Posted on 10/30/2002 3:59:17 AM PST by madfly
At a time when President Bush is pleading with the United Nations for permission to wage war on Iraq, he has assigned U.S. troops to wear U.N. uniforms and report to a foreign U.N. commander.
The pro-U.N. policy represents a violation of a Bush campaign promise and the 2000 Republican Party platform. It also represents a continuation of a policy that began under former President Clinton, who ordered the prosecution of a U.S. Army soldier who refused to join the U.N. Army.
The United States Military Observer Group in the Pentagon confirms that U.S. soldiers wear U.N. blue berets and U.N. shoulder patches as members of UNOMIG – the United Nations Observer Mission in the country of Georgia. Soldiers ordered assigned to this mission wear this U.N. uniform. What´s more, they receive a United Nations physical examination before deployment to the mission and the U.N. pays some expenses associated with it. The purpose is to supervise the cease-fire between Georgia and Abkhazia. The U.S. troops take orders in the mission from a foreign commander named Major-General Kazi Ashfaq Ahmed of Bangladesh. After their service, members of UNOMIG may receive a ribbon described as "Central stripe of UN blue, flanked by white and green stripes, with dark blue edges."
President Clinton´s order to U.S. troops to wear a U.N. uniform was extremely controversial, unpopular, and alleged to be illegal and unconstitutional. House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Delay sponsored a bill to prohibit the wearing of a U.N. uniform by U.S. service personnel. This bill was a reaction to the case of U.S. Army soldier Michael New, who had refused to wear a U.N. uniform and was court-martialed and discharged for bad conduct by Clinton.
Such a bill was considered unnecessary under President Bush because he – and the Republican Party – had made it absolutely clear that he would never order U.S. troops to serve under U.N. command. "I will never place U.S. troops under UN command," candidate Bush said in his speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California, November 19, 1999. The 2000 Republican Party Platform declared that "…American troops must never serve under United Nations command."
My 15 year-old son wrote a report on this matter. He said:
"What is a hero? What acts do they do? They do many things: championing a good cause, going beyond the call of duty, and acting wisely under pressure to name just a few of the good things that heroes do. My paper is on Michael New; a soldier who refused to comply with unconstitutional orders from a higher command and then was discharged from the army because of it.
"In July of 1995, Army specialist Mike New was informed that his infantry would be going to Macedonia as part of a ‘peacekeeping´ operation. In August, he was told that his unit would be required to wear a U.N. beret and patch. He was told the order to wear the U.N. uniform was lawful because ‘the president said so therefore it is.´ But nobody ever provided a legal rational for this. Eventually, a battalion briefing offered the justification that ‘We wear the U.N. uniform because it looks fabulous.´ He refused to wear the uniform. In his oath, he said he would fight for the U.S., not the U.N. or some other foreign power. But Bill Clinton had ordered this without even Congress´ approval and he knew it was unlawful. This, he knew, violated his oath as a soldier. He didn´t wear the uniform like everybody else was doing. Instead Michael New did what was right and what was just, and by not wearing that uniform, risked everything.
"In terms of going beyond the call of duty, I believe Michael New went far beyond the call of duty. Now only was he willing to fight, he was also willing to put everything on the line to do what was right. And if he had to do it all over again, he would.
"Michael New definitely risked his life, future, and reputation by saying no to this illegal order. He knew that he would be court-martialed for doing what was right. His case is still in the courts. He was discharged from the army for ‘Bad Conduct.´ He knew that he could have gone to jail and that he´d have that mark on his record. But those were sacrifices he was willing to make for the good of the country. Michael New faced scrutiny from military officers. Yet he still stands strong in his belief that when you sign up for the U.S. military, you aren´t fighting for the U.N. of for some foreign regime; you´re fighting for America.
"He serves as a calling to my higher self because he acts wisely under pressure. He also does the right thing even though he knows the consequences. Michael New is willing to stand up for what is right. I admire these traits a lot and how he, with a promising military career ahead of him, decided he´d do the right thing and end up having to give it up. "In conclusion, I believe that Michael New is a great person. He shows leadership, champions a good cause, and fights for what is right. He acts wisely under pressure and risked his future for the country."
My son recognized a basic truth that has been lost on President Bush. The President must reverse course, order our troops out of their U.N. uniforms, and reaffirm their commitment as U.S. soldiers dedicated to protecting the U.S. Constitution.
To comment on this article or express your opinion directly to the author, you are invited to e-mail Cliff at antiun@earthlink.net .
Not Correct....
Mike New had Sworn an Oath "...To Protect the (U.S.) Constitution from All Ememies.....BOTH FOREIGN and Domestic..."
Funny thing.....the Oath that the POTUS & VPOTUS swears to does not contain that line.....
Shrub is only adding one more Brink in the wall that separates American Citizens from their Soverign Nation and God Given Rights
I, _________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
He was given a legal order. And don't call the President "Shrub".
For What It's Worth:
You had better be careful of what else you say about Mike New. I have known his Father for over two years - and I might be able to 'catch' something if the stories aren't correct.
Are you saying that anything that cannot be readily proven false is true?
After all the ranting GW did about going it alone, if the UN didn't give him the resolution he wanted, I can't believe he is putting the US military under UN control. So much for political promises.
So did Mikey ever get any jail time on those drug convictions?
Are you saying that anything that cannot be readily proven false is true?
No, well, I did SAY that. I hastily worded that sentence and someone already called me on it above.I answered that that is not how I think, pointing out that I continued to search out the truth and emailed the author asking for any more sources he might have.
But you are on the ball and I would question a dumb remark like that myself.
(correct use of that that? I hope!)
Sorry about my defensive reply earlier, forget who it was to.
:(madfly
BTW, the author has responded to most everyone in another article today.
Report Of U.S. Troops Being Placed Under A Foreign U.N. Commander Causes Uproar ^
Of course not. Convicted drug offenders make poor martyrs. Last I heard he was blaming that on the government, too.
So what about this guy?
Is he a traitor, too? Ronald Reagan sent him to Lebanon. I guess that would put President Reagan in the same league as President Bush?
Let me get this straight....
I DO NOT CARE WHO WAS SITTING IN THE OVAL ORIFICE - PERIOD !!
IF THEY AREN'T GOING TO UPHOLD THE OATHS THAT THEY WERE SWORN TO - THEY AREN'T WORTH THE ROPE IT'LL TAKE TO HANG 'EM
Present Company Included....
What's this "catch something" you're talking about? Don't just make vague accusations- if you've got something to say, come out with it.
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