"Rights of the Child" Treaty

The United Nations treaty, "Convention on the Rights of the Child," was signed by the United States on February 16, 1995, but has yet to be ratified by Congress. This treaty wholly undermines the authority of parents within a nation, sets the UN up as the child's protector and provider, and effectively makes any child under the age of 18 a sovereign in the home. Its reach extends even to the point of prohibiting parents from turning off the television, radio, or computer, if it is against the child's wishes. The provisions of the treaty include:

» Article 13 gives the child access to any media: "The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice."

» Article 14 allows children to refuse religious training: "States Parties shall respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion."

» Article 15 forbids parents from determining with whom their children spend time: "States Parties recognize the rights of the child to freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly."

» Article 16 makes a child's "privacy" immune to parental oversight: "No child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his or her honour and reputation."

» Article 17 guarantees media influence: "States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health."

» Article 19 prohibits corporal punishment: "States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child."

If this treaty is ratified and enforced, it will complete the devastation of the American family.

European Racism

In Europe, the cry of "racism," whether warranted or not, trumps an individual's right to freedom of speech. Recently, Robin Page, a columnist for The Telegraph, was arrested and jailed on suspicion of "stirring up racial hatred" after making a speech at a pro-hunting rally. His crime: stating that Britain's rural minority should have the same rights as blacks, Muslims, and homosexuals. Page was later released.

This was not an isolated incident in Britain. In November, based on allegations of racism, homophobia, and domestic violence, London police raided 150 homes. Most of the ninety people netted by the Metropolitan Police's "community safety unit" were arrested on suspicion of "making racist threats" and of "homophobic harassment." This raid presages a changing British culture, marked by government action against "hate crimes"—offenses against people on the grounds of their race, faith, religion, disability, or sexuality, without any thought to freedom of expression.

Shift in NATO

Faced with increasing irrelevance with the end of the Cold War, NATO is remaking itself. It is transforming its mission and command structure and expanding operations into countries from North Africa to the Middle East and South Asia to counter new threats like terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. To enhance its military capabilities, NATO has invited seven new countries from Eastern Europe to join, and it will strengthen its relations with nations as far away as the Caucasus and Central Asia.

The alliance will also create teams to respond to biological and chemical attacks, as well as a rapid-response force of 20,000 able to deploy within five to fifteen days. This force would have the authority to strike suspected terrorist bases anywhere in the world, with or without the host nation's permission. Nicholas Burns, American ambassador to NATO, says, "NATO is becoming the one organization that can integrate the entire Euro-Atlantic world, from the Western reaches of Canada and the United States all the way across to the Russian Far East."