21 Sep '10 01:27>1 edit
Originally posted by WajomaWhere does the U.N. Secretary-General claim that U.N. aid programmes and U.N. member aid to developing countries is "charity" or that it is "considered charity"? Charities are charities, almost always private sector or non-governmental organisations.
The membership 'costs' to the UN can never be considered charity, charity can only ever be voluntary. So while the bureaurats may decide how much (if any) goes where, that can never be called charity.
Governmental aid programmes are not "charity" and they don't claim to be. They are bi-lateral and multi-lateral international relationships and agreements that almost always have - to a degree - the donor countries' interests in mind in some way.
You may choose to refer to U.N. aid programmes and U.N. member aid to developing countries as "charity" - and then run your sword through its strawman torso - or you may seek to obfuscate the issue by Wajoma-izing the meaning or usage of this common word and widely understood concept and smudge the distinctions - as is your wont on most threads you participate in - but it doesn't chage the nature of things on the ground and the nature and purpose of international interrelationships.
Having said that, you say "The membership 'costs' to the UN can never be considered charity[...]", and although it's not exactly what you intended with the sly little strawman you have paratrooped into this, I have to say I agree with these words.