In Deep Trouble: Kofi Annan's idea of "reform" is more of the same - and lots more money.

The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal ^ | March 23, 2005 | Claudia Rosett

[quidnunc]

There he goes again.

"This hall has heard enough high-sounding declarations to last us for some decades to come," Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the U.N. General Assembly Monday. "What is needed now is not more declarations and promises."

For announcing a U.N. reform program, it was a good start. Had Mr. Annan then apologized for the gross failure of his previous reforms, launched in 1997, and left the stage, there might be a lot more reason to hope the U.N. will shape up.

Instead, Mr. Annan went right on to deliver his latest plan for U.N. reform, by way of a 63-page report stuffed with high-sounding declarations wrapped around dozens of proposals to take most of what the U.N. does wrong, and do lots more of it, with lots more taxpayer money. Mr. Annan took the title for his report from a phrase in the U.N. charter, "In Larger Freedom." Truth in labeling would more accurately read: "In Deep Trouble."

To be fair to Mr. Annan, there are the germs of a few good ideas in this report. These include recognizing terrorism as such in all cases, rather than excusing select terrorists (i.e., as a U.N. rule of thumb, those attacking Israel) as "freedom fighters." It's also worth reshaping the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, which two years ago embarrassed even the U.N. by choosing as its chairman the ambassador of Libyan tyrant Moammar Gadhafi. And there's no question the Security Council needs reform, though given that the council's basic failing has been lack of integrity, it's not clear why Mr. Annan thinks the answer is to make it bigger.

-snip-

[Capn TrVth]

Is Kofi one of the Good, the bad or the ugly?

http://www.hiway2zen.com/goodbadhi.html

(it's an 11mb flash file, let it load)

[SittinYonder]

And there's no question the Security Council needs reform, though given that the council's basic failing has been lack of integrity, it's not clear why Mr. Annan thinks the answer is to make it bigger.

Because Kofi is a one-world-government communist, and as long as it's government and driven by taxpayer dollars, for him bigger is better.

[nopardons]

bttt

[honest2God]

If the UN were a one-world govt, in would be able to act in certain cases like Sudan or Iraq. The fact that soverignty is sacronsant even in cases where a country has turned on its own people is one of the problems, not its centralization (of which there really is none).

[SittinYonder]

Sovereignty is a problem? Fascinating. Tell me more.

[T.L.Sink]

Claudia Rosett has done terrific work in her investigation
of the U.N. Oil-for-Food scam and has had some terrific
articles about it in Commentary and National Review. The
U.N. is almost totally dysfunctional. Aside from the greatest financial fraud in modern times it has the crime
of moral turpitude in the form of its sex/pedophilia
scandal. Kofi has spent most of his adult life as a U.N.
bureaucrat and he and his son are implicated to some extent
in the Oil-for-Food debacle. This is an egregious case of
the fox guarding the chicken coop. The proposed "reforms"
are not only a day late and a dollar short, but wholly
inadequate. The U.N. bureaucrats are responding reluctantly
to the very magnitude of the scandals and want to be seen
as doing something - anything - simply to preserve what's
left of their pathetic image. The U.N. has been dominated
by Third World despots, terrorist nations, and has been
consistently anti-American and anti-Israeli. It has been
pro-Palestinian, blatantly favoring the terrorists among
them. It has failed in mitigating catastrophies in such
nations as Sudan, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. It has made the
matter of "human rights" the laughing-stock of the
civilized world. The U.S. is the largest single contributor
and the U.N. is finally beginning to realize that an
increasing number of Americans have had it with this
corrupt and absurd organization. As the old saying has it,
they're part of the problem not the solution.

[American in Israel]

Far past time for reform, and high time for prison. That is after all what prison is for, criminals who refuse to reform and want to do more of the same only bigger...

[backhoe]

My 2¢'s about the un?

American Policy Center on-line Declaration of Independence from the U.N.

Neal Boortz has the right idea- kick them off US soil, plop them down in Haiti, and tell them, "when you get this straightened out, give us a call..."

Moreover:

 

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/679476/posts

U.N. Finally Forced to Probe Its Pedophilia Scandal
Newsmax.com ^ | Tuesday, May 7, 2002

"Imagine the screaming headlines and worldwide outrage if the Catholic Church or any other church allowed sexual abuse of children on such a massive scale. Could the media establishment's pro-U.N., anti-religious bias have anything to do with the stunning discrepancy? "

Child sex book given out at U.N. summit

massive sexual abuse of children in Africa,

UN cash for accused Nazi (Waldheim got 4,1 million)

'War Crimes' Fear For British Troops. Well, they wanted the World Court Didn't They?

Click this picture & goto "last" for the latest UN scandals:

[hsalaw]

"What we got from Mr. Annan as he presented this latest menu for U.N. improvement was his warning that no one should pick and choose among his proposals "a la carte." Great. If he really wants all or nothing, the next move is to toss this report, and start looking for a secretary-general who can get it right."

Or. . . toss the UN out of the US, and let them look for a new place to infest.