Constant Readers,
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
My dear friends Mr. and Mrs. V. just welcomed a new baby girl into the world on Sunday! Yay! I love y'all!
Speaking of pregnant women, what better day than this holiday to tell them they can drink! Look for a new kind of "ladies night" to appear soon.
Because it's a holiday, I'll give you some good news here: President Obama has announced that the United States delegation to the United Nations will sign a declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality.
George W. Bush's administration had refused to sign the declaration last year, putting us in such illustrious company as the 86 countries that criminalize homosexuality. In seven of those nations, the punishment is death. (In case you needed another reason to cross Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and parts of Nigeria and Pakistan off your "places to visit" list.)
This move isn't really surprising given the fact that the U.S. delegation to a human rights conference in February proposed a provision in a different declaration that would condemn "all forms of discrimination and all other human rights violations based on sexual orientation."
The declaration at the United Nations isn't binding, but even this symbolic gesture is important for a body like the UN that has has been historically skittish about issues related to the conditions gay people have to endure worldwide.
Oh, Obama! We forgive you for not preventing those AIG bonuses...
--Melissa
Great news, and I am glad we may soon be off the short list of such intolerant nations.
Posted by: Mr. K. | March 17, 2009 at 20:14
Thanks Melissa for the shout-out!
Posted by: Venerable Bede | March 23, 2009 at 14:07