UN officials say Congo prisoners dying of hunger

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - At least 26 prisoners have died of hunger in a prison in Congo since the beginning of the year, U.N. officials said.

The United Nations Mission in Congo sent a team to the Mbuji-Mayi Central Prison in the province of Kasai Oriental, about 600 miles southeast of the capital, Kinshasa.

Sylvie Van Wildenberg, a U.N. spokeswoman, said that four prisoners died during the night of July 13 "as a result of severe malnutrition." At least 10 have died since June, and 26 since the beginning of the year, she said Monday.

"Our concern is even greater as we noted that among these deaths, many of them are defendants, who are therefore presumed innocent because they have not been judged due to the slowness of the legal process," said Assiongbon Tettekpoe, a local human rights officer for the U.N., who visited the prison earlier this month.

The prison, built in the 1960s, has a capacity for 200 prisoners but is housing at least 425.

Full Story Here:
UN officials say Congo prisoners dying of hunger

And the U.N. is going to do... Uh, what IS the U.N. going to do??

Likely the exact same thing they always do, NOTHING, that and complicate the problem even more...

The U.N. is really good at finding and pointing out problems all over the world, but it seems that they are that *toothless tiger* that has a lot of *growl* and that's about it...

Get the U.S. OUT of the U.N. and get the U.N. OUT of the U.S.

U.N. Human Rights Council "Crucifies" Islam

Islamic members of the United Nations Human Rights Council are attempting to shield Islamic Shari'a law abuses from any discussion within the Council.

Should the HR Council want to discuss female genital mutilation, the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) wants it forbidden. Should any violence against anyone at the behest of Shari'a law be introduced on the floor of the Council, Islamic HR members want it deleted from the record.

The following is from U.N. Watch and a transcript from the June 16, 2008 HR Council general debate:

It all started when the heroic David Littman, undaunted by malicious attempts to expel him from the UN, tried to deliver a speech on violence against women and what Islamic scholars can do to prevent it. The Egyptian representative interrupted repeatedly and challenged the council president. “Regardless of the result of the vote — I couldn’t care less if I will win or lose this vote — my point is that Islam will not be crucified in this council!”

The president gave in: “Statements should refrain from making judgments or evaluations of a particular religion. . . I can promise that at the next evaluation of a religious creed, law, or document, I will interrupt the speaker and we’ll go on to the next one.”

David Littman, an historian, was at the Human Rights Council to read a joint statement of the Association for World Education, International Humanist and Ethical Union. After 4-1/2 lines into the statement, Egypt objected and the Council President Costea (Bogata) seemed to uphold Egypt's stance and called on Pakistan. Pakistan, however, wasn't finished with it:

There is an agenda behind it, and you have already given a ruling on the discussion of Shari’a law in this council. We have strong objections on any discussion, any direct or indirect discussion, any out of context, selective discussion on the Shari’a law in this council.

After statements from Canada and Slovenia, President Costea calls for a 45 minute break. He returned and allowed Littman to proceed:

Regarding FGM, our detailed written statement discusses the reasons why 96 percent of Egyptian women are still subjected to FGM despite state legislation in 1997 outlawing the practice.

“Almost 90 percent of the female population in the north of Sudan undergo FGM which in many cases is practiced in its most extreme form known as infibulation” — we are quoting from a report by the special rapporteur Halima Warzazi.

UNICEF figures indicate that over 3 million young girls are mutilated each year in 32 countries, 29 of which are member states of the OIC.

We believe that only a fatwa from Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Sayyid Tantawy replacing the ambiguous fatwas of 1949, 1959 and 1981 will change this barbaric criminal practice, which is now growing even in Europe.

Egypt objected again:

...This is an attempt to link bad traditional practices to Islam. Sheikh Al-Azhar is the president of the largest and the biggest and the oldest Islamic university in the world.

Egypt challengesd the President's ruling to allow Littman to speak and puts this on the record:

...regardless of the result of the vote, I couldn’t care less if I will win or lose this vote, my point is that Islam will not be crucified in this council! That’s why we are challenging your ruling and the result of the vote will be indicative to what all... delegations think on this issue. And it will be a matter of discussion later of the OIC [Organization of the Islamic Conference]...

The President called for another short break then repeats:

I said that statements should refrain from making judgments or evaluations of a particular religion. We’ve just heard that a certain act which is a fatwa is considered ambiguous. This is a judgment, this is an evaluation.

Germany objected to Egypt's "Islam will not be crucified in this council" remark and seems to indicate that such a statement is not "appropriate."

President Costea advised everyone to "take a deep breath."

Egypt requested the Council to:

...delete any reference to the fatwa by Sheikh Al-Azhar — to delete all reference to Sheikh Al-Azhar from this paragraph in the official records of the meeting.

David Littman received a "caution" and was allowed to speak again:

The government of Pakistan vigorously condemns the practice of so-called honour killings, and that such actions do not find any place in our religion or law.” This is a quotation from President Musharaf on the 28th of April 2000, yet this murderous practice seems to be on the increase in Pakistan and elsewhere. Even in Europe in certain communities. It must be criminalized and the law strictly applied.

The stoning of women for alleged adultery still occurs regularly in Iran, Sudan, and other countries. In Iran, they are buried up to their waists in pits, and blunt stones are used thereby increasing their agony in death. The marriage age for girls in Iran remains at 9 years old. In the year 2000 the Iranian parliament attempted to increase the age to 14 but the law was overturned by the Council of Guardians. Last week…

Iran objected and is given the floor:

Mr. President, the statement and the references made by the speaker in this statement is false and has nothing to do with the realities in my country. I just wanted for the record to say that. “The stoning of women occurs regularly in Iran” — that’s not true. It’s completely false and out of question.

Cuba and Slovenia gave short statements, it seems in support of President Costea, who gave the nod to Littman again:

Integrating the human rights of women throughout the United Nations System is part of Item 8, under paragraph 140. I will conclude, sir. Last week, Noble Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi, speaking in Geneva, denounced the fact that in Iran, a girl is considered an adult and liable to punishment, even execution, at 9, and a boy, at 15. She rejects the concept of cultural relativism, as does the French Secretary of State for Urban Affairs, Fadela Amara, who recently strongly criticized the ruling of a French judge in Lille for annulling a marriage between 2 Muslims because the girl lied about her virginity in the marriage contract. Mrs. Amara rightly called this aberration, and I quote, “A real fatwa against the emancipation and liberty of women.” [President bangs gavel.] Thank you, Mr. President, I was quoting a Minister in France, sir.

Costea banged his gavel, declared that time was up and the Council disband until the next day's session.

Related:
U.N. Weakens Freedom of Expression to Coddle Islam
Rape in War: Will the U.N. Walk its Talk?

7 Darfur peacekeepers killed, dozens wounded

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Hundreds of heavily armed fighters riding horses and SUVs launched a brazen attack on a U.N.-African Union patrol in Darfur, killing seven peacekeepers and wounding nearly a dozen others, the U.N. said Wednesday.

The ambush was the deadliest attack on the international mission since it deployed this year and highlighted the vulnerability of the short-staffed and under-equipped force.

About 200 gunmen on horseback and in SUVs mounted with anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons exchanged gunfire for more than two hours on Tuesday with the peacekeeping force that included 61 soldiers from Rwanda, the U.N. said.

Five Rwandan soldiers and two police officers, one from Ghana, the other from Uganda, were killed. Twenty-two peacekeepers were wounded, including at seven who were in serious condition, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's said.

"We are outraged by the attack," Shereen Zorba, deputy spokeswoman of the U.N.-AU mission known as UNAMID, told The Associated Press. "We are not part of the conflict, but a tool to alleviate the suffering of civilians. We try to establish some level of peace and security in the ground. But to drag us in to be part of the conflict is unjustifiable."

Full Story Here:
7 Darfur peacekeepers killed, dozens wounded

Can you name the 3 most useless things on the face of the earth??

Tits on a nun...

Balls on a priest...

A U.N. peace mission anywhere in the world...

UN condemns Somalia slaying of aid official

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - The U.N. has condemned the slaying of a senior staff member in Somalia but says there are no plans to halt operations.

Officials say unidentified gunmen shot Osman Ali Ahmed as he was leaving a mosque in Mogadishu on Sunday night. Ahmed - who was head of the U.N. Development Program in Somalia - died on way to the hospital. His brother was seriously wounded in the attack and his son suffered minor injuries.

The U.N.'s aid chief for Somalia praised Osman's "great courage and commitment over the past 14 years."

Mark Bowden says it is unclear whether the killing was part of a wider pattern of attacks on U.N. officials. He says the organization will continue its humanitarian work in Somalia.

SOURCE:
UN condemns Somalia slaying of aid official

Yeah, that oughta do it, condemnation by the U.N., that'll make everything OK...

Still More Corruption at the UN

Cross posted at Monkey in the Middle


Founded in 1971 out of the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance and the United Nations Special Fund, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has been cited for mismanagement and corruption by its own internal investigators.

The United Nations Development Program was a good idea at one time. It was to help nations become Democracies (I wonder how they actually got that one passed the dictators), try to reduce the effects of war and poverty (they haven't been very successful with this either), help developing nations find environmentally friendly ways to develop (just looking at China and their pollution problem shows how ineffective they are), and help nations with the further spreading of HIV/AIDS and reduce its impact.

This wouldn't be news, except that the mismanagement is widely known to UN officials who overlook the corruption as the cost of doing business at the UN.

In a confidential report obtained by FOX News, UNDP’s auditors have described the UNDP procurement organization that is spending well over $2 billion annually as:

— overwhelmed by its caseload at headquarters and in the field, while procurement ballooned from $800 million in 2003 to $2.5 billion in 2006 and $2.2 billion last year;

— often failing to provide plans to support its buying activities, which the report says causes many purchases of goods and services to be carried out on an "ad hoc basis" (in fact, more than $595 million worth of non-existent purchases were recorded, although the audit notes that they were not paid for);

— wallowing in shoddy paperwork and faulty bidding processes, which contributed to a "high number of waivers of the competitive process and to quality problems in the procurement process in general";

— lacking the expertise to evaluate hundreds of millions of dollars worth of its most expensive and important purchases in civic construction and high-tech communications;

— drastically unqualified: Fully half of the organization’s procurement staff around the world were not certified for the basic requirements of their jobs, while the auditors also found the six-hour course for those who were certified to be "inadequate." Additionally, the auditors noted, "there are entire offices without a single certified buyer";

— suffering from an "apparent" conflict of interest at the top, where the people charged with vetting the procurement process for flaws are also members of the procurement office staff.

But then again it is not their money that they are spending. It is mostly American money. That makes it ok. Again corruption has enveloped what was once a good idea.

Even more ominously, the same auditors point out that UNDP:

— has no sure way of knowing whether it is doing business with organizations that the U.N. itself has condemned for terrorist ties and says UNDP country offices find the current manual system of cross-checking with U.N. terrorist sanctions lists to be "cumbersome and inefficient";

— has no formal policy for suspending or removing vendors for poor performance or corruption;

— and doesn’t ask new vendors for the identity of their owners or other corporate ties. This raises the possibility that vendors caught out for corruption or poor performance could simply switch names and reapply for approved status.

And of course all the vendors really would have to do is bribe the right official. That has been the UN policy since the 1970's.

But this isn't the only corruption to come to light today. The UN has become a center for pedophilia in the world.

The United Nations will investigate allegations by a leading children's charity that UN peacekeepers were involved in widespread sexual abuse of children, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said.

The report, released Tuesday by Save the Children UK, was based on field research in southern Sudan, Ivory Coast and Haiti. It describes a litany of sexual crimes committed by peacekeepers and international relief workers against children as young as 6 years old.

Abuses have been reported in peacekeeping missions ranging from Bosnia and Kosovo to Cambodia, East Timor, West Africa and Congo. The issue moved into the spotlight after the United Nations found in early 2005 that peacekeepers in Congo had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money.

Several month later, Jordan's UN ambassador at the time, Prince Zeid al-Hussein, wrote a report that described the UN military arm as deeply flawed. He recommended withholding the salaries of the guilty and requiring nations to pursue legal action against perpetrators.

And we do know what legal action they will receive. None! They don't get their pay and they get a pat on the wrist back home. What a joke.

In response, the UN adopted a zero tolerance policy toward sexual exploitation and abuse, and a universal code of conduct. The UN requires training for all peacekeepers, but punishment for offenders is left to individual countries.

Training for nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Nigeria, and Ghana. All models for the sexual exploitation of children. Nations where women and girls have no rights or freedoms. Such a good group to defend the helpless refugees of the world.

With corruption such as these examples are the question has to be asked: Is the United Nations relevant in today's world? Does the world really need such an organization? I'm afraid that the answer is no. The United Nations has no place in this world. The United Nations has caused more problems than it has solved. It is a hotbed of corruption and greed.

It is time that the United States and its allies take a long hard look at the United Nations. It is time that they start the move to remove themselves from this organization and build an organization dedicated to the ideals of Freedom and Democracy. A place where the dictators of the world cannot push their ideas of corruption, greed and hatred on the larger world.

It is time for the US to be rid of the UN!

Wizbang's Jay Tea on Why the U.S. Should Scrap the U.N.

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Jay Tea has written a terrifically concise piece on why the U.S. should scrap the U.N., or at the very least, cut funding.

My only disagreement with Mr. Tea is that I want the U.N. out of the U.S. and he doesn't care one way or the other, as long as the U.S. takes strong action on U.N. policies.

Please read this article. I don't think it can be said any better.



Posted by Maggie

Technorati Tags:U.N., United Nations, Reject the U.N., U.N., u.n. peacekeepers, Islam

Energy Companies Cheating on the U.N.

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook


No astonishment here that the U.N. is allowing the world to be scammed - again...often, this time in the name of the Kyoto Treaty and carbon emissions. H/T to Alex Jones' InfoWars. According to the The Guardian U.K.'s John Vidal, Stanford University's David Victor, says:

Traders are finding ways of gaining credits that they would never have had before. You will never know accurately, but rich countries are clearly overpaying by a massive amount,...

(Emphasized text is mine)

Billions wasted on UN climate programme

Energy firms routinely abusing carbon offset fund, US studies claim

Billions of pounds are being wasted in paying industries in developing countries to reduce climate change emissions, according to two analyses of the UN's carbon offsetting programme.

Leading academics and watchdog groups allege that the UN's main offset fund is being routinely abused by chemical, wind, gas and hydro companies who are claiming emission reduction credits for projects that should not qualify. The result is that no genuine pollution cuts are being made, undermining assurances by the UK government and others that carbon markets are dramatically reducing greenhouse gases, the researchers say.

The criticism centres on the UN's clean development mechanism (CDM), an international system established by the Kyoto process that allows rich countries to meet emissions targets by funding clean energy projects in developing nations.

Credits from the project are being bought by European companies and governments who are unable to meet their carbon reduction targets.

The market for CDM credits is growing fast. At present it is worth nearly $20bn a year, but this is expected to grow to over $100bn within four years. More than 1,000 projects have so far been approved, and 2,000 more are making their way through the process.

A working paper from two senior Stanford University academics examined more than 3,000 projects applying for or already granted up to $10bn of credits from the UN's CDM funds over the next four years, and concluded that the majority should not be considered for assistance. "They would be built anyway," says David Victor, law professor at the Californian university. "It looks like between one and two thirds of all the total CDM offsets do not represent actual emission cuts."

Governments consider that CDM is vital to reducing global emissions under the terms of the Kyoto treaty. To earn credits under the mechanism, emission reductions must be in addition to those that would have taken place without the project. But critics argue this "additionality" is impossible to prove and open to abuse. The Stanford paper, by Victor and his colleague Michael Wara, found that nearly every new hydro, wind and natural gas-fired plant expected to be built in China in the next four years is applying for CDM credits, even though it is Chinese policy to encourage these industries.

"Traders are finding ways of gaining credits that they would never have had before. You will never know accurately, but rich countries are clearly overpaying by a massive amount," said Victor.

A separate study published this week by US watchdog group International Rivers argues that nearly three quarters of all registered CDM projects were complete at the time of approval, suggesting that CDM money was not needed to finance them.

Read more at The Guardian:

I'll repeat from previous posts: The U.N. had time to jump right on evaluating American's racist attitudes (some voters plan not to vote for Obama), but the U.N. cannot feed the hungry, they cannot contain the peacekeepers who rape and pillage, they cannot stop greenhouse gases and they certainly cannot stop Iran's nuclear program.

More on the U.N.: Iran's 25-Year Atomic Program and the U.N.'s Failure to Launch

Technorati Tags:U.N., Carbon Credits, Kyoto Treaty, Globalism, Stanford University, U.N.CDM

Misers No More?

Cross posted at Monkey in the Middle

Saudi Arabia Pledges $500 Million to the World Food Program

Two weeks after a FOX News investigation showed oil-rich Saudia Arabia had donated nothing this year to help the United Nations World Food Program feed the world's hungry, the globe's number one oil exporter is finally opening its checkbook.

How nice. All it took was 2 weeks of begging by the world. Please Mr. Arab with the Money give some to the starving of the world. And now they want to be considered a wonderful nation for this "generosity".

UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Friday the "landmark" 500-million-dollar contribution by Saudi Arabia to the world body's food agency to help fight the global food crisis.

Full Story

"Landmark" $500 million contribution? And what did the US give? $1.6 Billion. That's Billion with a 'B'. 5 times as much as the nearest contributor.

The OPEC total amounts to roughly one minute and 10 seconds worth of the organization’s estimated $674 billion in annual oil revenues in 2007 — revenues that will be vastly exceeded in 2008 with the continuing spiral in world oil prices.

The only other major oil exporter who made the WFP list of 2008 donors was the United Arab Emirates, which kicked in $50,000. UAE oil revenues in 2007 were $63 billion.

By contrast, the poverty-stricken African republic of Burkina Faso is listed as donating more than $600,000, and Bangladesh, perennial home of many of the world’s hungriest people, is listed as donating nearly $5.8 million.

The starving people donate $6.4 million and OPEC donates $1.5 million. Somethings just don't add up, does it.That's all the nations of OPEC, some of the richest in the world. You know: Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

And guess what? They don't pay the most in UN dues either. Actually they pay very little dues. I wonder how they get away with that? Is it because the majority of members of OPEC are all members of the Arab League? That nice League with the following members: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt. Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. A nice bunch. They vote in a bloc, never voting against a fellow member. And they have a wonderful Charter filled with wonderful ideas in it. They don't need the UN, they can have their own little Lovefest without the rest of the world.

Actually the time has come to leave the UN. And you can do your part to convince our lawmakers.

There is now a petition of Withdraw the United States from the UN. By clicking on the lovely flag below, you too can give your voice to it. It is easy to do and takes only a few minutes.

There is no place at the UN for the US and the US is tired of paying for the UN.

The Time Has Come

Cross Posted at Monkey in the Middle.

What started with high ideals and lofty aspirations, has become a hotbed of corruption and scandal.

In 1945 the victorious Allies who fought against the horrors of Nazi Germany and Japan sat down and wrote a charter for a new organization to help the world prevent another World War. This time they thought they would get it right and not make the mistakes that the League of Nations made. And for a while they did get it right. The founders insisted that all nations follow certain rules of behavior. Rules that all civilized nations follow. They put a stop to North Korean aggression of the South, tried to make a civil agreement for the partition and disposition of the Palestine question, tried to halt the violence between India and Pakistan, and helped rebuild the world after the horrors of World War 2.

This organization did some wonderful things in its beginnings. Under WHO (World Health Organization) the eradication of Small Pox was achieved.

But the good has been destroyed by the corruption and scandal that has plagued the UN since the 1970's. And the UN can get away with it because there is no oversite of the organization. The founders were so sure that the best and most honest people would be part of the UN that they forgot to put in any checks and balances into the charter. That is a shame. For then the UN would be a truly worthwhile organization. Instead we got:

Food for Oil: The oil-for-food program began as a humanitarian plan to soften the sanctions against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. The U.N. would allow Iraq to sell a certain amount of oil each year, provided that the profits were used to buy food, medicine and other necessities for Iraq's people.

Instead, the oil was allotted to politically connected insiders, allegedly including the head of the oil program himself. The insiders got rich while Iraq's people suffered. One beneficiary of the program was U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's own son, who was employed by a firm that played a key role in the scandal-plagued program.

The word for that is Nepotism. Having your own son make a small fortune at the expense of needy people. And taking kickbacks from it yourself. Does the UN throw the bum out. No, they praise him and he gets a Nobel Award.

Sexual Scandals: LAST MONTH A CLASSIFIED UNITED Nations report prompted Secretary General Kofi Annan to admit that U.N. peacekeepers and staff have sexually abused or exploited war refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The worst of the 150 or so allegations of misconduct--some of them captured on videotape--include pedophilia, rape, and prostitution. While a U.N. investigation into the scandal continues, the organization has just suspended two more peacekeepers in neighboring Burundi over similar charges. The revelations come three years after another U.N. report found "widespread" evidence of sexual abuse of West African refugees.

Allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct by U.N. staff stretch back at least a decade, to operations in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. A 2001 report, released by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Save the Children, found that sexual violence against refugees in West Africa was endemic (though some of its findings were denied by a subsequent U.N. team). A year later a coalition of religious organizations sent a letter to Secretary of Secretary of State Colin Powell urging the United States to send more human rights monitors into Congo. The U.N. then introduced a "code of conduct" to help prevent future abuses, including prohibitions against sexual activity between staff and children and the exchange of money or food for sex.

The UN takes a Boys will be Boys approach to the issue of rape. After all, most member nations believe that a woman is asking for it. And the offending parties cannot be held accountable by the UN, charges can only be brought up against them in their home nations. How convenient. In other words: No charges, no punishment. But that is how the United Nations works.

Everyday operations are based on corruption: Now the issue is becoming the scale of corruption in the U.N.'s normal operations — and which individuals and corporations are reaping the benefits of a network of bribery and conspiracy that investigators have just begun to uncover. So far, those identities are still a mystery — but perhaps not for much longer.

Want to make a bet on how long the corruption will stay a mystery? I wouldn't bet the farm on ever finding out this one.

Then we get this story of how the best of intentions in Lebanon gets corrupted.

UNIFIL helps murder 2 Israeli Soldiers:

On October 7, 2000, Hezbollah terrorists entered Israel, attacked three Israeli soldiers on Mount Dov, and abducted them Lebanon. The kidnapping was witnessed by several dozen UNIFIL soldiers who stood idle. One of the soldier witnesses described the kidnapping: the terrorists set of an explosive which stunned the Israeli soldiers. Clad in UN uniforms, the terrorists called out, "Come, come, we’ll help you."

The Israeli soldiers approached the men in UN uniforms. Then, a Hezbollah bomb detonated—-apparently prematurely. It wounded the disguised Hezbollah commander, and three Israeli soldiers.

Two other terrorists in U.N. uniforms dragged their Hezbollah commander and the three wounded soldiers into a getaway car.

According an Indian solider in UNIFIL who witnessed the kidnapping, "By this stage, there was a big commotion and dozens of UN soldiers from the Indian brigade came around." The witness stated that the brigade knew that the kidnappers in UN uniform were Hezbollah. One soldiers said that the brigade should arrest the Hezbollah, but the brigade did nothing.

According to the Indian soldier, the UNFIL brigade in the area "could have prevented the kidnapping."

"I’m very sorry about what happened, because we saw what happened," he said. Hezbollah "were wearing our uniforms and it was too bad we didn’t stop them."

It appears that at least four of the UNIFIL "peacekeepers," all from India, has received bribes from Hezbollah in order to assist the kidnapping by helping them get to the kidnapping spot and find the Israeli soldiers. Some of the bribery involved alcohol and Lebanese women.

The Indian brigade later had a bitter internal argument, as some members complained that the brigade had betrayed its peacekeeping mandate. An Indian government investigation sternly criticized the brigade's conduct.

There is evidence of far greater payments by Hezbollah to the UNIFIL Indian brigade, including hundreds of thousands of dollars for assistance in the kidnapping and cover-up.

The UN cover-up began almost immediately.

Lebanon's The Daily Star reported the story told by a former officer of the Observer Group Lebanon (OGL), which is part of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). ("UN 'destroyed' evidence after abduction of 3 Israeli troops," The Daily Star, July 20, 2001.)

A few hours after the kidnapping, UNTSO learned that two abandoned cars had been discovered. One was a white Nissan Pathfinder with fake UN insignia; it had hit an embankment because it was being driven so fast that the driver missed a turn. The other was a Range Rover; it was missing a tire rim, and was still running when it was discovered.

Rather than using the very-recently-abandoned vehicles as clues to rescue the kidnap victims, the UN initiated a cover-up. The next morning, eighteen hours after the kidnapping, a team of OGL and the Indian UNIFIL began removing the contents of the cars.

The Range Rover was soaked with blood. Among the contents of the vehicles may have been a cell phone belonging to the terrorists. The UNTSO officer confirmed that the cars contained "extremely sensitive" items which included "current and relevant information that could have been easily linked to the incident."

On January 29, 2004, the bodies of the murdered Israelis were returned to Israel by Hezbollah, as part of a prisoner exchange.

In the US all the above actions would be considered criminal activities and would result in heavy sentences for the parties involved. At the UN, it was business as usual.

But corruption and scandal are not the only degenerations that has happened a the UN. It has become a center of anti-Semitism for the world. From the early days until the 1970's the UN has fought for Human Rights and Human Dignity. But since the 1970's the members of the Arab League have been able to pass resolution after resolution condemning Israel for Human Rights Violations, yet not one resolution has ever been passed that condemned any Arab or Muslim nation for their violations of Basic Human Rights. Not one. They call it anti-Zionism. That is just a new name for an old hatred: anti-Semitism. And it is rampant in the UN.

Just a few examples:

Has the UN ever condemned any Muslim nation for the lack of women's rights? NO!

Does the UN address the genocide that occurred in Bosnia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, East Timor, Kurdistan, Angola, Zaire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Darfur? NO!

The UN Human Rights Council is too busy with a world-wide food shortage that they have no time to address the suffering of people of Myanmar. Even though weeks after a cyclone has hit the nation, the ruling Junta still will not allow basic supplies, medical and rescue personal into the nations. Does the UN do anything? NO!

In 2000 held a Conference at Durban, South Africa to address the issue of racism. Did they succeed in addressing the problem? NO! It was only used to condemn Israel and only Israel. And next year they will be repeating the same Lovefest again.

The world has seen that time and time again the UN has become nothing more than a Tower of Babel. Words are spoken, but no action is done.

Genesis 11:1-9(KJV)

1. And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
4. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children builded.
6. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

G-d destroyed the last Tower of Babel. Man will have to destroy this one. For many Heaven help us if G-d did show His wrath.

There is now a petition of Withdraw the United States from the UN. By clicking on the lovely flag below, you too can give your voice to it. It is easy to do and takes only a few minutes.

Join us now in helping to Bring Down this modern Tower of Babel.

UN sends top envoy to plead with Myanmar over aid

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - A senior U.N. envoy went to Myanmar Sunday to urge its military junta to accept more international aid for cyclone survivors, as a British minister suggested the isolationist regime may be relenting.

John Holmes, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, was greeted by Deputy Foreign Minister Kyaw Thu at the start of a three-day trip that will include a tour of the Irrawaddy delta, the area most severely hit by Cyclone Nargis on May 2-3.

Holmes also will meet with high government leaders, said Daniel Baker, a senior U.N. official.

He did not elaborate but other officials have said Holmes' mission is to assess the needs of survivors and urge the isolationist junta to open its doors to more international aid before people begin dying from starvation and diseases.

Full Story Here:
UN sends top envoy to plead with Myanmar over aid

Burma has many people dying, and I mean right now dying and they already have tens of thousands dead because of the cyclone that hit them, and the U.N. is going to BEG the rulers of Burma to accept aid?? Beg them?? You would think it should be the other way around wouldn't you?? The leaders of Burma being the ones pleading for help for their people??

Sorry folks, my sympathies only extend so far, what's going on in Burma right now is wrong, I know it, you know it, most reasonable and sane people know it, but it's Burma, short of going in and taking over there's not too much we can do to change their lot in life, it's their leaders that are keeping massive aid from reaching the people, and yes, I know they seized leadership, but if the people of Burma can't re-take their nation, then they are going to have to suffer that which fate has in store for them...

Very similar to that which faces us here in the USA right now, a people can make a government do the right thing, they can hold their leaders feet to the fire, but 1st there has to be a willingness to do so, and an acceptance that you may die trying...

I would much prefer to die standing and fighting than lying on my back starving at the hands of a tyrannical dictatorship...

Cross Posted at: TexasFred's

U.N. Human Rights Council Kicks-Up Its Policy of Abuse

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

One of the most important issues of our time is America's membership in the United Nations.

If you take comfort in the existence of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council, or any confidence that world human rights are protected by this Council, then you are deaf, dumb and blind, or you hate freedom.

Lorn Gunter at the Calgary Herald has put together a very important piece about the U.N.'s Human Rights Council. Gunter states the central issue:

The fascinating aspect for me is how many of Freedom House's "worst of the worst list" ["worst" human rights record] have also been elected by the UN to be voting members on its human rights council.

The U.N.'s inhumanity to man, woman and child goes on:

On May 21, 15 of the 47 UNHRC seats will come up for election or re-election. Along with UN Watch, an organization that analyzes UN activities, statements and programs, Freedom House has declared that five of the 15 candidate countries -- Bahrain, Gabon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zambia -- are entirely unfit for membership because of their rights records. All but one of them (Bahrain) is already a member of the commission. This goes to show how useless the UN is at protecting human rights.

Please read this important piece at The Calgary Herald

Related Reading:
UN Weakens Freedom of Expression to Coddle Islam
United Nations Seals the Condemnation of Israel
UN Watch: Up Against UN Human Rights



Technorati Tags: U.N., U.N. Human Rights Council, Human Rights

U.N. to Investigate Voters Against Obama

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

U.N. racism investigator to visit the U.S. May 19-June 6, 2008.

The "investigator," of course, is the representative of a predominantly Muslim country, Senegal (h/t to No Sheeples Here).

This piece by Stephanie Nebehay at Reuters, reports:

"The special rapporteur will...gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," a U.N. statement said on Friday.

Nebehay appears to offer her own opinion (unless quotation marks have gone astray):

Race has become a central issue in the U.S. election cycle because Sen. Barack Obama, the frontrunner in the battle for the Democratic nomination battle, stands to become the country's first African American president.

The U.N. Special Rapporteur has also "investigated" America's bias against Islam, our courts' application of the death penalty, (which, of course, is also biased, according to the U.N.), and our "hate" crimes (display of hangman's nooses).



Technorati Tags: U.N., U.N. Human Rights Council, Human Rights, U.N., 2008 Elections, Barack Obama

U.N. to Teach Americans How to Change their Behavior

Cross-posted from Faultline USA

Here are some excerpts from articles this week that should make anyone frightened. When it comes to our national sovereignty, our safety and our food supply should be number one! But it looks like the U.N is well on its redistributive way to take what’s left of our food.

According to USA Today, Surplus U.S. food supplies dry up

"Worldwide, food prices have risen 45% in the past nine months, posing a crisis for millions, says the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.

Because of the current economics of food, and changes in federal farm subsidy programs designed to make farmers rely more on the markets, large U.S. reserves may be gone for a long time.

The upshot: USDA has almost no extra food to supplement the billions in cash payments it spends to combat hunger at home and in developing nations. "

Could the global food crisis impact America?

"NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, in a recent meeting here with Bretton Woods Institution organizations, called for immediate and long-term measures to tackle a growing global food crisis.

The rapidly escalating crisis of food availability has reached emergency proportions,” Secretary-General Ban said April 14. He was referring to food riots taking place in different parts of the world, from Italy to Yemen and Mexico to the Philippines. Tanks were deployed in parts of Yemen April 4 after five days of protests by 1,000 people, mostly youth, angry about the rising price of food. Wheat prices have doubled since February, while rice and vegetable oil jumped 20 percent. . . .

While international leaders gathered to find solutions to the world food crisis, analysts in the United States braced for the April 16 Consumer Price Index Report. Analysts say the U.S. is wrestling with the worst food inflation in 17 years because of sharply higher costs for wheat, corn, soybeans and milk as well as higher energy and transportation costs. . . .

“It’s hard for most Americans to even conceive of the idea that food could become scarce in this country,” said Raj Patel, a writer, activist and former policy analyst with the advocacy group Food First and analyst for the World Bank, World Trade Organization and the United Nations. “Few of us are paying attention to the close relationship between bio-fuel, grain crops and price inflation,” Mr. Patel told Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman. He was appearing on her Pacifica Radio show, to push his new book, “Stuffed & Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System.” The book is due out April 25. Competition between corn and other crops for planting acres has driven up the price of food in the U.S., as the government mandates more acreage for corn, wheat and soybeans, ingredients needed for ethanol production. . . .

“We are studying ways to communicate to people in the U.S. that they have to change their behavior. Americans are too complacent, believing there never would be a food shortage, which could be caused by a drought,” he said. “From my academic position, I can say that people are having a hard time finding food in America, so we have to change our thinking.”

This from What is Running Through Our Minds

". . .President Bush in mid-April drew $200 million from the Emerson Humanitarian Trust, named after former congressman Bill Emerson, a Missouri Republican. Bush's action followed a desperate plea from the United Nations for food aid. Thursday, the president announced he would ask Congress for $770 million in separate, additional funding to meet international needs.

But Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, at a recent food aid conference, says his agency faces tough decisions about managing the rest of the reserve in times of widespread hunger. "How far do we draw down?" he asked. "Do we take it down to zero because we need it? Do we hold some in there, because who knows what's going to happen, for emergency purposes later?"

The UN Security Council Takes Action Against Terrorism

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

The UN Security Council Takes Action Against Terrorism

On September 12, 2001 the United Nation's Security Council got serious about terrorism. As word of the U.N.'s lightening quick action through adoption of Resolution 1368 which

Determined to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts,...

the world breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the full might and power of the United Nations was now on the trail of terrorism.

This riveting Resolution detailed the 9/11 tragedies:

Unequivocally condemns in the strongest terms the horrifying terrorist attacks which took place on 11 September 2001 in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania and regards such acts, like any act of international terrorism, as a threat to international peace and security;

as well as resolved that

"those responsible for aiding, supporting or harbouring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these acts will be held accountable;..."

The Resolution ended with this powerful statement expressing the Security Council's acknowledgment of the urgency with which they would continue the pursuit of terrorists: [in their words]:

6 6. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Just knowing that the Security Council was remaining "seized" on the matter of terrorism brought even more comfort and aid, especially to the people of America who were so recently the target of radical Islam.

A few days after the 9/12/2001 Res. 1368, on September 28, 2001, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1373, which reaffirmed the earlier Resolution and also stated that the Security Council was

Deeply concerned by the increase, in various regions of the world, of acts of terrorism motivated by intolerance or extremism.

On this day, a Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) was formed and was tasked with overseeing and implementing Res. 1373. According to the UN:

The 15-member Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) was established at the same time to monitor implementation of the resolution. While the ultimate aim of the Committee is to increase the ability of States to fight terrorism, it is not a sanctions body nor does it maintain a list of terrorist organizations or individuals.

On March 20, 2008, a culmination of all the years of the difficult and taxing work of the Security Council has resulted in a very clear statement to those seeking to do harm to others through acts of terrorism.

The Iranian delegate, an august member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said it best:

"...a distinction ought to be made between the heinous acts of terror...on the one hand, and the internationally recognized and legally legitimate struggle of peoples deprived of their fundamental right of self determination, on the other."

What this means to you and to me, is that to this day, the U.N. Security Council has refused to "define" terrorism, and as a result has never "named" a terrorist , or a terrorist act.

Eye on the U.N. reports:

...the Chairman of the Working Group on terrorism from October 26, 2007 gives no hope that the OIC's [Organization of the Islamic Conference] stonewalling of a comprehensive convention against terrorism will come to an end anytime soon. The only thing that years of informal consultations have yielded is that everyone agrees on the need for further consultations.

A question might be: What goes on in an actual United Nations Security Council Meeting?
One example is seen at Eye on the UN's dedicated page to a list of documents distributed to members of the Council, by the UN's Palestinian representative.

Here is an example, and keep in mind that I have shown 4 here, but there are an additional 37 documents Glorifying Terrorism Via the UN - Suicide Killers as Martyrs:

3/4/2008Glorifying terrorism via the UN. New UN document, distributed by the UN's Palestinian representative, once again refers to terrorists as "martyrs." Latest list of "martyrs" includes Ayman Abu Fayed, a senior member of the al-Quds Brigades (the Islamic Jihad's military wing). Other "martyrs" listed include Hamza Khalil al-Hayya - who commanded a rocket-launching squad in northern Gaza - and at least five other Hamas militants, and 2 members of the terrorist group Popular Resistance Committees.
Click here to view this document in MS Word/PDF format 2/8/2008
Glorifying terrorism via the UN. New UN document, distributed by the UN's Palestinian representative, once again refers to terrorists as "martyrs." Latest list of "martyrs" includes Mohammad Fat'hi Sabarneh and Mahmoud Khalil Sabarneh, members of the Hamas's Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, a terrorist group which claimed responsibility for the attack on the yeshiva at Kfar Etzion on January 24, 2008. Also listed as "martyrs" are Ammar Zakarneh and Ahmad Abu Zaid, gunmen of the Islamic Jihad, who were killed in an exchange of fire.
Click here to view this document in MS Word/PDF format 12/28/2007
Glorifying terrorism via the UN. New UN document, distributed by the UN's Palestinian representative, once again refers to terrorists as "martyrs." Latest list of "martyrs" includes Mohammad Abdallah Abu Murshed, head of the PIJ's (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) terrorist operative wing, and Mu'tasem Sharif, member of the PA (Palestinian Authority) security forces and a suspect for smuggling weapons to Fatah's military wing, who was shooting at IDF soldiers when killed.
Click here to view this document in MS Word/PDF format 12/19/2007
Glorifying terrorism via the UN. New UN document, distributed by the UN's Palestinian representative, once again refers to terrorists as "martyrs." Latest list of "martyrs" includes chief members of the Jerusalem Battalions, an offshoot of the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad which has been responsible for launching rocket attacks against Israel: commander general Majid al-Harazin, and senior weapon manufacturer Karim Marwan al-Dachduch. Other "martyrs" listed included senior members of the terrorist group Islamic Jihad, Hosam Abu Habl and Jihad Mustafa Dhaher.
Click here to view this document in MS Word/PDF format

While I have employed scarcasm here to make a point, the point is:

Since September 28, 2001 the CTC has never named a single terrorist, terrorist organization or state sponsor of terrorism.

Again, from Eye on the UN:

The five state sponsors of terrorism, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria write reports to the CTC about their compliance with Security Council Resolution 1373. In the absence of any UN definition of terrorism, all of these states readily proclaim they are engaged in a vigorous campaign to combat terrorism.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, 2005, laid out the five D's - his five point UN strategy to combat terrorism:

• Dissuading the disaffected from choosing terrorist tactics;
• Denying terrorists the means to carry out attacks;
• Deterring state support of terrorism;
• Developing state preventive capacity; and
• Defending human rights in the struggle against the scourge of terror.

Additionally, Annan said back in 2005

To implement these sweeping mandates, the Security Council created a special body, the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), with British ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock as its first chair. “Counterterrorism has now gone global,” said Greenstock, “with the UN at the center.”

In the March 20th, 2008 Security Council meeting, which created yet another Resolution, No. 1805, to RECALL the powerful and "sweeping" Res. 1373 and REORGANIZE the pitiful CTC.

This same Kofi Annan speech is listed on the UN's webpage as the "Fact Sheet: The UN's Contributions to Counterterrorism. You can see it all there, and be prepared to be reviled.


Technorati Tags: U.N., United Nations, U.N. Security Council, CTC, United Nations Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee, Kofi Annon,

UN secretary-general calls food price rise a global crisis

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - A sharp rise in food prices has developed into a global crisis, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday.

Ban said the U.N and all members of the international community were very concerned and immediate action was needed.

He spoke to reporters at U.N. offices in Austria, where he was meeting with the nation's top leaders for talks on how the United Nations and European Union can forge closer ties.

"This steeply rising price of food - it has developed into a real global crisis," Ban said, adding that the World Food Program has made an urgent appeal for additional $755 million.

"The United Nations is very much concerned, as (are) all other members of the international community," Ban said. "We must take immediate action in a concerted way."

Ban urged leaders of the international community to sit down together on an "urgent basis" to discuss how to improve economic distribution systems and promote the production of agricultural products.

Full Story Here:
UN secretary-general calls food price rise a global crisis

The U.N. cries about global warming and encourages the production and use of E85 ethanol, and that is a crock, Algore and his global warming crowd have urged the world to turn foodstuffs into fuel...

Food needs to be just that, food, stop the nonsense and allow the drilling for oil, use corn to make cornbread and not some BS gas additive that doesn't do any good to anyone...

People like Gore, the U.N. and even George Bush have got to make a decision, and soon, are we going to feed the world and develop alternative energy or do we starve the world by touting the useless??

United Nations Condemns Hamas - Gotcha!

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

How many times has the United Nations condemned Hamas?

I found this at snapped shot.
Try this fun little exercise:

Copy and paste these lines of text into Google (separately, that is):

"United Nations condemns Israel"
"United Nations condemned Israel"

Lots of links, right?

Then try these:

"United Nations condemns Hamas"
"United Nations condemned Hamas"

"United Nations condemns Fatah"
"United Nations condemned Fatah"

Enjoy the "No Results Found" hilarity.

So, I decided to try it by randomly selecting "United Nations condemned Hamas".... My search resulted in many links. Just see for yourself:

See more at snapped shot

Technorati Tags:U.N., United Nations, Israel, Hamas, Palestine, Human Rights