Comment du Jour

Autumn in Vermont!!!

People from around the world visit the New England state of Vermont to
see the glorious fall foliage and pumpkin harvest.

Comment du Jour

Happy United Nations Day!

October 24 Marks the Day of the entry into force of the UN Charter, signed in San Francisco  in 1945.

Rising from the ashes and chaos of WWII, the new Organization was founded as a last hope to maintain peace, encourage freedom and promote post-war development.  The original founders the USA, Britain, France, Nationalist China and the Soviet Union became the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council.  

Though UN Day was widely commemorated in the USA until the 1970's, the date is still  significant in many of the world organization's 193 member states. 

Comment du Jour

UN Secretary General Ban in Budapest--Recalls Spirit of 1956

Speaking at Budapest's Corvinus University, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recalled the times and spirit of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

In an address to Faculty and students, the Secretary General stated, "This month marks the anniversary of the 1956 uprising. Back then I was only 12 years old--perhaps not old enough to know the details of the revolution so far from my home in Korea.  But I knew enough about the cause of freedom."

Ban implored, "Our heart was with the people of Hungary. On behalf of my school, I sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary General at the time: Dag Hammarskjold. The letter appealed to him to support the brave people of Hungary."

"Exactly 50 years later, when I was elected United Nations Secretary General, your government recognized my very modest effort by designating me a 'Hungarian Hero of Freedom."

The SG conceded, "It is a humble reminder to me that the struggle for human rights is constant everywhere."

After seemingly overthrowing the communist- installed regime in October 1956, the Hungarian Revolution was soon crushed by Soviet tanks in November.  Neither the UN, nor the Western powers,  did anything to stop the fighting, but played an important role in refugee resettlement in the following years.

                                            Parliament in Budapest

Comment du Jour

Day of German Unity

3 October 1990-2013

A few thoughts on the Day of German Unity would be incomplete without mentioning HOW it happened.

The fall of the Berlin Wall, a piece of which stands in the UN gardens in New York, was instrumental in bringing the unity of the former "German Democratic Republic" LOL, East Germany, with the truly democratic Federal Republic in the West.  

One must thank the largely Lutheran church demonstrations in the East during the Autumn of 1989, the unwavering  freedom agenda of Chancellor Kohl  and U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and even Russian leader Gorbachev for "blinking."   The rest is history, as they say.

The united German state is about freedom.  Last year Foreign Minister Westerwelle stated before  the UN General Assembly--

 "As we Germans have experienced what it is to lack freedom in the course of our own history, we will always stand by those who, wherever they are in the world, call for freedom. For freedom of opinion and for freedom of religion. For freedom of the press and for artistic freedom.


Freedom has a daughter. It is tolerance.

And freedom has a son. It is respect.

Respect for other people.

Respect for what is important to others. Respect for what is sacred to others.


Freedom therefore does not mean freedom from responsibility. Freedom always means free­dom to shoulder responsibility."