President supports rights abroad, not at home.

“Sixty years ago, representatives from 16 nations gathered to begin deliberations on a new international bill of rights. The document they produced is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- and it stands as a landmark achievement in the history of human liberty. It opens by recognizing "the inherent dignity" and the "equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family" as "the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world." And as we gather for this 62nd General Assembly, the standards of the Declaration must guide our work in this world. “

These words were spoken just last week on September 25, 2007 by none other that George W. Bush. It was an eight page speech he read before the General Assembly at the United Nations. He went on to say that “when millions of children starve to death or perish from a mosquito bite, we're not doing our duty in the world. When whole societies are cut off from the prosperity of the global economy, we're all worse off. Changing these underlying conditions is what the Declaration calls the work of "larger freedom" -- and it must be the work of every nation in this assembly.”

Sounds far more FDR than G.W. Bush, and given the relentless opposition to economic and social rights by the United States on the global stage, it was a stunning surprise that Mr. President also stated that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the[ir] health and well-being…”

What was less surprising was that every example President Bush put forward of economic and social rights violations involved countries other than the United States. He emphasized the obligation to eliminate hunger, but failed to reference the over 3 million Americans, mostly children, that suffer from hunger every year, and the millions more that face food insecurity. He discussed the human right to education, but failed to recognize the large number of youth being pushed out of our schools through degrading treatment and abusive discipline and subsequently fed into the “school to prison pipeline.”

He discussed the “underlying conditions” that must be addressed to do the work of “larger freedom” but made no commitment to change those conditions for those living within U.S. borders struggling far too hard to hold on to their modest homes, their meager health insurance, and their low paying jobs.

The United States is rightly seeking to reclaim leadership on the international stage, but has precious little capital to do so at this moment. A scenario where the U.S. government becomes a force for the protection of economic and social rights might present a dramatically and improved global landscape. But such leadership must be authentic, and the United States cannot seek to lead the world while leaving its own people behind.

NESRI seeks to bring these ideals home, where in fact they were first inspired by FDR’s four freedom’s speech. Indeed, economic and social rights are a home grown set of ideals that, if implemented, would protect families and individual from insecurity, illness, and destitution. They would also ensure that each member of society was able to access fair opportunities and reach their full potential.

NESRI believes that social movements are our greatest hope for the protection of economic and social rights and the only through which we can effectively build these rights into our political and legal culture. We welcome your commentary on our approach!