UPDATE:
The UN CRPD vote in the US Senate failed by a vote of 61-38 (by 5 votes) because as a treaty it needed a two thirds majority (66 votes). Thank you for all your calling.
I would like to ask you to take at
least five minutes of your time to read this email; your action could
help to preserve freedom for coming generations of Americans.
You may have heard of the UN Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The CRPD is a
treaty that claims to protect the rights of persons with
disabilities. Unfortunately it is also dangerous to American
Freedom. Currently the US has the strongest laws to protect the
disabled of any nation in the world. Currently we have a mix of
state and federal laws that protect the disabled. This treaty would
change all the applicable laws into federal laws at a time when we
ought to be taking power away from the federal government. The US
would have to spend millions of dollars every four years to create a
report that would be sent to the UN in Geneva. More over by signing
the treaty we would be agreeing as a nation to “take
measures to the maximum of its available resources . . . with
a view to achieving progressively the full realization of these
rights.”
The
proponents of this treaty are claiming that by signing it we will
protect Americans traveling abroad. But this is ridiculous –
Americans abroad will only be protected by the laws of the countries
they travel in not because of US being a signatory to the CRPD.
Proponents
have also claimed that this law would not have any effect on US law.
While technically no other laws would have to be passed, a treaty
once ratified becomes part of the highest law of the land; on par
with the Constitution. In fact John Kerry said, “I want real
obligations...that is what we're signing onto.” But our nation
already has real obligations to disabled persons because of federal
and state law, and if the laws aren't strong enough Congress can
always make them stronger or we could make a Constitutional
Amendment.
On
Tuesday at noon there is a vote in the Senate about the ratification
of this treaty. Currently there are only 36 Senators who are
opposing this treaty – just enough to keep us from ratifying it,
but there is a lot of pressure on them from the proponents to change
their minds.
Please
do three things:
First,
pray. God knows our need and that we want to pass freedom down to
our children.
Second,
call your Senators: The capital switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
Let your Senators know that you oppose the treaty because it
undermines national sovereignty. You can also go to here to
look up your Senators direct contact information.
Third,
let your friends and family know about this crisis of freedom,
perhaps by sending this email to them.
Thank
you,
Caleb
Bohon
Additional
Resources (follow the link):
An article giving more information about the UN CRPD.
Michael Farris of HSLDA has a number of posts about the UN CRPD. He has been a constitutional litigator for over 30 years and a constitutional law professor for 13 years at Patrick Henry College. Moreover, he has an advanced law degree (LL.M ) in Public International Law from the University of London. The facebook page of HSLDA
Five quick reasons to oppose the UN CRPD from HSLDA's facebook page:
1. As a matter of American self-government, we should never make treaties that put American domestic issues under UN supervision.
2. This treaty will give the government wide discretion to override parental decisions concerning children with special needs or handicapping conditions. Today the government can decide what is best for a child only after proving abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Under this treaty the government need not prove anything—it just has the raw power to override parental decisions concerning special needs kids.
3. This treaty is the first treaty that puts Economic, Social, and Cultural rights—which are binding government entitlements—into the highest law of the land. This is socialism by treaty—period.
4. The US will spend millions of dollars on our required periodic reports to the UN. They check on us to monitor our compliance. We should spend that money here in the US on meeting the needs of our own citizens.
5. US ratification of this treaty will have no legal impact in any other country. It will not affect Americans who travel abroad. It will not help the disabled in other nations. The Administration’s claims on these points cannot be proven. Ask anyone who claims otherwise to read you the sections on travel and “extra-territorial” application. They can’t do it.
Dr. Farris spoke on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 about why this treaty is dangerous to American Freedom.
Also here is a blog post by a young woman whose life may be drastically altered because of this treaty.
No comments:
Post a Comment