Thursday, June 24, 2004

Bush's UN move, updated.

OK, more about the UN resolution that I mentioned in this post. I've had a chance to hash it out, think it over, and read a bit around the web. This is the conclusion that I've come to:

Bush is playing rope-a-dope with the UN.

First of all is DANEgerus' comments in that thread:

The ICC cannot, lawfully, claim authority over the citizens of non-party states because it is, after all, a treaty organization that cannot bind, or derogate from the rights of, states that are not also parties.

OK, that's fine if we're just dealing with the ICC. But we might be dealing with a whole other ball of wax that could leave our servicemembers unprotected and vulnerable. So I was thinking that this whole thing was a bad idea, until I read this in a thread over at the Rott. By the way, Bush already signed the following into law in 2002. As usual, all emphasis is mine.

SEC. 2005. RESTRICTION ON UNITED STATES PARTICIPATION IN CERTAIN UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS.
a. POLICY- Effective beginning on the date on which the Rome Statute enters into force ... the President should use the voice and vote of the United States in the United Nations Security Council to ensure that ... at a minimum, members of the Armed Forces of the United States participating in [UN peacekeeping operations are shielded from] criminal prosecution or other assertion of jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court for actions undertaken by such personnel in connection with the operation.

b. RESTRICTION- Members of the Armed Forces of the United States may not participate in any peacekeeping operation ... unless the President has submitted to the appropriate congressional committees a certification described in subsection (c) with respect to such operation.

c. CERTIFICATION- The certification referred to in subsection (b) is a certification by the President that--

1. members of the Armed Forces of the United States are able to participate in the peacekeeping or peace enforcement operation without risk of criminal prosecution or other assertion of jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court because, in authorizing the operation, the United Nations Security Council permanently exempted, at a minimum, members of the Armed Forces of the United States participating in the operation from criminal prosecution or other assertion of jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court for actions undertaken by them in connection with the operation;
2. members of the Armed Forces of the United States are able to participate in the peacekeeping or peace enforcement operation without risk of criminal prosecution or other assertion of jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court because each country in which members of the Armed Forces of the United States participating in the operation will be present either is not a party to the International Criminal Court and has not invoked the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court pursuant to Article 12 of the Rome Statute, or has entered into an agreement in accordance with Article 98 of the Rome Statute preventing the International Criminal Court from proceeding against members of the Armed Forces of the United States present in that country; or

3. the national interests of the United States justify participation by members of the Armed Forces of the United States in the peacekeeping or peace enforcement operation.


The bottom line? The USA cannot by law send troops into an area where they would be left unprotected legally.

So Bush allows this UN resolution protecting American troops to die. Let's say that next year, some country who hasn't signed an agreement with us needs UN child prostitution pimps peace-keeping forces. Guess who hauls the bulk of that load? Yep, the good ol' US of A. Only now, since our forces are without legal protection, Bush turns around and says "Sorry, but my country's laws won't let me send anybody. Find someone else. I hear France is up to it."

Imagine the shitstorm that will hit the UN at that point. And imagine how quickly the UN will change their tune.

So let the Leftists and their socialist dictator heros think that they've scored a victory. Because they won't be singing that song for long. The moment they think they can make the USA dance to their tune, they're going to find out that not only is their tune NOT being played, but the musicians are US Marines and they'll play any damn tune they want to, so long as it involves kicking worthless socialist assnuggets into a mudhole.

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