Did I miss the story about all political prisoners being released from prisons in dictatorships around the world? Has torture come to an end on the planet?

If not, then how to explain Amnesty International's new-found preoccupation? Remind me of their priorities next time they send me a fund-raising letter.

[Update on Tuesday morning]

In comments, Derek Lyons writes:

...if any of you had actually paid any attention to AI over the years, you'd know well that the US isn't a 'new found obsession', nor is their sole focus...

...If Rand actually bothered to read the article he linked to, he'd find the report was issued by AI-USA, not AI. I myself find it unsurprising that a 'local' group concentrates on 'local' issues.

I must have missed the part where I said the US was a "new-found obsession", Derek. I was referring to racial profiling, not the US. I know that AI has long considered the US to be the major human rights violator on the planet.

The point isn't about it being a "local issue." It is about dealing with trivia when there probably are people actually unjustly in prison, even in this nation. Why don't they do something about the prison rape problem, which would be more in line with their original charter? I see this as mission creep to justify their existence and fund raising.

Apparently focusing our limited resources on those groups that show a statistically significant tendency to harbor and/or produce terrorists somehow undermines the WoT...interesting logic those AI's have.

I'm waiting for their report on the racial profiling..er, ethnic cleansing..er, GENOCIDE in the Sudan. How come we don't hear from the Amnesty International branch in Communist China?

Hey folks at AI, bite me!! You liver lipped, sissy baby whiners. You're tactics sicken me, how come you pointed headed, limp wristed, liberal, milk sops never said anything about 19 Arab Muslims attacking a group of mostly Caucasians and killing almost 3000 of them. What a bunch of fancy pantsed, one way, jerks you seem to be.

UH OH, I called the America Haters at AI names and maybe hurt their feelings. I'm sorry, NOT!!!!

SHamnesty International is what I call them.

PC elitist morons.

Don't hold back, Steve - tell us how you really feel. ;-)

I'm with ya', man.

When they 'tut-tutted' the US for exporting "implements of torture" including... surgical tools and ice cream scoops... that was a bit much.

I recall an Earnest Young Man trying to get me to contribute to AI. That was during Gulf I when they were defending a officer (medical) who was refusing to go to the Gulf. Never mind that the Army had paid for her education, she had signed a contract (and if she was a doctor, I HOPE she was intelligent enough to understand what she was signing up for), etc.

I told him to stick his donation form where the sun did not shine. If I were going (as a reservist), so could she (my unit was never called, but that's another story).

Knee-jerk reactions are so fun to watch. if any of you had actually paid any attention to AI over the years, you'd know well that the US isn't a 'new found obsession', nor is their sole focus.

If the gentleman who mentioned Sudan would bother to stop foaming and actually visit their website... He'd find that issue front and center on their webpage. He'd also find an item adressing issues in Communist China. If he bothered to read the section of the 2004 annual report on the America's, he'd find the minority of the material adresses the United States.

If Rand actually bothered to read the article he linked to, he'd find the report was issued by AI-USA, not AI. I myself find it unsurprising that a 'local' group concentrates on 'local' issues.

And finally, Mr Bontrager... Those groups haven't, at least in the US shown anything even remotely resembling a 'significant statistical tendency' towards harboring or producing terrorists.

Quote from Derek: "If Rand actually bothered to read the article he linked to, he'd find the report was issued by AI-USA, not AI. I myself find it unsurprising that a 'local' group concentrates on 'local' issues."

Only problem with that logic is they are not reporting on a purely local issue. But one that regards international peoples coming into our country. So, would this "local" chapter perhaps be reporting on behalf of Amnesty Intl' in general.

I can already think of a good cause that Amnesty Intl'- USA could be sticking up for actual citizen's of this country if they wished to report on a strictly USA issue. How about the illegal searches of innocent people at so called sobriety check points.

Rand Simberg wrote:
The point isn't about it being a "local issue." It is about dealing with trivia when there there probably are people actually unjustly in prison, even in this nation. Why don't they do something about the prison rape problem, which would be more in line with their original charter? I see this as mission creep to justify their existence and fund raising.

Why does George W. Bush keeps himself busy with trivial issues like gay marriage when he should be fighting a war on terrorism? I see this as mission creep to justify his existence and fund raising. ;)

I'm not aware that the president has spent any time at all on the issue of gay marriage, except to mention it in a speech or two. Are you aware of something that he's doing to "keep himself busy" in that regard that I'm not?

Mr. L (Swedish name?),

And your point is? Arabs/Muslims in the US *have* shown a marked tendency to provide funding to terrorist organizations, as well as moral and political support. As to *producing* terrorists, there's always John Allen Muhammad and his ilk.

So tell me, just how many Islamic terrorists have *not* been Muslims? The article did mention "religious affiliation" as one of the criteria used for profiling. Would it have been equally wrong to investigate Communists during the Cold War, or Nazi's during WWII?

Derek, first you insult me and then miss the whole point. Why should racial profiling take press coverage away from genocide? Information posted on the web site is preaching to the choir. If AI-USA can only find profiling to spend their resources on, perhaps those resources would be better spent somewhere else to help stop the slaughtering of innocent people. I would think that the deaths of thousands would be more important than profiling.

Rand; Are you suggesting that an organization like AI can only handle one issue at a time? That's absurd nonsense.

Jason; Given the thousands (tens of thousands? hundreds of thousands?) of Muslim people in the US, and the fact that a few dozen assisted in an act of terror... There isn't a marked tendency. You confuse mathematics with emotion.

Bill; Here's a free clue for you. It was the choice of WTOP news to feature the article, not AI. If you want to take up the issue of balanced coverage, take it up with them. (And in fact, when one visits the AI-USA website... One finds that the Sudan is once again, front and center.)

Are you suggesting that an organization like AI can only handle one issue at a time? That's absurd nonsense.

It indeed is, which is why I am not suggesting it, and have not.

That's just your weird strawman interpretation of my perfectly reasonable suggestion that AI should have different priorities, given their reputation and traditional charter (I suggested one).

Rand, good points. The prison rape issue is major; if AI isn't working on it, they have no business worrying about racial profiling.