Posted on 07/17/2009 7:09:02 PM PDT by rlmorel
WALTER CRONKITE PROMOTES DEMOCRATIC FEDERAL WORLD GOVERNMENT
(Received W.F.A.'s Norman Cousins Global Governance Award on 19 October 1999}
I am greatly honored to receive this award for two reasons: first, I believe as Norman Cousins did that the first priority of humankind in this era is to establish an effective system of world law that will assure peace with justice among the peoples of the world; second, I feel sentimental about this award because half a century ago Norman offered me a job as spokesman and Washington lobbyist for the World Federalist organization, which was then in its infancy.
I chose instead to continue in the world of journalism. For many years, I did my best to report on the issues of the day in as objective a manner as possible. When I had my own strong opinions, as I often did, I tried not to communicate them to my audience. Now, however, my circumstances are different. I am in a position to speak my mind. And that is what I propose to do.
Those of us who are living today can influence the future of civilization. We can influence whether our planet will drift into chaos and violence, or whether through a monumental educational and political effort we will achieve a world of peace under a system of law where individual violators of that law are brought to justice.
For most of this fairly long life I have been an optimist harboring a belief that as our globe shrank, as our communication miracles brought us closer together, we would begin to appreciate the commonality of our universal desire to live in peace and that we would do something to satisfy that yearning of all peoples. Today I find it harder to cling to that hope. For how many thousands of years now have we humans been what we insist on calling "civilized"? And yet, in total contradiction, we also persist in the savage belief that we must occasionally, at least, settle our arguments by killing one another.
While we spend much of our time and a great deal of our treasure in preparing for war, we see no comparable effort to establish a lasting peace. Meanwhile, emphasizing the sloth in this regard, those advocates who work for world peace by urging a system of world government are called impractical dreamers. Those "impractical dreamers" are entitled to ask their critics, "what is so practical about war?"
It seems to many of us that if we are to avoid the eventual catastrophic world conflict we must strengthen the United Nations as a first step toward a world government with a legislature, executive and judiciary, and police to enforce its international laws and keep the peace. To do that, of course, we Americans will have to yield up some of our sovereignty. It would take a lot of courage, a lot of faith in the new order. But the American colonies did it once and brought forth one of the most nearly perfect unions the world has ever seen. The circumstances were vastly different, obviously. Yet just because the task appears forbiddingly hard, we should not shirk it. We cannot defer this responsibility to posterity. Democracy, civilization itself, is at stake. Within the next few years we must change the basic structure of our global community from the present anarchic system of war and ever more destructive weaponry to a new system governed by a democratic U.N. federation.
Let's focus on a few specifics of what the leadership of the World Federalist movement believe must be done now to advance the rule of world law. For starters, we can draw on the wisdom of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution of 1787. The differences among the American states then were as bitter as differences among nation-states in the world today. In their almost miraculous insight, the Founders of our country invented 'federalism,' a concept that is rooted in the rights of the individual. Our federal system guarantees a maximum of freedom but provides it in a framework of law and justice. Our forefathers believed that the closer the laws are to the people, the better. Cities legislate on local matters; states make decisions on matters within their borders; and the national government deals with issues that transcend the states, such as interstate commerce and foreign relations. That is federalism.
Today we must develop federal structures on a global level. We need a system of enforceable world law --a democratic federal world government-- to deal with world problems. What Alexander Hamilton wrote about the need for law among the 13 states applies today to the approximately 200 sovereignties in our global village: "To look for a continuation of harmony between a number of independent unconnected sovereignties in the same neighborhood, would be to disregard the uniform course of human events, and to set at defiance the accumulated experience of ages." Today the notion of unlimited national sovereignty means international anarchy. We must replace the anarchic law of force with a civilized force of law.
Ours will neither be a perfect world, nor a world without disagreement and occasional violence. But it will be a world where the vast majority of national leaders will consistently abide by the rule of world law, and those who won't will be dealt with effectively and with due process by the structures of that same world law. We will never have a city without crime, but we would never want to live in a city that had no system of law to deal with criminals.
Let me make three suggestions for immediate action that would move us in a direction firmly in the American tradition of law and democracy.
1. Keep our promises: We helped create the U.N. and to develop the U.N. assessment formula. Americans overwhelmingly want us to pay our U.N. dues, with no crippling limitations. We owe it to the world. In fact, we owe it as well to our national self-esteem.
2. Ratify the Treaty to Ban Land Mines, the Law of the Sea Treaty, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Most important, we should sign and ratify the Treaty for a permanent International Criminal Court. That Court will enable the world to hold individuals accountable for crimes against humanity.
3. Consider, after 55 years, the possibility of a more representative and democratic system of decision making at the U.N. This should include both revision of the veto in the Security Council and adoption of a weighted voting system for the General Assembly. The World Federalists have endorsed Richard Hudson's Binding Triad proposal. George Soros, in "The Crisis of Global Capitalism," has given serious attention to this concept which would be based upon not only one-nation-one-vote but also on population and contributions to the U.N. budget. Resolutions adopted by majorities in each of these areas would be binding, enforceable law. Within the powers given to it in the Charter, the U.N. could then deal with matters of reliable financing, a standing U.N. peace force, development, the environment and human rights.
Some of you may ask why the Senate is not ratifying these important treaties and why the Congress is not paying our U.N. dues. As with the American rejection of the League of Nations, our failure to live up to our obligations to the U.N. is led by a few willful senators who choose to pursue their narrow, selfish political objectives at the cost of our nation's conscience. They pander to and are supported by the Christian Coalition and the rest of the religious right wing. Their leader, Pat Robertson, has written that we should have a world government but only when the messiah arrives. Attempts for world order before that time are the work of the Devil! This small but well-organized group has intimidated both the Republican Party and the Clinton administration. It has attacked presidents since F.D.R. for supporting the U.N. Robertson explains that these presidents are the unwitting agents of Lucifer.
The only way we who believe in the vision of a democratic world federal government can effectively overcome this reactionary movement is to organize a strong educational counteroffensive stretching from the most publicly visible people in all fields to the humblest individuals in every community. That is the vision and program of the World Federalist Association. The strength of the World Federalist program would serve an important auxiliary purpose at this particular point in our history. There would be immediate diplomatic advantages if the world knew that this country was even beginning to explore the prospect of strengthening the U.N. We would appear before the peoples of the world as the champion of peace for all by the equitable sharing of power. This in sharp contrast to the growing concern that we intend to use our current dominant military power to enforce a sort of pax Americana.
Our country today is at a stage in our foreign policy similar to that crucial point in our nation's early history when our Constitution was produced in Philadelphia. Let us hear the peal of a new international liberty bell that calls us all to the creation of a system of enforceable world law in which the universal desire for peace can place its hope and prayers. As Carl Van Doren has written, "History is now choosing the founders of the World Federation. Any person who can be among that number and fails to do so has lost the noblest opportunity of a lifetime."
Perhaps they read it, but don't comment because they don't know what to say -- or they were afraid to open the thread because they didn't want to see the kind of really low and disrespectful bashing the dead that too many Libs get here when they go.
I was honestly quite happy to see that while many disagreed with Cronkite politically as I did, no one has gone for the really nasty and low comments whatever they may have thought.
My attitude is that I really don't care what Cronkite's private political beliefs were, as long as he kept them to himself while he was on the air -- which he did. That's a far cry from the dishonest, vain and narcissistic advocacy journalism that we see today.
I feel absolutely no sympathy for anyone on the Media... They self-agrandise themselves... They create their "own awards," They used to have the gall to call themselves "impartial and unbiased." They anointed themselves to be the "guardians of liberty!" (Huh!..)
One of these media people / group "decided" we the people should not know all the garbage that JFK used to carry on with other women... Somehow THEY DECIDED, we did not have the right to know... and a bunch of other stuff along the same lines.
BUT FINE, fine... some measure of respect should be given to those who die (in general). I can understand that Mr Cronkite (whatever) will be on the news tonight all over, and I am sure tomorrow as well, a little bit on the third day, but THAT'S IT!... That should be enough for anyone unless a VIP person to the country or world.
Go to YouTube and watch the FULL video of Walter on the day of JFK’s assassination. He is putting his own opinion out there that it was probably the work of right wingers! How come most people never see this footage? We only see him taking his glasses off to shed a tear. Go back and watch from the beginning and you’ll see a clearer picture of Walter’s politics. It was there if you had the eyes to see.
How they had egg on their faces when it turned out to be a commie who killed him.
LOL...sorry, don’t mean to laugh...I know exactly what you mean! I do not mourn the passing of this man and I really don’t think we disagree.
I am trying not to take pleasure in it. If judgement was awaiting him, he was face to face with his maker a little while ago.
I am trying to be a better Christian. Not always succeeding, but I am trying.
But your post did make me laugh, though...THAT’S IT! THREE DAYS IS ALL YOU GET!
Thanks...good to know! (and how good is it to be able to regard your parents that way?)
What really turned me once and for all against Walter Cronkite was the video narrated by Charlton Heston (a real American) that dealt with his coverage of the Tet Offensive.
I cannot find the link...Any Freepers out there have it?
No, is NOT easy :)... I'm trying too.
NWO ping.
LOL! I just watched that movie about a month ago, hadn’t seen it in forty years or so...:)
Wise words my FRiend.
Liars weren't rated very high biblically,either.False prophets and all that...
Thanks...when I read it, I couldn’t believe I had never heard of this speech.
The libs probably don’t publicize it much. Someone probably said “Gee, Walter...you probably shouldn’t have said all that. They are on to us now...”
Before someone complains that I turn this thread into all “God-talk,” I can’t help but believe this onslaught of never-ending news of death and struggle is upon us Americans as God is trying to get our attention. What better way to discuss and witness eternal life when our deranged news media offers 24/7 coverage of famous people kicking the bucket?
For all of us paying attention (most FReepers I think are pretty spot-on with what’s happening), God wants us to get our hearts right with Him and live a life of Christian witness. Prayer, fasting and witnessing to the lost souls in our lives seems more productive than anything else we can do these days.
“My attitude is that I really don’t care what Cronkite’s private political beliefs were, as long as he kept them to himself while he was on the air — which he did.”
Beg to differ with you there. When JFK was assassinated, I was working in my gas station in Vallejo, Calif. Every customer who came in had the news on their car radio....the radio station with the most listeners at that time was Walter Crankase. I heard him say in words to the effect that President Kennedy had just been shot in Dallas Texas, “probably by some right-wing extremist”. His vile words still ring in my ears. This man was far from being a strong American....instead, he was a one worlder.
Thank you for posting this showing Walter was a World Federalist ala George Soros. The thinking that getting all people of the world into one organized government is below the pre-school level. Sadly, there are many in positions of power throughout the world who strongly hold these same desires. The last thing we need is to give our sovereignty over to ANY OTHER BODY.
“Go to YouTube and watch the FULL video of Walter on the day of JFK’s assassination. He is putting his own opinion out there that it was probably the work of right wingers!”
How right you are. Cronkite was a very biased journalist. He did not hide his favoritism or on the other hand his disdain for a cause, group, or person. It was so obvious.
Good riddance, he is where he belongs now and there isn’t any air conditioning.
When Kennedy was shot, I was an hour away from you in Cupertino but I was only in 4th grade.
The teacher had brought a TV into our classroom and I recall Cronkite saying that Kennedy was dead and he was crying, but don't recall much more than that from Cronkite. I missed his "right-winger" comment, although I can recall that, from various sources, speculation as to who was behind the assassination ranged from Johnson's Texas good-ole-boys to the Soviets to the Mafia.
To this day, most people who were alive back then still doubt "the lone gunman" idea and still think that there was some group who used Lee Harvey Oswald as a pawn.
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