The UN mourns the death of Kim Jong il

The United States was instrumental in the formation of the United Nations (UN) in 1945. While there were 51 nations that signed the original UN Charter, no country, other than the United States, has ever born more than 30 percent of the annual budget of the UN. The United States hosts the UN headquarters in New York and absorbs a significant cost providing security for UN delegations. In 2011 the United States’ contribution to the UN was nearly $600 million.

A big thank you from the UN

For the tens of billions of dollars America has contributed to the UN we’re often given the back of the hand when we’ve needed their support. The structure of the UN gives no preference to any nation based upon their monetary contribution nor to their standing in the world; as such America is often stymied when trying to move the UN to take action against a member violating international laws.

The UN touts their work to preserve human rights yet it looks the other way when woman are stoned in Iran, genocide was being perpetrated in Boznia and Africa, or Kim Jong il was starving his people. On nearly every occasion of crimes committed against citizens of member nations, if the United States doesn’t push the matter the UN sits back and does nothing; and all too often even when the United States brings matters to the UN nothing happens.

The UN regularly does nonsensical things, like placing Iran on the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The United States is often treated with disrespect at the UN; often enduring UN hosted anti-American speakers such as Venezuela President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The United States delegation is often forced to walk out when Chavez or Ahmadinejad spits on this country, a nation that makes their membership in the UN possible. Why should the UN allow a speaker of a country under investigation for crimes against their citizens or other member countries be allowed to come to the lectern and spew loathsome words at the UN’s host nation?

When the United States needs the help of the UN, it often finds roadblocks built into the UN’s charter, specifically the UN Security Council where a veto by China or Russia can stop a United States proposal dead in its tracks. Sanctions against countries for violation of international laws are regularly violated by other member countries with no penalty being imposed by the UN. One might say the UN is a lot of bark with little bite, but in fact the UN is little bark with no bite.

The toothless UN

When Iraq violated the UN sanctioned no-fly zone during the 1990s, the UN took no action against Saddam Hussein. When Pakistan violated UN regulations against the proliferation of nuclear secrets, not a single action was taken by the UN against Pakistan or the beneficiary countries Korea and Iran.  Now with Korea having numerous nuclear weapons and Iran about to complee theirs the UN nuclear watchdog agency and the UN have done little more than wag their finger at Iran.

Nations don’t fear the UN because it’s so mired in “maintaining peace” that as an organization no one fears it taking action in response to violations by members. UN Peace Keeping forces are often staffed by poorly trained military and have been accused of numerous sexual assaults in nations where deployed. The UN itself has been found to have participated in numerous questionable financial dealings with countries under sanction as well as vast cover-ups by senior UN personnel.

Today the flags at the UN headquarters in New York are flying at half-mast to mourn the death of a man that has starved his people while enriching himself for nearly 2 decades. Kim Jong il took money from many nations for humanitarian aid and either kept that money for himself and his inner circle or spent it on the development of nuclear weapons. Many humanitarian organizations have ongoing missions within North Korea to try and compensate for the humanitarian money that has mysteriously disappeared while the North Korean Army has grown and new weapon systems have been deployed. What has Kim Jong il done to rate the respect of having the flags at the UN lowered to half-mast? He’s single-handedly caused the death of over a million North Korean citizens. Unfortunately, the UN lauding or protecting of tyrants has become so commonplace that the story of this public display of mourning has barely been reported.

This past year $582 million dollars flowed from United States taxpayer’s hands into the UN. What do American citizens get for the money that’s flushed down the UN toilet? Not a damn thing. Our hard-earned tax money is funding a full fifth of the UN budget. What New Yorker wants to drive on 1st Avenue by the East River and see a global tribute to one of the world’s most evil men? What American wants their hard-earned tax dollars to go to an organization that has done more to pacify righteous nations all the while emboldening the worlds evil? It’s long past time we asked the UN to relocate outside our shores and removed our financial backing.