When I was a kid we had a lot of fights in the schoolyard- we played football and tag and games like that that are fun but inevitably lead to scuffles. You had to stand up for yourself and you had to push people around. We had a few kids who never really did anything, they just talked a lot. You know that kid- you know that guy at your office- you know that person in your family. All talk. As people have been saying since the beginning of time (well, time when they spoke English)- don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk. Right? Or, that other, arguably more childish saying that touches on talking about others- don’t point your finger because you’ll have 3 fingers pointing back at you (I always thought that was particularly clever…)

We may need to reference childish sayings to get to the bottom of what is taking place between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and human rights groups around the world. In the wake of President Obama’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Clinton gave a speech of her own about the importance of human rights and outlined her own version of a human rights policy that calls for people to live without tyranny, and specifically to “seize the opportunities of a full life."
Good one.

Unfortunately, human rights groups are pointing back at Clinton and the Obama administration, saying that they need to practice what they preach on that one, walk the walk, and not point any fingers. Some of the backlash comes from Clinton’s own statement that human rights issues in China do not stop the U.S. from continuing to have diplomatic and financial relations with China- touché.
Clinton’s own policy focuses on democratic principles and development. Her methods would be flexible in pursuing these goals.

"This administration, like others before us, will promote, support and defend democracy. Democracy has proven the best political system for making human rights a reality over the long term," said Clinton.
Wait- really? Democracy is the best political system for human rights? Is that true? What about Socialism? They are doing pretty well with that over yonder… everybody seems healthy and happy…
The big pieces of her new approach is that the U.S. will take part in a UN review of human rights accountability, and we encourage other countries to do so as well. I would love to see the results of that one.

She also talked a lot about trying different options with other countries to try and work for human rights- which is a whole lot of rhetoric to say that we will keep trying new things. Ok.
"We support change driven by citizens and their communities. The project of making human rights a human reality cannot be just a project for governments. It requires cooperation among individuals and organizations," said Clinton.

Alright, enough with getting super-vague and just saying nice things that everyone will agree with. If you are going to pursue a serious human rights policy initiative, I salute you. Make it happen- domestically and abroad!

Photo Credit: US Mission Canada (via Flickr under CCL)