America's Human Rights Records?

Far and away, America's human rights record is the world's worst. No other nation approaches its unprincipled history. Earlier crimes against humanity were largely internal

and regional. Twentieth century ones went global. New

millennium ones elevated atrocities and other human rights abuses to an unprecedented level. It keeps rising. America is guilty of virtually every crime imaginable and then some.Former dovish US diplomat, advisor, and father of Soviet containment George Kennan explained what reflects America's post-WWII foreign and domestic policy. His February 1948 "Memo PPS23" said:"(W)e have 50% of the world's wealth but only 6.3% of its population. (It makes us) the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships (to let us) maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national society.""To do so we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and daydreaming; and our

attention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives.We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world benefaction....""We should dispense with the aspiration to 'be liked' or to be regarded as the repository of a high-minded international altruism.""We should (stop talking about) unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization.""The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are hampered by idealistic slogans (ideas and practices), the better."Ravaging one nation after another followed. America today wages multiple direct and proxy wars. US military bases infest the world. CIA elements operate everywhere. US special forces perform various military related services globally.

Wherever they show up, they're killers, not protectors.Domestically, America is more battleground than homeland. FBI, CIA, NSA, FEMA,Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, and other federal agencies work jointly with state and local authorities against the interests of most US residents.

Anyone can be arrested, charged, prosecuted, and imprisoned for any reason or none at all. By presidential diktat, any US citizen at home or abroad can be murdered. Others can be arrested and detained indefinitely uncharged in military prisons. Innocence is no defense. State terrorism is policy at home and abroad. That's how police states operate. Freedom, human rights, and other democratic values are non-starters. Supporting what's right is hazardous. Challenging Washington's right to dominate globally risks persecution or death. America is unfit and unsafe to live in. For the past 13 years, China's State Council Information Office published comprehensive reports on US human rights. Its most recent is titled "The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2011." It said America's State Department publishes annual human rights reports for over 190 countries. It turns a blind eye to its own appalling record. China explains what Washington and supportive media suppress. Its latest May 2012 report reveals America's "true human rights situation….and urges the United States to confront its own actions." Six topics are covered:

(1) life, property and personal security;

(2) civil and political rights;

(3) economic, social and cultural rights;

(4) racial discrimination;

(5) women's and children's rights; and

(6) human rights violations abroad.

China's report reveals "a small yet illustrative fraction of the United States' dismal record on its own human rights situation." America's "tarnished human rights record has left it in no state - whether on a moral, political or legal basis - to act as the world's human rights justice, to place itself above other countries and release the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices year after year (that) accuse and blame other countries." At the same time, it absolves itself through silence, duplicity, and/or bald-faced lies. According to the State Department: "The protection of fundamental human rights was a foundation stone in the establishment of the United States over 200 years ago." "Since then, a central goal of U.S. foreign policy has been the promotion of respect for human rights, as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." "The United States understands that the existence of human rights helps secure the peace, deter aggression, promote the rule of law, combat crime and corruption, strengthen democracies, and prevent humanitarian crises." China's report advised Washington to clean up its own act at home, stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, and "cease using double standards on human rights" to advance its own imperial agenda.

Beijing accused Washington of "severe" human and civil rights violations. At the same time, it claims Americans live in the "land of the free." Why then were around 1,000 peaceful Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested in the early weeks of their campaign? Police brutality was brutal and unconscionable. It continues to reflect despotism, not democracy. America furthers "international disorder." It tramples on the rights of global citizens and its own. It operates the world's largest domestic gulag. It's also one of the most repressive. Press freedom is a figure of speech. Dominant media sources produce propaganda and other forms of managed news and information. Truth is a scarce commodity. Constitutional freedoms are denied. Money power runs America. Predatory capitalism benefits at the expense of most others. Congress is infested with millionaires. Complicit with corporate crooks, they harm ordinary people and wage war on humanity. America's 1% benefits at the expense of most others. Social America is eroding en-route to disappearing altogether. Resisters face harsh crackdowns. Poverty is at record levels. So is homelessness, hunger, and overall deprivation. Racism is institutionalized. Basic needs go unmet. Praying to the wrong God is called terrorism. 

Numerous other human rights abuses reveal a nation unfit to live in. America's human rights record is appalling. Political prisoners fill its gulag. Dissent is criminalized. Police state laws target resisters. Torture is official policy. So is permanent war on the world. Peace, stability and security are four-letter words. Elections are farcical. Duopoly power controls them. Ordinary people have no say. State Department charges against other nations are mostly uncorroborated. China uses data from the US Justice Department (DOJ), FBI, other US agencies, state ones, think tanks, as well as domestic and international media. They reveal a far different America than Washington or scoundrel media reflect. Dark truths are exposed to the light of day. They're in plain sight for anyone to see. On October 19, RIA Novosti headlined "US Takes Flak Over Human Rights Record," saying: Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced America's human rights record. It cited "maltreatment of children, breach of privacy, police brutality, secret jails and freedom of expression issues." Russia's lower house State Duma got the report. On October 22, it'll hold hearings onhuman rights. A "Duma source privy to the document" told RIA Novosti that "hundreds of thousands of children in the United States are mistreated…."In 2010 alone, around 1,600 deaths resulted. Special attention was given to how adopted Russian children are treated. Citing US NGOs, Russia's Foreign Ministry said "about one police officer in 100 has been involved in criminal abuses, including sexual harassment, indecent behavior or molest." America has the largest domestic gulag. Numerous secret prisons operate abroad. Internal spying is out-of-control. Privacy is routinely violated. Last December, another Russian report criticized America's human rights record. On December 28, Russia Today (rt.com) headlined "US violating human rights at home and abroad: Russian report," saying: Russia's Foreign Ministry discussed numerous US domestic and foreign human rights abuses. On the pretext of fighting terrorism alone, fundamental rights are denied. "The situation in the United States….is far from the ideals proclaimed in Washington," the report said. "The incumbent administration continues to apply most of the methods of controlling society and interfering in the private lives of the American people that were adopted….under George Bush on the pretext of combating terror." Russia also condemned "the ex territorial application of US legislation (that) seriously harms Russian-US relations." "It leads to violations of the basic rights and freedoms of Russians, including arbitrary arrests and abductions from third countries, cruel treatment, criminal prosecution on the basis of evidence given by false agents and doubtful evidence." 

Washington-led NATO was accused of appalling human rights abuses. Civilian casualties it's responsible for "provide a portrait of" military recklessness and lawlessness. Crimes of war and against humanity define its operations. Eyewitnesses provide damning evidence. Democracy at home is hypocrisy, not real. It exists in name only. Fundamental freedoms are absent or endangered. Speaking truth to power is hazardous. The state of America at home and abroad is appalling. Indisputable evidence reveals a record reflecting tyranny. Conditions aren't improving. They're worsening en route to institutionalizing total police state control. It's fast approaching. No one is safe anymore for good reason. Humanity is at risk. America's  agenda reflects unchallenged dominance no matter the cost. Truth is the most dangerous disinfectant. Suppressing it is policy. Propaganda wars precede hot ones. Human rights and civil liberties are denied for

our own good. Patriotism means going along or else. Humanity may not survive unless policies this out-of-control are stopped. Awareness enough to do it is sorely lacking. Hopefully something will change before it's too late.

And we were still smarting from the secessionist threats of Texas!

Top 10 Most Educated Countries in the World

1. Canada: Canada is the only nation where more than half of all adults had a tertiary education in 2010. This was up from 40% of the adult population in 2000, when the country also ranked as the world’s most educated. Canada has managed to become a world leader in education without being a leader in education spending, which totaled just 6.1% of GDP in 2009, or less than the 6.3% average for the OECD. A large amount of its spending went towards tertiary education, on which the country spent 2.5% of GDP, trailing only the United States and South Korea. One of the few areas Canada did not perform well in was attracting international students, who made up just 6.6% of all tertiary students — lower than the OECD’s 8% average.



 2. Israel: Israel only joined the OECD in 2010. That year, its GDP per capita was more than $7,000 below the OECD’s average. Despite this, the country’s high school graduation rate was 92% in 2010, well above the OECD’s 84% average. Some 46% of residents had a tertiary education, versus 31% for the OECD. Israel spent 7.2% of GDP on educational institutions in 2009, the sixth most among all nations. And for the first time, preschool education will become free in 2012 even for children as young as three years old, Haaretz newspaper reported. This should benefit Israel as, according to the OECD, “early childhood education is associated with better performance later on in school.”

 3. Japan : In 2009, Japan spent 1.6% of GDP on college or college equivalent education, on par with the OECD’s average, and just 5.2% of GDP on education overall, well below the OECD’s 6.3% average. Despite its relatively light spending, the country still had a high school graduation rate of 96%, the second best among all nations in 2010, while the percentage of its population with a tertiary education was 14 percentage points higher than the OECD’s average. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, recent university graduates in Japan have struggled to find work, with 15% those graduating in the spring of 2012 neither employed nor enrolled in further education as of August.

4. United States: Although the U.S. is one of just a few nations where more than 40% of people had a tertiary education in 2010, its education system is not without problems. Among the concerns, the graduation rate for upper secondary students in 2010 was 77%, well below the average rate of 84% for the OECD. Even though graduation rates were relatively low, the U.S. is one of the biggest spenders on education, with related expenditures equaling 7.3% of GDP in 2009. The U.S. was also the world’s largest spender on tertiary education in 2009, at 2.6% of GDP. The majority of funds for higher education, totaling 1.6% of GDP, came from private sources.

5. New Zealand: The tiny country’s population has grown 13.2% between 2000 and 2010, as has the country’s education system. The number of people with a college or college equivalent education rose from 29% to 41% over the period. The country also has become a destination of choice for international students, who made up 14.2% of tertiary students in 2010. New Zealand is also a leader in educating scientists, with 16% of students choosing a science for their field of study at the tertiary level — the highest proportion of any country.

6. South Korea: Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of South Koreans with a college education or more rose from 24% to 40%. In addition to being well-educated, many residents also invested considerable amounts towards their schooling. In 2009, only Iceland spent more than South Korea’s 8% of GDP. That year, no country in the study contributed more private funds for education at all levels than South Korea, at 3.1% of GDP, or for tertiary education, at 1.9%. Despite the investment, education does not appear to have a measurable impact on job seekers. The unemployment rate in 2010 for those with a tertiary degree was 3.3% — low relative to the OECD average of 4.7%, but not much lower than the 3.7% rate for all workers in the country.

 7. U.K: Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of U.K. residents with a tertiary education rose 12 percentage points. The country’s universities are also popular among students from other nations. International students make up 16% of enrollment. The country recently has had a shift in how education is financed. While in 2000 the percentage of funds from private sources was 14.8%, it rose to 31.1% by 2009. Students also must cover more of the cost of higher education than in the past, as the cap on tuition fees was raised from 3,290 pounds to 9,000 pounds for the 2012-2013 year.

8. Finland: Finland spent 6.4% of its gross domestic product on education in 2009, with 97.6% of these funds coming from public sources, more than any country in the report. Between 2000 and 2010, high school graduation rates rose by just two percentage points, while the number of people with a college education or more rose by just six percentage points. As a result, Finland fell from fourth to eighth place among the world’s most educated countries. Finnish workers with a tertiary education were far more likely to be employed than those without such an education — the unemployment rate was 4.4% for residents with a degree and 8.4% for those without.

9. Australia: Australia is a preferred destination for many international students, which is why it should come as no surprise that they accounted for 21.2% of the country’s tertiary students in 2010, higher than every country other than Luxembourg. Finding a job in the country is not especially hard for those with a college degree. The country had an unemployment rate of just 2.8% in 2010 for workers with a tertiary degree, compared to a rate of just 5.2% for all workers.

10. Ireland: From 2000 through 2010, the percentage of people with a college education or more in Ireland nearly doubled, rising at an annual average of 7.3% — faster than any country in the study. High school graduation rates also rose during that time, from 74% to 94%. Education has become especially critical for male job seekers in Ireland’s workforce, as 6.3% of men with a tertiary education were unemployed in 2010 versus 15.2% for all men nationwide.