http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/us-fails-to-quash-new-un-rights-body/2006/03/16/1142098600503.html
Now, I am sure it has long been no secret how I feel about the joke called the United Nations. Like any committee with no power, all they do is squabble about things nobody else listens to them on. Even when they discuss important issues, as long as it is them, NOBODY CARES.
The U.N. proved woefully ineffective in dealing with Iraq, a country whose military presence in the last two wars was about as effective as a three year old with a pop gun. When the U.S. and a few allies unilaterally went to "take care of the situation" the U.N. made like a 3 year old, throwing fits and threatening and trying to get its way...and proved as effective as they did against Iraq...or as they are proving to be in African country after African country after African country.
Yet the media continues to treat as important their squabbling over yet another pointless, powerless committee, founded on a good idea they cannot even agree on what their principles are. Do we need to work on human rights? Kind of a rhetorical question. Do we know what constitutes a "human rights violation"? Lets randomly assign a number of nations that exist in the world...say, 300. Well, we have about 400 definitions of what is a human rights violation in those governing bodies.
Still, Mr. Figurehead with No Power...err, Annan said it best: Though the new body was not everything that Mr Annan wanted, he welcomed its establishment, but cautioned: "The true test of the council's credibility will be the use that member states make of it."
By show of hands, does anybody believe going in there is any credibility in it even before it begins?
Oh, and for the record...ignore the headlines, read the articles about WHY the U.S. opposes it. Oddly, particularly in todays climate, it is because they are standing for what they believe is right.