PLEASE SIGN A PETITION TELLING OBAMA MARY ROBINSON IS UNFIT FOR OUR NATION'S HIGHEST CIVILIAN AWARD

RJC:Opposing Mary Robinson honor: RJC petition, Congressional letter, UN Watch make the case

On the eve of the scheduled presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mary Robinson, the opposition to honoring her with our nation's highest civilian award continues to grow.

Nearly 600 individuals signed a Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) petition (1) to President Obama, respectfully asking him to reconsider the award to Mary Robinson. The petition reads in part (2):

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest honor our country can give to a civilian. We are proud of the many outstanding men and women who have received it in the past.

But we are very concerned to learn that you plan to bestow the medal on Mary Robinson this month.

Mary Robinson has a troubling record of hostility to Israel and bias against the United States...

Out of respect for all those who have received this award in the past, and those who will be honored with it in the future, we the undersigned respectfully request that you rescind the decision to confer the Medal of Freedom on Mary Robinson.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are circulating a letter to President Obama asking him to reconsider the award to Robinson (3):

We are writing to respectfully request that you reconsider your decision to award a Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Irish President Mary Robinson. While we are aware of her achievements, they are outweighed by her failed, biased record as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002.

...Mr. President, you did the right thing by staying away from a biased Durban Review Conference (Durban II) that reaffirmed Durban I's declaration, noting that "if you adopted all the language from 2001, that's just not something we could sign up for... our participation would have involved putting our imprimatur on something that we just don't believe." Likewise, awarding this nation's highest civilian honor to Mary Robinson risks putting our imprimatur on a biased record that contravenes our nation's deepest values. Therefore, in keeping with your decision on Durban II, we respectfully request that you not grant Ms. Robinson this distinction.

At this writing, 26 Republican members of Congress have signed the letter. They are:

Bachmann (R-MN), Bartlett (R-MD), Bilirakis (R-FL), Bishop (R-UT), Blackburn (R-TN), Buchanan (R-FL), Burgess (R-TX), Burton (R-IN), Cantor (R-VA), Conaway (R-TX), Diaz-Balart, Lincoln (R-FL), Diaz-Balart, Mario (R-FL), Garrett (R-NJ), Hensarling (R-TX), Kirk (R-IL), Lamborn (R-CO), LoBiondo (R-NJ), Lungren (R-CA), Manzullo (R-IL), McHenry (R-NC), Pence (R-IN), Price (R-GA), Rogers (R-MI), Royce (R-CA), Smith (R-NJ), Wilson, Joe (R-SC).

An open letter to Mary Robinson herself has been issued by UN Watch, a non-governmental organization based in Geneva which monitors the United Nations' adherence to its own Charter and founding principles. (4)

The UN Watch letter outlines specific complaints about Robinson's leadership of the Durban conference, including that she worked against U.S. efforts to keep the conference on track with its original mandate. It also notes her failure to use her position on the human rights commission to condemn attacks against Israel in that body, saying:

Regrettably, however, when it came to Israel, you effectively encouraged the Commission's anti-Israel obsession-an obsession that epitomized the politicization and selectivity that ultimately doomed the now-defunct body.

UN Watch asks Robinson to respond, offering to publish her response in full.

RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks said, "The choice to honor Mary Robinson with this distinguished American award has raised widespread concern. Given Robinson's record, honoring her sends a message to the international community that runs counter to the rhetoric of the Obama administration about our commitment to human rights, international security, and peace. We remain hopeful that the President will reconsider this decision."