Welcome to the Homepage of the 2000 USA Elections & Human Rights

This homepage is intended to provide information on the human rights policies of the leading candidates in the November 2000 race to become president of the United States.

This information is relevant to YOU and every American because these policies reflect what the candidates think are the most basic rights of American citizens.

This site is based on (1) letters written to each candidates asking them for their position on several human rights issues, (2) e-mails to the candidates respective offices, (3) research and analysis conducted by Dr. Curtis F. Doebbler, who holds a Ph.D. in international human rights law from the London School of Economics, (4) comments provided by site visitors and other relevant sources that are cited herein.

The site is a completely volunteer undertaking and needs your support (see below).

I hope you enjoy it and learn from it!

To continue scroll down or click on one of the links with your mouse to find out more.

What's this all about?

Human rights are the most basic rights of every citizen in the United States and indeed of any citizen anywhere in the world. They are important because they are the basis of a legitimate government, in other words, if a government does not respect the human rights of its citizens we declare that government to be illegitimate and open to international criticism.

In the United States the history of human rights is a mixed one. One the one hand, there are a few human rights entrenched in our Constitution and there are many more human rights entrenched in state constitutions. On the other hand, the human rights got into the Constitution only over the strong objection of some of the most prominent founders including George Washington and the United States has still failed to ratify most international human rights treaties.

For both the United States and the rest of the world the role of human rights is of increasing and rather recent importance. In the 1950's the governments of the world, with the United States among those in the lead, began to state the basic rights that every citizen had everywhere. These human rights set down in solemn documents called treaties, which are agreements between governments as to what they will do. Like contracts in domestic situations, treaties are legally binding on the governments that ratify them. Consequently they also bind these governments in relation to their citizens. When a state does not abide by its international obligations the most important consequence is that other governments are entitled to treat that state as the illegitimate representative of its people. The rationale is that if the state can't provide its people the most basic rights that it has agreed to provide them, then it does not deserve the trust of the people to be their representative. One might think of it as the relationship between an individual and his or her lawyer. If the lawyer does not act professionally, then the individual can fire him or her or have him or her disciplined.

Some international treaties that the United States has agreed to are:

*the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; *the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; *the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; and the *Geneva Conventions, relating to human rights during armed conflicts.

Accordingly the United States is legally bound to secure the rights in each of these treaties. Among these rights are:

**the right not to be tortured or treated inhumanely;

**the right not to be discriminated against;

**the right to freedom of expression,

**the right to freedom of assembly,

**the right to freedom of association,

**the right to life;

**the right to freedom of movement;

**the right to leave and return to the United States;

**the right to a fair trial;

**the right not to be arbitrarily arrested or imprisoned;

**the right not to be imprisoned for a contractual debt; and

**the right not to be enslaved or forced to do labor.

These human rights are the birth right of every American and our government violates these rights when it does not ensure them. For this reason alone they are of vital importance to the 2000 Presidential election as well as every election. Nevertheless, as you can see by clicking on the names of each candidate below to see their views on human rights, the issue of human rights gets little priority from nay of the mainstream candidates.

What the Candidates think about Human Rights

Link to comments about each of the candidates' views and policies on Human Rights by clicking their name below:

George W. Bush

Al Gore

Ralph Nader

Pat Buchanan

Other Candidates

All the Candidates on one page.

My Communications with the Candidates


My letter to Gore and Bush that was sent on both 6 March 2000 (without a reply) and again on 11 July 2000:

Dear Presdiential Candidate,

On 4 July 1999 and on 6 March 2000, I wrote to you requesting your views and policies on international human rights law. I have not yet received a reply from you. I am, therefore, again writing you to request your reply to the questions below. As an American voter I urge you to respond to this letter to help me to decide how to vote in the upcoming election.

1. What human rights treaties will you present to the Senate for ratification?

2. Do you agree that the United States should respect its international human rights obligations in both treaties and established customary international law? And if so, what will you do to ensure that the United States does respect these obligations?

3. What will you do to ensure that the Senate ratifies the Convention on the Rights of the Child?

4. Will you ensure that the United States complies with decisions requiring it to remedy violations of international human rights law, including the views expressed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Committee?

5. Please explain what your policy goals will be as concerns international human rights law?

6. What stance will you take if a country with which the United States has friendly relations is found to be in violation of international human rights law by an international body, but that country refuses to correct the situation and redress the violation?

Please also feel free to provide me with any additional information that might help me to understand your views and proposed policies related to human rights. Thank you.

Regards,
Curtis F. Doebbler

My letter to Gore, Bush, Bradley and McCain sent on 4 July 2000.

Dated 4 July 2000: To: Bush, Gore, Bradley, Buchanan and McCain

With the greatest respect for your contribution to American government over the years and the best wishes for a successful presidential campaign, I am writing you as an American voter and an international human rights lawyer, to encourage your attention for international human rights law in the Presidential Campaign leading up to the elections in the year 2000.

Specifically, I hope that you will give special attention to ensuring that the United States respects the human rights of all individuals under its jurisdiction and that the United States undertakes a foreign policy that strongly encourages such respect in other countries around the world.

As human rights reflect the most basic values of society and are essential to a world in which people live together freely and in human dignity, I encourage you to comprehensively and clearly, enunciate your policy on human rights in the domestic and international spheres. The human rights policies of the presidential candidates will be an essential concern in my decision on how to cast my vote in November 2000 and they are a concern that I am certain will be shared by many other voters.

To help me to understand your concerns, please write me explaining your foreign and domestic policy on international human rights law and please send me any campaign materials you may have that are relevant to this issue.

Please respond to me by e-mail at human_rights_lawyer@writeme.com or by post at the following address: 159 West Drexel Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78210.

Thank you.

Regards,
Curtis F. Doebbler

I need your support for this effort...



to examine and critically evaluate the human rights policies of the candidates in the 2000 American Presidential Election.



You can contribute by sending your comments to me using the comment form below, at cdoebbler@netzero.net or by fax at (425) 795-1652.

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