http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle3834034.ece

For those of you who support the U.N. and their criminal elements...

Most countries soldiers end up doing things like this eventually. Including US soldiers, who have raped and pillaged in Iraq Plenty. That's what happens when you put people in a system that not only dehumanizes themselves, but dehumanizes other people across the world.

Should we really be surprised if soldiers take this military training one step further and decides to rape or steal from another human being, simply because they can?

Precisely, this isn't exactly Kofi Annan raping a pillaging, but the poorly managed soldiers. Any army from any country is just as guilty. I'm sure records could be found of the armies of the founding settlers of America doing the same...

I'm not saying it's a good thing, what I am saying is that is not proof that the UN is evil, more that they've employed a bunch of brainless, moral less idiots.

Precisely! That last point of yours is what I should have driven home in my first post hehe!

I guess it's what happens when you give people guns

This is what happens when you have thugs in uniforms on a powertrip.

Again, the key component is guns

Guns make their power trip feel more powerful.

And what's the proposed solution here?

I support the concept of the U.N. but it suffers greatly from the lack of transparency and a dependency on peacekeeping forces without a uniformly centralized command structure. Most peacekeeping forces come from impoverished nations with little oversight and even less experience with the rule of law and other democratic principles central to the U.N.'s mission. Push back too hard on these countries and they just withdraw their troops. This article underscores the need to amend the U.N. Charter!

The problem isn't guns, the problem is that some people (most even) lack the moral clarity and necessary maturity to suppress their ego while in a position of power. That is what leads to this kind of thing. A gun is merely a tool, like a knife or a sword. You hear about people being stabbed all the time, yet no one tries to take away people's knives

What Killbot1000 and I are trying to say is that giving these people guns (and knives - machettes are the weapon of choice in Africa for many) puts them in a postition of power, due to the fact that they carry a deadly weapon. They take advantage of this power, and results in what this topic is about.

Oh, and have a look at this:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2006/02/08090745

Give them guns...no wait that wouldn't work.

Fixed

Give them a taser, and they do the same thing you brain dead idiot. Give them a club. Give them a rock. Any thug in a uniform and body armor, and a sword think they are god. Liberals are just {censored} retarded. You will wish you have a gun when the chicken neck thugs come after you.When Bush stages a terror attack, and blames it on Iran, and they start marching down the street, you will think very differently. There are a lot of retards out there that will think its for their own good.You hit the nail on the head.I support the concept of burning down the U.N.

So you support the concept of screaming bloody murder and how awful everything is, but you won't give a real solution to fix it?

Are you surprised

Way to take a topic and make it into a US-bash. It seems like everything bad in the world has an example from the US, especially on message boards like this one. This might be because the US is an insanely powerful country that makes the news when it farts, or it might be because people have a axe to grind with George W. Bush, or it could be that people just don't like the US. Take your pick, they are each viable choices.

I think we should be surprised that a PEACEKEEPING organization has resorted to thug tactics, no matter who is working the "thugging." That certainly isn't peacekeeping, and I think we can all agree on that. I think we can all agree that it's because someone was put in a position of power and took advantage of it. It's just that the US-bashing is getting really tired and really old.

I'm sure it's not the organisation itself that is resorting to thug tactics.
I'm not supporting what they did, just saying to look at it from a wider viewpoint,

I gave you the answer. When the US takes a step, the yuppies watch it on the boob tube. I don't care anything for TV, or that culture of crap. Bush should be held accountable for his crimes, and most of the US agrees with me. The U.N. is anything but Peacekeeping. Cops could walk up and down the street gunning people down, and claim it is peacekeeping. Don't care what they call it. I'll fire back. And you are right, George Orwell stated this in the "War is Peace" card that the yuppies believe in. When the US has a president that says he can legally torture people with battery acid. You know there is something evil afoot. I say that Bush should be strung up, and tortured for his crimes. I say burn him with battery acid, that is, after his trial.

I'm actually not sure that he is aware that he is doing all these evil things. Here are some of his quotes to support me:
-"I hear there's rumors on the internets."
-"You're working hard to put food on your family."
-"I know that human being and fish can coexist peacefully."

Oh... if I didn't know someone like him wielded so much power, I would laugh. Seriously. Look on the bright side, no matter who wins the upcoming election, they can't possibly be worse than what we have right now.

I don't know what is more unsettling, the abandonment of the rule of law by the Executive Branch of my government in the name of security or these ignorant rants of an angry arm-chair intellectual willing to answer cowboy politics with wild west justice? I believe the current administration to be an evil amalgamation of the cowardly, incompetent, callous, and/or arrogant. Funny that some of us don't find themselves right at home.

It seems there are cowardly, incompetent, callous and arrogant people everywhere these days... in all branches of government, in all branches of the military, in every voting precinct, in every city, town and village. Remember that old adage, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!" Guess what folks... maybe all our American asses should be hauled before the Hague. To one degree or another, we all, in the larger democratic sense, allowed this to happen.

I thought we were discussing the UN peacekeeping mission? ..not that it was going anywhere constructive. Burn it down or try to reform it.... I am just glad it's there on the occasions it actually works as intended.

The organization is the only thing it can be. People are taught to reduce the value of human life, especially to those that they will be fighting, this also has the unintentional effect of translating to the citizens of the people one is going to fight (Japs, Commies, Jews, Unholy, etc.). These labels are pinned on people in the hopes that the soldiers fighting them will see them as less human, or less worthwhile, and it works. This is why historically, soldiers occupying countries typically rape and pillage like crazy, there's nobody there to stop them and they have the power, and they have the dehumanization, it all adds up. Logically anyway.I am not taking the topic and turning into a US-Bash. I was specifically referring to soldiers in general, including American soldiers. This is exactly what I have been talking about in previous posts about how soldiers in our minds are put into this different "semi-holy" category of "don't talk ill about any of them, they served their country, therefore they are good people". That argument might sound good but in terms of arguments it doesn't really hold a lot of water. I live in the US, so I talk about the US a lot because I understand it the most. I don't really want to talk much about Iran, Iraq, etc. because to be honest, I don't know as much about these countries as I would like. I have not been there, I have not seen how the people have been treated (by their own governments and by us) so on these issues I try to be prudent about the other side.The US isn't special, an American life has the same value as an Iranian, or an Iraqi life. There is NO real difference between us. The thing we lack is common ground culturally. This is what needs to be addressed. Invading countries and taking their $hit is not the way to improve these weak cultural associations.I love the US, I have lived here all my life. There are many unique things about this country that should be cherished by all. But I am not blind, I will see the US through a realistic scope, encouragement where deserved and anger where deserved. I am not loyal to any flag, border, or one specific person. I am only loyal to my fellow human beings and will follow/lead whoever is doing the right thing, whether they are from this country or not. Common ground is a lot closer than people think. Logic is needed to FIND this common ground.

The reason why this country is so Criticized is BECAUSE we are the big fish. As soon as China, or some other power surpasses us, THEY will be the target of the world's gaze. Because we are at the top (power wise) we are obligated to lead by example.