In a "man-bites-dog" story that news editors and bloggers love, North Korea and Iran attacked Canada’s human rights record at UN forum . A few thoughts: 1) North Korea and Iran are correct! Canada does have problems and it may have some legitimate human rights abuses. Even some "First Nation" people in Canada went to Geneva to complain about Canada's human rights record. North Korea and Iran making that point is similar to the Soviet Union attacking America in the past about the treatment of black Americans. It was the moral equivalency game--"Oh, sure, we keep 98 percent of our population enslaved to the state. But look at what you are doing to 12 percent of your population." So, yes, North Korea and Iran are correct. But it brings to mind something Jesse Jackson used to say: "Content without context is pretext." Meaning, information without context doesn't tell us very much. Or as economists like to ask: "Compared to what?...
"No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work."--Mother Teresa (attributed)