# You think the US has looting problems in Iraq? The UN can't even police itself. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 4, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033 "2003-05-04T16:08:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/1 "2003-05-04T16:08:08Z")
[Time Magazine](http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,449436,00.html) reports that during a brief cafeteria workers’ strike at the UN, a decision was made to make the cafeterias into “no pay zones”. According to various witnesses > [@](#): > > It was **chaos, wild, something out of a war scene** … They took everything, **even the silverware** …the cafeteria was stripped bare… the cafeteria raid was unbelievable, crowds of people just taking everything in sight; they stripped the place bare… **chickens, turkeys, souffles, casseroles all went out the door** (unpaid). The mob then moved on to the Viennese Café, a popular snack bar in the U.N.'s conference room facility. It was also stripped bare. The takers included **some well-known diplomats who finished off the raid with free drinks at the lounge for delegates.** When asked how much liquor was lifted from the U.N. bar, one U.S. diplomat responded: “I stopped counting the bottles.” He then excused himself and headed towards the men’s room. :o How in the world can the UN be expected to maintain order in war-torn and under-developed countries throughout the world, when they can’t even maintain order at their own building? :mad: Do we need to send in the marines to East 42[sup]nd[/sup] Street to maintain order. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![light\_strand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@light\_strand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/light_strand)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/2 "2003-05-04T16:26:05Z")
Is it looting if the stuff is free? The UN declared it a free lunch day, so people had free lunches. Except for the silverware, and the amount taken isn’t known, this really doesn’t seem to be looting to me. I can’t imagine what would happen if the cafeterias at my company were declared “no pay zones” we’ll take anything if it’s free. You should see the way we strip the vendors clean of their knick-knacks. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/3 "2003-05-04T16:36:48Z")
Wait-is **december** seriously equating the looting in Iraq to what amounts to employees being pigs at a free lunch? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/4 "2003-05-04T16:50:35Z")
But **Guin** , didn’t you read the **bolded** sections of **december’s** OP. Eyewitness said it was like a war zone. I bet when the UNICEF administrator’s secretary showed up in fatigues and started smashing the salad bar sneeze guard with the butt of her rifle, it wasn’t pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/5 "2003-05-04T16:55:24Z")
Our staff canteen loses cutlery on a regular basis. This is hardly unusual. On the other hand, I can see why the connection between forks and mesopotamian clay tablets is made. Heck, the latter can’t even be used for lasagna; no contest, I know which I’d take. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/6 "2003-05-04T17:39:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > \*\*a decision was made to make the cafeterias into “no pay zones”. \*\* So you’re saying it was **officially** turned into a free lunch, which turned into a free-for-all food fight. That’s it ? Nothing stolen … nothing “looted” … nothing amiss, 'cept people taking full advantage of the situation as would seem to be human nature … And from there you get to … wherever you get to – you lost me soon after. Still, I guess you might get to make a false impression (about the UN) with some quick readers, as per your usual gameplan so, well done, another success for misinformation and lies ! ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/7 "2003-05-04T17:48:50Z")
I gotta admit **december** , you take the damn cake. anything, I mean anything to make your post in GD look good. Why don’t you just eat crow and be done with it? ---
**Author:** ![Barks\_dog\_food](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@Barks\_dog\_food](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barks_dog_food)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/8 "2003-05-04T19:03:49Z")
Should have known it was a bad idea to place the UN HQ in the US. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/9 "2003-05-04T19:11:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > \*\*So you’re saying it was **officially** turned into a free lunch, which turned into a free-for-all food fight. That’s it ? > > Nothing stolen … nothing “looted” … \*\* Perhaps you read the OP too hastily, **LC**. At least **light strand** noticed that they looted all the silverware. Although s/he had a different excuse: the employees actually didn’t steal anything – with the exception of all the stuff they stole. Note that thecafeteria was “stripped bare.” Nor does it speak well for the senior dimplomats to have drunk up uncounted bottles of liquor. Shouldn’t they have been busy saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war, instead of getting drunk on swiped UN liquor? **Dead Badger’s** “they-all-do-it” excuse is always unappealing, and it doesn’t come close in this case. The employees took every bit of silverware, and apparently anything else that wasn’t nailed down. That’s nothing like the just losing cutlery on a regular basis. What does this say about UN employees? How would you feel if your co-workers looted the company cafeteria – in a manner that was “chaotic…something out of a war scene.” How would you feel if your top management joined the chaos, and got drunk on bottle after bottle of the company liquor? Would _you_ do this to your employer? Would you do this to the United Nations? I don’t think so. For those of a mind to minimize this episode, note that _Time Magazine_ considered it to be newsworthy. They’re certainly not right-wing or anti-UN. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/10 "2003-05-04T19:39:45Z")
I rather think my point was that the article sounds like wild hyperbole. It’s utterly unclear from the context that the “stripped bare” remark refers to anything other than food, and my point was that if thousands of people take away free lunch to eat, they’re going to need some cutlery (which I doubt is “silver”). At my canteen we have plastic cutlery for takeaway. Maybe the UN don’t. As for your “Time think it’s newsworthy” argument, the “no coffee for Kofi” line makes it seem to me that this is intended as a light-hearted article, not serious news. Of course, if taking it as the latter helps your worldview in some way, it’d be churlish of me to deny you the pleasure. Just don’t expect me to fall to my knees and cry “oh my gosh, these incompetents must never be allowed near Baghdad” because it’s got absolutely fuck all relevance. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/11 "2003-05-04T19:50:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > Perhaps you read the OP too hastily, **LC**. At least **light strand** noticed that they looted all the silverware. Although s/he had a different excuse: the employees actually didn’t steal anything – with the exception of all the stuff they stole. Note that thecafeteria was “stripped bare.” > > Nor does it speak well for the senior dimplomats to have drunk up uncounted bottles of liquor. Shouldn’t they have been busy saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war, instead of getting drunk on swiped UN liquor? I read it fine. So, an ‘Executive’ of the company who can’t conduct decent employee relations says “They took everything, even the silverware” – is he claiming the New York employees of the UN are thieves or that UN Diplomats thought they’d like to eat their free lunch with a knife and fork – or something in between cos, you know, it’s wonderfully ambiguous. You got anything else that actually _relates facts_, rather than this nonsense of what an ‘Executive’ is going to put on his insurance claim or what a security guard was encouraged to say. Maybe you could help us out with a list of all the criminal charges (those security guards must have been doing something besides becoming correspondents) … anything at all to clear up the ambiguities … nah, didn’t think so. It’s just your usual misinformation and lies. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/12 "2003-05-04T19:56:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dead Badger \* > I rather think my point was that the article sounds like wild hyperbole. Yes it does. But, why shouldn’t we believe that the _event_ was wild, rather than the _account_ of it? AFAIK _Time_ is a big supporter of the UN. A few years ago, Ted Turner, who has been AOL Time Warner vice chairman, pledged to donate one _billion_ dollars to the UN. > [@](#): > > It’s utterly unclear from the context that the “stripped bare” remark refers to anything other than food One of the witnesses said, “even the silverware.” > [@](#): > > …and my point was that if thousands of people take away free lunch to eat, they’re going to need some cutlery (which I doubt is “silver”). The word “silver” has a meaning of “Tableware, especially eating and serving utensils, made of steel or another metal.” I didn’t mean to claim that the UN silverware was made of silver. > [@](#): > > Of course, if taking it as the latter helps your worldview in some way, it’d be churlish of me to deny you the pleasure. Thank you. I do think that by and large, the UN has poorly motivated, unreliable employees. I agree that this “food fight” wasn’t an important incident, but it was telling. When the UN has serious responsibilies, they often screw them up royally. ---
**Author:** ![Payton\_s\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@Payton\_s\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payton_s_Servant)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/13 "2003-05-04T21:02:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > \*\*When the UN has serious responsibilies, they often screw them up royally. \*\* Right, like falling blindly into step with whatever the United states says. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: It’s clear that the only solution is for the United States to declare war on the United Nations. They must be wiped from the face of the Earth!!!:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/14 "2003-05-04T21:34:45Z")
You know, **december** , for you to compare the destruction of priceless historical artifacts to people being greedy hogs at a free luncheon shows just how far off the deep end you’ve gone. Get some fucking help, already. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/15 "2003-05-04T22:17:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > **Yes it does. But, why shouldn’t we believe that the _event_ was wild, rather than the _account_ of it?** :rolleyes: By all means, pick an assumption that suits you. The rest of us will get on with our lives while you rearrange things upstairs. > [@](#): > > **One of the witnesses said, "even the silverware."** Not the one that used the phrase “stripped bare”, I note. Nice misrepresentation, though. > [@](#): > > **The word “silver” has a meaning of “Tableware, especially eating and serving utensils, made of steel or another metal.” I didn’t mean to claim that the UN silverware was made of silver. Thank you.** Oh, you’re welcome. I’ll be happy to point out any other false implications you “inadvertently” make. Just give me a shout. > [@](#): > > **I do think that by and large, the UN has poorly motivated, unreliable employees.** Well, since you base this opinion on such in-depth, relevant and deeply significant reportage, I shall bear this in mind when giving weight to your opinions in future. > [@](#): > > **I agree that this “food fight” wasn’t an important incident, but it was telling.** Yeah, extrapolation is such fun, isn’t it. Tell you what, you stand outside McDonalds some day yelling “free food!” and we’ll make some assumptions about pedestrians, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/16 "2003-05-04T22:25:34Z")
Forget what Guinastasia said December, don’t look for help. At this point it is probably pointless and besides your absurd comparisons and wacky interpretations are pricesless. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/17 "2003-05-04T22:40:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > **You know, december, for you to compare the destruction of priceless historical artifacts to people being greedy hogs at a free luncheon shows just how far off the deep end you’ve gone.** It was a bit more than a “free luncheon”. For example, why did they steal the silverware? ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/18 "2003-05-04T22:58:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by milroyj \* > For example, why did they steal the silverware? To give Blix something to search for now he’s not wanted in Iraq? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/19 "2003-05-04T23:00:24Z")
You really _have_ gone overboard on this one. ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/20 "2003-05-04T23:11:23Z")
I didn’t know the UN was a war zone. 😕 😉 –Nut _It may be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033.md?page=2)