PIML 96051107 / Forwarded to Patriot Information Mailing List: From: ray@strategicsw.com (Ray Gano) Subject: UNconscription... Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 17:45:29 -0700 From: James Fish Subject: [FWIW] UNconscription... FWIW Are They Catching On? The matter of Army Specialist Michael New, who has become a cause celebre after being court-martialled for refusing to wear the insignia of the United Nations in a peace-enforcement mission to Macedonia, is familiar to readers of THE NEW AMERICAN. Despite New's bad-conduct discharge (still under appeal), the decorated medic remains the subject of congressional attention and legislation, as in a bill introduced by Congressmen Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and James Traficant (D-OH), dubbed the American Hero Restoration Act. In addition, scores of congressmen have backed other legislation to make it unlawful to require U.S. armed services personnel to wear insignia indicating affiliation with or allegiance to the UN. Recently at a conference in Washington, DC sponsored by the American Sovereignty Action Project (ASAP), Bartlett and several legal experts concurred that the order requiring New to don the UN blue beret and insignia "clearly violates the law" and the U.S. Constitution. The conference also was addressed by retired Marine Colonel Ron Ray, chief counsel for Specialist New. Ray, who has briefed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell extensively, told THE NEW AMERICAN that UN peacekeeping issues are going to be part of hearings to be held soon by the senator. Senator McConnell, noting legal discrepancies in the Macedonia deployment, has sent a letter to the President, threatening to withhold peacekeeping funds. Ray displayed a copy of the insignia worn by U.S. members of the force in Macedonia (which is headed by a Finnish officer); the shield for Operation Able Sentry includes the insignia of the UN at the heart of the American eagle. Security concerns for "peacekeepers" not identified as U.S. troops were also discussed at the ASAP conference. Retired Navy Captain "Red" McDaniel, who was brutalized and held captive by the North Vietnamese for more than six years, fears that any captive Americans held as UN "detainees" might have even fewer protections. Forcing uniformed Americans to ignore the oath of allegiance to which they swore has struck a chord within the services. The ASAP conference heard from Sergeant First Class Edward Rasor, a Special Forces medic at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. An 11-year veteran with an excellent service record, Rasor has been reprimanded and is on the verge of being cashiered because -- on his own time -- he expressed support for Specialist New. Rasor said he was called on the carpet at the direct instigation of the Clinton Administration, which conveyed the message that either he was to stop speaking against the UN or leave the Army. END ================================================================== THE NEW AMERICAN -- May 27, 1996 Copyright 1996 -- American Opinion Publishing, Incorporated P.O. Box 8040, Appleton, WI 54913 SUBSCRIPTIONS: $39.00/year (26 issues) WRITTEN PERMISSION FOR REPOSTING REQUIRED: Released for informational purposes to allow individual file transfer and non-commercial mail-list transfer only. All other copyright privileges are reserved. Address reposting requests to or the above address. =============================================================== * Patriot Information Mailing List * A service to help inform those who have an active interest in * returning our federal and state governments to limited, * constitutional government * Send messages for consideration and possible posting to * butterb@sagenet.net (Bill Utterback). * To subscribe or unsubscribe, send message with subject line * "subscribe patriot" or "unsubscribe patriot" * Forwarded messages sent on this mailing list are NOT verified. * See World's Smallest Political Quiz: www.self-gov.org/quiz.html * Libertarian is to LIBERTY as librarian is to library (DePena) * PIML gra Smallesission to copy and repost this message * in its entirety with headers and trailers left intact.