Mullings: An American Cyber-column By Rich Galen

�

Click here for the Secret Decoder Ring to this issue!

Become a
Paid Mullings Subscriber!

(To join the FREE mailing list or to unsubscribe Click Here)

This is Diplomacy?

Rich Galen

Wednesday December 29, 2004

Click here for an Easy Print Version

The United States was deemed "stingy" in its immediate promise of $15 million in aid to the post-tsunami relief effort in Southeast Asia by the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, Jan Egeland.

I have two words for the U-G for HA & ER Egeland: Get Out.

In fact, I have the same two words for the whole United Nations: Get Out.

The United States - the "stingy" United States - contributes 20 percent of the entire budget to run the United Nations. Out of every five dollars of Egeland's salary, the taxpayers of the United Stingy of America pay one.

I want to pay none.

As quickly as someone could draw up the papers, the United States pledged $15 million to the relief effort - a number which was upped to $35 million by yesterday afternoon.

By comparison the entire European Union had pledged $4.6 million. The French? The French decided to pony up $136,000.

Stingy b�tards.

And keep in mind, that $35 million is just the official US government portion. Many times that amount is being raised and spent by individual citizens giving to charitable organizations all over the country. Those donations are not counted in the $35 million which is not understood by intellectual thugs like Jan Egeland.

Egeland apparently believes that only money spent by governments counts. That's because he comes from Norway where the government does almost every thing for every one and so individuals don't have to do much.

However, in America we believe that the government should do what it NEEDS to do and the citizens are perfectly capable of handling the rest.

Even I spent a good deal of time yesterday trying to find jet fuel for a plane which was being loaded with medical supplies by Dr. K.A. Paul who runs an outfit known as the Global Peace Initiative out of Houston. Dr. Paul is just one of the hundreds of good hearted people in America who are scrambling to get help to the Tsunami-devastated region.

As someone who saw first-hand many of the buildings which Saddam Hussein was able to construct while the Oil-for-Palaces program was being overseen by the United Nations, I am something less than its greatest fan.

I am much less a fan of the organization's leader, Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Annan was opposed to the liberation of Iraq because he is among those who believe that stability is paramount - even if that stability comes at the price of freedom for millions of people.

Where was Mr. Egeland when Saddam was murdering 300,000 of his subjects? Oh. He was in New York City enjoying the splendid life of a senior executive at the United Nations.

Speaking of being stingy, does the name "Quisling" mean anything to Mr. Egeland? To be a "Quisling" is to be a collaborator with the enemy. Vidkun Quisling was the guy the Nazis installed as the leader of - ta da - NORWAY - after it was occupied by Germany in World War II.

The British and even the French tried desperately to prevent Norway being overrun by Germany, but when it fell, Mr. Egelend's country provided the rest of us with the model for collaborators.

Norway, by the way, was neutral during World War I. While the Western Allies were spilling their blood and spending their treasure, Norway was taking a pass.

That would be a working definition of stingy, seems to me.

According to the UN website there are 191 members. Some of them are pretty well known to Americans: Great Britain, New Zealand and Spain to name three. Others are not so well known, such as: Lesotho, Tuvalu and Kiribati.

Here are my proposals: First, not one stingy penny of US money should be sent to the United Nations until Mr. Egeland is fired. Period. Let the French make up the difference.

Second: While I believe there should be a United Nations, it shouldn't be on the East Side of Manhattan.

If people like Jan Egeland are truly dedicated to their cause, they should do their work where it is needed most. We should move the UN to a place like Kiribati. Or Tuvalu. Or even to Lesotho.

If they can find it.

On the Secret Decoder Ring today: The official Webster's definition of a "quisling"; a pretty artsy Mullfoto; and a telling Catchy Caption of the Day.

Current Issue | Secret Decoder Ring | Past Issues | Email Rich | Rich Who?