Free Market doesn't work ...

when one side has all the guns.

UN General Assembly backs indigenous peoples' rights

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a non-binding declaration upholding the human, land and resources rights of the world's 370 million indigenous people, brushing off opposition from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.*

The vote in the assembly was 143 in favor and four against. Eleven countries, including Russia and Colombia, abstained.

The declaration, capping more than 20 years of debate at the United Nations, also recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination and sets global human rights standards for them.

It states that native peoples have the right "to the recognition, observance and enforcement of treaties" concluded with states or their successors.

Indigenous peoples say their lands and territories are endangered by such threats as mineral extraction, logging, environmental contamination, privatization and development projects, classification of lands as protected areas or game reserves and use of genetically modified seeds and technology.

The rest of the story at Yahoo News ...

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* That looks like a list of the countries that support democratic self determination. Right?

What's wrong with this picture. It sounds like those countries are saying, "We conquered you people, friggin' STAY CONQUERED!" I guess that support for HUMAN RIGHTS is what you might call "lip service"?

The arguments against protecting the rights of indigenous peoples?

"They said they could not support it because of their concerns over provisions on self-determination, land and resources rights and giving indigenous peoples a right of veto over national legislation and state mangement of resources."

"'Unfortunately, the provisions in the Declaration on lands, territories and resources are overly broad, unclear, and capable of a wide variety of interpretations, discounting the need to recognize a range of rights over land and possibly putting into question matters that have been settled by treaty,' Canada's UN Ambassador John McNee told the assembly."

• Property is more important than people. Human rights are fine as long as they don't interfere with property rights and profit.
  

• Treaties, most of which were ignored by the conquerors, most of which were initiated at the point of a gun, have already settled many issues.

• The original treaties were ambiguous but when the shoe is on the other foot, it's a problem.

• Justice is not part of the equation. The maintenance of power is.