Here are a few statements from the report:

The Chinese government’s human rights record "remained poor and the government continued to commit numerous and serious abuses."

The Chinese government displays a trend towards "increased harassment, detention and imprisonment of people seen as threats to the government."

The Chinese government tightened controls over print, broadcast and electronic media, and censorship of online content.

The report pointed out "opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez were harassed, restrictive laws on the media, and the use of the judicial system for political ends."

If one looks at the allegations, he/she would not be remiss in thinking the U.S. government was speaking of itself. In the past year, U.S. citizens have seen the tightening of the press as well as the imprisonment of those considered as threats to the U.S. Even the Internet has come under attack in the U.S.

Neither China nor Venezuela was mute on the allegations. The Chinese responded, "As in previous years, the State Department pointed the finger at human rights situations in more than 190 countries and regions, including China, but kept silent on the serious violations of human rights in the United States."

Hugo Chavez’ response was accurate, but much shorter than that of the Chinese. He called the U.S. report nothing more than "toilet paper."

This annual report is a farce. For years, we have read where those countries who may not agree with U.S. foreign policy are despotic and brutal. However, those on the U.S. side are rarely mentioned as abusers of human rights. For instance, the report normally states that Kuwait is making huge progress in human rights. The former Soviet countries who once were the bastions of torture and censorship, but have come aboard the U.S. ship are also displaying great strides in human rights affairs.

It is not that long ago that a common scene in the U.S. was the public hanging of black citizens. These affairs were treated like a carnival. Men, women and children cheered on the hangings much like they would if at a baseball game if their home team scored a run. Most blacks who were hanged were innocent of any crime. They were just rounded up. And, I don’t think any white citizens were ever brought to trial for the murders. Check out the website www.withoutsanctuary.org for the history of blacks being hanged in the U.S. There is a flash movie presentation that is quite gruesome, but accurate in the depiction of this once U.S. recreational pursuit.

There is a movement in the U.S. for black reparations for which any descendant of a slave will be paid a sum of money. The first item on the agenda for proponents of reparations is an apology from the U.S. government for allowing the most diabolical holocaust in history to have occurred on its soil. Every year, the request is made, and every year, it is turned down by a large majority. And the U.S. has the gall to point fingers at the rest of the world.