Jennifer's Travels

Back in the day--the day when the nascent United Nations was devising its Universal Declaration of Human Rights--the words "human rights" actually meant something. Today, of course, when every tin-pot backwater has its own "human rights" outfit, and some of them are even helping run the UN's "human rights" racket, and the term "human rights" has become so devalued as to become virtually meaningless. What "human rights" means today is a chance to impose political correctness (in democracies) and pay lip service to "human rights" (in non-democracies). But don't tell Jennifer Lynch, Canada's Queen Censor, the jig is up. She's having far too much fun hobnobbing at shmancy confabs with her "human rights" equivalents from places like Cuba and Saudi Arabia. The National Post's Adrian McNair skewers the peripatetic Ms. Lynch and her fellow "human rights" hucksters here:

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has revealed the costly travel expenses of Chief Commissar Jennifer Lynch, as she went abroad to consult dignitaries from such beacons of human rights as Cuba.

In travels to Geneva, Dublin, Copenhagen, Malaysia, and Vienna, Lynch racked up a taxpayers bill for $45,056 dating back to 2007. Using Freedom of information requests, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation learned that Ms. Lynch spent $8,323 on accommodations, meals and a business flight to Geneva, Switzerland in 2007. The reason for this trip was to meet with human rights officials from Algeria and Morocco, as well as the Asia Pacific Forum. This is a group with such notable members as Palestine, Jordan, Afghanistan, and other countries from which citizens can claim political refugee status in Canada on the grounds of human rights abuses there.

The following year she made another trip to Geneva, this time to consult with the likes of countries like Bangladesh, Cameroon, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Saudi Arabia. The last country, by the way, is about to execute two men for the crime of “sorcery”. One of the men, Ali Hussain Sibat, a 46-year-old father of five, was apprehended while making his pilgrimage to Mecca. His death sentence was awarded because in Lebanon he hosts a television show where he makes predictions about the future and offers advice.

In fact, few countries on Earth have quite the liberties and human rights as Canada. Which leads one to wonder why Jennifer Lynch would seek consultation with third-world despots and tyrants. Perhaps her organization is looking for ways to crack down on dissidents? Expect Ms. Lynch to meet with Iranian aides shortly, if that’s the case...

You don't need to get snippy about it, Adrian. After all, here in multiculti Canada we pride ourselves on our ability to shmooze with all "human rights" hucksters, no matter how kooky and/or barbaric the places they hail from happen to be.

Update: La Lynch sings:

Around the world I've dined with them--
Enjoyed the sights and loved the nights full
Of "rights" acumen.
I knew somehow, somewhere, sometime
We'd all get "rights" and stop our fights and it would
Be sublime.

It might have been in Dublin town
Or in Malaysia, Copenhagen where I wore my crown.
My travel spree, just between you and me,
Has been a symphony of shmooze.