Today is Human Rights Day and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Declaration, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, set out a list of 30 Articles describing fundamendal human rights and freedoms for everyone.
The goals are noble, but reading the text, I have a distinct feeling that it was written by a committee which never used just one word where several would suffice:
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/2007/about.shtml | The Universal Declaration of Human Rights itself - Thanks Cori!
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/p_j_orourke.html
P. J. O'Rourke's version of "rights" are far better:
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."
@Barbara: I know, I know - it's for a good cause and all - but it's not really Neatorama material. You know what I'm sayin?