Making me increasingly thankful that Paul Wellstone's pilot suffered from incredibly bad judgement and that the Democratic Party can't tell the difference between a funeral and a campaign rally, Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman is blasting attempts by the United Nations to take control of various core-level operations of the Internet away from various American-controlled organizations and corporations:
"My probe of the U.N. as Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations revealed management that was at best, incompetent, and at worst corrupt," said Coleman. "The first priority for the United Nations must be fundamental reform of its management and operations rather than any expansion of its authority and responsibilities. The Internet has flourished under U.S. supervision, oversight, and private sector involvement. This growth did not happen because of increased government involvement, but rather, from the opening on the Internet to commerce and private sector innovation. Subjecting the Internet and its security to the politicized control of the UN bureaucracy would be a giant and foolhardy step backwards.""Recently, I introduced UN reform legislation with the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations, Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN), known as the Coleman-Lugar UN Reform Bill, to help put an end to a culture of corruption that was exposed by the Oil for Food scandal, peacekeeping sexual abuse scandals, and other instances of organizational failures at U.N.," Coleman said. "Putting the U.N. in charge of one of the world's most important technological wonders and economic engines is out of the question. This proposal would leave the United States with no more say over the future of the Internet than Cuba or China-countries that have little or no commitment to the free flow of information."
"In light of this report, I also plan to consult with experts and stakeholders regarding Internet governance, and will assess whether legislation is needed as a remedy," Coleman continued. "The U.S. is willing to work with other countries that have an interest in the management of their own country code domains but UN control is out of the question. We will continue a dialogue with the rest of the world on these issues as we go forward."
Don't bother me with the icky details. I've read through them all, and the UN's hatred of Western ideals is eclipsed only by its incompetence in implementing that hatred.
All it takes to demonstrate that incompetence is a peek at the bottom of The United Nations homepage.
It says "Copyright, United Nations, 2004."
Would you trust them with the rest of the Internet with that lazy attitude?