"There's a Lot That Philip Alston Can Say About Basic Inequality That Goes to the Heart of the Rights That He Is Reviewing"

"Martha Davis, a law professor specializing in US human rights at Northeastern University, said that such vast regional variations present the UN monitor with a huge opportunity. Unlike other international officials, he has the ability to move freely at both federal and state levels–and be equally critical of both."

Ed Pilkington at The Guardian reports on the beginning of a national tour by the United Nations "special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights."