YouTube and organized through Twitter, access to communications is critical, the Minneapolis Democrat said.

In an email to his colleagues in the House, Ellison said the bill “targets human rights abusers within the Iranian government and eliminates US government funding for companies that supply Iran with cyber spying and internet censorship technology.”

Ellison told MnIndy that standing with the Iranian people is crucial as they demand rights. “To me it’s a continued human rights issue, a civil rights issue,” he said. “The protests are going to transform their government. And it’s a struggle that’s fraught with danger.”

The Unites States has imposed sanctions on Iran. Ellison’s bill would allow nongovernmental organizations from the United States to provide support for the people while maintaining strong sanctions against the regime and the Revolutionary Guard.

“The Revolutionary Guard is responsible for a great deal of pain and suffering. They have executed gays, for instance. They have executed anyone who speaks out.”

And Ellison says Americans — and Minnesotans — need to speak out as well.

“The regime needs to know the American people are against them.”

To get the word out, Ellison says, “Support SWIPA, hold teach-ins, write about the protests on blogs. Show solidarity with the people of Iran.”

As Iranians marked the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, protests met with massive state crackdowns. Ellison said he stands with those protesters.

“We are witnessing a brave struggle by the Iranian people to demand their basic rights,” he said. “I stand in solidarity with the people of Iran who are demanding their right to freedom of expression, assembly, and conscience.”

Authored by Sen. Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, the bill’s cosponsors include Republicans Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins.

Also signed on to the bill: Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Sen Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

Here’s the full text of the bill:

Calling on members of the Parliament in Uganda to reject the proposed ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill’, and for other purposes.

Whereas a bill introduced on October 14, 2009, by a member of Parliament in Uganda would expand penalties for homosexuality to include the death penalty and requires citizens to report information about homosexuality to the police or face imprisonment;

Whereas many countries criminalize homosexuality, and in some countries, such as Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, the penalty for homosexuality includes the death penalty;

Whereas the United States, in seeking to promote the core American principles of equality and `Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,’ has long championed the universality of human rights;

Whereas religious leaders in the United States, along with representatives from the Vatican and the Anglican Church, have stated that laws criminalizing homosexuality are unjust; and

Whereas the people and Government of the United States recognize that such laws undermine our commitment to combating HIV/AIDS globally through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) by stigmatizing and criminalizing vulnerable communities: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate–

(1) calls on members of the Parliament in Uganda to reject the `Anti-Homosexuality Bill’ recently proposed in that country;

(2) urges the governments of all countries to reject and repeal similar criminalization laws; and

(3) encourages the Secretary of State to closely monitor human rights abuses that occur because of sexual orientation and to encourage the repeal or reform of laws such as the proposed `Anti-Homosexuality Bill’ in Uganda that permit such abuses.

Source: Wikipedia

Democratic U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, and James Oberstar sent a letter urging President Obama late last week urging him to use diplomatic pressure to resolve the blockade affecting Gaza. Spearheaded by Ellison and Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., the letter acknowledges the difficult position facing Israel and notes that the blockade is strengthening Hamas. Fifty members of Congress, as well as a number of religious groups and denominations, have signed on to Ellison’s letter.

“The unabated suffering of Gazan civilians highlights the urgency of reaching a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and we ask you to press for immediate relief for the citizens of Gaza as an urgent component of your broader Middle East peace efforts,” the letter urges. “The current blockade has severely impeded the ability of aid agencies to do their work to relieve suffering.”

Among the groups supporting the letter: J Street, The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF), The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), The American Near East Refugee Association (ANERA), The Methodist Church, The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), and Rabbis for Human Rights.

“We also sympathize deeply with the people of southern Israel who have suffered from abhorrent rocket and mortar attacks,” the letter states. “We recognize that the Israeli government has imposed restrictions on Gaza out of a legitimate and keenly felt fear of continued terrorist action by Hamas and other militant groups. This concern must be addressed without resulting in the de facto collective punishment of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip. Truly, fulfilling the needs of civilians in Israel and Gaza are mutually reinforcing goals.”

The full letter:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

Thank you for your ongoing work to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for your commitment of $300 million in U.S. aid to rebuild the Gaza Strip. We write to you with great concern about the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

The people of Gaza have suffered enormously since the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt following Hamas’ coup, and particularly following Operation Cast Lead. We also sympathize deeply with the people of southern Israel who have suffered from abhorrent rocket and mortar attacks. We recognize that the Israeli government has imposed restrictions on Gaza out of a legitimate and keenly felt fear of continued terrorist action by Hamas and other militant groups. This concern must be addressed without resulting in the de facto collective punishment of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip. Truly, fulfilling the needs of civilians in Israel and Gaza are mutually reinforcing goals.

The unabated suffering of Gazan civilians highlights the urgency of reaching a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and we ask you to press for immediate relief for the citizens of Gaza as an urgent component of your broader Middle East peace efforts. The current blockade has severely impeded the ability of aid agencies to do their work to relieve suffering, and we ask that you advocate for immediate improvements for Gaza in the following areas:

* Movement of people, especially students, the ill, aid workers, journalists, and those with family concerns, into and out of Gaza;

* Access to clean water, including water infrastructure materials,

* Access to plentiful and varied food and agricultural materials;

* Access to medicine and health care products and suppliers;

* Access to sanitation supplies, including sanitation infrastructure materials;

* Access to construction materials for repairs and rebuilding;

* Access to fuel;

* Access to spare parts;

* Prompt passage into and out of Gaza for commercial and agricultural goods; and

* Publication and review of the list of items prohibited to the people of Gaza.

Winter is arriving and the needs of the people grow ever more pressing. For example, the ban on building materials is preventing the reconstruction of thousands of innocent families’ damaged homes. There is also a concern that unrepaired sewage treatment plants will overflow and damage surrounding property and water resources.

Despite ad hoc easing of the blockade, there has been no significant improvement in the quantity and scope of goods allowed into Gaza. Both the number of trucks entering Gaza per month and the number of days the crossings have been open have declined since March. This crisis has devastated livelihoods, entrenched a poverty rate of over 70%, increased dependence on erratic international aid, allowed the deterioration of public infrastructure, and led to the marked decline of the accessibility of essential services.

The humanitarian and political consequences of a continued near-blockade would be disastrous. Easing the blockade on Gaza will not only improve the conditions on the ground for Gaza’s civilian population, but will also undermine the tunnel economy which has strengthened Hamas. Under current conditions, our aid remains little more than an unrealized pledge. Most importantly, lifting these restrictions will give civilians in Gaza a tangible sense that diplomacy can be an effective tool for bettering their conditions.

Your Administration’s overarching Middle East peace efforts will benefit Israel, the Palestinians, and the entire region. The people of Gaza, along with all the peoples of the region, must see that the United States is dedicated to addressing the legitimate security needs of the State of Israel and to ensuring that the legitimate needs of the Palestinian population are met.

Sincerely,

Members of Congress

Arizona
Raul Grijalva

California
Lois Capps
Sam Farr
Bob Filner
Barbara Lee
Loretta Sanchez
Pete Stark
Michael Honda
Lynn Woolsey
Jackie Speier
Diane Watson
George Miller

Connecticut
Jim Himes

Indiana
Andre Carson

Iowa
Bruce Braley

Kentucky
John Yarmuth

Maryland
Elijah Cummings
Donna Edwards

Massachusetts
Michael Capuano
William Delahunt
Jim McGovern
John Tierney
John Olver
Stephen Lynch

Michigan
John Conyers
John Dingell
Carolyn Kilpatrick

Minnesota
Keith Ellison
Betty McCollum
James Oberstar

New Jersey
Donald Payne
Rush Holt
Bill Pascrell

New York
Yvette Clarke
Maurice Hinchey
Paul Tonko
Eric Massa

North Carolina
David Price

Ohio
Mary Jo Kilroy
Marcy Kaptur

Oregon
Earl Blumenauer
Peter DeFazio

Pennsylvania
Chaka Fattah
Joe Sestak

Vermont
Peter Welch

Virginia
Jim Moran

Washington
Jim McDermott
Adam Smith
Jay Inslee
Brian Baird

West Virginia
Nick Rahall

Wisconsin
Tammy Baldwin
Gwen Moore

Virginia
Glenn Nye

The measure has close ties to “The Family,” a powerful network of evangelical leaders and politicians who have been active in Uganda. Separation of church and state is largely non-existent in the west African country.

Uganda’s bill can be viewed here (pdf).

The resolution was offered by council members Scott Benson, Cam Gordon, Elizabeth Glidden, Diane Hofstede, Ralph Remington, Betsy Hodges, Sandy Colvin Roy and Paul Ostrow. Minneapolis is a sister city of Kampala, Uganda.

Full text of the resolution:

Amending the Policy Initiatives section of the Fiscal Year 2010 Federal Agenda for the City of Minneapolis by inserting a section entitled “Human Rights Restrictions in Uganda.”
Whereas, the Uganda Legislature is considering a law that would strengthen penalties against the promotion of homosexuality, and

Whereas, Bill Number 18, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 targets lesbian, gay and transgender Ugandans, their advocates and defenders and anyone who fails to report them to the authorities; and
Whereas, the legislation would criminalize such activities as funding LGBT organizations, publishing or broadcasting or marketing materials on homosexuality; and
Whereas, a person guilty of promoting homosexuality could be subject to a fine or imprisonment;
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by The City Council of The City of Minneapolis:

That the Policy Initiatives section of the Fiscal Year 2010 Federal Agenda for the City of Minneapolis be further amended by inserting a section entitled “Human Rights Restrictions in Uganda” stating as follows:
The Uganda Legislature is considering a law that would strengthen penalties against the promotion of homosexuality. Bill Number 18, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 targets lesbian, gay and transgender Ugandans, their advocates and defenders and anyone who fails to report them to the authorities. The legislation would criminalize such activities as funding LGBT organizations, publishing or broadcasting or marketing materials on homosexuality. A person guilty of promoting homosexuality could be subject to a fine or imprisonment. The City of Minneapolis opposes this legislation.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates of child marriage; in some African countries, 76 percent of girls are married by the time they turn 18. In parts of West Africa, girls are married as young as age 7.

Child marriage is implicated in higher maternal mortality, lower educational attainment, higher rates of HIV infection and much higher rates of spousal abuse.

“Millions of girls are robbed of the opportunity to learn, be free, choose their own husband, and contribute fully to the future of their family and community because of this harmful, traditional practice,” McCollum said in a press release Wednesday. “By prioritizing and valuing girls in the developing world, the U.S. sends a signal to countries like Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Yemen that the practice of allowing 10, 11, or 12 year olds to be married to much older men is a human rights violation.”

Watch a video on the Human Rights Torch Relay after the jump.

The widening controversy over an Edina-based munitions firm extends from the suburbs of Minneapolis to the capital of Canada to battlefields of Lebanon and Iraq.

ATK, formerly known as Alliant Technology Systems, won unwelcome headlines following its January acquisition of two divisions of the Canadian defense firm MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates. As Minnesota Monitor reported Monday, ATK’s purchase prompted the resignation of two MDA engineers, one of whom charged that ATK munitions “kill civilians and soldiers indiscriminately.”  ATK subsequently responded that it only supplies treaty-compliant weapon systems to NATO and allied countries, subject to U.S. government approval.

At the heart of the controversy is an ATK-manufactured bomblet known as the M85. Packed in missiles and dropped on military targets, the M85 bomblets wreak destruction over a much wider territory than conventional munitions. And because some portion of the missiles’ multi-cluster bomb payload fails to detonate on impact, they can go on causing civilian casualties after combat is over.

“Indiscriminate weapons,” like conventional “dumb” land mines and cluster munitions, have been banned by 156 countries, including Canada — though not the United States — under the terms of the 1999 anti-land-mine treaty known as the Ottawa Convention. In response, manufacturers have sought to preserve the market for such devices by equipping them with de-activation capabilities. The latest version of the M85, which was developed by an Israeli firm and licensed to ATK, is equipped with a Self-Destruct Fuse (SDF) that combines a highly sensitive trigger with a safety mechanism preventing it from being manually armed. The SDF-equipped M85 was used by British forces in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and by the Israeli military during the 2006 war against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Hezbollah itself has been accused of war crimes by Human Rights Watch for firing Katyusha rockets into northern Israel during the Lebanon War. But while the Katyusha was developed in post-World War II Soviet Russia, the SDF-equipped M85 was designed to be a more humanitarian munition.

ATK states the SDF-equipped M85 has a proven failure rate of less than 1 percent, which would preclude it from being considered an “indiscriminate weapon.” But opponents argue that those figures come from controlled testing and that the intricacies of actual ground warfare dramatically increase the failure rate.

Chris Clark, UN program manager for the Mine Action Program in southern Lebanon, reported to the International Committee of the Red Cross that in a survey of the 144,049 individual submunitions identified as of April 2007 in Lebanon, 6 percent were M85s — both with the self-destruct mechanism and without.

“Whilst several military users maintain that the M85 with self-destruct mechanism has a failure rate of less than 1 percent, the evidence on the ground in South Lebanon clearly shows that this weapon has a reality failure rate of between 5 and 10 percent,” Clark reported. “It is common to find at least 3 unexploded submunition grenades from individual carrier shells equating to a 6 percent failure rate, whilst the M85 without self-destruct mechanism is common to be found with a 15 percent failure rate on the ground. Regardless of the actual failure rate figure for this weapon it is most definitely higher than the less than 1 percent figure doggedly quoted by military users and manufacturer/designers.”

A second study conducted in 2007 by a British bomb disposal expert and Norwegian defense analysts found that while the M-85 was “designed with care,” the report concluded, “it still has a substantial failure rate in actual combat.”

In a report released just this past Sunday, Human Rights Watch charged that a wide variety of submunitions left by Israeli Defense Forces in Lebanon, the majority of them not equipped with SDF mechanisms,  “have killed and maimed almost 200 people since the war ended.”

Despite the evidence that SDF-equipped M85 munitions have a failure rate much higher than the purported fraction of a percent, they are currently used by coalition forces in Iraq.

ATK has not responded to Minnesota Monitor inquiries at the time of publication.

Read part 1 here

The document’s 30 articles take your breath away — because they’re so basic and yet, globally and here in the U.S., still so far from being universal. Here’s how it begins (Article 5 is a doozy):

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with  reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

 

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration,without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political  or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional  or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it  be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

 

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

 

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be  prohibited in all their forms.

 

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or  punishment.

Read it all.