UN: A Day Late and a Dollar Short - as Usual

As the Myanmar government continues its brutal crackdown of pro-reform demonstrators, killing hundreds and arresting thousands, A United Nations envoy has arrived in that violence torn country to urge "restraint" by the government:

A special envoy from the United Nations, Ibrahim Gambari, arrived in Myanmar on Saturday, bringing demands for restraint from a world that has watched with alarm the violent suppression of peaceful nationwide protests.

“He’s the best hope we have,” said the foreign minister of Singapore, George Yeo, speaking at the United Nations. “If he fails, then the situation can become quite dreadful.”

Mr. Gambari traveled directly to Naypyidaw, the isolated, bunkered capital that the ruling junta opened for itself two years ago, apparently at least in part because of its fear of popular uprisings.

“I look forward to a very fruitful visit so that I can report progress on all fronts,” Mr. Gambari told Channel News Asia before leaving Singapore for Myanmar, formerly Burma. He said he was going “to deliver a message from the secretary general to the leadership, a message that is very much by the Security Council.”

I don't know about you but I feel a lot better about things now that the UN is on the job in Myanmar. Of course, the fact that they're a few days too late to save much of the reform movement from being slaughtered or imprisoned is beside the point.  The formalites of diplomacy - as useless as they are -  must be observed. And surely the presence of Mr. Gambari has the junta quaking in its bloody jack boots. Goodness knows what the UN is liable to do in this situation. Perhaps one of their famous "strongly worded denunciations" or - perish the thought - an "expression of grave concern" may come down on the heads of the executioners of peaceful, harmless Buddhist monks.

"Why don't the Americans come to help us? Why doesn't America save us?" was the plea from one reform protestor. He didn't want to identify himself to the reporter because he feared reprisal from the junta.

Sounds like reports of America's demise as a beacon of freedom and hope have been greatly exaggerated - at least where the iron fist of tyranny rears up to slap people down who dare to stand up for their freedom.