Volume 2, Number 5 -- July 4, 1997

LET US COMPARE

THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

VS

THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER

Needless to say we disagree with that conclusion. We believe the Constitution of the United States is the world's most important political document, and we hope to show you why in this newsletter.

From this point on, quotes from the U. S. Constitution will be in boldface type and quotes from The UN Charter will be in italic.

"We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure Domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common Defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION for the United States of America."

"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 neighbours, and to 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 machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS."

Note the brevity and simplicity of the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution. Note its limited scope. Note the Constitution is not one of the United States, but is for the United States.

Then look at the verbosity of the Preamble to the UN Charter. Note the arrogance of the opening statement -- here are men determined to abolish war -- which God tells us we are going to have. Note the emphasis on humanity and the introduction of the concept of "equality," concepts that might have been lifted right out of the Humanist Manifesto. One might think it was anticipating the civil rights/women's rights/homosexual rights movements. Note the emphasis on international treaties and international law and the promotion of social progress. Note the introduction of tolerance and the agreement to accept certain unnamed principles and methods. Note the concept of using government to promote social and economic advancement.

Can you see the difference? The U. S. document talks about a Constitution to guide the states, the UN document talks about an organization to control the nations.

When we get into the texts of the Constitution and the Charter we find one glaring difference: the representatives from the states who make up the Congress (our governing body) are elected by the people and are therefore accountable to them and can be replaced by them, as is the Chief Executive or President. No such provision exists in the UN Charter. The Security Council is composed of appointed men and women from the various countries. They are in effect accountable to the persons who appointed them. The General Assembly also is composed of appointed individuals from the participating countries -- Governing Bodies that have no accountability to the people -- a situation begging for abuses.

Chapter X of the UN Charter establishes and defines the duties of The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Our Constitution has no provisions for such a body, since it leaves such matters in the hands of the individual states.

Article 68 of the UN Charter states: "The Economic and Social Council shall set up commissions in economic and social fields and for the promotion of human rights, and such other commissions as may be required for the performance of its functions."

Many of the thousands of UN conference reports and recommendations can be traced to such activities.

While the UN Charter itself does not address the issue of religious freedom, the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance Based on Religion or Belief states in Article 1, Section 3: "Freedom to manifest one's religion or belief may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law..."

Contrast this to the first clause of our First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;..."

Where our Constitution guarantees no law restricting one's practice of his religion, the UN offers only such restrictions as are prescribed by law -- meaning whatever restriction the state wants to place on it.

Our Second Amendment says: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Article 26 of the UN Charter states, in part: "...the Security Council shall be responsible for formulating, with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee referred to in Article 47, plans to be submitted to the Members of the United-Nations for the establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments." This has been construed to include the regulation of armaments owned by the citizenry of the nations, and if covered by a treaty we might become party to could be used to override the Second Amendment and impose UN gun control on Americans.

Article 17 of the UN Charter states: "2. The expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the Members as apportioned by the General Assembly." In other words, the UN General Assembly may impose a "tax" on the people of the United States based on the whim of the majority of those making up the General Assembly, where there is no veto¹ power.

Compare this to Section 8 of Article 1 of our Constitution, which says: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States: ..." It then goes on to enumerate the powers granted for which money may be raised and spent. This enumerating of powers is one of the unique features of our Constitution, which was, as one of our founders said, to bind down the federal government and hold it in check. Essentially that was the main purpose of the Constitution -- to limit the power and scope of the federal government and to protect the sovereignty of the states.

Note that duties, imposts and excises must be applied equally to the states. The wealth of a state could not be taken into account, but population could. Taxes could not be imposed on individuals until the Sixteenth Amendment became effective on February 25, 1913.

The UN takes the position that the wealthiest countries must pay the greatest portion of the cost of running the Organization. This is the Marxist principle of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need." It might sound good in theory but it never works in practice. It is using government to level or homogenize society and is substituting government controls for God ordained freedoms. It is the basis of slavery.

Section 7 of Article 1 of our Constitution states: "All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; ..." This provision gives the purse strings of the nation to the "people's house," the body considered by our Founding Fathers to be the most powerful and the one nearest to the people and more under their control. (Originally Senators were appointed by the Governors of the states, not elected by the people.) The House of Representatives continues to have this power and could negate the effects of any bill or program simply by not voting funds to implement it.

Article 1 of the UN Charter states: "3. To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion; and 4. To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends."

This statement grants the UN broad authority to involve itself in almost any aspect of human life, a continuation of the arrogance displayed in the Charter's Preamble.

Our Constitution has no similar statement. Indeed, it reflects the founders' views that such functions were not the business of a federal or central government, but were best left to the states and local communities.

Contrast our Tenth Amendment with Article 10 of the UN Charter.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people." As anyone but a Congressman of a Federal Judge can easily understand, only powers specifically delegated to the federal government by the Constitution are federal powers. This was the attempt our founders made to try to bind the federal government with the chains of the Constitution.

Article 10 of the UN Charter: "The General Assembly may discuss any questions or any matters within the scope of the present Charter, [and we see from Article 1 that this covers just about anything imaginable] or relating to the powers and functions of any organs provided for in the present Charter, and, except as provided in Article 12, may make recommendations to the Members of the United Nations or to the Security Council or to both on any such questions or matters." While the word "recommendations" is used in this Article, recommendations become mandates when they are inserted into Treaties or Conventions that are then ratified by member nations.

Every UN Treaty or Convention we ratify diminishes our national sovereignty and places our citizenry under the rule of some United Nations bureaucracy.

Are you perhaps beginning to understand where some of the laws we have seen proliferating over the last several decades have come from? You may have thought the Civil Rights Act was the result of our own recognition of a wrong that needed righting. Wrong! It was the result of a wrong being seized upon and manipulated to bring about an even greater wrong on an unsuspecting American public. The seeds of these "movements" are scattered throughout the wording of the UN Charter.

The "War on Poverty" could have easily been foreseen by astute individuals who had read the UN Charter. Why was it not dismantled as soon as it became obvious it wasn't working, but was actually aggravating the very conditions it was suppose to alleviate? Because it's purpose was never to solve a problem, but to create an even bigger one that would demand more-and-more government intervention, and seize for the government more and greater powers.

The United States Constitution is a document soundly based on Biblical principles and designed to liberate the individual from the chains of oppressive government.

The United Nations Charter is a document based on the beliefs of the Secular Humanists. Despite its constant references to human rights it is built around the supremacy of the state and the subordination of the individual. The human rights it speaks of are rights to be imposed by the state, not rights that stem from the free-will actions of God fearing people. There was never tyranny born that did not proclaim it was working for the greater good.

The comparisons and contrasts we have presented here are but a sample contained in the two documents. It would behoove any freedom loving American to read and study these documents for himself and draw his own conclusions. Of course, for those who do not value freedom, or who have lulled themselves into the false security of the belief that "it couldn't happen here," don't waste your time.

We urge all freedom lovers to let your congressman know you want him to support and co-sponsor Congressman Ron Paul's (R-TX) American Sovereignty Restoration Act (H.R. 1146). Our chances for success in this effort may be slim, but who would have thought Gideon and his 300 could defeat the thousands of Midianites God sent them against.