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Petition
Sponsor Background
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This Declaration and Petition is
sponsored by the United Nations
Association, San Diego chapter. UNA
is an independent, non-profit,
voluntary organization, which
receives no funding from the
United Nations system. We
are free to criticize or support
any aspect of UN operations, as
with the foreign policy of our
respective countries.
At
the left-hand margin, you'll find
links to the UNA USA website,
which is the umbrella association
for UNA chapters in the United
States. There is also a
link to the World Federation of
UNA, which is an
association of UNA chapters in
over 100 nations. All UNA
members, regardless of nation,
support the founding ideals of
the UN system; international
cooperation, goodwill, justice,
and respect for the rule of law. |
Declaration
and Petition Background
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Many American
and other citizens do not realize
that when our Congress ratifies a
treaty - as with the United
Nations Charter, which was ratified in
October of 1945 - that its statutes
then become, according to Article
VI of the U.S. Constitution, "the
Supreme Law of the Land"
and U.S. federal law.
This
means that the current
"pre-emptive war" in
Iraq - which bypassed the UN
Security Council and violated
core tenets of the UN Charter - was
both a violation of U.S. federal
law, and a violation of the UN
Charter.
The
U.S. Supreme Court, as well as
several European courts, have
recently ruled
that the treatment of prisoners
and detainees by our present
administration, has involved violations of the
Geneva Accords, of U.S.
federal and international
law. Specifically, the
recent Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld
decision, issued by the Supreme
Court, ruled that the conduct of
our administration has been
and continues to be in violation
of Common Article Three of the
Geneva Conventions (rules
against "cruel and
inhumane" treatment of
prisoners and detainees).
These rulings and principles
stand, despite recent efforts to
"retroactively
legalize" behavior which
contradicts our international treaties, common
moral principles and federal
law.
As members of
the United Nations Association of
the United States, we uphold the
principles of cooperation and
respect for law among nations,
and encourage the development of
a more humane and decent world. We
ask that all who honor these
principles consider signing our
Declaration and Petition; and
making known to your friends,
relations, co-workers and elected
officials your demand for
principled behavior on the part
of our government.
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Preamble to the UN
Charter
| The
United Nations
Charter came into
force as U.S. federal
law in October of
1945, when it was
ratified by the U.S.
Congress and signed
into law by President
Harry S. Truman.
The following two
paragraphs quote from
the Charter's
Preamble, and offer a
good idea of the
principles that UNA
supports. |
WE THE
PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS
DETERMINED;
to save succeeding generations
from the scourge of war, which
twice in our lifetime has
brought untold sorrow to
mankind; and to reaffirm faith
in fundamental human rights,
in the dignity and worth of
the human person, in the equal
rights of men and women and of
nations large and small; and
to establish conditions under
which justice and respect for
the obligations arising from
treaties and other sources of
international law can be
maintained, and to promote
social progress and better
standards of life in larger
freedom;
AND FOR
THESE ENDS;
to practice tolerance and live
together in peace with one
another as good neighbors, and
unite our strength to maintain
international peace and
security; and to ensure, by
the acceptance of principles
and the institution of
methods, that armed force
shall not be used save in the
common interest; and to employ
international resources for
the promotion of the economic
and social advancement of
all...
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