US faces criticism in British government human rights report

[maddezmom]

LONDON (AFP) - The United States faced rare criticism over human rights from close ally Britain, with an official British government report taking Washington to task over concerns about Iraq (news - web sites) and the Guantanamo Bay jail.


The differences were limited, and all had been raised previously with US officials, but it remains nonetheless embarrassing for Washington to be lined up alongside repressive nations such as North Korea (news - web sites) and Zimbabwe in the report.


Formally unveiling the report in London, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw stressed that countries had to respond to the greatest human rights threat of modern times, terrorism.


"States cannot protect human rights without fighting the threat from terrorism," he said in a speech, while stressing that nations "must never stoop to the level of the terrorist".

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1511&ncid=1511&e=6&u=/afp/20041110/wl_afp/britain_us_rights_041110181810

[cal04]

1. Falluja a humanitarian crisis, aid workers say

(such moral people it makes me want to throw up)


Fighting in Falluja has created a humanitarian disaster in which innocent people are dying because medical help cannot reach them, aid workers in Iraq said on Wednesday.

In one case, a pregnant woman and her child died in a refugee camp west of the city after the mother unexpectedly aborted and no doctors were on hand, Firdoos al-Ubadi, an official from the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, told Reuters.

In another case, a young boy died from a snake bite that would normally have been easily treatable, she said.

"From a humanitarian point of view it's a disaster, there's no other way to describe it. And if we don't do something about it soon, it's going to spread to other cities," she said.

About 10,000 U.S. soldiers and 2,000 Iraqi troops are fighting to wrest control of Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad, back from insurgents.At least 2,200 families have fled Falluja in recent days and are struggling to survive without enough water, food or medicine in nearby towns and villages, she said.Some families have fled as far as Tikrit, about 150 km (95 miles) north of Falluja.

But the biggest concern is people in and around Falluja itself -- they can't be reached because U.S. and Iraqi forces have set up a wide cordon around the city to prevent anyone from entering and any insurgents from fleeing. It is unclear how many civilians are left in Falluja, but the U.S. military estimates 150,000, or half the entire population, have fled the city since they began shaping up for an offensive in October.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BAK053516.htm

(more of their morals)
Lawyer who wrote memos authorizing prisoner torture slated to succeed Ashcroft

[maddezmom]

6. bodies lay on the streets as dogs hovering around them

Bodies lay on the streets of Fallujah's Jumhuriya neighborhood, with dogs hovering around them, witnesses said. Residents said they were running out of food in a city that had its electricity cut two days ago.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=1&u=/ap/20041110/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_developments

[bif]

2. Well then, that's the last time we let you invade another country with us

The nerve of you!

[VegasWolf]

3. Exactly! We'll let them know when they can talk! n/t

[Inland]

4. Well, as soon as Gozales is confirmed as AG, he can explain

why the president of the US is above the law.

[Inland]

5. Well, as soon as Gozales is confirmed as AG, he can explain

why the president of the US is above the law.

[deek]

7. only one vote? Needs ratings!! eom

.

[maddezmom]

8. Its current average rating is 5.00 with 6 vote(s).

:(

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. At least it's a perfect rating (n/t)

[Rex]

10. Yes, the Brits telling people about terrorism - to funny

I think Britannia is jealous because 'Merica(tm) is living it's glory days as an empire.

[struggle4progress]

11. kick

:kick: