Alaska Plunging Full Speed Ahead Toward Internationalism (With the Help of its Political Establishment)

As we’ve reported over the last several months, almost the entirety of Alaska’s political establishment, including Governor Parnell, Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell, Senators Murkowski and Begich, and virtually the entirety of the state legislature, support adoption of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). This internationalist scheme to extend UN jurisdiction over two thirds of the earth’s surface should make any Constitution-loving Alaskan’s blood boil. To make matters worse, the political leadership attempts to justify LOST with the pathetic excuse that it would be “good for Alaska business.”

We’ll break down that Benedict Arnold-like excuse for selling sovereignty down the UN drain in a future article. But for now, it’s time to focus on another imminent threat to our national integrity: the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This treaty, criticized by Restoring Liberty in earlier posts here and here, also has support among Alaska’s political class. In fact, it is openly supported by Alaska Governor Parnell’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education:

Most Alaskans should be scratching their heads over this new effort to subjugate Alaska to the whimsical dictates of the United Nations.

Here’s what’s wrong with the treaty. In an article entitled “Back Door Globalism,” Senators DeMint and Inhofe criticize the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities warning that it “calls for government agents to supersede the authority of parents of disabled children and even covers abortion.”

ParentalRights.org further explains that the treaty “poses a serious threat to the right of parents with disabled children to make decisions on behalf of those children regarding their education, medical care, and other areas of life. By introducing the “best interest of the child” principle as a government obligation (Article 7.2), the CRPD places bureaucrats in the position to make the ultimate decisions regarding each child.”

Homeschool advocate HSLDA also sees real danger in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, claiming that it is a backdoor means of requiring compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, a treaty that “enshrines abortion rights, homosexual rights, and demands the complete disarmament of all people.”

HSLDA also suggests that the treaty will mandate national spending priorities, require US funding for poorer countries’ disability programs, and require all persons to have handicap accessible residences. Also cited are infringement on autonomy of homeschooling by requiring government-directed disability programs to be administered, banning of corporal punishment, and other government-mandated intrusions into the family and home.

From the perspective of a states rights advocate, the treaty is very threatening. All American law on disabilities will be required to conform to the dictates and standards of the United Nations treaty. Obviously, this is a terrible infringement on a state’s right to legislate in this area. Under the Constitution, the federal government has no enumerated power giving it such authority. But now, under the treaty, the United States will be under one international standard – enforced by the federal government – further displacing state sovereignty.

In short, no Constitution-honoring political leader should offer even tacit support to this treaty. They must be held accountable.