Dems Endorse Expansion of U.N. Power

Our media are running stories about the planks in the new 2008 Democratic Party platform but they've missed a big one¯expansion of the power of the United Nations, and especially more U.S. involvement in U.N.-authorized military operations.

In another bow to the world organization, the platform indirectly endorses Senator Barack Obama's controversial pro-U.N. Global Poverty Act. "It is time to make the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, which aim to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015, America 's goals as well," the document says. It leaves out the estimated cost¯$845 billion over 13 years.

This plank is listed under the "Invest in Our Common Humanity" title of the platform. The word "invest" is as deceptive as the legislation. It means to spend taxpayer dollars.

While it may seem strange that the platform would not endorse the legislation by name, this reflects awareness of how controversial the Global Poverty Act (S. 2433) and its federal commitment to the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals have become. Increased foreign aid spending is not popular with the hard-pressed American taxpayer. So the one piece of legislation actually introduced by Senator Barack Obama (which passed the House and Senator Joseph Biden's Foreign Relations committee by voice vote without hearings) is mentioned only indirectly.

A section titled, "Revitalize Global Institutions," is more direct. It declares the need for "stronger international institutions" on "issues from weapons proliferation to climate change." While admitting that the U.N. is in need of "reform," the organization is said to be "indispensable" and the U.S. must rededicate itself "to the organization and its mission." This inevitably means more money for the world body.

Even though the U.S. public school system is rotting from within because of unaccountability and incompetence, the platform calls for more spending on educational systems in other parts of the world. It urges a $2 billion Global Education Fund that will "bring the world together in eliminating the global education deficit with the goal of supporting a free, quality, basic education for every child in the world."

On another international matter, the Democrats declare that "We will repeal the global gag rule and reinstate funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)." This means that Americans will be called upon to spend more on international abortion "services" and population control. In this context, the platform urges support for "Health Infrastructure 2020," which is described as "a global effort to work with developing countries to invest in the full range of infrastructure needed to improve and protect both American and global health." No cost is put on this effort.

Similarly, we are not told about how much it will cost to launch the "collective action" needed to confront the "global challenge" of climate change. But we are told that it will require a "Global Energy Forum that will lay the foundation for the next generation of climate protocols." It declares the need for a "global response to climate change that includes binding and enforceable commitments to reducing emissions..." This means more U.N. treaties impinging on our freedom and sovereignty.

It may surprise some "progressives" to learn that while Obama wants to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq , he has no plan to reduce the size of the U.S. Armed Forces. Instead, "We support plans to increase the size of the Army by 65,000 troops and the Marines by 27,000 troops," it says.

If these troops are not going to be in Iraq , where will they be going? "We believe we must also be willing to consider using military force in circumstances beyond self-defense in order to provide for the common security that underpins global stability¯to support friends, participate in stability and reconstruction operations, or confront mass atrocities."

Phrases such as "beyond self-defense" and "common security" constitute an endorsement of the U.N. doctrine of the "Responsibility to Protect." Since the platform declares that U.N. "peacekeeping" operations are "overextended," this means U.S. forces will have to be redeployed from Iraq and other areas to address civil wars and problems in other countries that pose no direct security threat to the U.S.

Meanwhile, the platform says the U.S. Armed Forces under President Obama will be expanded to include open and active homosexuals, despite its obvious negative impact on morale and recruitment. If normal heterosexuals leave the Armed Forces as a result of this policy, Obama may be forced to reinstitute the military draft to create the bigger military he seeks.

Thanks to conservative talk radio and other such outlets, the shocking facts about the Democratic Party platform will be provided to the American people. The conservative media have been a thorn in the side of the liberal establishment ever since President Reagan's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began the deregulation of the media and new voices started emerging.

But the Democrats, whose base of support is in the old media, which are losing viewers and readers, want more, not less, regulation.

 "We will encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation's spectrum," the Democratic platform says.

While this may sound appealing, terms like "diversity" and "diverse viewpoints" are liberal code words for using the power of the federal government to muzzle conservative talk radio and turning over broadcast properties and airtime to "progressives." This is the goal of George Soros-funded groups like the Free Press, which puts on an annual National Conference for Media Reform. As I reported in June, at this year's event, the conference turned into an Obama for president rally.

Translated into ordinary language, the term "we" in the context of the Democratic platform plank on the media means more federal government interference.

In direct contradiction to the intent and precise wording of the First Amendment to the Constitution, in terms of prohibiting Congressional abridgement of freedom of speech, this grant of massive authority to Congress and the federal government means that the FCC will decide what constitutes "diversity" and the "public interest" in broadcasting. Hence, the FCC, rather than market forces and the people, will decide who gets on the air, who can own media properties, and even who gets Internet access.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Congress can be counted on to increase U.S. taxpayer support for public TV and radio.

Conservative FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell recently warned that the Fairness Doctrine, which allows federal bureaucrats to monitor and dictate broadcast editorial content, may be brought back under a different name. "I think it won't be called the Fairness Doctrine by folks who are promoting it. I think it will be called something else and I think it'll be intertwined into the net neutrality debate," he told the Media Research Center. The term "net neutrality," as defined by George Soros-funded "progressive" organizations, means that federal authorities will monitor and regulate Internet networks, rather than letting private competitive forces operate on their own without governmental interference.

But other powerful "progressive" individuals and groups want the Fairness Doctrine back directly and immediately. The public should know that Democratic control of the White House would result in a 3-2 liberal majority in the FCC and the possible return of the Fairness Doctrine through administrative and executive action without any congressional approval required. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already declared she is in favor of it. That's why she refuses to bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act to a vote in the House. The Broadcaster Freedom Act (H.R. 2905) would prevent the FCC from unilaterally imposing the Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters.

The Democratic platform, in short, calls for more and bigger government on the domestic and international levels. This is the real story that the mainstream media won't tell.