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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: The United Nations -- Reply to Kelly
Message-ID: <1489@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Mar-85 18:37:31 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.1489
Posted: Wed Mar 27 18:37:31 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Mar-85 19:21:44 EST
References: <ratex.996>
Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 45
Summary: 


>>                                                       The U.N. is the
>>    world's political forum.
>
>NO!  NO!!  NO!!!  The U.N. is NOT the WORLD's political forum; it is a
>forum for the OPPRESSORS of the world!
>
>>                              We may not like all the other nations of the
>>    world, but we have to live with them (unless you believe in a military
>>    solution).
>
>I have to live with a lot of people.  That doesn't mean that I'm going to
>invite them over for tea, or give them boards with which they can beat
>their children.
>
>>                The U.N. represents our attempt to live with them.
>
>The U.N. may represent YOUR attempt to live with them; it is certainly not
>mine.  And whose ever attempt it is, it is a thoroughly failed attempt.
>Providing oppressors with a forum to spout-off doesn't keep them from
>oppressing; in fact, it often helps them to organize their oppression.  And
>giving them other resources hardly serves to diminish their power.
>

I guess Peru is one of the oppressors of the world, then.  So is Nicaragua,
Chad, Afghanistan ...  The list of countries that have brought their
grievances before the UN in recent years goes on and on.  The OPPRESSORS
do their talking elsewhere, through force of arms and covert aid to
terrorists.  They tend to get annoyed when Third World countries
mention their oppressive tactics, and to denounce the UN as a tool
of the other side.  The US thinks of the UN as a tool of the USSR,
and the Russians probably think the converse.  The UN is the ONLY place
(other than a formal action before the World Court) where a small country
can stand up and be heard, and where they can group together to oppose
the plans of the oppressors.  Sure, the UN hasn't toed the US line
for years, but then the US line hasn't often been very nice to small
countries, especially ones striving to attain democracy.  Neither
has the Russian line, and I haven't seen much evidence that the UN
supports the USSR even as much as it supports the US.  On balance,
we are probably the less feared side, but it's a close balance.
-- 

Martin Taylor
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