One of President Ronald Reagan’s finest hours was in 1982 when he killed that year’s version of the Law of the Sea Treaty. With the apt acronym LOST, the treaty would have ceded sovereignty and taxing authority over the oceans throughout the world to the United Nations.
Now, the Law of the Sea Treaty is back, supposedly refurbished so well in a 1994 reworking of the agreement that some say Reagan now would support it. The new version is supported by President George H.W. Bush, Reagan’s vice president, and by President George W. Bush, as well as by five Republican secretaries of state: George Shultz and James A. Baker III, who served in that post under Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.
“Flaws in the treaty regarding deep-seabed mining, which prevented President Ronald Reagan from supporting it, were fixed in 1994,” the five secretaries wrote in the Wall Street Journal on May 30. They added that other problems had been dealt with. Some Senate Republicans already have pledged support: Dick Lugar of Indiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Olympia Snowe of Maine.
But not so fast. Writing June 5 in the Los Angeles Times, former Reagan Attorney General Edwin Meese III insisted that Reagan would not sign the treaty today because it still poses “a direct threat to American sovereignty.” He added, “President Reagan so strongly opposed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that he didn’t just not sign the treaty. He very publicly refused to sign it. He also dismissed the State Department staff that helped negotiate it.” Tough guy.
“Reagan would not support it,” Doug Bandow told us; during the LOST debate 30 years ago he helped craft Reagan administration policy as a deputy representative to the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, which concluded in 1982. He is now a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute. Seabed mining, in fact, remains a problem in his view, even though changes have made the section “better than it was.”
These seabeds under the world’s oceans—71 percent of the world’s surface—effectively would become U.N. property and the Law of the Sea Treaty would empower a new international bureaucracy, the International Seabed Authority. Only recently was America even granted a permanent seat on the governing council. “But that doesn’t mean anything,” Bandow said, because America easily could be outvoted by 35 other council members.
The authority could tax income and redistribute proceeds from America’s and other developed countries’ production on those seabeds to Third World countries—or, as is so often the case, to Third World despots’ Swiss bank accounts. LOST’s language even says the money could be given to “peoples who have not attained full independence or other self-governing status”—that is, almost anybody.
Supporters cite certainty, China
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports LOST, arguing that the treaty “provides certainty in accessing resources in the Arctic and Antarctic and could ultimately enable American businesses to explore the vast natural resources contained in the seabeds in those areas.”
LOST supporters, such as a May 9 editorial in the Christian Science Monitor, also contend that it would help temper Chinese claims to large portions of the South China Sea and other areas. China is one of 162 countries that have signed the treaty. “I am utterly baffled by how they think the Chinese will behave better under the treaty,” Bandow said. “China already said LOST doesn’t apply to the South China Sea. In a real crisis, it won’t matter. These are issues of great power politics.”
Currently, American sea interests are protected by the U.S. Navy, by far the most powerful naval force on earth. Critical shipping lanes such as the Strait of Hormuz or the Strait of Malacca are more likely to be kept open by the U.S. Navy, not by treaty.
Finally, as Human Events’ Hope Hodge reports on page 12, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) proposes a “Madisonian” approach that would retain valuable navigation rights for businesses and the U.S. Navy, but allow Congress to dispense with other provisions that encroached on American autonomy. But, the treaty can’t be split into “good treaty” and “bad treaty.”
Senate 1994 rejection
The treaty was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, but he couldn’t muster the two-thirds approval needed in the Senate to make it a binding treaty, and the Senate has not voted on it since. Hearings were held May 23 this year by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Sen. John Kerry, (D-Mass.) He said more hearings are forthcoming. But a vote wouldn’t happen until after the presidential election. At that point, even if Republicans take back control of the Senate, the treaty could be approved by the lame-duck Democratic majority joined by renegade Republicans. So, it’s possible a treaty signed by a Democratic president back in 1994 could be approved by a Democratic Senate repudiated by voters in November.
In short, the Law of the Sea Treaty is still LOST, even if improved. It is not the best path, the only path and certainly not a guaranteed path toward America’s energy self-reliance. In fact, relinquishing even a limited measure of U.S. sovereignty to a worldwide organization could precipitate mischief we can’t begin to imagine.
Source: www.humanevents.com
Law enforcement veterans face off in sheriff’s race - Times and Democrat
Only incumbent Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell and challenger Roger Heaton will square off during the Democratic primary after Darnell Johnson was removed from the primary ballot. What had been a three-person race narrowed when Johnson, like about 200 others across the state, was removed from the primary ballot for not filing required paperwork in time.
The winner of the June 12 primary will face no Republican candidate, but Johnson has said he will try to get his name on the Nov. 6 general election ballot as an independent petition candidate.
Roger Heaton Sr.
An Atlanta native, the 58-year-old Orangeburg resident began his 29-year law enforcement career with the Orangeburg Police Department. He served under three different sheriffs in various capacities during his 14 years at the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Starting in 1999, Heaton began working for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. In 2010, he was named assistant director under former SLED Director Reggie Lloyd. Heaton retired in September 2011. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Heaton said he has a number of goals he would like to accomplish if he is elected. These include improving customer service and making himself available to talk to citizens, and changing the management style of the Sheriff’s Office.
“I want to completely reorganize the Sheriff’s Office in order to maximize the number of deputies on patrol, thereby reducing time of response,” Heaton said. “I will immediately create seven Community Action Councils utilizing the existing county council districts.
Phasing in agency accreditation will be coupled with a steady upgrade in the technology Heaton says the Sheriff’s Office “should be using.”
Regardless of the size of the Sheriff’s Office budget, Heaton said all expenditures must be prioritized to ensure maximum efficiency.
“If the expense doesn’t have a significant impact on our services to the citizens, it will be eliminated,” Heaton said. “When we have deputies driving emergency vehicles that well exceed their mileage and safety limits, we need to prioritize how we spend the taxpayers’ money.”
Although he concedes a shortage of personnel, Heaton feels Ravenell has come up short on several promises, most notably his “open door” policy. “Law enforcement administrators must be aware of the tasks facing them and the importance of consistency to gain the trust and respect of the community they serve,” Heaton said. “After developing a vision for the agency, a law enforcement leader must gain the cooperation of their officers to work toward that vision.
Heaton has never held political office.
Sheriff Leroy Ravenell
After winning a January 2011 special election to fill the position following the late Sheriff Larry Williams’ death, Ravenell is seeking his first four-year term in office.
The 25-year Sheriff’s Office veteran notes he is the only candidate with on-the-job experience as sheriff, having also served in past patrol, command and administrative roles.
“We have strategically worked to increase officer visibility, improve response times … and eliminate nuisance establishments,” Ravenell said. “Divisions are more effective in their efforts to work together to transfer investigative information, coordinate services and be consistent in how we address citizen calls.” Ravenell said the Sheriff’s Office is having more day-to-day contact with the public than ever before. For instance, officers attend public meetings and gain input through 10-week Citizens’ Academies.
While the current agency budget of less than $6 million needs to increase, Ravenell said his agency continues to be a good steward and maximize every dollar. It also seeks grants on every occasion.
If re-elected, Ravenell said he would like to see a full complement of staff to increase visibility and effectiveness. The Sheriff’s Office is also creating standardized policies and procedures in anticipation of seeking state accreditation.
“There are different criteria for national and state accreditation,” Ravenell said. “At this point, we are concentrating on the state accreditation. We are taking the first steps.” He said, “This is a demanding job, but the community has truly invested in it with their support. We are continuing to strive for excellence in the services that we offer to the county and we won’t rest on our laurels and think what we have done in the past 15 months is enough.”
The 47-year-old Santee resident was born in Orangeburg. Ravenell had not held political office prior to being elected last year. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology/criminal justice from Claflin University and a master’s degree in science and criminal justice from Troy University.
He has also been a professor in criminal justice at Claflin University for three years.
Contact the writer: psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5540. This story is based on an article that originally appeared in the May 20 edition of The T&D.
Source: thetandd.com
LAW 'N HISTORY: Old whiskey and young women - Patriot Ledger
He was the original Tasmanian devil; a charming rogue as dashing and devilish off the screen as he was on it. At a fit and muscular 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, the seemingly permanently bronzed hulk, complete with a cleft chin and dimples, looked every bit the movie star that he was. Perhaps unknowingly being far more insightful than he intended, he described his life as, “I like my whiskey old and my women young.” Little did he know he was describing his downfall.
Errol Flynn was born on June 20, 1909 in Australia. Tasmania to be exact. After a somewhat turbulent school career which found him in trouble for fighting and having sex with the daughter of a school official, he left for a succession of jobs before finding his true calling- acting. His first role, a minor one filmed in New Guinea, was in 1933. Two years later he married the French actress Lili Damita, who bore him one son. The lore of Hollywood beckoned and soon he was in America.
His big break came when Warner Brothers, searching for a film to ride in the wake of MGM’s popular Mutiny on the Bounty, cast him in the lead of Captain Blood. The movie was a major hit. Soon he starred in a movie that would forever define him, The Adventures of Robin Hood, in which he again played the debonair swashbuckler.
As busy as he was working, and despite being married, his nightlife was never-ending. He partied and he drank, not necessarily in that order. Many of his female cohorts, whom he often met in the fast lane of show business, were attractive and young. It thus came as little surprise, to the Hollywood crowd at least, that in 1942, the year of his divorce, he was charged with two counts of statutory rape, of having sexual relations, at different times, with two 16-year-olds, Betty Hansen, an aspiring actress, Peggy Satterlee, a nightclub dancer.
The trial, which ran for nearly a month in early 1943, was itself like a Flynn movie, complete with his multitude of adoring fans mobbing the court scene. Starring in the role of his primary defender was Jerry Geisler, the high powered attorney to the stars. The jury was packed with women who, Geisler hoped, would be drawn to the charismatic defendant, who sat quietly as the two young girls detailed the lurid details from the witness stand.
The pretty, and innocently attired, Betty Hanson took the stand first and detailed how she had dinner with Errol at the home of one of his friends. Of how she drank some foul-tasting drink which sickened her. Errol took her upstairs where they had sex.
Satterfield, similarly, told the enraptured jurors that Flynn took advantage of her on his yacht. Indicative of their relationship, Flynn had nicknamed her “J.B.” (for jail bait). On successive evenings, they shared nights of unwelcomed bliss on the gentle ocean.
On cross, Geisler had a field day with both witnesses, which at some points had spectators either laughing or shaking their heads in disbelief. The witnesses confused their stories and readily admitted to sordid pasts.
Although he probably didn’t need to, Flynn took the stand and casually testified that he never had sexual relations with the two young ladies. After deliberating for thirteen hours, the jury entered a packed and tense courtroom and rendered its verdict.
In a scene worthy of a Hollywood drama, bedlam broke out. The crowd cheered wildly as the defendant spontaneously leapt to his feet, a broad smile stretching his handsome face. Flashbulbs popped. Female admirers rushed to touch the star. The judge rendered the final review when he told the jury, which had just presided over a lengthy trial involving the alleged ravaging of two young females, “I have enjoyed the case, and I think you have.”
While similar scandals had wrecked careers in the past, this one had the opposite effect. Errol’s popularity soared. Indeed, indicative of his devil may care persona, a term was coined which found popularity throughout the world, “In like Flynn.”
As always, Flynn remained in character. During the down time of his trial, the bad boy spent much of his time wooing eighteen year old Nora Eddington, who worked in a nearby food stand. When she became pregnant, they wed. They had two children before divorcing in 1949.
Epilogue
A year later he wed for the third time. Despite being married, he, as always, took up with another female, this one an aspiring actress, Beverly Aadland. Calling her by her nickname, he sighed, “Here I go again Woodsey.” She was 15.
This romance however would not end like the others. His lifetime of drinking and carousing took its ultimate revenge. His good looks, like his career and health, faded. He died in 1959, having recently just turned 50.
Jamie Wells assisted in the preliminary research of this article. Marc Kantrowitz, who is writing longer versions of his columns for a future book, can be reached at rmarckantrowitz@comcast.net.
Source: www.patriotledger.com
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