UN Votes to Condemn Free Speech Against Religion

**Turtle** · 03-29-2009, 02:32 AM

It was covered in the mainstream media, buuuut not much of it.

A resolution proposed by the 56-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and presented by Pakistan to the UN Human Rights Council condemns "defamation of religion."

The language of the resolution seems innocent enough, condemning stereotyping, inflammatory statements and so forth. ( full text of the resolution and the results - United Nations Press Release you have to scroll down a bit) But the term "defamation" is a very subjective one. It is used to silence voices in countries where the law is captive of the official religion. "Anti-blasphemy" statutes in Sharia law silence debate over the rights of women, the right to free speech and expression, privacy, criminal justice and a variety of other off-limits issues. This U.N. resolution would give international sanction to every authoritarian regime that hides its oppression behind the veil of faith.

Here's how something benign can be interpreted, if someone were to choose to do so:

"as well as the targeting of religious symbols and venerated persons", which would can be interpreted to mean that it would be forbidden to say anything negative about a religious symbol or figure (even one long dead or mythological, in fact, saying that such a figure is mythological would probably be illegal).

It's not binding, of course, but it gives those who want it more ammunition to do as they please.

Incidentally, the abstentions were specifically to boycott the resolution.

Here's a pre-vote story from Reuters - U.N. urged to reject bar on defamation of religion

And for another take on the matter, here's the load of crap that the Associated Press of Pakistan (Pakistan's state news agency, not to be confused with the AP) put out.
Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - UN Human Rights Council adopts resolution on combating defamation of religions

I dunno who's gonna love this story more, Chef or Leo. It's got a little bit for everybody.

**chefdennis** · 03-29-2009, 12:09 PM

I read the story else where earlier , its just typical of the B/S that comes for the worthless UN....and they want to run the global economic system someday........We need to toss them out of the building in OUR country that we gave them, out of the building we built for them and quit giving them more money then any other country and pull out of their little tea party now.......

**letzrockexpress** · 03-29-2009, 01:34 PM

This is certainly not a surprise. It doesn't really matter one way or another. Other than providing humanitarian aid to places that truly need it, The UN is a useless organization.
I was once involved with writing a section of the Law Of The Seas proposal back in the early 80's. I found out first hand just how useless the UN is. Proposals they make are about as valuable as posts on this forum.

**layoutshooter** · 03-29-2009, 01:38 PM

WHAT?? The posts in here have no value? I thought we were getting paid for this. MAN, what now? Your not going to tell me that no one of importance is reading these are you? LOL

Layoutshooter

**greg334** · 03-29-2009, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by letzrockexpress

This is certainly not a surprise. It doesn't really matter one way or another. Other than providing humanitarian aid to places that truly need it, The UN is a useless organization.

Letz,
See there is a serious problem with that first paragraph, they don't even do that right.

I know that while watching them in Africa, abandoning people who needed help only to get shot because they went to the UN. Seeing them run from their own compound when they were confronted was something that one has to see first hand to understand the enormity of the failure.

The UN, like Nasa (at least to me) is a money pit, it has served no purpose in the last 40 years other than to empower some elite for their own agenda while stopping countries from righting wrongs and defending themselves. It is the UN that gave us great leaders who killed thousands of people and it is the UN who gave us famine and death of millions. At least with Nasa we have a little accountablity but with the UN we have none.

I would like to see the US stop funding the UN completely and return to direct funding of projects through charities and other organizations. It worked until the late 60's and can work again.

**layoutshooter** · 03-29-2009, 02:01 PM

I do agree with you on how useless the UN is, I don't know about the NASA part. There have been a lot of spill over from NASA projects that we all enjoy on a daily basis. Like our small computers, new metals and alloys that keep our truck weight down, new medicines etc. One thing to keep in mind as well, not one penny has ever been spent in space, it all has been spent here on earth and mainly in the U.S. It has provided a lot of real jobs for real people. One example, NASA uses some small rockets for atmospheric sounding. The fins for those rockets are produced at a small factory in Venango county, PA. That county is very depressed, due to anti-logging interests, and that plant is one of the few employers in the area. The information that those sounding rockets provide is very usefull and nessesary to weather reporting and the study of the atmosphere. Layoutshooter

**greg334** · 03-29-2009, 02:17 PM

I am not condemning the entire Nasa group, it has a lot of positive things that come out of it but I am condemning the waste of the money with the overlap with regards of other government departments, like NOAA.

The other half of this is the participation we have with other countries (informaiton sharing) and the lack of a reusable space vehicle that is needed to replace the shuttle in a reasonable time.

The latter is what should have been done 8 years ago and have flying now, not 2015. It took the space program a bit over 8 years from the time the first man went into space to the time we landed on the moon, but it has taken us over 10 years to repace something that should have been replaced a long time ago.

**layoutshooter** · 03-29-2009, 02:41 PM

Oh, to be sure there is waste and duplication, it is, after all, a government agency. I do believe that had we left space exploration to private industry we would be living on Mars by now. There is more information sharing going on than you might think, I was involed with that on and off for a while. NOAA and NASA often "combine" forces to work on joint projects. Not as much as they should but they do. As to the shuttle, having been involved with the specking and building, in a small way of course, of a satillite system and all the surounding ground stuff, it is very difficult to do. NOT to mention the interference of the congress. They just can't agree to a project, put out a budget and let the agency involved do the work. They have to tell them were to build this piece or that piece. In this factory in thier district or another in the district of someone that they need a vote from on another issue. Having worked with several people who worked on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, I can tell you one thing. They are smart, very smart, and IF we ever just "turned them loose" to do what ever they could you would just be flat amazed at the results. I have NEVER been around a group of more "CAN DO, LET"S GET IT DONE" people in my life. You would enjoy and sit down bull session with them. It can be very exciting to listen to them brain storm. I spent many hours in awe as they went on. Layoutshooter

**MentalGiant** · 03-29-2009, 02:45 PM

The UN in some ways remind of the Federation in Star Trek. Having a group of people controlling the whole world. Its a good ideal in theory, but it will not stop the corrupt government officials.

**letzrockexpress** · 03-29-2009, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by greg334

Letz,
See there is a serious problem with that first paragraph, they don't even do that right.

I know that while watching them in Africa, abandoning people who needed help only to get shot because they went to the UN. Seeing them run from their own compound when they were confronted was something that one has to see first hand to understand the enormity of the failure.

O.K., well then let me revise my previous post. The UN is useless.

**letzrockexpress** · 03-29-2009, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by layoutshooter

Oh, to be sure there is waste and duplication, it is, after all, a government agency. I do believe that had we left space exploration to private industry we would be living on Mars by now.

Would the DOT be there?

**layoutshooter** · 03-29-2009, 03:22 PM

You got that right!! What a piece of work the UN is. I do believe that it might be better if we cut most of the funds we put in there. I am not sure if I want to drop out, but I do lean that way. Layoutshooter

**MentalGiant** · 03-29-2009, 03:41 PM

Read this about the Introduction to the United Nations. You will get a big laugh out of it. Not because its funny, but because what their purpose was for and I haven't seen much progress since they have started.

Introduction to the United Nations