Ignoring Scandal at the U.N.

MSNBC ^ | 4/29/04 | Glenn Reynolds

[anonymous_user]

I wrote last week about UNScam, as the United Nations' oil-for-food scandal is being called by some.  Since then, a lot more information has come out, and things look even worse than they did a week ago.

U.N. sanctions forbade Iraq from selling oil because of Saddam's refusal to disarm as he promised to after the Gulf War in 1991.  The oil-for-food program was supposed to let Iraq sell some oil, with the money placed under close U.N. supervision so as to ensure that it went for food and medicine for ordinary Iraqis, not weapons and palaces for Saddam.  Instead, the opposite seems to have happened.

[anonymous_user]

Read this and ask yourself why this a scandal of this magnitude isn't front page news in every paper in the country.

[CharlotteVRWC]

Maybe we could get FOX news to read the NAMES ON THE LIST
on TV. Then spend an hour telling why they had to read the names....

[FreePaul]

The UN has been a major scandal since its inception. It has been nothing more than a provider of political and financial aid for third world despots and thier supporters in the civilized countries. I'm not the least surprised that most news organizations ignore any faults in the UN. Liberals for years have claimed that we would be better off if we just let the UN run everything. The major news organizations and their spokesmen aren't willing to admit that the UN is a disaster and has been since it began.

[A CA Guy]

The answer then is to put the UN in charge of terrorist food distribution world-wide.

This should starve them out in a month or so!

[kdot]

Great idea! If only...

[JmyBryan]

It is scary that none in the media is willing to point the finger at the UN. Much more fun for them to implicity blame capitalism and the US, rather than blatant corruption and hypocrisy.

[Truth29]

In the 21st century world and the USA in particular, the underlying crime is far less important than the agenda. This is likely the largest criminal enterprise in history, but we hear far more about allegations about Halliburton and Martha Stewart, for instance.

Part of the blame lies with the Administration itself. We are desperately trying to enlarge the role of the UN in Iraq and have turned over the key role of selecting a new government to a UN official. We have apparently bought the line that we need to UN to legitimize our efforts. The is the equivalent of George Orwell's Ministry of Truth where words and deeds mean the exact opposite of reality.

[cricket]

"Read this and ask yourself why this a scandal of this magnitude isn't front page news in every paper in the country."

Liberal media/Libs et al will not admit that their 'buddha' . . .is not. . .worse that it is as corruptible and corrupted as everything these Libs vest their 'idiolgoical faith' in.

But the 'real' reason; it is not on the front pages; is that, well, you know. . .their audience/their readership. . .we can not understand the issue; we don't care. . .it is too complicated; requires greater attention spans; can not be explained at third a grade level. . .

They surely have many reasons, for not doing their job of informing the public of world-class crime at the highest, 'most sacred' echelons of government. . .besides protecting their own best interests, that is.

[shipmancv63mom]

Government is the god of secular humanist(socialist government that is) and no one criticizes their god!

[Helotes]

Read this and ask yourself why this a scandal of this magnitude isn't front page news in every paper in the country.

If this was on the front page, people would start to figure out that it would have been a long wait for the UN security council to approve any invasion that deposed Mr.So damn insane.

[tiamat]

I'd give two birds and a blue rock to see the entire list... I saw a partial a few weeks ago, but I bet there's some VERY interesting people and companies and countries on it!

[Biblebelter]

I read the article. It confirms to me that it is pretty much the U.S, Great Britain, and Israel against the world/world view. Globalism is not about adhering to international law, but creating international license by ceding sovereignity through political accommodations to nameless, faceless bureaucratic bodies.

[Psycho_Bunny]

This poll explains it all:

Among self-identified liberal voters, 60% have a favorable opinion of the UN while 25% have an unfavorable view. Conservatives see things much differently--20% favorable and 62% unfavorable.

Moderate voters are evenly divided--41% favorable and 36% unfavorable.

Among those who say they will vote for President Bush this November, 18% have a favorable opinion of the UN while 66% have an unfavorable view.

The press, in general, being irrefutably liberal is not willing to criticize the organization it favors.

[johnb838]

Note that right as the scandal started to get traction, the "prisoner abuse" pictures came out.

[SpinyNorman]

The blue hats ought to be forced into Iraq and serving on the front line patrols just to make up for the way they callously screwed the people of Iraq.

[Truth29]

Ah yes, and how many prisoners were abused vs. how many Iraqis died because of the diversion of $10 billion and associated corruption?.

Also, given that the predominant story on the news today is all about Michael Jackson, our priorities continue to be badly skewed.

[anonymous_user]

The blue hats ought to be forced into Iraq and serving on the front line patrols just to make up for the way they callously screwed the people of Iraq.

I totally agree. These countries owe a gigantic pennance to the Iraqi people, but the convicts are also the police, and the world press is more concerned about reading body counts and Michael Jackson. It's beyond disgusting.

[hauerf]

Big honking American SUVs made them do it.

[meenie]

This is an example of how creating a larger form of government and getting the more unaccountable to anybody causes incompetnce and corruption. We see it work up through the food chain in our own country. It gets proportianately worse in our treaty organizations and trade matters. God help us if the New World Order gets the power it desires.

[backhoe]

I'd give two birds and a blue rock to see the entire list...

Click the pic, go to the "last," and work back- there's a link or two here: