Law of the Sea Treaty Threatens our Sovereignty

Senate Democrats are not wasting another crisis. They are using the China naval confrontation to resurrect the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). This treaty turns over U.S. jurisdiction of the coasts and waterways over to the United Nations.

The treaty has been around since the 1970s and has not received enough support in the Senate until now. Senator John Kerry is pushing this along with Hillary Clinton to have it ratified.

On Fox News, “LOST and Found: Senate Moves Toward Ratification of U.N.'s 'Law of the Sea Treaty” has the two statements below that should concern the U.S.

“LOST apportions "Exclusive Economic Zones" that stretch 200 miles from a country's coast and establishes the International Seabed Authority to administer the communal territory farther out. The treaty's proponents say it clears up a murky legal area that has prevented companies from taking advantage of the deep seas' wealth.

But critics say clauses built into the treaty could directly harm American interests. They say it could force the U.S. to comply with unspecified environmental codes, and that the treaty gives environmental activists the legal standing to sue over river pollution and shut down industry, simply because rivers feed into the sea.”

We lose control of these areas to the U.N. and some bureaucracy in Germany. So, in essence, a factory in St. Louis can be sued for pollution it produces that may be released into the Mississippi River. What does this do to oil drilling? What about businesses in Pittsburg, Minneapolis, or any business on any waterway in the U.S.?

This treaty is a direct threat to our sovereignty and our lawful use of American waterways and coasts. This is another misconceived policy of the Democrats that has innumerous unintended consequences that would harm the U.S. in countless ways.

Kerry's Hypocracy

According to CNN:

EXCLUSIVE-Senator Kerry targets bailout bank over golf soiree

February 24, 2009: 01:49 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Democratic senator said Tuesday he will introduce a bill to end "the extravagant spending practices of U.S. banks" after reports that Northern Trust Corp, which got taxpayer bailout money, last week threw lavish parties around a California golf tournament.

"I'm sick and tired of picking up the newspaper and reading about another idiotic abuse of taxpayer money, while our country is on the brink," Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement released to Reuters.

Kerry plans to introduce legislation targeting banks that received taxpayer assistance under the government's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

Northern Trust received $1.6 billion under TARP, according to the Kerry statement. A spokesman for the bank did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment. (Reporting by Kevin Drawbaugh; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

So, John Kerry of all the Senators is going to go after the banks for extravagant spending. First, who is defining "extravagant?" What is "extravagant?" Next, who is HE to tell a bank what is extravagant. Look at how he lives!

If anyone should be targeted for extravagance is Congress with their private jets and junkets to resorts. If anyone should be cutting back right now, it is our government—not the banks that the government policies ruined.