U.N. Parties During Reagan's Funeral
U.N. chief Kofi Annan and U.N. General Assembly President Julian Hunte (St. Lucia) were among the VIPs at the state funeral for former president Ronald Reagan in Washington.
But the National Day of Mourning didn't stop the U.N. from its regular schedule of festivities.
The U.N.'s headquarters in New York City remained open for business and all employees were expected to report for work, says spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "The U.N. does not discriminate on the basis of nationality," he explained.
That is not exactly true.
The U.N. shuts down for numerous Christian and Moslem holidays. (Interestingly, it has never closed for any Jewish holiday in its entire history.)
In September 2000, President Bill Clinton asked the U.N. to delay the opening of the General Assembly out of respect for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.)
The answer was an emphatic "No."
Clinton boycotted the General Assembly's opening day and spoke the following week.
On Friday, not only did the U.N. remain open, but also the annual "Staff Day" festivities, previously scheduled, went forward as planned.
Staff day is set aside by the United Nations to "honor" its employees.
In recent years, Staff Day has become an event for parties and "talent shows" more reminiscent of those often found in college fraternity houses.
It is like a U.N. version of "American Idol" (without the record contract).
Which left the U.N. in a potentially embarrassing situation.
While President Reagan was eulogized in a somber memorial in Washington, U.N. staffers in NYC were partying it up.
Many staffers inside the U.N. bureaucracy blame Reagan for massive cuts in U.S. funding of the world body, which resulted in thousands of layoffs.
Under the Reagan administration, more than $1 billion in U.S. dues went unpaid.
The president once remarked, "If the U.N. does not like New York, they are free to move, perhaps to Moscow."
One staffer remembered that former Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega once told the General Assembly, "President Reagan should remember that Rambo exists only in the movies!" That brought a standing ovation.
All of which left mixed emotions among the U.N. staff.
"He [Reagan] wanted to get rid of us ... that's why I voted for Clinton and will vote for Kerry," lamented one American U.N. staffer.
But one immigrant from the former Soviet republic of the Ukraine had tears in her eyes; for her, Ronald Reagan was more than just a U.S. president:
"He is very special to me and my family. He gave us something which had been taken away [by the Soviet government]... our lives."
4. Rats at the U.N. (and Not Just the Ones in Three-Piece Suits)
Rats are invading the United Nations, and not just the ones who carry diplomatic credentials, explain several staffers.
The world body's New York headquarters is literally falling apart, say officials inside the organization.
From the gleaming 38-story Secretariat to the cavernous-domed General Assembly hall, the U.N. is sinking, literally.
Not only is the headquarters falling apart, but an assorted collection of mice, rats and others of New York's finest pay increasing visits (unannounced) to the U.N.'s eateries, offices and VIP meeting rooms.
While the four-legged rats have their run of the place, the two-legged ones (U.N. officials) have decided to fight back.
A little more than two years ago, the United Nations unveiled a multibillion-dollar capital renovation plan to "save" its headquarters.
The so-called "Capital Master Plan" has a price tag of $1.2 billion.
Problem is, the U.N. has had a hard time raising cash for the project.
A "special assessment" on U.N. members to raise the needed funds has had less than an enthusiastic reception, say diplomats.
Meanwhile, the campus sinks and the rodents rise...
To try and move the request for funding along, the U.N. has invited a group of politicians, journalists and diplomats on a "scenic" tour of the bowels of the world body.
What will they see?
Besides the rats, mice, centipedes, spiders and cockroaches, the VIPs will see rotting ventilation pipes, asbestos-filled storage rooms, and an air conditioning system (built by Carrier in the 1950s) that would have a hard time cooling a drink in the Delegates Lounge, let alone the entire U.N. complex.
In 2000, just weeks before the U.N.'s Millennium Summit, a 4-foot section of the ceiling of the Delegates Lounge collapsed right above an area where President Bill Clinton was to have an official lunch with Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In other areas, public water fountains spew a greenish-brown water that most folks opt not to partake of when it surfaces. Nobody seems to know what is in this liquid... perhaps secret Iraqi WMD?
Most diplomats complain that this is not "what the U.N. is supposed to be."
At the U.S.'s U.N. mission building nearby, things are not much better.
Some U.S. diplomats complain that their diplomatic headquarters "looks more like a YMCA than a diplomatic mission."
5. Ronald Reagan's Torch: Pass It On!
NewsMax readers know of our special dedication to keeping the Reagan legacy alive.
We believe we have played a key role in keeping the flame alive during these years between President Reagan's departure from the Oval Office and his passing.
But we must not become complacent. We hope you will help us continue the Reagan legacy so that future generations will know who Ronald Reagan was - and what he stood for.
You can help pass the torch with some wonderful items from the Reagan Collection:
The USS Ronald Reagan navy cap
The Oval Office portrait of Ronald Reagan
The Greatest Speeches of Ronald Reagan coffee-table book
Ronald Reagan's Greatest Laughs audio program
Reagan Country - the portrait President Reagan loved
The USS Ronald Reagan fleece jacket
The Deck of Reagan playing cards - you'll love them
Ronald Reagan presidential coffee mug
...And many more items in NewsMax's Reagan Collection...
Please remember: A portion of sales proceeds from NewsMax's Reagan Collection will be donated to the Navy League to help the USS Ronald Reagan and improve the quality of sailors' lives while deployed. This charity has been supported by President Reagan's son Michael.
Meanwhile, the campus sinks and the rodents rise...
To try and move the request for funding along, the U.N. has invited a group of politicians, journalists and diplomats on a "scenic" tour of the bowels of the world body.
What will they see?
. Besides the rats, mice, centipedes, spiders and cockroaches, the VIPs will see rotting ventilation pipes, asbestos-filled storage rooms, and an air conditioning system (built by Carrier in the 1950s) that would have a hard time cooling a drink in the Delegates Lounge, let alone the entire U.N. complex.
In 2000, just weeks before the U.N.'s Millennium Summit, a 4-foot section of the ceiling of the Delegates Lounge collapsed right above an area where President Bill Clinton was to have an official lunch with Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
. In other areas, public water fountains spew a greenish-brown water that most folks opt not to partake of when it surfaces. Nobody seems to know what is in this liquid... perhaps secret Iraqi WMD?
Most diplomats complain that this is not "what the U.N. is supposed to be."
At the U.S.'s U.N. mission building nearby, things are not much better.
Some U.S. diplomats complain that their diplomatic headquarters "looks more like a YMCA than a diplomatic mission."