Mark Malloch Brown, chief of staff for United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, criticized the United States at a commencement address at Pace University School of Law. Brown told graduates: "This ungainly giant of a nation that has led the world in advancing freedom, democracy and decency, cannot quite accept membership in the global neighborhood association, and the principle of all neighborhoods--that it must abide by others' rules as well as its own." Isn't the principle of all neighborhoods "good fences make good neighbors"? Our neighborhood, the United States, is a republic. Why should we accept rules to govern our own country set by those who don't live here?

We should accept the rules because we are a member of the UN. If we don't want to accept the rules then we should leave the UN. That is what I would like to see us do.

Indeed. I would like to see us leave the UN.

The moment that all members of the UN are bona fide representative democracies, I will be interested to see a congress for the purpose of writing a constitution to establish a world government. Until then, spare me the idea that the UN is to be taken seriously. Our business can be conducted the way it always has. With most member states being far from that democratic ideal, I doubt in my lifetime I will ever support a world government.

I think the U.S. government should show some guts and withdraw from the UN. The UN is nothing but a toothless, old dog anyway.