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Rotary International is the largest service club in the world, boasting of over 1.2 million Rotarians in over 32,000 local Rotary Clubs in 164 countries. Rotary in non-political, as well as non-denominational. As a matter of fact, major Rotary meetings begin with a prayer that is common to ALL religions of the world. Rotary is the the rich, white man's club as many think it is; but it is comprised of business men and women from all walks of life.

Many do not realize that Rotarians world wide have been involved in a campaign to rid the world of Polio, and the end of this ravishing crippling disease is almost complete. Rotarians world wide have raised hundreds of millions of dollars, and have sent armies of volunteers into countries to innoculate children without any other agenda but to save the children.

Those that question Rotary International also would be surprised to find that this organization was at the forefront of the creation of the United Nations; and today, has seats as permanant observers.

Rotary has had an agenda. That being to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and heal the sick. Rotarians give of themselves and thier time to go to third world countries where doctors performs surgeries and dentists provides dental care all at no cost whoatsoever. In India, it was 3 Rotarians who put their heads together to create the Jophur foot; a prothestic device for those who have lost limbs. Agains, these services are provided at no cost to the needy.

During the Tsunamis of 2005, Rotarians led the way in providing Shelter Boxes, temporary and immediate housing as well as basic cooking untensils and water sanitation to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons literally hours after the disaster; through donations from Rotarians throughout the world.

And the people who criticize Rotary as an eliteist organization of Kings, politicians and CEO's; Rotary International gives out more academic scholarships than all of the other known scholarships combined. It's latest undertaking is the Rotary Centers for International Studies In Peace and Conflict Resolution. Here, at universities in seven countries world wide, students at a higher education level can study conflict resolution; with the idea that inyears to come, they will be able to work with governments to settle disputes without war.

There are literally thousands of projects constantly going on with Rotary Clubs throughout the world. AIDS awareness project, clean blood projects, clean water projects, health projects, education; the list goes on.

Always remember Rotary's motto: "Service Before Self." Plus the Rotary 4-Way Test:

Is it the Truth? Is it Fair to All Concerned? Will it Build Good Will and Better Friendships? Will it Be Beneficial to All Concerned?

One can thus question the future of a movement which comes to assistance to men without agreeing to count them in its rows... For example, European executifs of the Rotary (in France, Belgium, Italy) include/understand, neither black, neither Jew, neither Arabic, neither Asian, neither handicapped, neither woman, nor patient of the AIDS, for example.

In addition, one can observe that 1/the Rotary tries nationally to obtain national Presidencies of eminent personages: - the King Albert II of Belgium, implied in various scandals of armament or prostitution (ASCO affair, Fortunato Israel affair), - the Pinochet General in Chile, implied in various disappearances and embezzlements, - and many other preserving personalities

2/Rotarian recruitment often includes/understands political personnel criticizing the State role ("liberal" politicians, affiliated for example to Belgian liberal "reformers" or RPR-UMP in France, with the American conservatives, such as the former presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush junior)

3/the Rotary does not emit any action against the armament, the prostitution, the AIDS, and does not support nor the victims of the wars, crimes, or the traffic of human beings neither join or complete actions of public institutions, whereas its actions releve of the public services (health, education, UNESCO, third age, handicapped). The fact that the Rotary ' have contribute' to found UNESCO is thus relevant of a conceptual abuse.

The role of the Rotary thus remains associated to the question of knowing, in a human society, which role is associated to the public services of government. Under these conditions, how to be astonished that the "liberal" personalities associated with the European liberal political parties claim the privatization of the public services?

Whereas in 2005-2006, in Iraq the Bush administration goes in its madness of appropriation until defending a design of the war which returns to private war (engagement of many private companies, -iow "mercenaries"- for 'private' security), can one admit that the State allows the Rotarians to exert 1/the assistance toh education (private curses of studies) 2/the assistance to handicapped (management of work centers) 3/the development of international co-operation (private programs of assistance)

Can one admit in Europe to come to a situation where public services are partially taken by private corporations, such as missions of guarding, circulation, education, international assistance ?

Finally the ritual (banquets, white gloves), the symbols (freemason symbol as compass and triangle hidden in the six rows of the Rotarian Wheel) the exclusively male composition of the Rotary clubs ("with evenings where the ladies are allowed") (associated with the exclusively female composition of InnerWheel, which gathers... the wives of Rotarians) (and this, despite a recent "reform" that allowed women in Rotary clubs...in theory ), calls to 'the compassion' and 'to fraternity ', the mechanism of co-optation, the costumes (aprons in the United States Rotary clubs), the gloves, the banquets are connected with ritual the freemasons.

One can thus wonder on the one hand if such a sociologically conservative movement as a future, on the other hand if the movement is not used to give good conscience to some businessmen which, nowadays, work on world-outsourced products (iow manufactured... in the Third World), or that the Rotary, in countries where it is pursued, is used as public frontage to the activities of the free-mason lodges, held by "the secret".

Pierre Larcin, Lille, France pierre.larcin@ifrance.com

Recovered from "http://fr.wikipedia.org/Discuter:Rotary_International"

In French

Si le Rotary se donne pour but de venir en aide aux communautés en souffrance telles les aveugles, jeunes, handicapés, malades, on peut remarquer : que les programmes Rotary contre le Sida sont ou invisibles ou inexistants que les communautés "aidées" par le Rotary ne sont pas représentées dans les instances du Rotary.

On peut donc se poser la question de l'avenir d'un mouvement qui vient en aide a des hommes sans accepter de les compter dans ses rangs... Par exemple, les executifs européens du Rotary (en France, en Belgique; en Italie) ne comprennent, ni noir, ni juif, ni arabe, ni asiatique, ni handicapé, ni femme, ni malade du Sida, par exemple.

Par ailleurs, on peut observer que 1/ les Rotary nationaux essaient d'obtenir des Présidences nationales de hautes personnalités : - le Roi Albert II de Belgique, impliqué dans divers scandales d'armement ou de moeurs, - le Général Pinochet au Chili, impliqué dans diverses disparitions et malversations, - et bien d'autres personnalités conservatrices 2/ le recrutement rotarien comprend souvent des personnels politiques critiques de l'Etat ("libérales", affiliés aux réformateurs libéraux belges ou aux RPR-UMP en France, aux conservateurs américains, telles que les ex-présidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan et Bush junior) 3/ le Rotary n'émet aucune action contre l'armement, la prostitution, le SIDA, et ne soutient ni les victimes des guerres, de crimes, ou du trafic d'etres humains 4/ le Rotary s'associe ou complete des actions de service public, alors que ses actions releve des services publics (santé, éducation, Unesco, troisieme age, handicapés) Le fait que le Rotary 'aie contribué' à fonder l'Unesco releve donc d'un abus conceptuel.

Le role du Rotary reste donc associé a la question de savoir, dans une société, quel role est associé aux services publics. Dans ces conditions, comment s'étonner que les personnalités associées aux partis politiques libéraux pronent la privatisation des services publics ?

Alors qu'en 2005-2006, en Irak l'administration Bush va dans sa folie d'appropriation jusqu'à défendre une conception de la guerre qui revient à la guerre privée (engagement de nombreuses sociétés privées, càd de mercenaires), peut-on admettre que l'Etat permette aux Rotariens d'exercer 1/ l'aide à l'éducation (bourses privées d'études) 2/ l'aide aux handicapés (gestion de centres de travail) 3/ la coopération au développement (programmes privés d'aide) Admettra-t-on qu'en Europe on en arrive à une situation ou meme les services les plus régaliens sont partiellement privés (missions de gardiennage, de circulation, de renseignement, d'archivage, "d'insertion" dans la société) ?

Enfin le rituel (banquet, prieres), les symboles, la composition exclusivement masculine du Rotary ("avec des soirées où les dames sont admises") (pendant à la composition exclusivement féminine du InnerWheel, qui regroupe... les épouses de Rotariens), les appels à la 'compassion' et de 'fraternité', le mécanisme de cooptation, les costumes (tabliers aux Etats-Unis), les gants, les banquets s'apparentent aux rituels francs-maçons.

On peut donc se demander d'une part si sociologiquement il ne s'agit pas d'un mouvement conservateur, d'autre part si le mouvement ne sert pas à donner bonne conscience aux hommes d'affaires qui, de nos jours, travaillent sur des produits mondialisés (càd fabriqués...dans le Tiers-Monde), ou que le Rotary, dans des pays ou elle est pourchassée, serve de facade publique aux activités des loges francs-maçonnes, tenues au secret.

Pierre Larcin, Lille, pierre.larcin@ifrance.com

Récupérée de « http://fr.wikipedia.org/Discuter:Rotary_International »