The following nations . . .

by Dick Mac

. . . have at least one thing in common.

No, they are not all second- or third-world nations. Russia is in the list and Russia is a first-world country.

They are not all wealthy or poor, or hot or cold, or North or South. Some are English-speaking countries, some are not.

They are inhabited by people of every race.

Some are allies of the United States, some are not.

Some are big and some are small.

Look at the list closely:

Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belize
Benin
Botswana
Brunei Dar-Sala
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
China
Comoros
Congo
Cote d’Ivoire
Cuba
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
Haiti
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Tunisia
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United Republic of Tanzania
Uzbekistan
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

They are all members of the United Nations; and they all voted for an amendment to the UN's position on the death penalty.

The UN has a generally positive position on the death penalty, condemning it as a tool that is used unfairly. In countries that use it, it is most often used to eliminate people of a particular class, race, or political persuasion.

The UN's total inability to protect the weakest and prevent mass murder is a different conversation; to its credit, the UN has convinced many nations to abolish the most barbaric form of state-sanctioned murder: the death penalty.

So the UN was putting forward a resolution condemning the death penalty and reaffirming the list of groups they believe are targeted more often than others for death under questionable laws.

For the past ten years, that list included sexual minorities, including homosexuals.

Well, the shitty little nation of bigots in Africa called Benin (yes, I know, you've never heard of it either) put forth an amendment to remove homosexuals from the list. Meaning, that it's OK to sentence homosexuals to death simply for being homosexual.

A collection of notorious human rights violators voted for the amendment including Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, North Korea, Iran (didn't Ahmadinejad tell the world there were no gays in Iran?), Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Sudan, Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

Add to this Bahamas, Belize (where you get 10 years for being gay), Jamaica (10 years of hard labor), Grenada (10 years), Guyana (life sentence), Saint Kitts and Nevis (10 years), Saint Lucia (10 years), Saint Vincent (10 years), South Africa (Apartheid? What apartheid?), and Morocco (ruled by a gay monarch!). They are all on the list of nations that do not think execution of gays and lesbians is worthy of condemnation or investigation. (The full vote tally is published beneath this column.)

To its shame, Colombia was among the 16 nations who abstained.

United Nations: It’s Okay To Kill The Gay

Seventy-nine nations voted for the amendment, 70 against it, and 17 abstained. Twenty-six nations were absent from the voting. So, the amendment passed and the UN no longer condemns the execution of homosexuals based solely on their sexuality.

Nice.

So, here again is the list of nations again so we can all consider a boycott of their tourism, products and economy:

Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belize
Benin
Botswana
Brunei Dar-Sala
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
China
Comoros
Congo
Cote d’Ivoire
Cuba
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
Haiti
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Tunisia
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United Republic of Tanzania
Uzbekistan
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

See more,

UN General Assembly Votes To Allow Gays To Be Executed Without Cause

Oslo Freedom Forum

Quite a weekend for soccer around the globe!

See all by following the links!

USA beats China in a friendly.

USA thumps China in Gold Cup tuneup

USA routs China, 4-1

The Red Bulls crumble in Kansas City when Mathis is unfairly red-carded.

Red Bulls bumped to third with loss

Johnson bags hat trick as Wizards down short-handed Red Bulls

Denmark forfeits a draw with Sweden when an irate fan attacks an official.

Denmark-Sweden Euro tie abandoned

Abandonment threatens NI top spot

Crazed fan ruins Denmark-Sweden Euro qualifier

A stampede after Zambia beat Congo 3-0 in an African Nations Cup qualifier left 12 people dead and 46 others wounded at the Chililabombwe stadium.

Twelve fans die at Zambia match

Three Nigerian fans died when angry fans went on the rampage during a league match between Akwa United and Enyimba.

Fans reported dead in Nigeria

A supporter of Mozambican side Ferroviario de Nampula was killed by opposing fans for celebrating his team's second goal during an away match.

Fan killed for celebrating goal

And to think that sports fans in the USA say that soccer is boring!


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Warm Leatherette
The Normal

Me Too?

I have not ever been a fan of U2. I like their LP "Boy" well enough, but nothing after that ever interested me. I find their music pedestrian and their live performance predictable.

I am impressed by Bono's international efforts on behalf of the world's disenfranchised, and because of his hard-work, I have always been his fan.

His acts seem heroic and gargantuan, and they are. He tirelessly advocates on behalf of the have-nots.

There are chinks in the armor:

>> Re-branding Bono <<
Charity doesn't always begin at home

Vanity Fair have invited "pop-humanitarian" Bono to be guest editor of the July issue, to try and "rebrand Africa". Some magazines have been sharing some other facts about Bono:

* In the year since it was founded, his Red campaign (licensed to Gap, Motorola, Apple etc) has raised $18 million - but companies have spent $100 million to market it.

* Bono doesn't invest his own money in Red.

* Apple sells a Special Edition U2 iPod. Its profits are not donated to Red.

* U2 made $389m from the recent Vertigo tour. Its revenue was then funnelled through
companies mostly registered in Ireland and structured to minimize taxes.

* U2 moved its music publishing company to the Netherlands from Ireland in June 2006, six months before Ireland ended a tax exemption on musicians' royalty income.

* Richard Murphy, adviser to lobbying group the Tax Justice Network, says "This is somebody who's exceptionally rich taking the opportunity to shift his tax burden to somebody else, but then asking governments around the world to spend that tax take in the way that he would like."

I think the last statement speaks volumes. It is imperative that all members of a free society pay their share of taxes. Freedom is expensive, and freedom requires that the citizenry be taxed.

Each according to his means, and each according to his needs can work effectively in capitalism.

If the rich pay their fair share while the poor pay their fair share and those in the middle pay their fair share, then there is plenty of money to defend our nations, feed our hungry, clothe our naked, care for our sick, teach our illiterate, and maintain an infrastructure for commerce. None of these things need be exclusive of each other. And there will be plenty left over to ease the suffering of those less fortunate who suffer around the world.

How much of the $100,000,000 Red Campaign has made its way to Bono? How much of what he receives has been sheltered off-shore?

Bono has wonderful visions about helping the undeveloped and developing world. He wants first-world nations to pitch in. I agree.

But, Bono has to pitch-in, too. Seeking tax shelters and abandoning your nation for tax breaks is loathsome.

Bono, get on board and support your own nation if you want them to support your projects! Don't shirk your responsibility as a citizen.

So, when I ask "Me, too?" The answer is "Yes."

Read more:

Bono, Who Preaches Charity, Profits From Buyouts, Tax Breaks