January 19, 2011
By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS
"If man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression," the world's nations warned as they proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. "It is essential ... that human rights should be protected by the rule of law."
Tibetan Buddhist leader, the 14th Dalai Lama posited: "Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free," and "it is the inherent right of all beings to yearn for freedom, equality and dignity, and they have an equal right to achieve that."
The concept of equal rights to freedom, equality and dignity was what drew me to study the ideals of America's republicanism when I set foot on U.S. college campus almost 50 years ago: equal rights, equal opportunity, equal treatment.
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