Free Speech for Thee

The U.N. Human Rights Council is doing its best to stifle human rights, and we helped. Jonathan Turley writes:

While attracting surprisingly little attention, the Obama administration supported the effort of largely Muslim nations in the U.N. Human Rights Council to recognize exceptions to free speech for any “negative racial and religious stereotyping.” The exception was made as part of a resolution supporting free speech that passed this month, but it is the exception, not the rule that worries civil libertarians.

This comes shortly after the Obama Administration reversed the decision of the Bush Administration not to participate on the council.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said: “Those who suffer from abuse and oppression around the world, as well as those who dedicate their lives to advancing human rights, need the council to be balanced and credible.” She said the United States seeks election to the body “because we believe that working from within, we can make the council a more effective forum to promote and protect human rights.”

Nice work, Susan. What’s the next step? Perhaps the starry-eyed advocates of “international law” (a group that includes certain members of the Supreme Court) will argue that this resolution should be honored in our courts, notwithstanding our parochial and outmoded First Amendment.

Turley concludes:

The public and private curtailment on religious criticism threatens religious and secular speakers alike. However, the fear is that, when speech becomes sacrilegious, only the religious will have true free speech. It is a danger that has become all the more real after the decision of the Obama administration to join in the effort to craft a new faith-based speech standard. It is now up to Congress and the public to be heard before the world leaves free speech with little more than a hope and a prayer.

The Obama Administration is convinced we can solve all problems if we just sit down and talk. Only watch what you say.