US sides with Iran and N. Korea in record UN vote over the death penalty

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Telegraph

US sides with Iran and N. Korea in record UN vote over the death penalty

A record 110 countries on Monday backed a resolution voted every two years at a UN General Assembly committee calling for the abolition of the death penalty.

4:33AM GMT 20 Nov 2012

The vote tears apart traditional alliances at the United Nations. The United States, Japan, China, Iran, India, North Korea, Syria and Zimbabwe were among 39 countries to oppose the non-binding resolution in the assembly's rights committee. Thirty-six countries abstained.

Israel voted against its strong US-ally to join European Union nations, Australia, Brazil and South Africa among major countries backing the motion.

Norway, which played a leading role campaigning for the resolution, said on its Twitter account that the increased support was a "great result".

At the last vote in 2010, 107 countries backed the resolution.

France's new Socialist government has launched a campaign with other abolitionist states to get the full General Assembly to pass a resolution in December calling for a death penalty moratorium. Though such a resolution would be non-binding, diplomats say it would increase moral pressure.


Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9689545/US-sides-with-Iran-and-N.-Korea-in-record-UN-vote-over-the-death-penalty.html

[AnOhioan]

1. Makes ya proud to be an American...oh...wait.

[Bigmack]

7. Boy did you beat me to THIS post! Thanks nt

[GermanSmoker]

2. I'm against the death penalty.

And this vote shows the true nature of the USA. At least of the parts that support the death penalty.

[Socal31]

10. The "true nature" of the USA is a mix of who-knows-what.

When we have such a mix of backgrounds and cultures, it is hard to broad-brush us as a country.

In states where the electoral votes go pretty much automatically to the "liberal" candidate, you have decriminalized/legalized MJ. You have some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. However, you also have propositions voting for the death penalty and against gay marrriage.....and this is just California.

Abortion is legal here and outlawed in parts of Europe.


When someone is dumb enough to start a sentence with "Americans all...", I believe it is as dumb as someone starting a sentence with "Europeans all..". You just know they have no idea as to the difference between cultures in Naples and Milan, let alone Zurich and Niece.

[Ash_F]

3. Says something profound. /nt

[lastlib]

4. I bet we're proud to be in that company...

[adirondacker]

5. "You're either with us or against us" er... wait a minute, now I'm confused. n/t

[Nihil]

13. "States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil ..."

"... arming to threaten the peace of the world."



It's a wonder that The Onion doesn't go out of business ...

[defacto7]

6. Could someone please alleviate my stupidity,

Who actually decides how the US votes at the UN?

I would really like to know specifically who sent that vote down. Congress? POTUS? Who actually decides for all of us?

[CoboWowbo]

8. I think

it comes from the U.S. State Department. I'm not 100% positive though.

[happyslug]

9. The ambassador to the UN is a Presidential Appointment

i,e, made by the President and approved by the US Senate. All rules and how votes are to go is made by the President or left up to the Ambassador, who serves at the pleasure of the President (i.e. the President can fire him or her at any time for any reason or no reason). Thus no ambassador is going to do anything he or she thinks the President of the US does NOT support even if given no instructions.

[Fearless]

11. Boooo big government... except when it comes to legislating life, death, and women.

Oh teh stoopid, it burns!!

[davidpdx]

12. I don't like the US being on the same side as Iran and North Korea

even more than I am against the death penalty.

[lunatica]

14. Sometimes letting go of the troglodite roots is mighty hard

The US is one such country. Why? I have no idea. We're probably one of the youngest countries on the planet and yet we hang on to some things as if we existed in the Dark Ages and still hold nostalgic memories of those good old days.