May 08, 2004

UN-HAPPY

United Nations staff, who presumably joined the global oil-broking firm to further their trading careers, are furious that Kofi Annan is instead sending them to dangerous places:

The resolution, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, said the union was "dismayed that the secretary-general continues to send staff to Iraq despite the present highly volatile and insecure environment."

While UN staff are telling the UN to keep them out of Iraq, the UN is telling others not to tell anyone anything:

The United Nations has sent a stern letter to an important witness in the Iraq oil-for-food investigation, demanding that he not cooperate with congressional probes of the scandal, The Post has learned.

The letter - in the name of oil-for-food program chief Benon Sevan - was sent to a U.N. consultant after it was learned he had been talking to congressional investigators about allegations of wholesale corruption, officials said last night.

Take the UN challenge! Finish this paragraph:

Kofi Annan is the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. Born in Ghana, he completed his bachelor's degree at Macalester College in Minnesota. After earning a Master's degree in Management at M.I.T., he joined the United Nations staff in 1962 and is the first Secretary-General to be elected from among its ranks. Prior to becoming Secretary-General in 1997, Mr. Annan served as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. His tenure coincided with unprecedented growth in the size and scope of ...

Posted by Tim Blair at May 8, 2004 02:13 AM
Comments

...the wallets of several French and Russian "businessmen", his son, his closest aide,a UK politician with the initials G.G. and many other players to be named later.

Posted by: debbie at May 8, 2004 at 02:26 AM

...tyrants' bank balances, appeasement as policy and his own wardrobe of impeccably tailored suits.

Posted by: CurrencyLad at May 8, 2004 at 02:32 AM

..corruption and sex-scandals.

Posted by: the markman at May 8, 2004 at 02:32 AM

....corruption of international politics; misery and suffering in Rwanda, and other nations suffering from conflict; and support of tyrants and despots around the world. Mr. Anan also distinguished himself by supporting like minded people in their quest for increased international influence, such as President Chirac of France.

Posted by: The Real JeffS at May 8, 2004 at 02:36 AM

the UN's irrelevancy...

Posted by: Tman at May 8, 2004 at 02:58 AM

...really, really easy jokes about how useless the UN actually is.

Posted by: AxL at May 8, 2004 at 03:19 AM

...genocide.

Posted by: Mike at May 8, 2004 at 03:32 AM

…UN’s moral bankruptcy and the swelling of UN official’s Swiss bank accounts.

Posted by: perfectsense at May 8, 2004 at 04:23 AM

... ice cream cones, the Grinch's heart, and children's smiles.

Posted by: The New York Times at May 8, 2004 at 04:27 AM

I lived abouit a mile from Macalester when at I attended the University of Minnesota. This summary is about perfect.

-"a good bit left of liberal"
-"Lots of pot-smoking and quasi-intellectual discussion"

That wouldn't explain anything. (Actually, quite a few smart upstanding individuals went/go to Mac, so I'm not slagging everyone from there.)

Posted by: Steve at May 8, 2004 at 05:16 AM

World Peace,Prosperity,Harmony and Happiness.

Posted by: His Mother at May 8, 2004 at 06:21 AM

how about UN slave trafficking in Kosovo:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3686173.stm

"... UN personnel are immune from prosecution in Kosovo and those who have been dismissed relating to such offences have escaped any criminal proceedings in their home countries."

Posted by: c at May 8, 2004 at 07:16 AM

I'd forgotten about that shameful episode, c. So much for the World Court, eh?

Posted by: The Real JeffS at May 8, 2004 at 07:23 AM

Yes, The Real JeffS!

As partisan and ineffectual as the World Court is, what about the Court of World Opinion? Why the clamor for Rumsfeld to step down and for Bush to keep apologizing, when the UN fails to acknowledge and punish far worse deeds and lapses under its auspices?

Kofi's not just an inept bureaucrat with nice suits and the face of diversity, he is complicit in his organization's crimes of graft and its crimes against humanity. He could not apologize enough.

The UN in Iraq, indeed-

Posted by: c at May 8, 2004 at 07:40 AM

Since all the good answers are taken, here's a stupid one:

my Slick Willy.

Posted by: Tongue Boy at May 8, 2004 at 07:54 AM

. . . the Range of Lefties desperately shoving their cranial cavities up their anal apertures in a vain effort to avoid reality.

Posted by: JorgXMcKie at May 8, 2004 at 08:13 AM

...the UN's all ready impressive incompetence.

Remind me why that building is still on American soil? And why we are still a part of it?

Vicki

Posted by: Vicki at May 8, 2004 at 09:08 AM

Ah, Vicki, there are many custard heads around, including in the US, who think the UN is the acme of moral decisionmaking. If the UN Security Council came out with a resolution denouncing the US as evil incarnate, many people, even here in the US, would take it as absolutely accurate and a warrant for genocide of Americans. If antone thinks this is an extreme statement, bear in mind that the UN has more or less done that to Israel. Thus, we should stay in the UN to use our SC veto to stop such harm against ourselves and our friends.

Posted by: Michael Lonie at May 8, 2004 at 09:15 AM

Too bad we don't charge the UN rent for that property. New York City ought to be able to balance their budget on that additional tax revenue.

Posted by: The Real JeffS at May 8, 2004 at 09:24 AM

... Michael's Moore's girth.


(I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.)

Posted by: Quentin George at May 8, 2004 at 12:00 PM

...bureaucratic indifference to tyranny and genocide.

Posted by: Ken Davidson at May 8, 2004 at 02:36 PM

" ...Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. His tenure coincided with unprecedented growth in the size and scope of ..."

conspiracy theories regarding the 'Jews who control everything'.

Mr. Annan took the Palestinians' 'plight' to heart. He saw the Jews for what they 'really' are.

(Since the UN is so anti-Israel, I figured he may have had a role in it becoming this way?)

Posted by: Chris Josephson at May 8, 2004 at 02:56 PM

Rumours are starting to circulate that the Marines' Union might launch a wildcat strike in sympathy with the UN workers.

"We're always being sent to dangerous places too", said a USMC source who declined to be named.

Posted by: CurrencyLad at May 8, 2004 at 03:43 PM

"His tenure coincided with unprecedented growth in the size and scope of ..."

...genocide with a human face.

ummm it doesn't quite finish the paragraph but it does fit the picture.

Posted by: Arty at May 8, 2004 at 04:02 PM

....terrorism.

Posted by: Observer at May 8, 2004 at 08:52 PM

Currencylad,
But the Marines are proud of being sent to dangerous places. It's their vocation.

Back in the 1980s Armed Forces magazine did a survey of readers about which base was most popular and which least popular with each service. Mostly the answers were predictable. The Air Force one gave Hickam Field, Oahu as most favored and Minot, North Dakota (America's Siberia) as least. With the Marines the most and least favored were the same base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The reason it was most favored was because if there was a war in Europe, the Marines at Camp Lejeune would be the first sent to the fighting.

Posted by: Michael Lonie at May 9, 2004 at 09:23 AM