Constant Vigilance Needed

By CDR Boyd Nethercott USN (Ret.)

I write articles about the UN for educational purposes. The great power invested in the UN should be exposed to public view. We should realize the divergence of each nation's interests within the UN structure. When most nations do unite on an issue it is like a vortex sucking dissenting nations into the realm? Many of the nations are third world countries (or less.) Many have harbored, or are harboring terrorists. Some are powerful dictatorships.

Energies of the UN should be devoted more to humanitarian aid and the strengthening of destitute member nations within the UN. The UN has expertise in many areas which can be exploited for protection and for good such as in science and technology research, terrorist intelligence, international atomic energy agency matters, (radio active devices, "dirty bomb" construction etc.) Although there are about 7,000 employees in the UN, they can call upon multi thousands more man power from within its membership.

The summer of 2001, in NY, 189 nations convened to define what firearms freedom should mean. The UN claimed to be benign towards the U.S. on the subject and did not want to "interfere with the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution." However, pronouncements of the past by the UN decry those lulling statements of non-interference. There were many proposals and resolutions by the UN membership nations. John Bolton, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs rejected the UN resolutions and the conclusions of the UN on gun control. He said: "The United States will not join consensus on a final document that contains measures contrary to our constitutional right to keep and bear arms."

Some United Nations diplomats have placed blame for world fire arms deaths directly upon the United states and our constitution which protects us from disposing of guns now in private hands.

When it involves guns, we can read from many international news reports about the world-wide insurgency groups and rebels, and of civil strife, and terrorists. We find that these groups are responsible for the majority of all the carnage of the world. The U.S. is not even in the running if it were a competition! Read the reports found in international news! Follow the slaughter within Afghanistan.

On July 10, UN Secretary Kofi Annan stated (among other pronouncements on small arms): "Small arms exacerbate conflict, spark refugee flows, undermine the rule of law and spawn the culture of violence and impunity! In short, small arms are a threat to peace and development, to democracy and human rights." He specifically mentioned "revolvers" as one of the guns that must be restricted world- wide. He demanded a world-wide campaign against small arms modeled after the UN campaign to ban land mines. (Nothing mentioned about the villains using the weapons!)

The UN Department for Disarmament Affairs has published a book (or manual) for all governments for the disposal of collected weapons. Many of the UN membership nations are now on record, "any privately owned weapon is illicit."