Jerry Hiniker, you can think, I went back in history to find my answers.
The Earth Charter contains 16 principles. I believe the underlying philosophy of the charter is pagan—Mother Earth and nature are to be worshiped. It opposes the Judeo-Christian belief that God is separate from his creation and man has dominion over the Earth.
Just as the American Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are inseparable, so too are the Earth Charter and Agenda 21. The Earth Charter describes the philosophy and Agenda 21 describes how it will be achieved.
Mikhail Gorbachev as president of Green Cross International and Maurice Strong, chairman of the Earth Council drafted the earth charter as a “civil society initiative.” A symbolic copy of the charter has been placed in an “Ark of Hope.” It resembles the Biblical Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of Hope is taken on tour each year to promote the Earth Charter, visiting hundreds of schools and universities.
I’ve researched ICLEI, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (www.icleiusa.org) whose “mission” is to build and serve a worldwide movement of local governments to achieve tangible improvements in global sustainability with special focus on environmental conditions through cumulative local actions. An ICLEI statement declares, “The Association shall promote, and ask its individual member to adopt the following Earth Charter Principles to guide local action.”
Communities that join ICLEI for its local planning guidance are agreeing to enforce the Earth Charter. Eleven cities in Minnesota have joined ICLEI.
The government website of Washington State, Department of Ecology (www.ecy. wa.gov/sustainability) talks about “Our Common Future,” based on a special report from Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Norwegian prime minister and first vicepresident of Socialist International. The term Sustainable Development was first coined in her speech. Washington is using the Earth Charter as a guideline for environmental and development policy. It is a direct link between UN International Agenda 21 policy and an American state government.
State government using the Earth Charter as a guideline passes regulations down to the local communities to enforce environmental and development policy. That’s how it works across the nation. If any local leader tells you their program is local, they don’t know what they are talking about. If they have gotten any grant money from EPA, HUD or DOT, it probably is Agenda 21.
Marion McKeever
Schroeder
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