Posted on 09/20/2006 1:52:28 PM PDT by knighthawk
The outgoing United Nations secretary general said it himself yesterday as he addressed the General Assembly for the last time: Current events, sadly conceded Kofi Annan - specifically those in Darfur, but Darfur could be read as a metaphor - "make a mockery of our claim, as an international community, to shield people from the worst abuses." Mockery indeed. Which is about the same thing President Bush told his collected audience of the crooked, the incompetent, the imbecilic and the asleep - the "community of nations" he has repeatedly urged "to defend civilization and build a more hopeful future." Yesterday, he challenged them once more to rouse themselves for once and do something, about anything.
Specifically re Darfur, he declared that the UN "must" act if Sudan keeps stalling the arrival of international peacekeeping forces: That does appear to suggest he's calling for blue helmets to be sent in whether Sudan likes it or not - which, of course, is something that an efficient Security Council would have ordered long ago were not the Security Council such a gang of hand-wringing ditherers.
Similarly, he said again that Iran "must" - as in nonnegotiable - give up any idea that it's going to build a nuclear bomb. Most of the rest of the world, incomprehensibly, remains far less resolute about that, and it's clear the U.S. will have little in the way of support from the "community of nations" when it comes time to talk sanctions. But clear it is as well that Bush is entirely prepared to keep wearing his Lone Ranger hat if it comes to that.
"The nations gathered in this chamber must make a choice," he said. "Will we support the moderates and reformers who are working for change across the Middle East, or will we yield the future to the terrorists and extremists?" Stated Bush again: "America has made its choice."
Which brings us to the day's other marquee speaker, the charming President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, who, addressing a body whose legal authority he rejects and whose resolutions he has repeatedly kissed off, earnestly explained that up is down and down is up. He assailed those nations that "seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats" as "instruments of coercion." He thundered against occupiers - that's us - who orchestrate civil unrest in Iraq. He kvetched that the world is insufficiently sorrowed by the indignities suffered by Hamas and Hezbollah. He assured one and all that there is naught in his heart but wisdom, justice, compassion, tranquillity, virtue and boundless love for all humankind. All would be fine, he suggested, if only the Security Council would expel the U.S. and Britain. He got a nice round of applause. Speaking of mockeries.
No more UN for US-list
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
And Koffee, you are one to blame for many of the failings of the UN. Y'all have run a pi$$-poor ship, mah man! Glad to see you go.
Put me on the no more UN list. I want those people out of here.
When Bush was talking about Darfur the camera panned to some African delegation (Sudan? You couldn't see the little sign). One of the guys seemed to me to have a grin on his face while talking with his two other delegates.
Did anyone watch these doing on TV?
I was chatting with a left-winger on an economic forum a while ago, and he said that Bush's speech was greeted by a resounding silence, whereas Ahmadinejad's speech was greeted by cheers and applause.
He took this as a sign of how awful Bush is. I take it rather differently.
Why do we continue to belong to this organization, which is at best ineffectual, and at worst corrupt and evil? What are the prospects that the UN will ever do anything useful again? But in the meantime, its very existence obstructs efforts to build other international alliances that might actually do some good. And it helps fund all sorts of evils.
Actually, President Bush got a nice round of applause at the end of his speech yesterday. imanutjob got a round of appluase as well. But the crowd listening to the President (as in ours) was much larger than the smaller group listening to the nutjob. Although CNN really built up imanutjob, as did nbc and msnbc (Brian Williams interviewed him, and essentially kissed his hand and bowed his head). Unlike when Williams interviewed President Bush, he was rude and disrespectful. Media in this country loves our enemy and hates our country, it is showing more and more each day.
Thanks, that's a bit of a relief to hear.
I will!
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