We Must Stop the U.N.'s Law of the Sea Treaty!

American Policy Center ^ | March 8, 2004 | American Policy Center

[SandRat]

I just love the acronymn LOST because that's what the UN is LOST.

[hedgetrimmer]

Well, lets make this treaty get lost, and never come back!

[BykrBayb]

DLD, please ping me if you get a rational answer to your question. I can't imagine why the Navy would be in favor of this.

[dayton law dude]

Sure thing

[hedgetrimmer]

They think its dangerous to rely heavily on customary international law to support U.S. uses of the oceans, , and especially think it will guarantee the unhampered movement of our naval forces.

But if they think the UN is going to allow unhampered movement of American naval forces after it is ratified, they are just plain nuts. If they would care to look at any of the environmental treaties made with the UN, they are harmless enough at first, but the UN will hold convention after convention, issuing more and more totalitarian restrictions on Americans. Once the treaty is ratified, we are only one vote out of 281 some odd countries. We will always lose. It is never in our best interest to give the UN any power over us.

[lowbridge]

has reemerged as a threat to this nation’s sovereignty, thanks in large part to Senate Foreign Relations Chair Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)

Which party controls the majority of the Senate? I forget....

[Coleus]

`

[chance33_98]

Bush Administration Urges Senate Approval of Law of the Sea Treaty

NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE LAW OF THE SEA CONVENTION

Testimony of Tom Fry

< -- snip -- >

Now, I have been speaking today largely in big-picture terms of what is right and what is wrong with ocean policy. However, I would like to bring an item of particular concern to the commission’s attention, and that is the Law of the Sea Treaty. The Law of the Sea Treaty first entered into force on November 16, 1994, without U.S. participation. While most of the treaty constitutes customary international law, other provisions, namely those related to deep seabed mining were viewed as unacceptable to the United States when the treaty was concluded in 1982. Since then, the international community has amended the seabed provisions and the administration has forwarded the Law of the Sea to the U.S. Senate for ratification. One hundred and nineteen nations, excluding the United States, have become parties to the treaty.

The Law of the Sea treaty is of interest to the offshore industry because it supports U.S. claims to the marine areas that extend farther than 200 nautical miles from our coasts. This provision favors the United States as one of the few nations with broad continental margins, particularly in the North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The convention also establishes several institutions, including the International Seabed Authority and the Continental Shelf Commission, a body of experts through which nations may establish universally binding outer limits for the continental shelf. In November 1998, having failed to ratify the convention, the United States lost its provisional membership on the seabed authority and its official observer status on the commission. Of concern to the offshore energy industry is whether the United States can influence treaty interpretation and implementation affecting American interests as a nonparticipant to the treaty.

Today I say to you that the Senate needs to ratify this important treaty immediately.

[hedgetrimmer]

The convention also establishes several institutions, including the International Seabed Authority and the Continental Shelf Commission,

Oh great. Just what we need. Another international soviet to tell us what to do, and funded with US taxpayer dollars no doubt.

An international soviet cannot represent national security interests for the United States.

[Redbob]

"Which party controls the majority of the Senate? I forget....

If you should happen to learn, please call Senator Frist and let him know.
He really should know.

[Coleus]

http://www.stoptheftaa.org

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[E.G.C.]

BTT!!!!!

[.30Carbine]

More info. Keep trying Sen. Frist's office today!

[OXENinFLA]

President Announces New Measures to Counter the Threat of WMD

This could be use in the argument.

[OXENinFLA]

Pres. Bush:

Breaking this network is one major success in a broad-based effort to stop the spread of terrible weapons. We're adjusting our strategies to the threats of a new era. America and the nations of Australia, France and Germany, Italy and Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom have launched the Proliferation Security Initiative to interdict lethal materials in transit. Our nations are sharing intelligence information, tracking suspect international cargo, conducting joint military exercises. We're prepared to search planes and ships, to seize weapons and missiles and equipment that raise proliferation concerns, just as we did in stopping the dangerous cargo on the BBC China before it reached Libya. Three more governments -- Canada and Singapore and Norway -- will be participating in this initiative. We'll continue to expand the core group of PSI countries. And as PSI grows, proliferators will find it harder than ever to trade in illicit weapons.

[Jeff Head]

Terrible treaty. IMHO, people are being bought off right and left (particularly on the left, but increasingly in the "right" too), either with money, power, influence, misbegotten ideology, globalization, or threats.

This particularl treaty is just another step towards something akin to:

The Dragon's Fury Series

...or something even worse.

Jeff

[sauropod]

bttt.

[TigersEye]

bttt