Don't Cross That Red Line

I believe in an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended to all human beings. When I witness missile strike threats and the epic Tom Clancy-like saga that seems to unfold on the international stage, especially in light of the use of gas and chemical weapons, I can't help but really try to ponder and digest the idea of a "red line".

President Obama said that Syria's Assad had crossed this red line. I wondered what the United States true stance is on the notion of red lines and not just as a rhetorical exercise. I came upon something called the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". Once I figured out it wasn't some bizarre fiction found in an episode of Star Trek, I read that after WWII Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the original authors of the UDHR. This which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. This declaration has a very interesting history and it is worth reading in full:

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

By the measuring stick of the international community, with the UDHR as a backdrop, have we not crossed many red lines in the United States and abroad?

As soon as we say "rules don't apply to us"...that is the red line.

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