The U.S. got served yesterday in Geneva during day one of the two day meeting held by the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. A panel of 18 unpaid members of the committee periodically review the progress of nations, like the U.S., that signed a U.N. pact to eliminate all forms of racism. Ha. Anyway, the panel, led by a Greek lawyer, nailed the U.S. delegation, which hasn't gone before the panel in seven years, on racial profiling.

Linos-Alexander Sicilianos, who led the questioning, said there was overwhelming evidence of police brutality against African-Americans, Arabs and Muslims, Hispanics and other minority groups.

"You need to intensify your efforts at all levels to combat this very alarming phenomenon," Sicilianos, a Greek lawyer on the panel, told the U.S. delegation.

Grace Chung Becker, a U.S. assistant attorney general, told the committee that U.S. law prohibits the use of excessive force by any law enforcement officer against any individual in the United States. The offenders can be punished under criminal law or the victims can bring a civil lawsuit, she said.

Of course! Becker also made sure to add that President Bush said racial profiling is bad. He also frowns upon nooses, in case you didn't know. [AP]