Visiting Countries with Poor Human Rights Records

[bcholmes]

Is there any reason why I should keep visiting a country that thinks like this? Sure, the legislation is just Ohio. At the moment. But the worldview isn't limited to just that state. I've made plans to go to JavaOne next year; I wonder if I should cancel?

Comments

[lovelyangel.livejournal.com]

*headdesk* More and more it's difficult for me to admit that I'm a citizen of the United States. Police State? A President Above The Law? Invasion of Sovereign Countries? Secret Torture Prisons? Corrupt Officials? Rigged Elections? Intelligent Design? ANWR Drilling? Snub The Kyoto Treaty? Name your poison, and we'll sell it by the bucketload. *sigh*

[deepforestowl.livejournal.com]

I agree with lovelyangelpdx. The more I really sit down and think about my country, the more depressed I am and outraged as well. I hope you don't cancel, but I wouldn't be offended if you did. My country isn't a happy place anymore. More and more, I don't know my homeland.

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

i wouldn't say anything like "you should cancel". but i am no longer visiting the US, and won't do so again until the current gestapo-style legislation has been repudiated (here's hoping there'll be changes come the next presidential elections). i am also refraining from buying american goods to some degree (only some degree because i am too lazy to make it a full-fledged boycott; the US is so meshed into canadian trade that it's really hard to even figure out what is and isn't american).

[blueinva.livejournal.com]

That's pretty draconian, but it is Ohio, and they're a little different in the mid-west. I come from a country whose human-rights have been violated for the last eight years by a nominally socialist government - Britain. Close circuit cameras on street corners are now commonplace (shades of 1984) and they're continuing to talk about a national identity card.

All a long way from when I moved to the US and driving licenses didn't even have your picture on them...

[king-tirian.livejournal.com]

Focus on the 98% of states that haven't suspended habeas corpus!

Seriously, the US is pretty decentralized politically, and punishing the economy of a blue region like San Francisco because of a red state's shenanigans seems like it would only encourage the sort of isolationism that we should be fighting. It's also a bit like cancelling a trip to Italy because you don't like Jean-Marie Le Pen and so you want to make a statement to the E.U.

[firecat]

The legislation will be thrown out by the courts. But I don't think I would visit the US at this point, if I were living elsewhere.

[fourgates.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I don't think so. This one just parallels another in Nevada that was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2004. See Keeping name private can be crime, court rules (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/21/scotus.police.id/)

Speaking for the Midwest...

[ardasiril.livejournal.com]

...we're not all like this, really, though I know it's the stereotype that we're just like southerners except temperate-zone challenged. Some of us actually didn't vote for these knobs either.

Thank God I don't live in Ohio. This law is...just idiotic. Then again, maybe they need it. Isn't that one of the states where you can carry a concealed weapon now? If you have to reach into something for an ID they can see if you're packing.

(And that was SUCH a good idea. I guess we're all supposed to shoot the terrorists ourselves?)

Stay out of OHIO

[chemlabgoddess.livejournal.com]

Personally, I have a short list of states I refuse to visit, spend money in or speak nicely about: Ohio, Iowa, and Maine. My reasons are generally personal, but in the case of Ohio its due to their abominable stance on the rights of the transgendered. It remains (to the best of my knowledge) one of (maybe THE) last states that refuses to allow one to amend or change a birth certificate. So, if the conference is not in Ohio, consider going, IMHO. Some parts of this country are decent...like Minnesota.

Re: Stay out of OHIO

[lovelyangel.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes... the Ohio stupidity on birth certificates... I'd forgotten about that. I have a friend (who no longer lives in Ohio) who can't get her birth certificate changed because she was born there. You can't choose your parents, and you can't choose the state of your birth. :-(

[firecat]

Ugh.

[rbowspryte.livejournal.com]

I think it depends on why you are going there.

If you are going to speak at a conference for work or for fun you may be going to educate.

Educating and informing people of issues of which they are unaware while you are there may alter perceptions or ideals for even a small group of people...of course this depends on the demographic and lots of details...What I am saying is go if you can make the situation better there in any way if not don't go.

Particularly sensitive themes and problems could get you into trouble by speaking out loud about it. (esp. as an outsider)...don;t do this.

Genrally this is always my opinion. Try to make things better and build bridges.

I have the same problem visiting countries that have poor human rights conditions.

[kat-chan.livejournal.com]

I posted about this last night, as well.

We have a governor who has approval ratings below 20%. His pals are about to go on trial for corruption. He's been convicted on ethical charges himself. He's trying to divert attention away from the ethical problems and towards an issue that usually stands the Republicans in good stead, since there's a round of state elections in the coming year.

It's all about politics. I really wish that the Democrats had the power to stop this sort of thing from happening, but as of now they don't. So, as long as the Republicans are in control, they're going to try and drive the debate. Considering that the most significant legislation in the last few years have been bans on same-sex marriage and allowing concealed weapons permits, with nothing done to try and improve a seriously slumping economy, and throw in the ethics problems on top of it all, and the Republicans really need to have something to hang their hats on in November.

Re: Speaking for the Midwest...

[blueinva.livejournal.com]

>...we're not all like this, really, though I know it's the stereotype that we're just like southerners except temperate-zone challenged. Some of us actually didn't vote for these knobs either.

I know, I was kinda teasing to see who would bite... half the state of Missouri voted blue, so there's life in St Louis. Not all GOPrs are knobs either - Susan Graham and Olympia Snowe are shining examples.

Re: Stay out of OHIO

[chemlabgoddess.livejournal.com]

I am SOOOOOOOO glad I was born in South Dakota. I was able to change mine by court order pre-op. They may be unique in that respect. It flows from residual pioneer-mindset, IMHO. 'I may not like you, or what you're doing, but by damn you have the right to do it' sort of thing.

[gisho.livejournal.com]

*twitch*

I am very thankful I don't live in Ohio.

On the other hand I am annoyed that I live in the US at all.

I'd say keep visiting. Unless there's a significant chance that you'll get arrested and won't be able to leave, the presence of one more sane person, even temporarily, can hardly be a bad thing.