# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/21 "2003-05-04T23:12:41Z")
> [@](#): > > An Aramark executive estimated the food “removed” from the U.N.'s main cafeteria at between $7,000 and $9,000 not including the staff restaurant, the Viennese Café or the Delegate’s Bar. **The value of the missing silverware has yet to be estimated**. The _Time_ article is certainly a piece of fluff reporting. Witness the “coffee for Kofi” and “The value of the missing silverware has yet to be estimated.” statements. **december** , as usual, writes a headline that indicts the WHOLE by referring to the actions of the few. Time Magazine did the same. Another non-event. \ ---
**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, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/22 "2003-05-04T23:21:26Z")
The silverware thing is just bizarre; don’t people working in New York eat food with a knife and fork … I mean, they took the silverware to use to eat the food. Is it me … I’m usually such a _Normal Norman_ kinda guy … ?? ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/23 "2003-05-05T00:32:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > \*\*The silverware thing is just bizarre; don’t people working in New York eat food with a knife and fork … I mean, they took the silverware to use to eat the food. Is it me … I’m usually such a _Normal Norman_ kinda guy … ?? \*\* I admit that the OP was petty, and we’re moving downhill from there. However, I don’t agree with the above. If employees ate the food while at the UN, they would have eaten at a table in the cafeteria. They could have left the silverware there. If they took the food home, they wouldn’t have needed the UN’s silverware. The fact is, according to the report they stole the silverware. That may not be a big deal, but it seems to be what happened. **Dead Badger** , I’m not embarassed to assume that _Time_ magazine is accurate, when no contradictory information is available. If you have a different report of this event, please share it with us. ---
**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 5, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/24 "2003-05-05T01:05:20Z")
december, at the risk of of dampening you angry fire, is there any chance that the UN employees decided not to; or couldn’t eat in the cafeteria due to overcrowding, so they decided to eat at their desks? If I eat at my desk I too “loot” silverware from the cafeteria, only to later return it. I’m a she by they way ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/25 "2003-05-05T01:38:17Z")
I love the U.N. cafeteria. The food is decent and cheap by New York standards. (It’s subsidized.) I can’t believe **december** is serious about comparing this to looting of artifacts in Iraq. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by light strand \* > **december, at the risk of of dampening you angry fire, is there any chance that the UN employees decided not to; or couldn’t eat in the cafeteria due to overcrowding, so they decided to eat at their desks? If I eat at my desk I too “loot” silverware from the cafeteria, only to later return it.** Seems unlikely that it has anything to do with overcrowding. The cafeteria is big enough to accommodate everyone who eats there on a normal day. I don’t think take-away is very common. In fact, I don’t recall seeing take-away containers available (which supports **Dead Badgers** ’s theory). The article does say that the Cafe was “stripped bare.” The Cafe just serves coffee (in paper cups), muffins, and other cafe-type items, so it’s not surprising that everything got taken. That could not be considered stealing. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/26 "2003-05-05T01:59:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chula \* > I can’t believe **december** is serious about comparing this to looting of artifacts in Iraq. All I know is what I read in Time Magazine: > [@](#): > > After that, what ensued was nothing short of Baghdad style chaos ---
**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 5, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/27 "2003-05-05T02:03:44Z")
Well chula, I imagine if everyone on a 40 acre campus came running for lunch at once, it would be pretty damn crowded. The place would have to be fucking huge to handle that number of employees. We have 800 people here at any given time, but when we have all hands meeting, even our two huge cafeterias can’t handle the people. And we aren’t anywhere near 40 acres. ---
**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 5, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/28 "2003-05-05T02:11:34Z")
december you’re in good company. The NY Post, that bastion of journalistic excellence has declared: [BAGHDAD-STYLE LOOTING AT U.N. EATERIES](http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/74873.htm)! ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/29 "2003-05-05T02:38:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by light strand \* > \*\*december you’re in good company. The NY Post, that bastion of journalistic excellence has declared: [BAGHDAD-STYLE LOOTING AT U.N. EATERIES](http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/74873.htm)! \*\* The Post article seems to be totally based on the Time Magazine article. It doesn’t seem to be an independent verification. The New York Daily News has a similar article, also based on the Time article. OTOH [_Newsmax_](http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/4/190649.shtml) (who is more right-wing than the NY Post) does claim to have done independent investigation of the incident. > [@](#): > > “I have never seen anything like this, people were everywhere, taking everything in sight” explained one of several eyewitnesses who spoke to NewsMax. > > “Chickens, turkeys, souffles, casseroles all went out the door (unpaid),” said another witness. A U.N. security officer who was later called in to examine the cafeteria told NewsMax: “It is unbelievable, they even took the trays and the silverware; the place is stripped clean.” > > But, once the cafeteria was cleaned out, the “bargain hunters” fanned out to search for other targets of opportunity. First, the “troops” converged on the Viennese Cafe, a popular snack bar in the U.N.'s conference center. Next on the list was the posh Delegates Dining Room, where Kofi and Company were having their private lunch. > > All that free food produced some real thirst. So why not top it off with some free drinks at the bar? What better place than the private bar in the Delegates Lounge. No bartender, but what the heck…price was right and no tipping required! > > That was where NewsMax caught up with a well-known U.S. diplomat. When asked how many free drinks he had, he replied: “I don’t know, I stopped counting the bottles.” I am suspicious of _Newsmax’s_ claim of independent reporting, because their report is almost identical to _Time_’s. ---
**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 5, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/30 "2003-05-05T02:41:33Z")
I thought the _exact same thing_ when I read the NewsMax article. Unless there a single employee talking to the entire press corps, I have trouble with NewMax claims to independant verifaction. Anyway, about the Post article. I just liked the headline. Then again, I _always_ like the Pot’s headlines, they make me chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/31 "2003-05-05T04:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > > > [@](#): > > > > _Originally posted by chula_\*\* > > I can’t believe december is serious about comparing this to looting of artifacts in Iraq. > > All I know is what I read in Time Magazine: > > > [@](#): > > > > After that, what ensued was nothing short of Baghdad style chaos > [@](#): > > The Post article seems to be totally based on the Time Magazine article. It doesn’t seem to be an independent verification. The New York Daily News has a similar article, also based on the Time article. \*\*What’s with all this talk of “independent reporting” and “verification”? This isn’t true news. It’s fluff. It seemed quite clear to me that TIME’s article was meant to be a light-hearted piece of entertainment, not an investigation into skull-duggery and mob action at the United Nations. In fact, I can’t see how any reasonable reader would choose to take it seriously, _as if_ this incident says anything at all about the UN’s ability\*\* > [@](#): > > to maintain order in war-torn and under-developed countries throughout the world \*\*Unless, of course, he or she had a partisan wheelbarrow to push. Say it ain’t so… ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/32 "2003-05-05T04:23:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by light strand \* > \*\*Well chula, I imagine if everyone on a 40 acre campus came running for lunch at once, it would be pretty damn crowded. The place would have to be fucking huge to handle that number of employees. We have 800 people here at any given time, but when we have all hands meeting, even our two huge cafeterias can’t handle the people. And we aren’t anywhere near 40 acres. \*\* I guess I wasn’t picturing it the same way. It sounded to me like the people who took the stuff were the ones who were there to have lunch anyway. This is all speculation, since we don’t have a reliable source. Since the place was stripped clean of trays, silverware, and whatnot, they’ll have a hard time opening up on Monday, don’t you think? If my access hadn’t expired, I’d be tempted to pop up there tomorrow for a cheap lunch and some independent reporting. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/33 "2003-05-05T07:52:06Z")
Oh boy. **december** , you used to able to get a rise out of people with your ridiculous spin and misinterpretations. Now, we’ve gotten to the point were people just point and laugh. You’re a circus animal that can no longer perform its trick, and is now the laughing stock of the crowd, as it stumbles through the circus ring. It’s a bit sad and entirely hilarious at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/34 "2003-05-05T08:14:48Z")
Is this a slam on the United Nations, or just the excitable New Yorkers that are employed there? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/35 "2003-05-05T10:34:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\*Is this a slam on the United Nations, or just the excitable New Yorkers that are employed there? \*\* Yeah, I can’t figure out what his point is either but I’m not asking since he probaby doesn’t have one or it is just plain stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/36 "2003-05-05T11:08:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*Oh boy. **december** , you used to able to get a rise out of people with your ridiculous spin and misinterpretations. > > Now, we’ve gotten to the point were people just point and laugh. You’re a circus animal that can no longer perform its trick, and is now the laughing stock of the crowd, as it stumbles through the circus ring. > > It’s a bit sad and entirely hilarious at the same time. \*\* Actually, it’s mostly liberals who point and laugh. But then, that’s how they react to just about anything. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/37 "2003-05-05T11:19:11Z")
I don’t know, **Lib**. I’ve seen many a conservative vocally disassociate themselves from **december** ’s approach. No matter what your political bearings are, someone with december’s debating “skills” is an embarrassment to have on your side. ---
**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 5, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/38 "2003-05-05T11:34:07Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by december_ > All I know is what I read in Time Magazine No shit, sherlock. Wilful ignorance is just ace, innit. Is it nice to know that the only fallback you have is a literal interpretation of a hyperbolic sentence from a light-hearted news article? > [@](#): > > _From [New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/80662p-74026c.html)_ > “It’s certainly true there were a lot of people taking food out,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said. “But there was a sign at the entrance saying it was free.” Which says it all, really. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/39 "2003-05-05T11:37:51Z")
Read any posts of mine concerning the economy or free market issues and see if you can call me a liberal. I am as “conservative” as you can get (although I do think those labels are simplifications and nobody can be defined but a label). ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033/40 "2003-05-05T11:56:59Z")
**sailor** , **Libertarian** needs to know how you’d deal with an invasion of New York Harbor by giant sentient squid before he can assess whether you’re just another freakin’ liberal. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-think-the-us-has-looting-problems-in-iraq-the-un-cant-even-police-itself/173033.md?page=1) [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=3)