Bush Says 'Yes' to UNESCO
Austin RuseToday we report on the news that the U.S. government intends to rejoin UNESCO, which it pulled out of during the Reagan era. Social conservatives will be deeply concerned over this since UNESCO, while not as bad as the U.N. itself, still supports the U.N. in promoting abortion and anti-family values around the world. Social conservatives will insist on one of their own for the U.S. UNESCO job.
Friday, Sept. 20, 2002
One of the little-noticed and little-reported items in President George W. Bush's speech to the U.N. General Assembly last week was the U.S. pledge to rejoin UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. In his speech, President Bush declared that "As a symbol of our commitment to human dignity, the United States will return to UNESCO. This organization has been reformed and America will participate fully in its mission to advance human rights and tolerance and learning."
For more than a year, the Bush administration has sought ways to illustrate its commitment to multilateralism. Rejoining UNESCO is the most tangible manifestation of this effort so far.
UNESCO was established in 1945 to disseminate educational, cultural and scientific materials deemed essential for establishing toleration and peace. During the Reagan administration, the U.S. pulled out of UNESCO, charging the agency with rampant waste and fraud, and a hard-left pro-Soviet slant. Sharing many of these concerns, Great Britain also withdrew from UNESCO at about the same time.
Prior to its decision to rejoin UNESCO, the White House reached out to social conservatives, and was warned that many groups were increasingly concerned with UNESCO's ongoing support of the U.N.'s radical social agenda. A symbolic vote on the proposal was defeated in the U.S. House of Representatives, further signaling widespread U.S. distrust of the organization.
In a Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) memo requested by the White House and the State Department a year ago, it was pointed out that social conservatives would object to UNESCO's collaboration with the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) and its main NGO partner, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). In line with these groups, UNESCO now advocates for reproductive health services for children. In U.N. parlance, reproductive health services includes abortion. For instance, one UNESCO document praises Thailand's provision of abortion-causing "emergency contraceptives" to children as an "innovative strategy."
UNESCO is also a proponent of the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, a document written by UNAIDS and the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights. The document calls on governments to ensure a "right to safe and legal abortion," to legalize "same-sex marriages," to legalize prostitution, and to provide graphic sexual and homosexual education to children. The document also seeks the establishment of "criminal penalties" for people engaged in speech construed to be a "vilification" of homosexuality.
In the name of AIDS-reduction, UNESCO has fully embraced reproductive and sex education. In concert with UNAIDS and UNFPA, UNESCO has created curricula that many social conservatives would believe undermine parental authority, show disdain for traditional cultures and religious worldviews, and introduce dishonesty into education.
A great deal of UNESCO's other educational materials fall squarely in the camp of political correctness, endorsing liberal stances on such issues as gender and environmentalism.
Although disgruntled, conservative groups might refrain from criticizing Bush if he selects a strong social conservative to represent the United States at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
Austin Ruse is President of the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute
Copyright - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute). Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.
Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 427 New York, New York 10017 Phone: (212) 754-5948 Fax: (212) 754-9291
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this is way too much information this late at night...but seriously... ISLAM is a mental health problem and is about to become a bunion and a hemorrhoid combined!
Sorry... just trying to be silly because this stuff is scary as well as...______________ (you fill in the adjective)
Big Nanny is watching you.
They were dicussing on the radio here in Northern Colorado the other day. Of course it was one of those crazy, conspiracy theory, patriot radio stations (WHNC). The MSM never does any reporting on this type of thing. Most people wouldn't believe it anyway.
And I'm sure the centralization of our medical records feeds this beast.......
Please see: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:h2234ih.txt.pdf
Ping to Badray. This is why they want to conduct mental health screenings in school. I'm too far gone for "help."
This is an important thread.
There have been several "guests" on the western radio talk shows in the past week or so, talking about mental health.
Have they decided on a big push at this time?
ping