December 2, 2007

LOST Treaty Alive And Well In Senate Committee

The United Nations “Law Of The Sea Treaty” (LOST) -- rejected by President Reagan 25 years ago -- is alive and breathing hard. Zombies never die.

The treaty was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation a month ago by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- on a 17-4 vote and blessing of President George W. Bush.

Now it awaits floor debate by the full Senate. Committee Republican Leader, Dick Lugar, encourages Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to conduct floor consideration quickly.

“Our ability to claim exclusive right to the vast extended continental shelf will be seriously impeded. We also will be forced to rely on other nations to oppose excessive claims to Arctic territory by Russia and perhaps others.”

 

Death By Nibble

The late Mrs. Jeane Kirkpatrick, first woman U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., would have been aghast. She understood that the United States was the most powerful nation in the world and could only wither if nibbled to death by envious third-world countries.

She had been a Georgetown University political science professor and self-described “lifelong Humphrey-Democrat.” She said she became disenchanted by the drift of that party to liberalism and thereafter supported Reagan conservatism.

At the U.N., Kirkpatrick was known for her wit and acerbic debate. She could not tolerate pomposity – or raids on U.N. funds that are largely supplied by the United States.

Jitters

LOST was revived with a few cosmetic changes by President Clinton, but it continued to languish. Now, a razor-thin Democrat majority faces presidential vetoes.

President Bush has given Democrats the jitters. He is willing to talk the talk, but not walk the walk to second-rate world status.

The proposed treaty would grant the U.N. control of 70 percent of the planet under oceans.

Sen. Trent Lott describes the proposed Law of the Sea Treaty: “The United Nations on steroids. It undermines U.S. sovereignty.”

A two-thirds vote is required for approval. Only 34 “no” votes can kill it.

LOST Bureaucracies

The conservative Heritage Foundation warns the treaty could have unintended consequences for U.S. interests.

“Bureaucracies created by multi-lateral treaties often lack transparency and accountability necessary to ensure that they are untainted by corruption, mismanagement or inappropriate claims of authority.

“The LOST bureaucracy is called the International Seabed Authority Secretariat. It has strong incentive to enhance its own authority at expense of state sovereignty.

“This treaty would impose taxes on U.S. companies engaged in extracting resources from the ocean floor. This would give the treaty’s secretariat an independent revenue stream that would remove a key check on its authority.

“Once a bureaucracy has its own source of funding, it needs answer only to itself.”

 

Administration Challenged

During the Foreign Relations Committee hearings, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) challenged statements by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.

The latter asserts the United Nations treaty “has no jurisdiction over marine pollution disputes involving land-based sources.”

Vitter demanded to know “why is there a section entitled pollution from land-based sources -- and who decides what is considered military activity under the treaty? We say it is up to us, but nobody else in the world says it is up to us.”

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) said “the United States has special military and commercial interests as the globe’s only superpower – interests that the treaty did not take into account.

Concerns

Many concerns over loss of national sovereignty – per the recent debate over immigration reform – are surfacing again in the Law of the Sea debate.

The U.N.’s International Seabed Authority certainly would whomp up rules to set production controls for ocean mining, drilling, fishing, and ocean exploration – thereafter issuing permits for a fee and settling disputes in its own new “court.”

The United States would have just one vote in 140 – and no veto power as it has on the U.N. Security Council.

Of course, companies seeking to fish or mine would have to get a U.N. permit – for a “fee.”

Considering the United Nations’ record of bribery in the “Oil For Food” scandals -- with friends like that, who needs enemies?

PARTING SHOTS

The eighth Republican debate – sponsored by CNN-TV and You-Tube Videos – was held last week. Longest “question” was a two-minute speech by a retired general about the rights of homosexuals in the military. Later it was learned he was a leader of the “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Americans (LGBTA) for Hillary.”

A vote is a vote is a vote is a vote – by whom for whom?

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Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.

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President Kennedy wisely said: “Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”

By Lindsey Wilger Williams, retired newspaper publisher and syndicated columnist