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Subject: Barr Article
From: "Bob Barr Updates" <mail@bobbarr.org>
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U.N. misfires; U.S. protects its gun rights
by Bob Barr
special to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 at 9:00 AM
OK, OK, I admit it — I'm not a great fan of the United Nations.
I've been there; seen it. I've witnessed the bloated bureaucracy first hand; sat through endless hours of arguments about inconsequential word changes to what the United Nations calls "non-papers." I've seen the way the United Nations ignores laws that apply to the rest of us mere mortals, and marveled at the hypocrisy of its leaders as they refuse to clean up their own house even as they criticize the United States for every manner of offense.
It is an organization completely lacking in fiscal discipline, but which fights tooth and nail any effort to add "fiscal responsibility" to its job description. The United Nations is in fact so inefficient, it makes the U.S. Congress look downright efficient.
All this is made worse by the fact that the United Nations is constantly searching the globe for new projects in which to meddle — cybercrime, the Internet, taxes and, since 2001, guns.
Since the summer of 2001, the United Nations has been involved in an organized "Programme of Action" in U.N. parlance, to limit the availability of firearms to civilians. Many of the world body's members who are the most vocally anti-firearm are leading this effort. There is nothing they'd like better than to do to our citizenry what they have done to theirs — disarm them.
At the kick-off get-together in 2001, then-Under Secretary of State John Bolton shocked many at the United Nations by boldly reminding them that in the United States we do have a right to possess firearms. Bolton caused further consternation when he told the gathering that the administration would not allow the international organization to diminish that fundamental right. The audience visibly gasped at the audacity displayed by this upstart diplomat.
Undeterred, for the past five years, through endless discussions on how to implement the "Programme of Action" to which they agreed in 2001, those member states have been trying to do what Bolton said the United States would not allow.
I have just returned from nearly two weeks at the "East River Fudge Factory," during which time about 150 of the world's finest diplomatic functionaries gathered, ostensibly to "review" progress made in the five-year effort to curb firearms. This 14-day marathon had a single goal: to somehow keep the effort alive for at least another half decade.
Like the Fabians of old, the U.N. bureaucrats believe that if you can simply keep an issue from dying, then sooner or later you'll prevail — if for no other reason than simply outlasting your opponents.
Throughout this conference, the full weight of well-funded anti-firearms groups from around the world and here in the United States — working in tandem with our otherwise-allies such as Japan, Mexico, India, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Brazil, and many others — conducted their own Gun Control World Cup. They tried mightily to keep the anti-firearm program alive so that control of firearms very broadly defined might become a permanent part of the U.N.'s agenda.
This go-round, the internationalists met their match. For weeks leading up to the conference, the National Rifle Association had been urging its members to write the United Nations and object to its continued anti-firearms agenda. Thousands upon thousands of letters poured into the mailroom. The United Nations — normally blissfully isolated from the real America — was taken aback and knew not how to respond.
The United States then leveled its own weapons of mass destruction at the firearms conference. While many at the United Nations believed Bolton was too preoccupied with events unfolding in North Korea to pay heed to what was happening several floors below at the firearms conference, in fact Bolton and his crack staff of young and energetic appointees were carefully and methodically following the conference's activities. In a masterfully orchestrated coup d'etat at conference's end, with backbone and resolve rarely witnessed at the United Nations, the U.S. delegation firmly declared its refusal to be a party to any further actions.
Other delegates, who had refused for two weeks to believe that the United States would actually do what it had said at the start of the conference — end the process — were stunned. The gun-control folks at the United Nations, who remain in a huge majority, will be back; you can count on that.
But for right now, I'm proud to be an American.
•Former U.S. Attorney and Congressman Bob Barr practices law in Atlanta. He also is a National Rifle Association board member. www.bobbarr.org
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For Added Information Visit:
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/0712edbarr.html
I think I'm beginning to like this guy, Bolton.
Pops
We pay 25% of the UN budget !! Sadly we don't have politicians that have the courage to put a stop to the UN's numerous excesses. Those UN people in NYC for the most part bought their positions !! No qualifications needed .Even many years ago in NYC it was sad to see the representatives from poor third world countries , riding in their big limos, dressed in expensive suits and spending most of their time on the party circuit .We should force the dismanteling of about half of the UN programs .Like the one where we have to follow UN regulations for some of our natinal parks !!