Low-Watt & Off-Ballance

On Feb. 11, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 402-6 for a resolution “condemning the selection of Libya to chair the United Nations Commission on Human Rights” and calling into question the judgment of European commission members that abstained in the vote electing Libya as chairman.

It was a symbolic vote, of course, with no legal meaning that I am aware of. Actually, that should have made it easier to vote for the resolution, which rightfully condemned the elevation of a Libyan regime that has combined terror, repression, socialist stupidity, and the lunatic ravings of Muammar Qaddafi to ruin a North African country that might otherwise have flourished over the past 20 years. And then there’s the little matter of the Libyan government’s support of international terrorism, including attacks on American citizens.

Chair the UN Commission on Human Rights? Qaddafi’s Libya should be investigated by the same, not running the show.

Or so thought an overwhelming number of House members in both parties – except for our own Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte and newly elected Rep. Frank Ballance of Warrenton. They voted “present.” I simply cannot imagine a legitimate reason why these two North Carolina congressmen would have chosen to duck the issue. I guess it could have been worse. They could have voted against the resolution, as a few kooks did. Still, no opinion on the suitability of Libya to evaluate the human-rights records of others? Reps. Watt and Ballance should be ashamed of themselves, as they have brought shame on our state.

Other random thoughts about the international scene:

1. French Premier Jacques Chirac just committed one of the most egregious and significant political gaffes of the current crisis. Criticizing the Eastern European countries who joined with British, Spain, Italy, and others to express the support for President Bush’s plans in Iraq,Chirac remarked that it was “not really responsible behavior, “that Poland, Romania, and others had “missed a good opportunity to keep quiet.” He further threatened to hold the action against them as they seek admission into the European Union. “Concerning the candidate countries, honestly I felt they acted frivolously because entry into the European Union implies a minimum of understanding for the others,” he said, without apparent irony. Of course, if a couple of countries with a history of starting European wars articulate a policy outside the emerging consensus of European governments, and without apparently consulting any of them beforehand, that itself suggests a lack of “minimum understanding” for the others in Europe. Perhaps France and Germany should be kicked out of the European Union.
2. Perhaps realizing that the French-German-Benelux Axis of Weasels may have gone too far in thumbing their noses at the rest of the Atlantic Alliance, they are now trying to send a message to Saddam Hussein that he must disarm or “face the consequences.” This would be a more credible threat if Saddam had reason to believe these countries, effectively his allies in a battle to save his skin, were serious about it. Given that they have no troops in the theater, no plans to send troops to the theater, and stated policies against taking effective military action, the Weasels might be better off finding a hole to hide in and waiting things out.
3. Don’t forget to super-size your “ freedom fries.”