Posted on 05/16/2008 9:48:05 AM PDT by Migraine
GENEVA (Reuters) - 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.
"The special rapporteur will...gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," a U.N. statement said on Friday.
His three-week visit, at U.S. government invitation, will cover eight cities -- Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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.
Diene, a Senegalese lawyer who has served in the independent post since 2002, will report his findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council next year.
However, the United Nations has almost no clout when it comes to U.S. domestic affairs and is widely perceived by many as interfering. The United States is not among the 47 member states of the Geneva-based forum, but has observer status.
In a report last year he said Islamophobia had grown worldwide since the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States, carried out by al-Qaeda militants.
DEATH PENALTY
A U.N. panel which examined the U.S. record on racial discrimination last March urged the United States to halt racial profiling of Americans of Arab, Muslim and South Asian descent and to ensure immigrants and non-nationals are not mistreated.
It also said America should impose a moratorium on the death penalty and stop sentencing young offenders to life in prison until it can root out racial bias from its justice system.
Racial minorities were more likely than whites to be sentenced to death or to life without parole as juveniles, according to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It monitors compliance with an international treaty which Washington ratified in 1994.
U.S. officials told the body, made up of 18 independent experts, that they were combating hate crimes such as displays of hangman's nooses and police brutality against minorities.
Some 800 racially motivated incidents against people perceived to be Arab, Muslim, Sikh or South Asian had been investigated since the September 11 attacks, they said at the time.
Substantial progress had been made over the years in addressing disparities in housing, education, employment and health care, according to a U.S. report submitted to the talks.
I guess the Zimbabwe, Rawanda, Sudan and Iran spots were already taken.
I presume he’s here also to investigate “affirmative action” preferences, set-asides, quotas and other acts of governmental and corporate racism?
Oh my. We will be in deep Doudou for certain.
I guess there is no racism anywhere else on the planet.....
I sure do miss Jean Kirkpatrick.
His three-week visit, at U.S. government invitation
There are idiots everywhere I turn anymore.
What an outrage-—That the US would permit this pretentious, self-important delegation into the country and that the UN would even dare to suggest that we allow them in.
I dare say every delegate in the group comes from a nation with a greater race problem than the US.
Having said that....Obama clearly has a race problem, Hillary seems to have a race problem, but most the rest of America does not.
Why wait? The report has already been written.
With tens of thousands of innocents killed by Islamics in their quest to conquer the globe to date this year alone I can see why the UN decided to tackle the very critical problem of racism in the US.
“Maybe America will finally make progress against all the hatred and demonization towards white Christian males.”
Bullseye.
White-Christian-Male. And make no mistake, ALL THREE of these demographic criteria are required for full demonization.
More like the UN is coming to see why everyone isn’t voting for St. Barry. ‘Cause, you know, if you don’t vote for BHMO that’s proof that you’re a racist.
she will propose a small 5% “anti-racism” tax so she can do a better job.
Senegal - Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1%
I wonder what he is, and the types of discrimination he is really looking for...
What a joke! Get rid of the entire U.N. already! Get rid of all political correctness already!
Don’t hold your breath!If blacks vote en masse for B.HUSSEIN Obama,that’s NOT RACISM!!If whites(on the other hand)don’t vote B.HUSSEIN Obama,now that’s REAL RACISM!!!!!!!!!!
Not quite a bullseye. You forgot heterosexual-gun owning-white-christian-males.
MEGA DITTOS to that.I would have voted for her(POTUS)in a HEARTBEAT!!Unlike our DemonRat Opponents,my vote would have had NOTHING to do with her”plumbing”(or skin-color)!!!!!!!!!!
To the UN racism is a crime, and crime is for black people.
“Not quite a bullseye. You forgot heterosexual-gun owning-white-christian-males.”
Touche’.
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