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Law of the Sea Heating Up
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(Andrew Rice, left, is running for Senate against Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma)
Matt Stoller posted this gem last night and Taylor Marsh knocked one out of the park this morning. These two are well ahead of the curve, but there will be lots more progressive advocacy on the Law of the Sea before all is said and done.
The Law of the Sea is picking up attention outside the blogosphere, too. Taylor points out that State Sen. Andrew Rice, who is looking to send Jim "Black Helicopoter" Inhofe back to Oklahoma (or at least to K Street), fired a warning shot today:"
"As a U.S. Senator who constantly portrays himself as a pro-national security public servant, Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe is now choosing to ignore the pleas of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of the Navy, among other military leaders, when they ask for Senate approval of UNCLOS. American military leaders have made it clear that participation in UNCLOS will enhance our national security and that changes have been made in UNCLOS provisions to explicitly protect American interests. And yet Jim Inhofe and a very small minority are working against our nation's best interests, simply because it might hurt the special interests he puts before the needs of Oklahomans again and again. Inhofe is clearly out of step with our national security needs."Rice is an extremely promising candidate who has learned from the successes of people like Jon Tester and Claire McCaskill. He gets that red-state candidates don't need to pander; they need to speak confidently about their beliefs and prove that progressives are more in touch with local values than the far right.
Inhofe is well entrenched, but then again, so one was Conrad Burns. Rice is off to an extremely promising start.
As for Frank Gaffney's weekly Law of the Sea rant in the Washington Times...well...Mr. Gaffney is nothing if not consistent.
Gaffney uses the Medellin brouhaha to make a sweeping statement that international tribunals are stacked against the United States. He then suggests that, if we join, we will be subject to the jurisdiction of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
One problem with that -- the U.S. will never be subject to that tribunal. Every country gets to choose its preferred method of dispute resolution under the treaty. The U.S. chose arbitration. If countries don't agree, the default method is arbitration. That means, no matter what, any dispute resolution will take place in..arbitration.
Gaffney knows this. He even conceded the point when he testified earlier this month before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That means this isn't misinformation; it's a lie.
This is the kind of thing that Jeremy Rabkin must have meant when he said:
"The Senate won't ratify the Convention if it is controversial, and I'm doing everything I can to make a controversy."I know better than to expect the Washington Times to take Gaffney to task for his intellectual dishonesty. Still, that is exactly what should happen.
-- Scott Paul
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Reader Comments (10) - post a comment
For the love of what little is left holy in America, don't let 'Daffy' Gaffney bite you. He might have the rabies or the 'drooling madness' or it could even be worse than that. The old Daffy leaves Elmer Fudd seemingly a wiser man than just about any cartoon character. Wow, when cartoons are smarter than "real life" humans. What has America become?
The Law of the Seas Treaty - get LOST. Where is the support for the United Nations among Americans? I don't see it. This LOST thing is wretched - a dagger aimed at the heart of US national sovereignty. Giving more power to the United Nations' madhouse; these are the same folks rooting for American soldiers to DIE in Iraq. How crazy is that?
I predict American patriots are going to stick a fork in that treaty. I know I am.
Scott,
Thanks for mentioning Andrew Rice's candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Rice -- who currently serves in the Oklahoma State Senate -- is smart, energetic, and progressive. He has a real chance to replace Inhofe. If he does, all Americans would be the winners.
There's more information about the Andrew Rice campaign at ... www.andrewforoklahoma.com.
Oh, I should mention that Andrew is my state senator. My neighbors and I couldn't be more proud of him.
He represents real Oklahoma values.
Why did you pull the Fran Townsend post?
Just when I was about to razz you for going all Wonkette on us!
Lou Dobbs is against law of the sea
"The assault on our national sovereignty continues: At a time when public approval of the White House and Congress is near historic lows, the president is urging the Senate to act favorably on our accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
...... "
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/16/Dobbs.Oct17/index.html
Lou Dobbs: "The assault on our national sovereignty continues: At a time when public approval of the White House and Congress is near historic lows, the president is urging the Senate to act favorably on our accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
".....
The globalists will continue to whittle away at our sovereignty and rights. There is one bright light house. Ron Paul
Ron Paul Introduces Bill to Restore the Constitution
Saturday, October 20th, 2007
This week Ron Paul introduced the ‘American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007′ to roll back the power of the federal government by restoring support for the US Constitution.
The bill would, among other things, repeal the Military Commissions Act of 2006, prohibits “extraordinary rendition,†and the use of secret evidence.
Ron Paul spoke on the floor of the House when he introduced the bill.
The driving force behind the legislation are two groups: the conservative American Freedom Agenda and the liberal American Freedom Campaign. Naomi Wolf wrote about the bill.
We urge everyone to contact their representatives to support this bill.
http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2007/10/20/ron-paul-introduces-bill-to-restore-the-constitution/
Ron Paul Introduces Bill to Restore the Constitution
Saturday, October 20th, 2007
This week Ron Paul introduced the ‘American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007′ to roll back the power of the federal government by restoring support for the US Constitution.
The bill would, among other things, repeal the Military Commissions Act of 2006, prohibits “extraordinary rendition,†and the use of secret evidence.
Ron Paul spoke on the floor of the House when he introduced the bill.
The driving force behind the legislation are two groups: the conservative American Freedom Agenda and the liberal American Freedom Campaign. Naomi Wolf wrote about the bill.
We urge everyone to contact their representatives to support this bill.
http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2007/10/20/ron-paul-introduces-bill-to-restore-the-constitution/
I am against this current legislation, Law of the Sea, because it gives the United Nations more control of the United States of America.
The USA should create a new United Nations that is not opposed to the American Way.
I do note know who comes up with this type of legislation but they should be fired.
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