Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on November 17, 2013

America lost the right to vote at a UN agency last week. So what, you say? So plenty, our diplomats answer.

Two years ago America stopped financing the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Why? Because its the law: The George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations signed acts that ban American funding for any international organization that admits Palestine as member. So when a majority of UNESCO members voted in 2011 to do just that (despite knowing full well theyd risk the loss of US funds), the Obama administration could no longer pay dues to the Paris-based organization.

And at UNESCO, theres no representation without taxation. Once a country fails to pay dues for two years (were $250 million in arrears), it can no longer vote.

And so, US laws clashed with the rules of an international organization. Quick: Guess whos side our diplomats take? All too predictably, Americas UN ambassador, Samantha Power, tweeted the answer last week: Losing the US vote in @UNESCO diminishes our voice at the UN. The horrors.

In a statement, Power added that while sharing the concerns that motivated Congress to cut UNESCOs allowance, she believes that losing Americas voting rights diminishes our ability to influence things we care about. You know, like the rights of women and girls, Internet governance, freedom of the press, and the recognition and protection of cultural heritage.

What a crock. Forget Palestinian membership. Were talking about one of the least useful UN-linked bodies: How many women, children or other living things can claim to be better off because of UNESCO?

President Ronald Reagan, for one, didnt seem to think Americas ability to protect rights, freedoms or heritage was diminished in 1984, when followed by a host of other countries he withdrew from that Paris bureaucracy, citing system-wide corruption and constant anti-American voting patterns.

Nor did women or the press do much better around the world since 2003.

Thats when America rejoined UNESCO once the Paris bureaucracy (supposedly) stopped voting against American interests. (It never ended the constant bashing of Israels culture, science or education.)

To be fair, Washington did score a minor success since resuming full UNESCO membership: We managed, at least once, to save the group from itself. In 2009, most UNESCO members were set to elect a new director-general, Egypts then-cultural minister, Farouk Hosny. Except that Hosny had told Cairos parliament, Id burn Israeli books myself if I found any in libraries in Egypt.

See the original post here:
Standing up to UN over ‘Palestine’

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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