[Defender2]

U.N.=Ultimate Nonsense

[First_Salute]

Nice catch; thanks.

[sick1]

Hmmm. how bout U.N. U kNow we suck!

[EarlyBird]

Great piece. Thanks for posting it.

[hellinahandcart]

One of the U.N.'s largest defects, he told a gathering of old State Department friends in 1954, was its built-in dedication to the status quo and opposition to all wars on the grounds that, while "change might be desirable," it "leads to instabilities."

Interesting. Especially since now it's the so-called progressives using this argument to prevent war with Iraq.

They'd love to "change" the United Sates, though, and they don't give a damn about the "instabilities" that would cause.

[Greybird]

Finally, its advocates might insist that whatever its shortcomings, the U.N.'s special agencies on hunger, women, children, drug addiction, and other worthy issues do neglected and invaluable work.

Most of the now-U.N.-affiliated "specialized agencies" that actually do any substantive work long predate the United Nations. The Universal Postal Union and International Telecommunications (formerly Telegraph) Union have been tearing down governmental barriers to worldwide communication since the 1870s. Those for labor, food, weather, aviation, and health either date from early in the 20th Century in their origins, or have remained genuinely autonomous.

The agencies that have been thoroughly politicized, on the other hand, were solely creations of the U.N., such as UNESCO (education and culture), WIPO ("intellectual property"), and WTO (trade).

[NetValue]

"Powell has almost daily told the U.N. and its admirers they should quickly get serious if they want the organization to avoid the fate of the League of Nations..."

I hope President Bush asks the UN to get out of the US. They spend a lot of money, much of it ours, on unproductive pursuits. They condemn us for our goodness. They obstruct us when we need to act. We need to withdraw, declare them impotent and ineffective, and tell them to get out! Do it simultaneously with the "Attack" order to Gen. Franks.