LEES SUMMIT, Mo.--"We shall beat our swords into plowshares" appears on a sculpture at the United Nation's building. It's a wonderful aspiration, and it bears a striking resemblance to a prophecy in Isaiah: "Many people shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' "The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."
Subtle but significant Notice the difference, subtle but significant, between the biblical quote and the UN version. "We shall," according to the United Nations. "They shall," in the biblical version, because the Lord "will teach us his ways" and because "he will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples." The UN mantra implies that "we" can bring peace and prosperity. The 65 years of UN mandates gives more than a clue about their ability or lack thereof to get it done. "We" can't even achieve peace in our own neighborhoods, let alone in the world as a whole. A critical something is missing, a something that the UN won't acknowledge. "He will teach us his ways." "The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." "He will judge . . . and settle disputes." | 
