[Mary] Robinson vows to continue 'irritating' US

The Irish Independent ^ | March 20th 2002 | Alan O'Keeffe

[aculeus]

MARY Robinson vowed yesterday to continue "irritating and annoying" powerful interests to protect basic human rights.

Mrs Robinson said she would work "flat out" in her final six months as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

When she left that job, she would seek ways to protect the world's poor from the impoverishing effects of globalisation, she said.

The former Irish president said it was part of her job as defender of human rights around the world to annoy powerful countries.

Accepting she had been critical of the US bombing of Afghanistan and the US treatment of prisoners at Camp X-ray in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she said human rights in the world had to be protected, even when terrorism was violating people's fundamental right to life.

But she made clear there had been no change in human rights' standards.

"What is very worrying at the moment is the number of queries to our office asking if we could explain how the rules have changed. If it was alright to have military tribunals ... or to detain indefinitely," she said on RTE's Morning Ireland programme. She said human rights remained sacrosanct.

"The fact that this either irritates or annoys the US or any other state that is, I'm afraid, part of the job," she said.

The integrity of human rights was under threat since the September 11 terror attacks in the US. But all 53 countries on the Commission on Human Rights must look to see how to advance human rights rather than just seeking to protect their own interests, she said.

When she left her post, she hoped to use her skills to bring about more ethical and fair "rules of the road" for globalisation.

[dennisw]

BeGone **** !!!!!

[dennisw]

Correct sir!!!!

[dennisw]

Another "explainer" for 3rd world Muslim savagery checks out. Goodbye you pathetic Islamic shill.............

[Cincinatus]

Mary won the 1999 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding.

ROFL!! Is this a great country or what? Where else can someone terminally clueless get an "understanding" prize named after themselves??

[Whilom]

Fair enough. Mary can keep irritating us, if we can keep irritating Mary.

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

COOL !!

Best idea, yet!! !!

[Hila]

Good riddance to you Mary Robinson, go jump in the lake. If you don't turn from your idiocy, you will end up jumping into the lake of fire.

[Dead Dog]

Three words for this woman:

POG MO HON

[aculeus]

Three words for this woman:

POG MO HON

Gaelic?

[dead]

There was a thread yesterday that had a link to a picture of a US soldier drinking a coffee, with the caption "Have a nice cup of "shut the @#$ up."

Does anybody have the link to that picture, in honor of Mary?

[Dead Dog]

An Irish co-worker of mine thought it was fun to teach us American's that it was a tradition Gaelic toast that meant "To Health"

Turns out it means "Kiss My A$$". People from small countries enjoy this sort of humor.

[LoneGOPinCT]

Why do I immediately think of drinking Irish jokes whenever her name comes up? What a douchebag. She is irritating to her credit.