Tragic, Unhealthy and Completely Predictable

Author Brian Sussman interviews a victim of our public indoctrination system:

Her conclusion is tragic, unhealthy, and completely predictable.

Corruption: Lake Whatcom Reconveyance

I presented this in open session to the Whatcom County Council two weeks ago. 

Honorable council members, 

It has come to my attention that the Lake Whatcom Reconveyance has once again wormed its way onto the Tuesday agenda – this time without a hearing – at the behest of narrow special interests attempting to create the illusion of broad support.  

This effort has already removed a large amount of land from future private use and/or private ownership. This land is already “protected” inasmuch as proponents desired that. Therefore, the matter before you now is the final reckoning. Do We the People of Whatcom County really need an additional 8,700 acres of park? Does this amalgam of DNR land and trust parcels represent the correct  8,700  acres? Is this really the most pressing need at this time? 

What say the county meet all of its fundamental responsibilities of legitimate services to its citizens (e.g., a new jail) before it takes on any more responsibility for land ownership and management?!  You already have the land tied up in trusts; why not just leave it that way? If Bellinghamsters want a playground or a nature preserve, let them make a private park, on their own dime. Please do not saddle the rest of the county with that expense. Further, the justifications for this “preserve” or park for wildlife management, transportation, and watershed protection are a distortion of roles that do not apply to the Parks department.  

 A safe jail is a legitimate and essential function of government. Parks are nice to have, but they are not essential government functions, even if someone could objectively prove they would “help the environment”. Please direct your efforts to the far more urgent needs of Whatcom County citizens.   

Karl Uppiano, etc.

The Natural Progress of Things

I presented this to the Whatcom County Council in open session four weeks ago.

Honorable council members,

I made a new year’s resolution to attend each council meeting, because I was becoming alarmed at the geometrically increasing burden by all levels of government on our liberty. Our tax bill keeps growing in order to finance the increasing criminalization of normal human activity. Then, we’re told, we still aren’t paying our “fair share”.

So, I have sat fairly quietly in the peanut gallery since January 2012, watching as every two weeks, another raft of plans, grants, resolutions and ordinances pass. Sure, some fail, but never is anything repealed to make room for the new stuff. In general, the burden just gets heavier. Where does it end?

Seriously, what is the end game – total domination? I am fond of quoting Thomas Jefferson, who said, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.” It’s just so many words until you see it in action for a few months. But this has been going on for decades! Liberty rots without maintenance.

I hear all these lofty concepts and ideas with names like conservation, watershed, habitat, preservation… but invariably, invariably, the proposed action – the implemented action – involves the transfer of property from private ownership and private stewardship, to government ownership and government control, as if somehow, government would do it better than someone who invested their life’s work earning it.

Rent-seeking NGOs and non-profits exist for the sole purpose of promoting an agenda that you know at least half the public doesn’t agree with. These groups spend their days lobbying and litigating government even at our expense, to impose their views on the rest of us – it’s their day job – while the rest of us work at our day jobs, trying to mind our own businesses to support our families. We the People elect representatives – you – to protect our right to make our own choices. It is discouraging to see you do the exact opposite – and join forces with them.

I’m up here now because of the ag preservation discussion at the last meeting. There was zero mention of individual liberty. Now, I would expect the “progressives” to think, “This land was made for you and me” (sing along!), but even the conservatives among you questioned whether it was okay for a landowner to build a house on his own 40-acre lot. Which article of any constitution or charter grants you the authority to make that determination?

The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground. In these council meetings, would it be so bad to err on the side of liberty? Thank you.

Karl Uppiano, etc.

Agenda (Tinfoil) 21 (Hat)

Preservatives have recently started connecting the dots on Agenda 21, and the 'progressive' shape-shifters have naturally started calling us conspiracy theorists. Never mind the fact that Agenda 21 is on full display for all to see, where they say they intend to do precisely what we say they are doing! You'd think they'd take the website down. But no matter. It's all archived now anyway. There's no plausible deniability.

Part of the reason that the conspiracy theory attack seems to gain traction is that Agenda 21 is broken up into smaller pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle, so the useful idiots on the ground who are actually busy putting together the corner pieces, can't see the big picture, until the whole thing is grandly moved into place, when it would be too late. So much for government deriving its just power from the consent of the governed.

So, who are the useful idiots?

Education: The teachers, who are blithely "teaching" students e.g., Connected Math -- which asserts that there are no "wrong" answers. Here's the thing, though: If you are building a life-critical system such as a bridge, airplane, or medical equipment -- lawyers will beat you to death with every "wrong" answer they can find. You bet your arse there are wrong answers! Regardless of what the teachers say, the real world doesn't kid around.

Connected Math discourages teachers from teaching students how to do arithmetic. Instead, students are supposed to develop their own algorithms for time-tested operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. While it is possible that a fourth grader might come up with a ground-breaking improvement over the ones which have served us well for a thousand years, it is highly unlikely. It is even more unlikely that a heavily indoctrinated teacher would recognize it as such, much less point out the superiority of it to the chagrin of the other students. Still, should any teacher happen to question whether Connected Math is defensible, it's nothing that a little "performance review" can't fix.

True scholars would argue that most education, and certainly objective disciplines such as mathematics and science, should be devoid of any political agenda. But here it is. And here...

Though not part of Agenda 21, it is significant that The US Constitution has not been taught favorably or comprehensively in public schools for many decades. Why would that be? Well, for starters, The US Constitution, in addition to being being the official specification for the US Government, was specifically designed to limit government to the powers enumerated therein.

If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. ~ James Madison (Federalist 51)

The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Why would government schools not teach about limited government? Do you see the conflict of interest?

Non-Government Organizations (NGOs): A recent trend, these federal-grant-powered "non-profit" corporations contract their "services", a.k.a., agendas to local and state governments. These tend to be environmental organizations, pushing for farm plans, water rights regulation, land use controls, LEED bulding ordinances, and just about any other illiberal control freak regulation you can think of. Such a deal: our taxes pay NGOs to instruct our government on how to oppress us. Now, mind you, I might personally want a LEED home or office building. Storm water runoff might be a problem here and there, and I'm not opposed to using permeable paving stones in lieu of poured concrete where it makes sense. But why do these people want to use the force of government to compel the rest of us to join their religion? If their religion is so great, wouldn't we join them voluntarily, if only we knew "the truth"? Everything we need is already right there in The First Amendment.

Local Government: Lacking adequate formal education about constitutional principles (see above), local governments (city councils, county councils, planning councils, etc.,) take an oath of office to uphold and defend something they know scarcely about. As such, they are all too willing to allow the federal government to override and usurp their authority, by taking government grants (which always -- always -- have strings attached), or by simply accepting state or federal controls where local control used to be. Or they allow ICLEI to come swooping in under the constitutional radar with centralized non-government control (to be imposed locally, with global uniformity -- forget diversity). Our local officials accept ICLEI's "help" to implement "sustainable", "environmentally friendly" "solutions" to "problems" that We the People have not asked to have solved.

Agenda 21? No, never heard of it. We're not doing that. What conspiracy theorist is saying that? The tea parties? Now, that makes sense!

Most of these local participants don't even know they're implementing Agenda 21. It's best that they don't know. It gives the useful idiots some plausible deniability.

The Only Question(s) You Need

I have had this at the top of my sidebar for over a year:

THE ONLY QUESTION YOU NEED

"Which article of the Constitution gives government the authority to do that?"

If more and more people start asking this question, I think most of our worst political problems, in all branches and all levels of government would go away by themselves, almost overnight. When a reporter asked Nancy Pelosi that question about the healthcare bill, her deer-in-the-headlights response was, "Are you serious?" Well, we are serious, and politicians should be afraid to step out of their offices without a credible answer to that question. It is the only "litmus test" that we need.

It really takes so little effort, that it is at least worth a try. The beauty of it is, this really should appeal to honest people from anywhere on the political spectrum.

But in light of EPA Ponders Expanded Regulatory Power In Name of 'Sustainable Development', I think we have to add another:

Wouldn't it be preferable to protect our natural resources without forfeiting our natural rights?

Of course, if we answered the first question, we certainly wouldn't need the second one, but as I am very fond of quoting,

The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Resisting the "natural progress of things" is getting to be like pushing a gigantic oppressive sustainable boulder uphill. If we stop to rest, it will roll right over us.

The Watermelons Are Onto the Fact That We're Onto Them

I know you think, you think you know, but I think you don't. ~ Zaphod Beeblebrox

The watermelons are onto us. Lloyd Alter, at treehugger (a discovery company), writes,

This past summer I think about twelve people read my post Agenda 21: The United Nations Threat To Control Our Lightbulbs, Our Lifestyles and Our Lives, where I wrote about how historic preservation, formerly the preserve of conservative types, has morphed into socialist control of private property, a tool of Agenda 21. I called it a Tea Party Theory of Everything:

It ties it all together into one neat package, making climate change, light bulbs, transit, smart growth, fuel economy, everything a plot...It is a spreading conspiracy theory that is becoming the underlying ideology of the crazy right and that has serious legs. It is no joke.

(Continue reading Agenda 21 Wackos On The Move to Stop Smart Growth)

Lloyd concludes with,

Almost every battle over historic preservation is now becoming a property rights battle, and almost every property rights battle now has an Agenda 21 tint to it. We really have to wake up to this threat.

No, Lloyd, Americans have to wake up to this threat to their natural rights. It might not be a conspiracy, but it certainly is an agenda. Agenda 21 uses environmental bait-and-switch to up-sell its illiberal collectivist schemes.

This is no idle threat: We've had multiple executive orders, from George H. W. Bush, William H. Clinton and now Barack H. Obama (constitutional illiterates all, apparently), invoking federal agencies such as the EPA and BLM to implement key elements of the Rio Earth Summit and Kyoto Protocol (even though Congress refused to ratify it). It's called "soft law". Then, flying in below the constitutional radar, ICLEI organizes local governments to implement Agenda 21. Warm fuzzy euphemisms such as Smart Growth and Sustainable Development mislead otherwise skeptical community leaders, businessmen and citizens who ask, essentially, "where do I line up to surrender my civil liberties and right to self-determination?" "Non profit", non-government organizations (NGOs) with names like Sustainable Connections, ReSources, and FutureWise, take government grants (your tax dollars) to "educate" you in the ways of sustainability, and sue you if you don't get in line. You're paying for your own oppression.

Don't just take my word for it, go to their websites and explore for yourself what they have planned for us. I provided the links. Remember, these websites are selling their agenda in glowing terms. You might need some translation. "Smart Growth" is already being implemented in your cities, counties and towns, probably without your awareness or consent -- this is intentional. In the halls of government for Bellingham and Whatcom County where I live, the saying goes, "if it isn't permitted, it isn't permitted". Meaning that if you don't have a permit, you can't do it. Say what?! Hello, commissioner! Government derives its just power from the consent of the governed, not the other way around! These very expensive permits are required to ensure that any development or construction complies with very expensive requirements to satisfy environmental extremist and scientifically unverified measures to protect watershed, airshed (!), habitat and whatever other arbitrary barriers may be erected by planning and zoning ordinances to control normal human activities.

Don't think it's not happening in your town: After you've familiarized yourself with Agenda 21 and ICLEI, a.k.a., Sustainable Development or Smart Growth, start attending your city and county council meetings, and planning and zoning commission meetings. Read the ordinances. Listen for the buzzwords -- they're all over the place. Then, start asking yourself, and others, these questions:

• What does Agenda 21 say, exactly?
• What do Smart Growth and Sustainable Development actually mean?
• What is ICLEI really trying to implement?
• What are the EPA, BLM, parks and recreation, planning and zoning, etc., trying to implement?
• Do you notice any similarities?
• Do you think they're a just a coincidence?
• Does the logical outcome have anything significant to do with the environment?
• Wouldn't it be preferable to protect our natural resources without forfeiting our natural rights?

And then ask,

• Have you ever tried remodeling a place you were renting?
• How much permission and input did your landlord require?
• Have you tried remodeling your own property lately?
• How much permission and input did your government require?
• Do you want to be a mere tenant on your own property?
• Have you ever wanted to own your own property?
• Why invest most of your life's work to purchase something that you have few rights to use for your own purposes?

Now that they know we're onto them, the watermelons are going to start squalling like hammered cats, calling us conspiracy theorists, paranoid nut jobs, and whatever else they can think of. They'll start renaming things -- picking new words to describe their tired old designs. Don't be deterred, because this is important: It is preferable to preserve our natural resources without forfeiting our natural rights!

They'll tell you capitalism, free enterprise, self-determination cannot be trusted to save the planet. What they're saying, in essence, is that government has to force us to go where free people would not go voluntarily. Is that not the definition of tyranny and oppression? I think we can do better than that.