While the news that the United States has completely withdrawn from the United Nations Human Rights Council is still rumor and gossip and hearsay, I am preparing to be completely appalled and disheartened by the (probably true) news. Well, read this, via Boing Boing, the Human Rights Tribune, and Digg. Good Lord!

The news that the US has completely withdrawn from the Human Rights Council spread like wildfire Friday afternoon (June 6) through the corridors of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. There was general consternation amongst diplomats and NGOS. Reached by phone, the American mission in Geneva neither confirmed nor denied the report. Although unofficial, the news comes at a time of long opposition by the Bush administration to the reforms which created the Human Rights Council in June 2006. Washington announced from the beginning that the US would not be an active member but its observer status would mean that it could intervene during the sessions. To date even this has rarely happened.

When a country starts doing things like this, it is alway in fortification against a slew of lawsuits against the United States on human rights issues. Withdrawing from the Geneva Convention is definitely bad enough but withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council is unforgivable. Score another point for moving to Berlin!

Since Ford is reintroducing the Ford Taurus in 2008, I am reposting my article, God Save the Ford Taurus. It actually looks like an old Ford Escort. Ewww. Oh, and Ford, the word “heritage” is code for “racist.” What Ford needs to do is launch with the Ford Taurus SHO.

God Save the Ford Taurus

After just an evening and a morning, the Ford Taurus feels dangerous to me.

My car is in the shop and instead of giving me a loaner and leveraging word of mouth marketing the lovely people at BMW of Arlington instead set me up with an Enterprise Ford Taurus with 22k miles on her.

The Ford Taurus feels dangerous to me.

With all the yaw and sway in the suspension and the floppy give in the driver’s seat, I didn’t feel like I had very good control over the car, especially at speed.

Maybe BMW of Arlington does this just to remind their customers that no matter how luxe a BMW can get even in the form of a 750iL flagship sedan, a BMW is always a driver’s machine.

Compared to the Ford Taurus, my E39 530i feels like its on rails and rock solid.

Thank you BMW of Arlington for reminding me what I do have and all the blessings of my life.

I will never take Grace for granted.

RESS RELEASE:

FORD STRENGTHENS RETRO-80s LEADERSHIP WITH INTRODUCTION OF NEW 2008 TAURUS HERITAGE EDITION

* New edition features more than 5 engineering changes, making it more retro, cheezier, mellower and homlier.
* 2.5-liter High Swirl Combustion I-4 delivers an estimated 90 horsepower and 130 ft-lbs of torque.
* Ford Sync™ (not sink) offers new levels of connection, control, simplicity and personalization with the well known relability of Microsoft
* Taurus Heritage Edition will reach showrooms this fall.

CHICAGO, Feb. 7, 2007 – Ford Motor Company today announced it is bringing back the well-known Ford Taurus name, introducing a new special version – Heritage Edition – for its aging hipsters to go on sale this fall.

“Taurus has been an icon for rental sedans for more than two decades, and it’s time to return this powerful name to where it belongs,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s President of The Americas, at the Chicago Auto Show. “Consumer awareness of the Taurus name is double the Five Hundred that it’s replacing, and thats damn good enough for us to forget the latter altogether!.

“By giving these vehicles the bland looks of the 80′s that consumers recognize at the same time we’re making significant upgrades, we’re confident that even more rental companies are going to be attracted to these great products in the future,” Fields added.

The 2008-model Taurus Heritage Edition sedan will go on sale this fall, as an upgrade to the earth shattering ALL NEW Ford Taurus. The new Heritage Edition features a fully flush grille guard with peek-a-boo Ford emblem, a new dual color scheme, a new cornering light, more standard safety features – including dual airbags tuned to explode with that classic pop that made people file lawsuits in the early nineties– and other refinements to make it more retro, cheezier, mellower and homlier.