Time Has a Strange Way

I’m lying in bed, wrestling with a persistent thought and trying to resist the urge to wake up. I can tell I’m fighting a losing battle. I crack open my eye to see the time…2:10 AM. When I went to bed I was so tired that I thought I would sleep for fourteen hours, but here I am, four short hours later – time is strange like that.

I slip quietly into the cool house, my feet shuffling on the wood floor. Note to self: locate slippers. The seasons have changed and winter has arrived. I stop by and pet the confused dog just to let him know that it’s OK to go back to sleep. I find my way to the kitchen and unconsciously fire up my laptop. Maybe I’ll knock out a few emails. My friends won’t be surprised to see the timestamp on the email. I’m not sleeping much these days. My Outlook calendar opens in front of me and I remember the thought that had forced me awake in the first place. December 10 is Human Rights Day.

Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That document serves as the cornerstone for the modern human rights movement, which has done so much to secure human freedom and dignity since World War II.

Wow. What a weird time in US history to celebrate human rights. Traditionally, Americans mark December 10 with joy, proud of their country’s role in promoting human rights around the world. Not today. U.S. policies in the “war on terror” - secret prisons and secret evidence, torture, indefinite detention without charge or trial – break our distinguished human rights legacy. Since 2001 US authorities have held detainees in secret CIA-run prisons with no access to families, lawyers or the International Committee for the Red Cross. The government passed and signed the Military Commission Act, contradicting international law and repealing the right of habeas corpus. They’ve sent suspects to be interrogated in countries with proven histories of torture.

What makes this time in history so tragic is how far the United States has fallen. In a different time, specifically in the aftermath of the Holocaust, America played a leading role to establish human rights for all. Eleanor Roosevelt actively led the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This important document defines basic rights such as freedom from torture, the right to a fair trial and the right to education.

Today, the country urgently needs a change of course. The world urgently needs the United States government to restore its standing as a global leader on human rights. We could close Guantanamo, stop sending people to countries that torture and shut down secret CIA prisons. We should either charge and fairly try detainees, or release them. We could establish an independent commission to publicly investigate reports of abuse in U.S.-controlled detention centers. We could ensure that anyone responsible for detainee abuse is held to account, regardless of rank or stature.

Today, with a new Congress and a new mandate from the people, we have a chance to start anew. The America I believe in leads the world on human rights. Today, this Human Rights Day, we have a new time to start again. Fortunately for us, time has a strange way of changing things.