The US has quit UNESCO, the UN agency that protects world heritage sites and teaches poor children to read

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/10/12/who-needs-heritage.html

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“designating and protecting world heritage sites, running literacy for the poorest people on Earth, supporting potable water programs, protecting fragile and endangered ecosystems, running disaster preparedness plans for all to use, protecting indigenous knowledge, protecting the free press, and digitizing the world’s libraries.”

In other words, stuff Trump doesn’t like.

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Just read this. It’s a stupid, sad, sad, sad, stupid day.

What is the matter with Trump?

Christ, what an asshole.:face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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I thought Trump was about protecting heritage? Guess that’s just white heritage.

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I suspect this is payback for that time they wouldn’t let him land his helicopter in the UNESCO World Heritage site at Masada.

I’m not even joking.

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I have always been impressed with the UNESCO heritage sites I have visited. This really seems like a personal axe Drumpf is grinding. It seems very retaliatory.

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What happens to the two dozen UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the US, like Cahokia and Chaco Canyon? Do they get decertified or something?

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I sure hope the US doesn’t get a say about that anymore. They certainly shouldn’t expect to be protected simply based on the UNESCO certification…

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I initially assumed it was because UNESCO won’t protect all those confederate monuments.

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It is all FAKENEWS (Orwell didn’t see that coming!)

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Ha. They claim “anti-Israel bias” . . . but Trump’s neo-Nazi fans will read it as a wink-wink “fuck the UN and the rest of the world” move.

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Hmmm, the more you know…

Of course this is a typical Trump move, but it was Obama who ceased giving money to UNESCO in 2011. This was mentioned in several German news media today. What most of them failed to report was, that this was done in accordance to a US law from the 90s (Bush Sr.? Clinton??), which prohibits the US from supporting any UN agency that admits Palestine - which is what happened in 2011. Again: Stupid Trump move, but this dates back much further.

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But, they don’t help Trump voters, so fuck 'em.

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Everything is personal with him. There is nothing outside Trump. He doesn’t know or care about the world. He cares about Trump.

This fucking shitbag.

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Hater-in-chief strikes again

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Yep, none of that supports killing off brown people and allowing private takeover of their land to build resorts, or causes him to get more voters, so yeah, pretty much.

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I was skeptical, but you are correct. This does not appear to be a Trump vendetta, but a continuing anti-Palestine bias from the US and Israel. Reagan pulled the US out of UNESCO in 1984. W got back in in 2002, and Obama cut funding in 2011.

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Interesting points about UNESCO:

  • The US also withdrew in 1984 under the Reagan Administration, because of what it saw as corruption and a perceived pro-Soviet Union bias. The U.S. rejoined the organization in 2002 under George W. Bush.

  • After UNESCO accepted Palestine as a member, the Obama Administration was required to cut off more than $80 million a year in funding due to a 1990s-era law that prohibits U.S. funding for any U.N. agencies recognizing Palestine as a state.

  • Despite refusing to contribute to the organization, the U.S. is still a member of UNESCO, and even has a vote on the executive board. As a result, the U.S. owes more than $500 million to UNESCO to date.

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Does that mean Philly has to give back being named a world heritage city?

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There’s so much at (cheese) steak.

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