I was watching the news and noted the hoopla over the President’s signing of the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 in honor of  the Wall Street journalist Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped in Pakistan and beheaded by Islamic militant terrorists led by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed  in 2002.

Looking at the text of one version of the bill, I noticed that there was an original plan for the Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to administer grants. A provision which seems to have been removed from some of the other bill versions.

Not knowing anything about this rather obscure Bureau, I found that:

“The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor headed by Assistant Secretary Michael H. Posner, leads the U.S. efforts to promote democracy, protect human rights and international religious freedom, and advance labor rights globally.” <Source>

Clicking on the “labor rights” link, I found:

Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility

“Strengthening respect for worker rights and promoting corporate social responsibility around the world contributes to the U.S. foreign policy goals of democracy promotion, free trade, international development, and human rights.””

The State Department's Office of International Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility, part of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, promotes these issues in partnership with the private sector, organized labor, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, international organizations and other U.S. federal agencies.”

Key priority areas include:

• Promoting organized labor and their role as reformers in developing countries.
• Partnering with the private sector to protect human rights, including workers rights, and to promote good governance, transparency, and the rule of law.
• Promoting labor rights through free trade agreements and other international negotiations.
• Combating child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in persons.

“The State Department supports projects that promote these goals, including an anti-sweatshop initiative to fund the development of approaches to combat sweatshop labor in overseas factories. Since 2000, nearly $18 million in projects have been funded through this initiative.” <Source>

The problem as I see it …

While I abhor the use of child labor and the exploitation of workers, I see no reason why the United States government should support organized labor (unions, either here or abroad – as they are often infiltrated with) Marxists and Communists and only result in increased labor costs and onerous work rules as they struggle to gain even more political power, more members and increased funding – in order to further manipulate the political system.

About Michael H. Posner …

Posner appears to be an agent of the far-left and an “America Basher.”  And in his State Department job, this makes him someone to watch carefully.

According to Discoverthenetworks.org which bills itself as  “A Guide to the Political Left” …

“Michael Posner has been the executive director of Human Rights First since its founding in 1978. HRF describes itself as a group that ‘works in the United States and abroad to create a secure and humane world by advancing justice, human dignity and respect for the rule of law.’ In practice, HRF is an open borders group that opposes all government efforts to control illegal immigration and strengthen American national security. Posner received his B.A. in history from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from UC Berkeley; before coming to HRF, he worked for the law firm of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal. He has taught at Yale Law School and is a visiting Lecturer at Columbia Law School.” <Source>

Other items link Posner with George Soros and his desire to manipulate the Twin Towers memorial in New York City.

“In remarks posted on the International Freedom Center’s website, Foner explains that the memorial will require a ‘critical eye,’ and stresses that, ‘There have been many points in our history where freedom has been restricted, and has gone backwards.’ What relevance this has to a September 11 memorial is unclear, but it does suggest that leftists like Foner intend to use the memorial to project their view of American history as an unabated stretch of oppression and intolerance.

That concern is only strengthened by the presence of Michael Posner among the center’s advisors. Posner is another odd choice for a memorial honoring freedom. In his capacity as the executive director of the leftist group Human Rights First, Posner has been among the more vocal members in the chorus of activists noisily insisting that the United States, in its War on Terror, poses the greatest threat to freedom. Contending that the United States has engaged in widespread torture, Posner charges the U.S. government with crimes ‘against mankind, against humanity.’ This March, his Human Rights First, working in tandem with the ACLU, filed a lawsuit against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, citing alleged reports of torture in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

“Posner is just as aggressive on the domestic front. His group has filed amicus curiae briefs on behalf of suspected ‘Dirty Bomber’ Jose Padilla. It has also waged a fierce propaganda war. Among other outrageous claims, Posner likens the U.S. treatment of Middle Easterners since 9-11 to the internment of Americans of Japanese origin during World War II, contending that ‘a number of actions taken over the past three and a half years, and directed against people from South Asia and the Middle East, fall into this pattern.’ Of counterterrorism legislation like the PATRIOT Act, Posner has claimed that it is ‘draconian.’ In a reference to the Bush administration, meanwhile, Posner has said that ‘it is incumbent on all of us to respond in whatever ways we can to fend off the darkness.’” <Source>

It appears that he also has something negative to say about Arizona’s new immigration law …

“QUESTION: Was there any areas in which China sort of turned the tables and raised its own complaints or concerns about U.S. practices around the globe or at home? Can you give some examples there -

ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSNER: Sure. You know, I think – again, this goes back to Ambassador Huntsman’s comment. Part of a mature relationship is that you have an open discussion where you not only raise the other guy’s problems, but you raise your own, and you have a discussion about it. We did plenty of that. We had experts from the U.S. side, for example, yesterday, talking about treatment of Muslim Americans in an immigration context. We had a discussion of racial discrimination. We had a back-and-forth about how each of our societies are dealing with those sorts of questions. …

QUESTION: Did the recently passed Arizona immigration law come up? And, if so, did they bring it up or did you bring it up?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSNER: We brought it up early and often. It was mentioned in the first session, and as a troubling trend in our society and an indication that we have to deal with issues of discrimination or potential discrimination, and that these are issues very much being debated in our own society.” <Source>

Numerous blogs cited the observation that Posner appeared to be apologizing to China for America’s past and present behavior.

Bottom line …

Here we find one of the committed far-left in charge of an agency which appears to promote organized labor throughout the world. “Workers of the World Unite” seems to be not only the communist catchphrase of the labor movement and people like the former head of the SEIU (Service Employees International Union), Andy Stern, but the offical policy of a democrat-run State Department with all of their far-left, liberal Ivy League “theorists.”

He may have been a mean drunk and a generally unlikable person, but Joseph McCarthy was right about one thing: the Communists/Marxists/Progressives have infiltrated our government from within – as well as our educational institutions, media and other key infrastructure groups.

If we do not start taking back our government soon and upholding American principles, we might find ourselves being ruled by a Soros-led United Nations.

Vote as if your life depended on it – because this time it surely does.

-- steve

Reference Links …

State Department Special Briefing with Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Subject: U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue;  Location: State Department Headquarters, Washington, D.C.