Trick or treat? The UN had a birthday

By Isabel Lyman
web posted October 25, 2004

United Nations Day was observed on October 24, but fewer
and fewer Americans were in the mood to party.

Established after World War II in 1945 with the goal of
maintaining "international peace and security," the United Nations
is also famous for promoting "universal respect for and
observance of human rights." But after 59 years, and tens of
billions of U.S. tax dollars that have been funneled into the
corrupt organization, there is an increasing public wariness over
the worthiness of U.N.-initiated endeavors.

Two anecdotes:

* The Get US Out! movement continues to gain momentum. The
American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (H.R. 1146) had
16 co-sponsors in the Congress. If the legislation had passed,
the United States' participation in the United Nations would have
been terminated.

* The crowd wildly cheered when California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger unexpectedly declared, at the 2004 Republican
National Convention, "If you believe this country, not the United
Nations, is the best hope of democracy in the world, then you
are a Republican!"

Unfortunately, the true believers, who think that the sky-blue
U.N. flag trumps Old Glory, won't be dissuaded. Some queries
for them:

-If membership in the United Nations is open to only "peace-
loving states," why are Syria and Libya - nations that are
sponsors of terrorism - part of the 191 member states?

-Who gave the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) the power to designate national
jewels, such as Everglades National Park and Yellowstone
National Park, as World Heritage sites? According to
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), "UNESCO bypasses
congressional authority to manage federal lands, including places
like the Everglades, by establishing management policies without
congressional consultation."

-Why did delegates to the U.N. Earth Summit, held in
Johannesburg in 2002, feast on lobster and steak, while boys
and girls in nearby shanty towns went hungry?

-Why was General Colin Powell ridiculed at the Earth Summit
for complaining that Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe's land grabs
have brought citizens to "the brink of starvation"?

-Where was the international outcry when Claude Baert and
Kurt Coelus, who were part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission in
Somalia (1993), were photographed swinging a Somali boy over
an open fire?

-Why is China, where ill-treatment of Chinese Christians is not a
rare affair, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council?

-Why does so little of the money, raised for the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) during Halloween, get dispensed to
needy youngsters, while much of it is used for overhead costs,
luxury travel, and overstaffing?

-Why did a U.N peackeeping mission in the province of
Katanga (1961) include the bombing of hospitals and other
civilian targets?

-Why didn't heads roll after former Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali told the Washington Post that "perhaps half of the
UN work force does nothing useful"?

-Why was Fidel Castro, whose regime Freedom House rates
among the "most repressive" in the world, allowed to address the
UN Assembly Hall in 2000 where he derided wealthy nations
that "make us poorer, more exploited, and more dependent"?

-Why does Secretary-General Kofi Annan merit a New York
City mansion, a budget for security and entertainment, and a six-
figure salary, when so many American jobs are being
outsourced?
 
-Why do U.N. bureaucrats receive money for their children's
private school tuition, while many U.S. citizens can't convince
their elected officials to champion school choice?

-Why was Alger Hiss, a devoted Communist, allowed to serve
as secretary-general at the United Nations' founding convention?

-Last: Why do the majority of recipients of U.S. foreign aid
regularly vote against our wishes in the United Nations?

This October, question the U.N. Do it for the children.

Izzy Lyman, author of The Homeschooling Revolution, thinks
that the Boston Red Sox's Johnny Damon - not Johnny Kerry or
Johnny Edwards - has the better 'do. She can be reached at
ilyman7449@aol.com.

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