sovereignty |?säv(?)r?nt? |
noun ( pl. -ties)
supreme power or authority
• the authority of a state to govern itself or another state : national sovereignty.
• a self-governing state.

United Nations Headquarters (AHN) – Long an advocate for poor internally displaced persons in third world countries, the United Nations on Thursday called on the United States government to halt demolition of low-income housing in New Orleans saying it violated the human rights of Hurricane Katrina victims and was driving them into "destitution."

In a strongly worded statement posted on its news center website, U.N. experts on housing and minority rights called the Bush administration to task for its treatment of Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans and elsewhere.

"We are deeply concerned about information we continue to receive about the housing situation of people in New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region," Miloon Kothari, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and Gay McDougall, the Independent Expert on minority issues, said in a joint statement.

Their concern was heightened by the fact that although there are 12,000 homeless people in New Orleans, demolition has begun on St. Bernard public housing development, and three other public housing developments are scheduled to be torn down in the near future, but there are no immediate plans to replace those units with other low-income housing.

Dear United Nations:

Mind your own damn business.

Sincerely,
The United States of America

Be sure to read more about the "destitution" in New Orleans by reading Part 3 of our series, The Entitlement Nation.

Original article: U.N. Criticizes U.S. For Violating Human Rights Of Internally Displaced Hurricane Katrina Victims | March 12, 2008 | AHN