In light of the drastic news about the U.S. trying to get a seat on the UN Human Rights Commission, I just had to write about the most incredible human rights advocates I know:
One of the most amazing men I have ever known is a strikingly handsome man - ruggedly so - intensely blue eyes, steely and he can see into your soul and mind - He has to - he is one of Utah's best defense attorneys - an ACLU attorney at that and the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. He is the one and only Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson.
I met him about 7 years ago. I had been sent to help out in his office by my recruiter - a temporary assignment where I could "surely network" myself into something she told me.
I was fortunate to work on his staff as a political appointee for 5 and one half years. It was an amazing time - frenetic, exciting, taxing, emotionally exhausting, exhilarating and so much more inbetween.
My proudest moments with Rocky were during the Olympic Games of 2002 when he designated free speech zones for protestors - when he signed an executive order creating domestic partner benefits for all city staffers - when he went toe to toe with the theocracy that is Utah's legislature to try to get reasonable alcohol laws established - so many other moments and you can read about them at a later date in my book of memoirs of Utah.
It has been a while and he is now a private citizen. True to form, Rocky has established a Human Rights Foundation - High Road for Human Rights. http://highroadforhumanrights.org/
I saw Rocky recently on Rachel Maddow's show speaking about the new Utah liquor laws - no more private clubs - his legacy lives.
His heart is in civil liberties and human rights - please go to the Nation and read the amazing article about his efforts.
Become a member of the organization - you can do so at minimal cost at their website.
Showing posts with label UN Human Rights Council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UN Human Rights Council. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
U.S. seeks seat on UN Human Rights Council
And about bloody time too!
The amazingly qualified Madame Secretary Clinton is right on target on this one. She states in this article on CNN yesterday: "Human rights are an essential element of American global foreign policy. With others, we will engage in the work of improving the U.N. human rights system to advance the vision of the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights."
During my sojourn in the Utah, I was for a time a member of a group called MESJ - Mormons for Equality and Social Justice. You can visit their website at http://www.mesj.org/ - while the Salt Lake Chapter is no longer active, you can still participate with their gatherings elsewhere around the country - heck, if you live in Salt Lake, you could start the meetings again. I met some remarkable people during those years with that group - Suzette the PR person, James, the Union Organizer, John Charles and his partner - now a PhD student and many more. All were committed to social justice and peace in the framework of religion and great religious leaders such as Ghandi, Christ and Mohammed.
The U.S. has for too long remained silent on issues of war and peace - we scream first and ask questions later. We ignore atrocities in Darfur and homelessness and hunger in our nation's soup kitchens. We have tolerated the UN and their missions - witholding our monetary support in order to make certain statements. This will no longer be tolerated.
Madame Secretary recognizes that the U.S. needs to move to the forefront of human rights and seek to teach and help people understand what our role is there.
Here is the link to the article in its entirety: http://sprint.cnn.mlogic.mobi/cnn/ne/politics/detail/275256/full
The amazingly qualified Madame Secretary Clinton is right on target on this one. She states in this article on CNN yesterday: "Human rights are an essential element of American global foreign policy. With others, we will engage in the work of improving the U.N. human rights system to advance the vision of the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights."
During my sojourn in the Utah, I was for a time a member of a group called MESJ - Mormons for Equality and Social Justice. You can visit their website at http://www.mesj.org/ - while the Salt Lake Chapter is no longer active, you can still participate with their gatherings elsewhere around the country - heck, if you live in Salt Lake, you could start the meetings again. I met some remarkable people during those years with that group - Suzette the PR person, James, the Union Organizer, John Charles and his partner - now a PhD student and many more. All were committed to social justice and peace in the framework of religion and great religious leaders such as Ghandi, Christ and Mohammed.
The U.S. has for too long remained silent on issues of war and peace - we scream first and ask questions later. We ignore atrocities in Darfur and homelessness and hunger in our nation's soup kitchens. We have tolerated the UN and their missions - witholding our monetary support in order to make certain statements. This will no longer be tolerated.
Madame Secretary recognizes that the U.S. needs to move to the forefront of human rights and seek to teach and help people understand what our role is there.
Here is the link to the article in its entirety: http://sprint.cnn.mlogic.mobi/cnn/ne/politics/detail/275256/full
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