Megadeth Versus The United Nations

Dave Mustaine's newest album catalogs the abuses and failures of the United Nations, which has prompted the UN defenders, such as they are, to issue a retort.

Not everyone is amused by Mustaine's battering of the blue helmets. "I just wonder which abomination he considers worse: Eradicating polio or ending obstetric fistula?" Mark Leon Goldberg sniffs on UN Dispatch. "Or is it the campaign to reduce childhood mortality rates by two-thirds that gets the aging rocker's blood boiling? I suppose he can take his pick."

"I'm sure the United Nations does some good stuff," Mustaine retorts. "I mean, they've got one of the most beautiful women in the world pushing rice in Darfur. But that's the irony of it all. They'll send those C130s over there full of supplies, drop it off and...the rebels get it. Deliver it all the way if you're going to deliver it. What good is it if it goes to the bad people? Then there are these allegations of women and children being raped by peacekeepers in Africa -- the first time that happens it's a crime, the second time it is a travesty."

It's the lack of outrage that has Mustaine outraged. "Why doesn't Michael Moore do an expose on the UN?" he asked, adding, "When I see Syria on the Security Council [in 2002-2003], am I supposed to feel secure? It's mad....They just rely on UNICEF, this one good thing they're doing, to cover up all the stuff that they're not doing, to put them beyond dissent. I'm not impressed. How long are they going to sit by and watch Hezbollah fire Katyusha rockets into Israel from Lebanon? That's a question I'd like answered."

Speaking of Israel, on another track, "Amerikhastan," Mustaine envisions a dystopian future wherein a "legion of bankrupt souls with a lust for revenge" brings civilization to its knees. "You must ignore the focus groups," he advises in his melodic howl. "You must send in the Mossad/Turn off the BBC and CNN/And don't look back."

It's nice to see that Hollywood hasn't turned everyone's brains to mush. The fact is that the UN has been an abysmal failure in dealing with human rights crises around the world - Darfur is only the most recent example. Iran's nuclear ambitions are another.