Unsafe in Any Form.(United States and the International Criminal Court)(Brief Article)

Those who think that getting half a loaf is better than getting nothing may be correct in the case of the starving man. But in political matters, the adage can play right into the hands of an enemy. This may turn out to be the case with the impending creation of the UN's International Criminal Court (ICC). In this instance, a congressional measure supposedly designed to protect some Americans from any future ICC prosecutions may, in fact, be leaven for the half loaf, and help bring into being a temporarily toothless international court whose teeth can be put in place later, as the political climate allows.

The measure, entitled the America Servicemembers' Protection Act, would bar U.S. military assistance to any non-NATO nation that ratifies the ICC treaty. It would prohibit U.S. troops from serving in any UN peacekeeping operation unless the UN grants them immunity from possible prosecution. And it would authorize the use of force to rescue any American or allied soldier held by the soon-to-be-created court. House leaders have even threatened to hold up payment of back dues to the UN until they receive assurance from President Bush that he will support their move.

This sounds like a tough stand for which supporters in Congress (it has already won approval in the House by a 282-137 margin) should be given a pat on the back. But the measure only protects one category of Americans. What about politicians, writers, organization leaders, teachers, and others whose stands might be considered genocidal or racist, or might otherwise be construed to fit into the ICC's incredibly open-ended category of "crimes against humanity"?

The International Criminal Court will claim jurisdiction over everyone on the planet as soon as the ICC is ratified by 60 nations, an arbitrary number chosen by its globalist architects to allow the Court to open up shop. President Bush says he opposes U.S. ratification, but the move by the House amounts to an admission that the proposed ICC is a fait accompli. As such, the House measure is no more than a weak palliative, intended only to make the court more palatable for conservatives. But we must remember the proven tactic of first getting a law or institution on the books and later "reforming" it so it can accomplish everything its authors originally intended. The restrictions on the proposed ICC sought by the House in this Act could be negated down the road.

This strategy has been used before. The cabal that brought this nation the Federal Reserve system in 1913 knew everything it sought couldn't be obtained all at once. All it wanted from Congress was to get the monster born. Most Fed opponents believed Congress had created a ...