Letters: Rights failure
January 3, 2013 8:02PM
Updated: February 5, 2013 6:14AM
About two weeks ago, the U.S. Senate failed to get a two-thirds majority vote to pass the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a treaty that would have become the “supreme law of the land” based upon the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article VI). The testimony from the Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing is here: www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing_convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-treaty-doc-112-7.
Some things discussed are good: The U.S. is a leader in rights for people with disabilities. We would like to be able to help those in other countries to improve the situations for all people, including those with disabilities. The U.N. is trying to protect people from abuses.
My concerns came when some senators and witnesses (with experience in U.S. and international law) shared how ratifying this treaty would cause the U.S. to need to comply with an international committee’s interpretation of whether or not we are meeting its requirements. Because of international law and what the U.S. Constitution says about treaties, the rights that so many have fought for would be replaced by what is written at the U.N. There are other concerns, but there is simply not enough space to address them.
The best way for the U.S. to lead is by continuing to work for the rights of people with disabilities within our country and around the world, without ratifying this treaty. As strange as it may seem, enacting this treaty would most likely take away from the rights of people in the U.S., rather than protecting them.
Those who want to ratify the treaty will likely bring it forward for a vote again next year. I encourage you to look into the treaty and its ramifications. Contact your senators and let them know your concerns.
Geoffrey White
Morris
Vets can protect planes
Our veterans coming home have no jobs. They put their life on the line for our country (and God bless the ones who did not come home). For the veterans who come home and have no work, let’s look at 9/11. If our government put an armed U.S. marshal on the planes involved in Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attack, it would never have happened, and we would have saved a lot of lives.
Even with knowing something was going to happen, our government did not think of a U.S. marshal being on the airplanes. Well, we are still not safe. These sick people still hate us and would like to try another 9/11.
Now, why not hire our veterans as U.S. marshals, and put one or two armed U.S. marshals on every plane. It would not cost taxpayers a cent. Simply, a $2 charge on every airline ticket; most people wouldn’t mind, knowing that an armed marshal is aboard, giving them peace of mind. This would give our veterans a good job. We owe it to them.
Felix Orasco
Channahon
