U.N. a great forum for Ahmadinejad, his ilk
Why all the fuss about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appearing at the United Nations? The U.N. actually performs an important service by providing buffoons and tyrants a worldwide stage, thus giving them all the rope they need to hang themselves in the court of public opinion.
Remember Hugo Chavez of Venezuela last year, and the smell of sulphur he ranted about? It proved to all the world that he is a clown. And how about Fidel Castro in years past, with all his bellicose huffing and puffing? It did nothing to enhance his stature in the world community, but only diminished his credibility. And who could forget the granddaddy of them all — Nikita Khrushchev’s shoe-pounding tantrum in 1960? If there was ever a moment that set the former Soviet Union firmly upon its march into the dustbin of history, that was it.
As Ahmadinejad proved, he is no different than these others.
James J. Amato
President, Pikes Peak Chapter, United Nations Association of the USA
Woodland Park
I have two words for the UN and they're not "Good Morning".
Posted by on October 4, 2007 02:36 AMIf the UN serves such a great purpose, pray tell just what is that purpose. The United Nations has no teeth when they sanction a country. They turn to the founding memebr America to do this. The United Nations has been the center of some of the most dispicable acts in the last 20 years. Either by thier failure to act or purpetrating the crimes them selves.
The UN neds to be moved to Eurpoe and out of New York. Its time the rest of the world steps up to the plate and take care of that cesspool.
Oh and to think that those dictators that have spoken there were discreditied. Not at all they were greeted with applause and praise.
Posted by on October 4, 2007 05:04 AM"If the UN serves such a great purpose, pray tell just what is that purpose
It is a tool of the members of the Security Council.
It's purpose is to serve the US and those other members, but mainly the US interests - which, of course, it does quite well.
I'm with Team Hugo. Everytime I hear the names Bush and USSC affirmative action (AA) Judge Alito (Ucmj-felons, AWOL, deserters, and guilty of illegal separation and discharge), I smell sulphur. It is extremely maladorous when I think of 3K 9/1l dead saints, my 1.5K brothers and sisters who died/GOP waterboard during Katrina, 70K Iraqis vaporized, 3800+ kids who died as sitting ducks/targetss in Iraq-NAM while GOP kids hit shopping malls, Gergetown power plant workers, Rocky Flats workers (draft-dodgers Shamnesty Salazar and Allard), 122+ dead coal miners, etc.
It is time to play the "R" card; Reality. Bush and Alito are two demon seeds who should be serving time in SuperMax. If they were black like me, they would already be there. Heck, you can always find the GOP (gulags, oppression, pimps), just follow the body-bags.
Posted by draftdodgingisntafamilyvalue on October 4, 2007 07:02 AMI thought he was at Columbia University?
Posted by on October 4, 2007 07:31 AMI say move the un to france and let them have it for awhile. we really dont need those theives in our country. remember the food for oil program?
Posted by on October 4, 2007 07:58 AMThe parade of speakers at the U.N. proves that the world's leaders are not the best and brightest among us.
Posted by Stan B on October 4, 2007 09:16 AMOne supposes that the courageously anonymous wingnut at 07:56 does not recall that one of the major beneficiaries of the oil for food scams was a Texass oilman named Oscar S. Wyatt Jr.
I guess I'm not too surprised at how little details like this escape the attention of the typical wingnut.
I tend to see the U.S. as a co-conspirator in the dysfunction of the U.N. Given that we were one of the charter members of group of nations who hoped to found a rubber stamp organization for whatever their global desires might be in the wake of the war to make the world safe for democracy, only to find that other nations had interests, and Ideas about whatt might be best for them, as well.
the largest financial debt owed to the state of new york, is from all of the unpaid traffic tickets issued to all of the foreign embassy staffs who do not have to pay these fines. maybe if the un wanted to seen as a bright spot in this world of chaos maybe they should start paying their debts.
Posted by on October 4, 2007 09:40 AMI thought I had heard everything. Nothing is more despicable than foreign embassies not paying their parking tickets. This is an injustice that I for one cannot stand for. We need to get this issue to the top of the debate for all Presidential candidates. Unless your number one priority is to get these parking tickets paid then I will not vote for you.
Posted by Sarcastic Sam on October 4, 2007 10:44 AMDictator after dictator have used the U.N. for their pulpit to the rest of the planet. Its easy for them to do just that when all those corrupt officials in charge at the U.N. get their tsunami of "oil for food" bribes. What a cockeyed crowd.
They U.N. bunch should be given 24 hours to vacate, the building then fumigated and a Home Depot and WalMart opened in its place for the benefit of all mid-town Manhattan.
Posts like 09:40AM above give me something to do. The unpaid fines are owed to New York City, not New York states. More hogwash is the poster's statement about the largest debt. Lastly, the unpaid tickets are owed by the individuals who drove the cars and not the United Nations.
One reason for the problem is that New York City didn't attempt to enforce violations until recently.
"The parking problems around the United Nations got dramatically better in 2002 when U.S. officials threatened to revoke the plates of scofflaws and impound their cars. According to New York's finance department, diplomats have received 90 percent fewer tickets since then, with more than 85 percent paid on time."
The post is is simply one more illustration of the lack of integrity of many posters. There are valid criticisms of the United Nations. But people like 09:40AM are not knowledgeable enough to comment on them, so they make up things out of thin air.
Some posters say that the UN do no good and ask others to tell them if there is any good the UN does. Explanation: these people are grossly ill-informed about all the various activities of the UN and think it is up to others to educate them.
Posted by Truth on October 4, 2007 10:56 AMTruth,
You are absolutely correct, the UN issues tons of sanctions, none of which will ever be enforced.
So for the benefit of us ill-informed, could you name just a couple, I am having a difficult time finding anything constructive the UN has actually done. Something besides condemning Israel for Human Rights violations, while ignoring every other country in the world.
Posted by jgd777 on October 4, 2007 11:26 AM"I am having a difficult time finding anything constructive the UN has actually done" Are you talking about the General Assembly or the UN in general? Here are 2, just for starters :
1) UN World Food Program: the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunger - provides food aid to millions of poor & refugees around the world on a daily basis.
2) UNICEF: Protects children around the world, including areas of protection, nutrition, health & basic survival.
Of course, most right wingers don't even give a rat's ass about the poor & kids in our own country, never mind little brown people overseas.
However, if the UN opened an agency to protect the fetus, they'd be all over it!
Posted by drew on October 4, 2007 12:18 PMBangalorewhatever
You must be insane if you think the UN has our best interests at heart.
This pro socialist organization votes against our best interests at every turn. It is an organization that was created with noble intentions after the second world war but has become a useless tool that is use against us by some of the very nations we saved in that war that are now drenched in socialism and by all of our other envious enemies including the ones in the middle east also.
We can't forget Red China and Russia.
It is time that we resign as members, close down it down in New York City and let the remaining members relocate it to Paris or Peking.
Posted by Friends Like Enemies on October 4, 2007 01:00 PM"Of course, most right wingers don't even give a rat's ass about the poor & kids in our own country, never mind little brown people overseas."
What exactly have you done to help the poor overseas? Are you one of those people that thinks that sympathetic feelings are going to put food in their bellies, or drugs in their blood as they die from diseases we don't even really remember in America. Unless you're in the Peace Corps or something, give the "I'm a superior bleeding heart" line a rest.
Posted by on October 4, 2007 01:47 PM"Are you one of those people that thinks that sympathetic feelings are going to put food in their bellies, or drugs in their blood as they die from diseases we don't even really remember in America."
No - actually I was pointing out the GOOD that the UN does, as the letter asks. But, from the tone of your post, are you one of those wingnuts who think that putting a bumper sticker on your SUV will help our troops? See, I can make assumptions too, you superior flag-waving dumbass.
Posted by drew on October 4, 2007 02:11 PMPost 1:47
Right wingers(Churches) The ones you pinko atheists call The Religious Right donate more and do most of the charity work thru missionaries than the left who expect the goverment to do it for guys like you. You'll give someone the shirt off of someone else's back then go pat yourself on the back and say "Gee aren't I generous"?
You phony liberals only pay lip service to these noble ideas of goodwill. The Peace Corp does about 1% of the charity the missionaries do and come home to there cussy homes after a couple of years.
Besides they mostly do it as an adventure more than a good deed. Missionaries like Mother Teresa spend a lifetime doing charity and good.
You must have had your head where the sun doesn't shine because you obviously never heard of the billions this nation has given in "Foreign Aid" to all the poor countries around the world and forgave billions owed to us by the nations we saved and rebuilt after WWII and they still envy and hate us.
I'll tell you what I don't give a rat's ass about is and that's you and every other ignorant liberal and your phony compassion.
Posted by Friends Like Enemies on October 4, 2007 02:14 PMdrew
Your the dumbass. Where do you think the UN gets most of it's funding from? That's right you jackass, from the US. We pay most of the General budget for that worthless organization that you pay homage to.
The Bumper Stickers I have say "Proud Member of th Right Wing Conspiracy"
and
"Some People are simply alive because Illegal to kill them" Like you left wing numbnuts for example.
What an ignorant dope you are drewl
Posted by Friends Like Enemies on October 4, 2007 02:26 PMTake a breath & then take your meds, dumbass. In many cases your stupid missionaries do a lot more harm than good. Why don't you just help people for the sake of helping them rather than forcing your bronze age religious superstition down their throats.
And while you're about it, why don't you get out of your la-z-boy & sign up for missionary service, big mouth. Apparently there are a lot of penguins that need "saving" down in Antarctica.
Posted by on October 4, 2007 04:05 PM> Your the dumbass.
Delicous irony.
F#ck missionaries all to hell. Convert them or kill them, right?
Posted by on October 4, 2007 04:38 PMIn answer to those who ask what it is that the UN has done that's good:
http://www.una-usadanecounty.org/about/index.php?category_id=1550
UNITED NATIONS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
-------------------------------
1. Deploying more than 35 peace-keeping missions. There are presently 16 active peace-keeping forces in operation.
2. Credited with negotiating 172 peaceful settlements that have ended regional conflicts
3. The UN has enabled people in over 45 countries to participate in free and fair elections
4. Development - The system's annual disbursements, including loans and grants, amount to more than $10 billion.
5. UNICEF spends more than $800 million a year, primarily on immunization, health care, nutrition and basic education in 138 countries.
6. UN Human Rights Commission has focused world attention on cases of torture, disappearance, and arbitrary detention and has generated international pressure.
7. UN Conference eon Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, resulted in treaties on bio-diversity and climate change.
8. Has helped minimize the threat of a nuclear war by inspecting nuclear reactors in 90.
9. Over 300 international treaties, on topics as varied as human rights conventions to agreements on the use of outer space and seabed.
10. The International Court of Justice has helped settle international disputes involving territorial issues, diplomatic relations, hostage-taking, and economic rights.
11. The UN was a major factor in bringing about the downfall of the apartheid system.
12. More than 30 million refugees fleeing war, famine or persecution have received aid from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
13. Aiding Palestinian Refugees with free schooling, essential health care, relief assistance and key social services virtually without interruption. There are 2.9 million refugees in the Middle East served by UNRWA.
14. Alleviating Chronic Hunger and Rural Poverty in Developing Countries, providing credit that has benefited over 230 million people in nearly 100 developing countries.
15. The Africa Project Development Facility has helped entrepreneurs in 25 countries to find financing for new enterprises. The Facility has completed 130 projects which represent investments of $233 million and the creation of 13,000 new jobs, saving some $131 million in foreign exchange annually.
16. Promoting Women's Rights have supported programs and projects to improve the quality of life for women in over 100 countries, including credit and training, marketing opportunities, etc.
17. Providing Safe Drinking Water Available to 1.3 billion people in rural areas during the last decade.
18. Eradicating Smallpox through vaccinations and monitoring. Helped wipe out polio from the Western Hemisphere, with global eradication expected soon.
19. Pressing for Universal Immunization of polio, tetanus, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria and tuberculosis has a 80% immunization rate, saving the lives of more than 3 million children each year.
20. Reducing child mortality rates, halved since 1960, increasing the average life expectancy from 37 to 67 years.
21. Fighting parasitic diseases, such as saving the lives of 7 million children from going blind from the river blindness and rescued many others from guinea worm and other tropical diseases.
22. Promoting investment in developing countries promoting entrepreneurship and self-reliance, industrial cooperation and technology transfer and cost-effective, ecologically-sensitive industry.
23. Reducing the effects of natural disasters early warning system, which utilizes thousands of surface monitors as well as satellites, has provided information for the dispersal of oil spills and has predicted long-term droughts.
24. Providing food to victims of emergencies Over two million tons of food each year. 30 million people facing acute food shortages in 36 countries benefited from this assistance last year.
25. Clearing land mines - The United Nations is leading an international effort to clear land minds from Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, El Salvador, Mozambique, Rwanda and Somalia.
26. Protecting the ozone layer & global warminghighlighting the damage caused to the earth's ozone layer. As a result there has been a global effort to reduce chemical emissions of substances that have caused the depletion of the ozone.
27. Preventing over-fishing
28. Limiting deforestation and promoting sustainable forestry development in 90 countries.
29. Cleaning up pollution encouraged adversaries such as Syria and Israel, and Turkey and Greece to work together to clean up beaches. As a result, more than 50% of the previously polluted beaches are now usable.
30. Protecting consumers' health have established standards for over 200 food commodities and safety limits for more than 3,000 food contaminants.
31. Reducing fertility rates Family planning programs. Women in developing countries are having fewer children from six births per woman in the 1960s to 3.5 today. In the 1960s, only 10% of the world's families were using effective methods of family planning. The number now stands at 55 percent.
32. Fighting drug abuse Reduce demand for illicit drugs, suppress drug trafficking, and has helped farmers to reduce their economic reliance on growing narcotic crops by shifting farm production toward other dependable sources of income.
33. Improving global trade relations The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has worked to obtain special trade preferences for developing countries to export their products to developed countries with fair prices.
34. Promoting economic reform Together with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations has helped many countries improve their economic management, offered training for government finance officials, and provided financial assistance to countries experiencing temporary balance of payment difficulties.
35. Promoting worker rights worked to guarantee freedom of the right to association, the right to organize, collective bargaining, setting worker safety standards, the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples, promote employment and equal remuneration and has sought to eliminate discrimination and child labor.
36. Introducing improved agricultural techniques and reducing costs Resulted in improved crop yields, Asian rice farmers have saved $12 million on pesticides and governments over $150 a year in pesticide subsidies.
37. Promoting stability and order in the world's oceans global agreement for the protection, preservation and peaceful development of the oceans.
38. Improving air and sea travel Setting safety standards for sea and air travel, making air travel the safest mode of transportation.
39. Protecting intellectual property Protection for new inventions and maintains a register of nearly 3 million national trademarks. artists, composers and authors worldwide.
40. Promoting the free flow of information free of censorship and culturally unbiased, aid to develop and strengthen communication systems, established news agencies and supported an independent press.
41. Improving global communications Regulated international mail delivery, coordinated use of the radio spectrum, promoted cooperation in assigning positions for stationary satellites, and established international standards for communications, thereby ensuring the unfettered flow of information around the globe.
42. Empowering the voiceless recognize the needs and contributions of groups usually excluded from decision-making such as the aging, children, youth, homeless, indigenous an disabled people.
43. Establishing "children as a zone of peace" From El Salvador to Lebanon, Sudan to former Yugoslavia, provide vaccines and other assistance desperately needed by children caught in armed conflict.
44. Generating worldwide commitment in support of the needs of children more than 150 governments have committed to reaching over 20 specific measurable goals to radically improve children's lives by the year 2000.
45. Improving education in developing countries 60% of adults in developing countries can now read and write, and 80 percent of children in these countries attend school.
46. Improving literacy for women Raise the female literacy rate in developing countries from 36 percent in 1970 to 56 percent in 1990.
47. Safeguarding and preserving historic cultural and architectural sites protected through the efforts of UNESCO, and international conventions have been adopted to preserve cultural property.
48. Facilitating academic and cultural exchanges encouraged scholarly and scientific cooperation, networking of institutions and promotion of cultural expressions, including those of minorities and indigenous people.
Posted by Truth on October 4, 2007 07:16 PMThanks for some perspective, Truth.
Posted by drew on October 5, 2007 09:07 AM