10/15/98
Agenda 21 has never been debated or adopted by the Congress of
the United States. Nevertheless it is being vigorously
implemented by the Clinton Administration. More than 150 nations
are participants in the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development(CSD). America's participation is not the result of a
treaty, ratified by Congress. It is the result of President Bush
signing Agenda 21 at the 1992 United Nations Convention on
Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, and the Clinton
Administration's green desire to implement Agenda 21 objectives.
Led by the President's Council on Sustainable Development, not by
elected representatives in Congress, the federal government is
leading the way toward transforming society around Al Gore's
central organizing principle of protecting the environment - as
dictated by the United Nations.
Sustainable Development is defined by the U.N. as "meeting
today's needs without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs." Sustainable
Development is, in fact, the process by which societies are being
reorganized around the central principle of protecting the
environment. It is a process that originated in the international
community and is now sweeping across America, encompassing small
towns and large cities, without legislative authority or legal
definition. Congress has never defined, debated nor approved a
national policy of sustainable development. Nevertheless, the
Executive Branch of the federal government is promoting and
implementing the principles of sustainable development through
each of its agencies.
In almost every state and in most communities, activities are
underway to impose the principles of sustainable development. In
only a few communities are citizens told that the ideas being
advanced are coming directly from the United Nations. Santa Cruz,
California openly admits that its vision for the community's
future is sponsored by the United Nations and is named the
"Local Agenda 21". In Florida, the Department of
Community Affairs vehemently denies that its Sustainable
Community Program has anything to do with the United Nations or
the President's Council on Sustainable Development. Nevertheless
many of the requirements for participation in the program mirror
the recommendations of both.
More often than not, the "visioning" process in local
communities tries to avoid any connection to the UN or Agenda 21
by adopting positive sounding names such as " Environment
2000" in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. In Dover-Foxcroft,
Maine, the program is Sustainable called "Economic
Renewal". All sorts of names are used to camouflage the UN's
influence on public policies that are being developed for every
American city. Regardless of names used to describe the process,
the end result looks very similar, whether in Santa Barbara or
St. Louis.
More often than not, the participants in the
"visioning" process are unaware that they are being led
through the "collaborative consensus process" to
conclusions that were reached in Rio de Janeiro on 1992.
Professional facilitators are used to lead selected individuals
through a process that is intended to validate the
recommendations advanced in Agenda 21, while appearing to be the
ideas and conclusions of the participants.
The President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) issued
their final report in mid-1996. It is titled Sustainable America.
Since then activity in every state has proceeded and many states
now have their own Sustainable (name of state) report. A quote
from chapter 3 of the PCSD says, ""key to this strategy
is managing information better, expanding access to the decision
process, measuring progress toward societal goals more
comprehensively, and incorporating accounting measures that
educate and enable decision makers and individuals to make
decisions that are more economically, environmentally and
socially sustainable." Inherent in this statement is the
assumed position of superiority by the federal government to
formulate in excruciating detail the compliance plan for every
citizen in every aspect of his life.
In chapter 4 the report discusses "sustainable designed
communities". It says, "Because many design issues such
as transportation, land use, and growth management transcend
political boundaries, sustainable community design calls for
coordinated regional design". Translated that means that
political boundaries and elected officials will be by-passed by
stakeholder partnerships with non-government (NGOs) in building
these new communities. In chapter 5 it says, "An ethic of
stewardship built on collaborative approaches, ecosystem
integrity, and incentives in such areas as agriculture resources
management, sustainable forestry, fisheries and biodiversity
conservation."
The major concept of the PCSD is to orient and control every
aspect of human life around the "natural" environment,
under the guidance of federal authority. Every posited action is
based upon federal standards, policy, control and enforcement.
Throughout the document they urge Sustainable county, community
and citizen participation in "discussion" and
"collaboration" to put the plans in place. But nowhere
do they permit or suggest ideas are permissible that deviate from
the policies developed by the feds in partnership with the NGOs.
They just want workers supporting the plans and policies, and
they will "facilitate" that agreement or acceptance.
"Facilitate" is the current psycho buzzword that is
used to get people into "consensus" rather than
"conflict". Conflict is not now politically correct.
The underlying thesis of this PCSD is to base our society on
"nature", controlled from above, rather than on
individual freedoms and liberty and rights as we now exist.
Maurice Strong, a U.N. world leader in the eco-religion , the
1992 earth summit and the U.N. Agenda 221, said " A shift is
necessary toward life styles less geared to environmentally
damaging consumption patterns. This shift will require a vast
strengthening of the multilateral system, including the United
Nations." Strong went on to say, " Isn't the only hope
for this planet that the industrialized civilization collapse ?
Isn't it our responsibility to bring that about ?"
Here in Maine the PCSD is active. The ECO/ECO Forum is
cosponsoring a series of regional meetings from 28 October to 10
December in Rockland, Portland, York County, Lewiston, Hancock
County, Bath, Bangor and Machias. The name they have created for
this round is, "Smart Growth for Our Communities."
Among other things they plan to discuss " collaboration
between communities , reduction of the cost of growth and the
preservation of things(i.e. resources)." they have invited
stakeholders (real estate developers, business men, land trusts,
sportsmen, farmers, woodlot owners, municipal officials) and NGOs
(Natural Resources Council, Maine Audubon Society).
This Maine activity is identical to the effort to change our
society that is occurring across our country. It is up to you
whether or not this change in national mores goes on.
R.O. "Bob" Voight is a founding member of the Maine Conservation Rights Institute. Email: sovrov@nemaine.com |