A Misguided War On The United Nations

[sandensea]

In the wake of World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt took noble action to ensure that the unrelenting conflicts that had defined the early 20th century wouldn’t doom future generations.

His vision was clear: “to defend life, liberty, independence and religious freedom, and to preserve human rights and justice” in their own lands, the global community would need to come together and create a post-war organization that would protect the sovereignty of all nations.

It was American leadership that mobilized the international community to create the United Nations. Its successes are many: eradicating smallpox and fighting famine; responsible arms control, disarmament, and preventing nuclear proliferation; ending conflicts and preserving peace in fragile states; and ultimately, preventing another World War.

Supporting the United Nations is both a moral imperative and aligned with our own national security interests.

But you wouldn’t know that from listening to some of the reckless rhetoric from the White House and on Capitol Hill.

The Trump administration proposes a 27% cut to U.S. assessed contributions to the U.N. regular budget and U.N. specialized agencies, and a 37% cut to peacekeeping operations. The budget elminates funding for the UNICEF, as well as the U.N. Development Program, Women's and Humanitarian Affairs offices, Population Fund, High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), and the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

When I asked Ambassador Haley what point was being made with this budget, she replied “to build up our military” - but decreasing U.S. support for U.N. peacekeeping efforts will actually end up costing us more in the long run.

The U.S. only pays $24,500 per year for each deployed peacekeeper, compared to $2.1 million per year for an American service member deployed to a war zone – about 86 times as much.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D - VA)
At: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-misguided-war-on-the-united-nations_us_595cfc05e4b0da2c73265f46?vg7

[Thomas Hurt]

1. the paranoiac far right in this country have been attacking the UN...

since at least the birchers. UN plots to take over the US. Whispering black helicopters. The Jews and the communists and socialists in Europe trying to cripple the US. More plots of inciting the brown folks to rise up (ala slave uprising). Now it is the Muslims.

Donnie buys into this crap too, that is part of why he hates European leaders and NATO.

Russia is a shining example of good old fashioned Randian hyper-individualism. Trump and his evangelical leg humpers can relate to that, just brush the despotism aside.

[MineralMan]

2. The right hates the UN, because it

gives too strong a voice to the "colonial" nations.

[longship]

3. But it stems from a long time John Birch Society trope.

"Get the USA out of the UN"

It is kind of amazing that this has become mainstream, that these people now have control.

It makes me sick. That they are aligned with the wacko fundie Christian lunatics, doubly so.

It is times like this that we all need to unite and KBO.

[MineralMan]

4. And that trope originated from racism, too.

The right wing doesn't like the idea of countries of color having any input into anything.

[longship]

5. Replace "countries" with "people" and you've nailed it.

As always,

[MineralMan]

6. Countries are made up of people.

Countries with mostly people of color are considered by right-wingers to be "colonial" countries." They believe that such places should have no say in anything. Those countries only exist to provide cheap labor and raw materials to "ruling" countries.

The entire anti-UN campaign is a racist campaign.

[longship]

7. And always has been.

I went to a John Birch Society meeting with an acquaintance when I was in high school. I had heard of them and was more than anything else curious of what they were about. This was in the mid-sixties.

I was utterly shocked about what was said during the meeting. My memory of it, now sadly fogged, is that all the country's problems stemmed from black revolutionaries who amongst their leaders was none other than Harry Belafonte, who would be a leader of a revolution to take down the real (ahem, white) government.

It was utter madness.

Now, these idiots are in power!

[MineralMan]

8. Yup. I'm familiar with the JBS from those days, as well.

They are, and were, a bunch of ignorant, bigoted jackasses. It's a shame that they have risen to the level they have now reached.