From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Mar 23 2003 - 10:03:45 MST
--- ABlainey@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 22/03/03 01:13:10 GMT Standard Time,
> mlorrey@yahoo.com
> writes:
>
> > On a similar note, I hear lots of europeans and others claim they
> > love Americans but hate our government's policy. Turns out that 71%
> > currently support Bush's policy and 78% think the UN is a failure.
>
> No argument on your first point. I assume these are figures of
> American views? From my vantage point the figures here are very
> different. I will add that my personal view on the UN. I cannot see
> how it can be viewed as 'a Failure' simply because it didn't allow
> the US and UK to act as they pleased or simply disagreed with them.
The UN failed because it failed to act in the best interests of the
Iraqi people. It failed because, just like the League of Nations,
allowed fascist states to continue to oppress their subject people with
the help of states that found commercial profit in propping up such
fascists. It failed because it failed to present a united front against
tyranny and the proliferation of WMD among fascist states.
> The UN is after all a democratic group that collectively make
> decisions based on each member states own wants and needs.
The UN is NOT a democratic group. I know of absolutely no nation where
the national representative to the UN is elected by the people. In the
best case, some nations, like the US, approve such representatives in
one or more legistlative bodies of popularly elected representatives.
Most Ambassadors to the UN are not so selected and screened. Most are
either members of the party in power, or have bought to position, or
else are relatives or other cronies of the ruling thug of their nation.
The Security Council is even less democratic. It has permanent members
whose membership exists solely because they were the primary members of
the victorious side of WWII. They can veto anything they want to. The
temporary members of the Security Council are not elected to their
positions either.
To claim the UN is democratic is about as accurate as claiming that the
Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council or the Palestinian Authority is
democratic.
> I will say that the UN does appear to be ineffective in events where
> time is of the essence. This seems mainly due to the ungainly size
> and subsequent slowness of the beast. hmmmm
No, it is ineffective because prominent members find profit in
subverting civilization.
>
> > ur
> > government's policy is our own. We own it. Get it?
> >
>
> And France's policy is its own. So why should you act against them
> for expressing their views? If it is right and just to boycott French
> goods and services simply because they didn't agree with our
> actions. Then we are saying 'if you don't vote the way we want you
> to, we will punish you' or even simpler 'do as I say or else'?
> Democracy and freedom of speech, this is not.
BS. Freedom of speech is not exclusive to one side or the other. Just
as Hollywood stars have a free speech right to express anti-war
opinions, I have a free speech right to not buy their movies and to
recommend to others that they do the same. Just as France has a free
speech right to express its opinion in the UN, I have a free speech
right to not buy its products and to recommend to others that they do
the same.
The free market is its own democracy, and every dollar is a vote. When
you buy products from countries that are anti-American, you
economically support the proponents of anti-American policies. If Evian
does not support the French government policy and wants my money, they
can announce their support for our policy and opposition to France's
policy. I will then buy their products.
Since France is basing its opposition to US policy on its desire for
profit from Iraqi oil, it evidently values the free market dollar vote
of French oil companies more than the dollar vote of American consumers
of French products.
This crass commercialism is evident in the fact that France is now
asking the US state department for the right to bid on reconstruction
contracts, after announcing the other day that if Iraqi forces use WMD
in the war, they will change their policy. Since Iraq has now used over
a half dozen SCUD missiles it has claimed for a decade it did not
possess, targeting Kuwaiti civilian communities, I think it is
reasonable to suspect they have lied about a lot of other things.
=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
- Gen. John Stark
"Pacifists are Objectively Pro-Fascist." - George Orwell
"Treason doth never Prosper. What is the Reason?
For if it Prosper, none Dare call it Treason..." - Ovid
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