TELL US: Should Local Officials Recognize United Nations Day?
Do you agree with a move to not recognize United Nations Day?
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In a recent letter to the Norton Board of Selectmen, the United Nations Association of Greater Boston requested that the board approve a proclamation and participate in U.N. Day activities for Wednesday, Oct. 24.
The date marks the 67th anniversary of when the United Nations Charter went into effect. As part of the proclamation, the town of Norton would then fly the U.N. flag, encourage model U.N. simulations at schools and have a display at the library.
While the Norton selectmen first approved the proclamation, the board decided to re-vote after discussing the current state of the United Nations, and ultimately reneged their original vote to observe a proposed United Nations Day.
“I don’t think they are living up to their original creed,” said Selectmen Robert Kimball. “They aren't making any effort whatsoever to protect the citizens of the world.”
Today, we want to hear from you. Do you think the United Nations should be recognized? Or do you agree with the move by the selectmen? Let us know in the comments section below.
Emcee of Seekonk
12:37 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
I agree with Robert Kimball's assessment that the U.N. is more or less a toothless tiger.
pablo
12:52 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
I believe there is a very large, very important monument at Capron park that is inscribed with "One Nation - One Language - One Flag". It looks as though we've already disregarded the "One Language" portion so why not disregard the "One Flag" part too.
Roxanne Houghton
4:34 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
No way! We are not the United Nations - we are the Unites States of America. The United Nations is comprised of many representatives and brutal barbaric dictators from all over the world. They slaughter their own people - men - women and chidren.
These dictators take to the podium in this country at the UN and spew hate against us and the people of Israel. They are corrupt and worthy of no honor from the people of this country. If this wasnt so serious, it would be laughable. One more step to take away who we are and what we believe in. Too many of our young people have died to keep us from becoming what most nations of the UN - are. Take a look around the world stage.............honor????? Think about the little girl that was just shot in Pakistan because she wanted an education...........honor these thug-like countries? You have got to be kidding...........Next we will be asked to pledge allegiance to the United Nations...................
Mark Wolfenden
6:18 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
I believe that the United Nations should be ousted from USA soil. They want to inpliment a global gun ban which will include the United States and Obama will push this through during his lame duck days in office after President Romney takes office. I also feel strongly about Obama being forced to resign for lying to the American people for allowing the 4 Americans to die in Lybia. Obama was asked many times for their security to get beefed because of the continued fear of terrorist threats. Obama knew about this and refused to give these men protection. He not only lied to us the day in the rose garden but he lied during the 2nd debate when Mitt called him on the carpet for his lacking on their protection request. Obama was watching this attack on real time video when this was going down. He had the gall to say to Mitt Romney that he found it offensive that would say that he didn't refer to the Attacks as a TERRORIST ATTACK. So, the key word here is RESIGNATION for lying to us about Lybia. And to think he was on the Jon Stewart show playing movie star telling us that 4 Americans dying isn't "OPTIMAL" I mean WOW: how many times is this guy going to get away with these types of lies?
Gretchen Robinson
9:30 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
get a grip, Mark.
Your version comes from the Rightwing bubble machine.
The truth is Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, urged Speaker of the House John Boehner to appropriate more money to upgrade security and he was only interested in cost cutting so he refused.
This was a reminder of the early days in Iraq under Bush when our military was sent out to face IEDs without enough armor in the US armored vehicles resulting in unnecessary loss of life.
Stoughton Fan
1:17 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
(Daryl) "Issa (Chairman of House Oversight Committee), went on to note that Charlene Lamb, the State Department official who fielded security requests from the Libya U.S. diplomatic officials had said that money wasn’t the reason for the slim security in Libya. Consider this exchange from the congressional hearing on Libya last week:
“It has been suggested that budget cuts are responsible for a lack of security in Benghazi, and I’d like to ask Miss Lamb,” said Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.). “You made this decision personally. Was there any budget consideration and lack of budget which lead you not to increase the number of people in the security force there?”
“No, sir,” said Lamb.
During the hearings, Elijah Cummings, a Democratic congressman from Maryland and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, tried to make the GOP funding cuts a major issue — only to be foiled by Lamb’s response in her exchange with Rohrabacher."
BTW, The State department Security budget has a $2.2 billion discrectionary budget line for security for just such circumstances. Whom will we blame next?
Carol Bragg
7:19 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
Only those who would have preferred World War III could dispute the importance of the United Nations. Although there have been failures, there have been numerous UN successes in helping countries emerge from colonial rule, suppressing conflict, resettling refugees, famine relief, and control of deadly diseases, to name a few. UN peacekeeping missions to control conflict are multilateral efforts, involving troops from many nations. The risk is shared. I'm not sure why we would want American troops to take sole responsibility. And as for U.S. soil, the UN brings $3.3 billion a year in economic benefit to New York City. What foreign city would we prefer get this benefit?
Stoughton Fan
12:54 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
According to OMB, total U.S. contributions to the U.N. system were more than $6.347 billion in FY 2009. So we pay $6.347 billion to rake in $3.3 billion in benefit for NY?
Amy
10:55 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Yes Carol we'd all prefer WWIII. Everyone who disagrees with you is is heartless careless bla bla . The UN would like our soldiers to defend themselves with puppies, kittens and unicorns, however, we live in a real world.
Steve C
11:16 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Amy, you have to admit that a cannon that fired puppies and kittens at the enemy would be pretty awesome. PETA I am joking.
Carol, Who prefers WWIII? The UN funding could best be served elsewhere. With the Billions of dollars spent we could have brought food and water to the world, rather than an international police force that carries guns while trying to ban guns. The banning of guns is not going to stop violent crime. It will keep good, decent, honest people from owning a weapon. Criminals that are open to killing probably won't have an issue with violating a ban on guns law.
Our flag is our flag and it is the only one that should be flown on Government property.
G. Dub
8:34 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
Wow!!! John Bolton, ya wanna chime in on this one???.....
Carol Bragg
11:39 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
Point well taken. Arch-conservative Sen. Jesse Helms said of John Bolton: "John Bolton is the kind of man with whom I would want to stand at Armageddon." Some, because of political or religious convictions, prefer Armageddon to the United Nations. Others, because of political or religious convictions, prefer the UN to Armageddon. Whichever, they are different but deeply held beliefs. The UN helped mediate the Cuban missile crisis when the U.S. and Soviet Union were on the brink of war. Had it not been involved, who knows what would have happened? Sometimes it's useful to have others help cover our backs.
Gretchen Robinson
9:23 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
We are human beings before we are Americans. I'm proud to be an American but my being born here was a matter of fate. I second Carol that we need to be concerned about getting along with the rest of the world. Hey, remember WW I and WW II, and all the wars since. Do you want this state of permanent war to keep rolling on and ruining life on planet earth for everyone, including us in the US?
Even if we look at our own narrow self-interest we need the UN and we need to be paying our share.
Just Me!
4:34 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Do we need the UN?......seems to me that the countries who need a reason to use Western politics against use organizations like the UN as flunkies....just like they throw our own constitution in our faces while they mock it and us it against us just to call us hypocrites. No....No reason for a "UN Day" It's a joke and the world knows it...
paul
6:03 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Why does the American Taxpayer always get stuck with the brunt of the bill? We all want world peace, but you can't buy it. Out of 193 nations we pay 22% of the U.N. budget. We should have U.N. day every month! The U.N. is a government welfare program on a world wide level. We have wasted hundreds of billions over the years on a world that does not want peace.
Gretchen Robinson
2:25 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
it's the price of being a civilized nation among civilized nations
it's not waste/ it's money well spent
we need to be doing something to help the morass of human misery in much of the world... I would think that if one is a person of Faith, we'd use that in decisions on how to serve and 'be' in the world.
Steve C
5:02 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Paul you are way off. Here is the breakdown and we pay more the the second and third highest paying combined. $7.23 billion
United States (27.14%)
Japan (12.53%)
United Kingdom (8.15%)
Germany (8.02%)
France (7.55%)
Italy (5.00%)
China (3.93%)
Canada (3.21%)
Spain (3.18%)
Republic of Korea (2.26%)
Gretchen, just how did you calculate the cost of being a civilized nation? If there were some type of oversight then maybe it would be money well spent but as with any conglomerate this seems excessive.
Pat
7:01 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The UN is a joke. The countries that are included are there for the benefits they receive more than what they can put into it. The only country that give more than they get is the US and I don't see that it's doing us any good at all. The day they let Ahmadinejad speak was the last straw.
Tisiphone
9:13 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
"UN Peacekeepers"? Remember their rapine of Rwanda?
The UN may have some uses, but less us not inflate it's abilities. Let us keep in mind the "Oil for Food" scandal and the delegates absolute refusal to abide by parking regulations in NY, knowing the are immune to parking tickets. The list of UN scandals may very well be longer than it's list of "accomplishments".
Amy
10:49 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The US Flag is just fine with me thank you. Now we need to pay our fair share to the U.N. where does it end? They're Scandalous and unaccountable for thier actions.
Gretchen Robinson
2:28 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
you folks know no history, how hard and how long Americans have worked to bring about the forum that the United Nations is. In a nuclear age, the UN is a vital part of our own security. This is the latest rightwing hobby-horse to distract voters and fire up the outraged among us and thus divert attention from Romney's bizarre 'performance' last night.
Just Me!
4:21 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
only in you mind Gretchen.......the UN is a shell of what it once was to the world....
Fiscal Conservative
4:18 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Ms Robinson: I'm sorry that I cannot agree with your assessment of the world or those that don't see things as you do. I see much discourse on this planet, brought about by those you refer to as "right wing: Believe me when I tell you that there are just as many "left wing" people out there also. The original meaning of Liberal was some one who was for Liberty. Both left and right have drifted far from their orignal intent. It appears to me, that you feel your assessment on matters is the correct one, and to have a different point of view as yours is considered wrong.
You seem unwilling to be able to "agree to disagree". I have my thoughts on matters, but, I know I'm not always correct and I seek others opinions. There are times where I've changed aspects of my thoughts because others have been able to present their points of view. I'm not going to insult you, or be uncivil, that's not my style. For personal reasons, I feel we should not celebrate a "UN Day". That's my choice. My decision is based on my readings and research. This is not a forum for name calling. All was asked was for my opinion.I will not try to convince you to view things my way. Try to stay calm (you seem very angry in the post above, anger lessens credibility) and enjoy the day.