Five reasons the Law of the Sea treaty is wrong
September 27, 2007 | By Nathaniel Ward
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A quarter century ago, President Ronald Reagan rightly rejected the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, arguing that it would undermine American interests. But the treaty has returned from the grave: the Senate is talking about it again this week.
Take our poll: Is the Law of the Sea treaty right for America?
In a new paper, Heritage experts Baker Spring, Steven Groves and Brett Schaefer outline five reasons why conservatives should oppose the Law of the Sea Treaty:
- The treaty will undermine U.S. sovereignty;
- The treaty will become a back door for environmental activists;
- America should not participate in yet another U.N. bureaucracy;
- American participation Will undermine U.S. military and intelligence operations; and
- The U.S. does not need the convention to guarantee navigation rights.
“Conservatives who are concerned about U.S. sovereignty and national security should oppose ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Spring, Groves and Schaefer conclude.
Three days left to meet Ed’s challenge
Ed Feulner has challenged MyHeritage.org readers to raise $50,000 online by the end of the month to help advance conservative ideas in Washington and around the country. We’re nearing our goal—and we need your help.
Support Heritage today: www.MyHeritage.org/Challenge
Getting out the truth on health care
Late Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed legislation expanding government’s role in health care under the guise of providing health coverage for poor children. As of this writing, the Senate has agreed to vote on the bill and passage seems likely. President Bush has pledged to veto the legislation.
This misguided plan, as even liberals themselves admit, would allow big-government medicine in through a back door. Heritage research has shown that as government expands its provision of health care to children, private companies would stop offering them health coverage. This means that more and more people would be dependent on government health care—and all at taxpayer expense. And our experts have laid out a common-sense proposal to ensure children get health care coverage without increasing dependency on government.
Lawmakers and the media have turned to Heritage to get the facts on this issue. For instance, talk radio host Rush Limbaugh cited our research during his Wednesday broadcast, and three members of Congress cited our work on the floors of the House and Senate.
Watch the videos:
- Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) cites Heritage on the House floor
- Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) cites Heritage on the House floor
- Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) cites Heritage on the Senate floor
Challenges for border security
Immigration reform and border security are becoming the dominant issue in American politics, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) argued in a presentation Tuesday at The Heritage Foundation.
Rogers, who has proposed legislation to expand the size of the Border Patrol, discussed his recent tour of the nation’s southern border. He said he “met border patrol agents who were highly professional and well-trained, but severely understaffed.” In addition, he remarked on the effective use of dogs to detect drugs, human trafficking and explosives.
But the Border Patrol continues to be plagued by many problems. For example, he said the agency has difficulty retaining highly trained agents.
—Colin Gowan
Conservatives in Hollywood
Hollywood is famous as a liberal bastion. Its directors produce liberal films like Fahrenheit 9-11 and its celebrities spend their fortunes advocating left-wing causes. Some conservatives see Hollywood as a lost battle, strictly off limits to conservative thought.
But Steve Finefrock, a screenwriter and founder of the Hollywood Conservative Forum, has a more hopeful outlook.
Conservatives still have a chance in Hollywood, he said Wednesday at a Heritage Foundation discussion hosted by scholar Lee Edwards. While some may despair at the overwhelming liberal advantage in Hollywood, Finefrock believes that 30 to 40 percent of workers in Hollywood subscribe to sound conservative ideas. He suggested they don’t speak up, though, for fear of losing their jobs.
It is imperative that conservatives take advantage of their strength in Hollywood, he continued, recounting the critical role popular culture plays in forming the public’s political views. “Our ideas are so strong and compelling we just need twenty percent of the market. If we do that, we win.”
In order to mobilize the conservatives in Hollywood, Finefrock believes we need a prominent leader and the money necessary to compete with the liberal’s coffers. If conservatives in Hollywood can see those two things come together, then the conservative viewpoint will ring loud and clear in a hugely influential arena.
—Colin Gowan
Justice Thomas’ new memoir
On Monday, Oct. 1, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas releases his new memoir, My Grandfather’s Son. (Pre-order the book today on Amazon.com.) The conservative jurist will discuss his new book on several media programs over the next week:
- Sunday, Sept. 30—Two segments on 60 Minutes on CBS (7:00 p.m. Eastern)
- Monday, Oct. 1—Interview with Rush Limbaugh (9:00 a.m. Eastern) and appearances on ABC’s Nightline (11:30 p.m. Eastern) and Good Morning America (7:00 a.m. Eastern)
- Thursday, Oct. 4—Interview with Laura Ingraham (check local listings for times)
Next month, The Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society and the National Center for Policy Analysis are sponsoring a series of events with Justice Thomas where he will speak on his memoir:
- New York—Oct. 16
- Atlanta—Oct. 18
- Omaha—Oct. 19
- Chicago—Oct. 21
- Dallas—Oct. 23
- Southern California—Dec. 17 (registration opens in November)
All the events will be broadcast live on MyHeritage.org.
In other news
- The DREAM Act, which would have granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, was withdrawn yesterday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he would reintroduce the bill before the end of the year.
- Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) has proposed a plan to combat climate change by raising taxes on energy. The bill shines a realistic light on the costs of aggressive climate policy, but Heritage expert Ben Lieberman notes that the costly 50-cents per gallon gas tax increase is not nearly enough to reduce gasoline consumption so as much as the environmentalists wish. What’s more, cap-and-trade plans are likely to be even more expensive.
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asked Congress yesterday for $190 billion to continue operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Senate approved a plan to divide Iraq along sectarian lines, while liberal candidates for president admitted that immediate withdrawal from Iraq may not be feasible. Visit Heritage’s Progress in Iraq page for the latest.
- A federal judge in Oregon has ruled unconstitutional two provisions of the Patriot Act that deal with surveillance of terrorism suspects.
- In a new nationwide education study, fourth- and eighth-grade students showed improvement in their math skills over last year, and fourth-graders increased their reading proficiency. Liberals took the news as another excuse to call for still more federal tax money to be thrown at education.
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.
- On Friday, September 28 at 10:00 a.m., Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) joins a panel discussion about democracy’s future in Bangladesh.
- On Tuesday, October 2 at 11:00 a.m., a panel of experts including Gerard Baker, the American editor for the London Times, will discuss Europe’s future on the global stage.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Colin Gowan contributed to this report.
