Centerfield

Let's limit the veto to a nation's particular area of responsibility. We can excersize our veto in the areas of peacekeeping and armed intervention, the French can veto the lunch order, and the Russians veto the corking of the vodka bottle.

I haven't worked out the rest of it but I am working on it.

One step might be limiting membership to those nations that actually subscribe to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Especially membership on the Human Rights Commission.

The United Nations is one huge money pit, where the elite live in luxury with diplomatic immunity. As you see around the world what has the United Nations really accomplished? Many people point to Bosnia, but they forget the slaughter went unabated for years until the Clinton Administration (even though it was an European problem) called the parties together here in the United States and created the dayton Accord. Even though the United States pays most of the costs it is usually condemned by the other countries many of whom are ran by dictators. It is time to face reality. The United states should withdraw not only from the UN, but also the World Trade Organization (WTO) another anti-American institution. Americans please wake up!!!!!!

Be careful about the Univerals Declaration of Human Rights. If I recall correctly, we did not ratify that for many years because southerners were afraid it implied outlawing segregation.

If we are going to avoid any institutions where there is anti-Americanism, then we need to close the State Department and have no dealings with the rest of the world. The fact is we benefit enormously in general from the international institutions; as the 800 pound gorilla, we are naturally going to inspire animosity, both deserved and undeserved. I think it's naive to think that we don't get more out of these institutions than we pay. Things like the WTO and World Bank, for example, give us a lot of influence in how the world economy operates--the rise of free market economics, for good or ill, would probably not have happened nearly as fast if were were not in these institutions.

The UN is problematic in many ways, but it would be a mistake to scrap it, just because we don't like the outcomes. It's hard to see how any comparable organization would be less corrupt. Again, I think it's a mistake to try to set up an international order that subscribes entirely to an American point of view. In the long run, we don't benefit from excluding countries whether democracies or not from the international community. I think we benefit a lot more from being in these institutions.

That's not to say, by the way, that the UN has any real impact. I continue to believe that power is still the lingua franca of the interantional system and we have most of the power.

I get cranky with people who whine about us being hated. First of all, we are admired at least as much as we are hated. Secondly I think it's a bit much for a country to have all the real power and an awful lot of the money and yet demand to be loved. Finally, why should they love us? We don't love them.

Please!!!!!!, I never said that the UN wasn't worth saving, but it has to have teeth and it must be reformed. But, what I do believe that needs scrapped is the WTO and GATT. These organizations are blatantly pro-european (who are really our economic arch-enemies). NAFTA is a another one that gets my blood boiling.....where are all the moderates when you need them....