Dear Friends: Notice especially the "Land Between the Lakes" mentioned as one of the areas involved in the United Nations intrusion into our nation's sovereignty. Dan Martin ------------------ BPatray@aol.com wrote: > Comment: How long are we going to tolerate this from the Clinton > Administration and let the Republican controlled Congress get by without > doing ANYTHING to stop this loss of individual and property rights?? > Already affected in Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Land Between > the Lakes area, Mississippi River, etc. Bobbie > > AMERICAN POLICY CENTER > http://www.americanpolicy.org/plate.main/failure.html > > The Failure of Congress to Challenge Clinton’s Executive Orders > > Statement before the National Conference on Presidential Powers and Executive > Orders, Capitol Hill, Washington D.C., July 14, 1999 > > H.L Mencken once said, "A plan to save humanity is almost always a false > front for the urge to rule." > > This administration is full of its own ideas on how to save humanity, and has > made it clear that the mission is so urgent there simply isn’t time or > inclination to worry about consulting the nation’s legislative bodies before > it makes policy. > > As a result, the greatest stick-up in human history is well underway and > Americans are being told it’s all for their own good. And the deafening > silence you hear is the congresses lack of resistance - as America’s liberty > disappears under a central organizing theme called environmental protection. > > Imagine an America in which a specific "ruling principle" was created to > decide proper societal conduct for every citizen. That principle would be > used to consider everything you eat, what you wear, the kind of home you live > in, the way you get to work, the way you dispose of waste, the number of > children you have, even your education and employment decisions. > > And imagine that all of these decisions were called "voluntary" - but that > the Administration ruling over the vast apparatus of federal government would > use its full power to induce what it deems "correct behavior." > > SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT > > On June 29, 1993, President Clinton issued Executive Order #12852 to create > the Council on Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development is the > "ruling principle" for the implementation of what Vice President Al Gore says > in his book, "Earth in the Balance" that we must all suffer through in order > to purify our nation from the horrors of the Twentieth Century’s industrial > revolution. In the book he calls it - "a wrenching transformation of > society." > > Consequently, Sustainable Development calls for changing the very > infrastructure of the nation, away from highways to light rail train systems > and bike paths. It is the basis for Al Gore’s war on what he calls urban > sprawl. > > Under the guidelines of Sustainable Development, suburban housing, air > conditioning, high meat intake and frozen and convenience foods, use of > fossil fuels, and kitchen appliances are not sustainable. Vast numbers of > programs fueled by tax incentives and strong-arm regulations are changing the > very way Americans live. > > Programs coming out of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development are > being used to create curriculum in public schools to assure that students > obtain the proper environmental attitudes. Sustainable Development programs > are even involved in the creation of national education standards and high > school graduation rates. Have you ever wondered what such things have to do > with protection of the environment? > > Sustainable Development establishes partnerships among federal, regional, > state, local and tribal levels of government - and with business. These > programs oversee development of private property, housing design, > transportation patterns, and the establishment of government data banks. > > Sustainable Development even calls for a change in the way communities assess > their value. In the past, communities have measured wealth based on their > man-made infrastructure such as sewer systems, roads and buildings. Under > Sustainable Development, however, the new system is to count trees and > wildlife to asses community value - it’s called the "urban forest." > > That means that a developer seeking to cut down trees to build homes will no > longer be praised for adding to the value of the community but will, instead, > be seen to diminish its value by the destruction of the wildlife. When fully > implemented - America’s way of life will be turned upside down. > > Agree with the need for it or not - this is a huge change in the way America > is structured, influencing the way Americans live. > > But the process of implementing Sustainable Development is designed to bypass > U.S. Constitutional processes by utilizing non-elected individuals, federal > bureaucrats, Non-government organizations (NGO’s) and U.N agencies. > > Incredible as it may sound - the very concept of Sustainable Development has > never been endorsed or enacted by the U.S. Congress. Executive Order has been > the weapon of choice. > > AMERICAN HERITAGE RIVERS INITIATIVE > > A related threat to communities and private property owners located along the > nation’s rivers was created on April 7, 1998 through Executive Order #13061 > called the American Heritage Rivers Initiative. > > This Executive Order, quietly issued while Congress was on recess, represents > one of the biggest federal land grabs of all time. The program was sold as > little more than a warm and cozy federal hug where government agencies just > want to help local communities voluntarily improve their rivers. > > The Clinton Administration claimed the new program wouldn’t cost a dime. It > said the program was totally voluntary, and that any community or property > owner could get out of it "just by asking." The claim simply wasn’t true. But > it did show the lengths this Administration was willing to go in order to > sneak in a dangerous, damaging program. > > Katy McGinty, the former head of the President’s Council on Environmental > Quality, claimed that any community or property owner could get out of the > program simply by writing a letter to her department. However, when thousands > of citizens rose up in protest to write such letters - she changed the rules. > > Next she said only a Member of Congress or Senator could write such a letter > asking for exemption from the program. But when the entire Idaho > congressional delegation submitted such a letter to Ms McGinty during a > congressional hearing on the subject - she was shocked. Yet the program went > forward unabated. > > What the program did promise was an invasion of 13 federal agencies, directed > by a federally appointed "River Navigator." Cute name - but "River Czar" is > more appropriate. Under the program cities are finding that they have little > say about development along their river banks. Recreational activities like > fishing, swimming and boating now come under federal regulations. Much of > these activities may be curtailed by the river czar. Private property owners > are running into federal no-growth policies when trying to build on their own > land. > > In fact, the American Heritage Rivers Initiative is really little more than > federal zoning. It fits right in with its big sister - sustainable > development. > > Clearly, the Rivers Initiative is major policy. But not one vote was taken in > Congress to create it. Each River Navigator is given a salary of $100,000. 14 > rivers were initially chosen for the program - that’s almost a million and a > half dollars in expense. Add the usual related bureaucracy and paperwork and > the cost easily adds up to $5 million annually. Not a dime of that money was > appropriated by Congress for the program. > > To get it - the Clinton Administration had to raid other programs already > approved by Congress. In other words, the Rivers Initiative is nothing short > of a raid on the federal treasury and a misappropriation of funds. > > Members of Congress did protest. Don Young and Helen Chenoweth and others > even filed suit to stop the program - but Republican leadership took no > action to help, and as a result, today the American Heritage Rivers > Initiative is in full swing - illegal funds and all. > > BIOSPHERE RESERVES > > And as Sustainable Development is working to devour our communities - in the > more rural areas of the country the threat to private property is coming from > something called biosphere reserves. > > On these lands, designated solely by the United Nations, no development or > human activity is permitted. Buffer zones around the reserves are designed to > slowly choke off human activity. > > Once done, the boundaries of the reserve are increased and a new buffer zone > is established. Vast amounts of private property is located in these > territories and private owners - and even towns are being systematically > choked off. > > No legislation has been approved for this vast reorganization of the states. > In fact, the model for the program is a UN document called the Biodiversity > Treaty. Yet the treaty has never been ratified by the Senate. > > The Clinton Administration is simply implementing the provisions of the > treaty through the use of Executive Actions or Directives, carried out by > departments such as Interior. Again, no funds have been appropriated - and no > authority issued by the legislative branch - as called for in the > Constitution. > > LOCKING UP THE LAND > > In 1996, Bill Clinton signed a "Presidential Proclamation" to establish the > "Grand Staircase-Escalate National Monument to lock up 1.7 million acres of > south central Utah from any human development what-so-ever. Never mind the > private property that was affected by the move. Never mind the fact that > Clinton didn’t consult with a single elected official of Utah before taking > the action. > > Utah officials protested, but the only action taken against the land grab was > to give Utah some federal funds to appease it for its loss. No action in > Congress was ever taken to over turn the issue because it accepted the lame > excuse by the Administration that it was a one-time only raid. > > But so successful and painless was this land grab for the Administration that > just last month Clinton announced he will use the same tactic to grab 5 > million more acres involving six states - and cut that area off from human > use as well. > > Finally, legislation has been introduced by Congressman Jim Hansen to curb > Clinton’s blatant misuse of the little known Antiquities Act of 1906 which > the President is using to legitimize such massive land grabs. But is > congressional leadership behind it? Time will tell. > > INVASIVE SPECIES > > Perhaps the most bazaar environmental Executive Order is #13112, entitled > Invasive Species. This one creates a new federal bureaucracy called the > "Interagency Invasive Species Council." The new agency, under the direction > of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, will develop and enforce a master plan > to remove invasive species from public lands. > > What are invasive species, you might ask.? To quote the Executive Order, > "alien species means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, any species, > including seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of > propagating that species that is not native to that ecosystem." > > Because the Executive Order fails to define domesticated species, most > agricultural crop and animal species would clearly fall within the definition > of alien. Domesticated pets, many houseplants and Kentucky bluegrass used in > most lawns and golf courses would also be defined as alien species under this > Executive Order. In fact, with this Administration’s determination to bring > about a "wrenching transformation" of society - it could be determined that > some races of man may also be considered alien. > > So now, according to this new policy of the Clinton Administration, if a > homeowner plants a fruit tree or flower garden in his yard, or takes the > family dog for a walk, most likely he’s guilty of launching an invasion of > alien species on natural America. > > Of course farmers and cattle ranches are the real target of this Executive > Order. It is just one more plank in the stage that’s being set for the > radical transformation of America. > > CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS > > Careful study clearly shows there is a very specific purpose to all of these > environmental Executive Orders. It is the systematic restructuring of the > United States from a nation of private property, free enterprise and elected > representation to an America with a centrally controlled economy. > > Environmentalism is only the convenient excuse used so effectively to scare > concerned Americans into willing giving up their liberty. Bill Clinton, with > Al Gore in the forefront, is systematically implementing the agenda of the > radical, extremist environmental movement. And its being done - not through > legislation created by representatives who have to answer to the people - but > through the dictates of Executive Order. That way there is no opportunity for > debate. No chance to question the validity of the reasons given for the need > of the programs. And no chance for opposition to grow. America is changing > before our very eyes with virtually no discussion. > > After Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13083, which would have virtually > done away with the tenth amendment of the Constitution, Presidential aide > Paul Begula was overheard to say, "Stroke of the pen, law of the land, kinda > cool." > > Well there is nothing cool about it. It’s a threat to our very Constitutional > system. That system will only survive if all branches of the government do > their job. > > Presidents have used Executive Orders throughout history. Even George > Washington used them. But those early orders were nothing more than internal > memos through which the President communicated to his staff, cabinet and > department heads, detailing how the Executive Branch would implement a new > law or regulation that had been enacted by the Congress. > > Only in recent years have presidents begun to use the Executive Order as a > way to create policy. And Bill Clinton has taken the practice to an art form. > But in fact, the use of Executive Orders to create policy or expend funds not > appropriated by the Congress is an infringement of Congressional powers, as > outlined in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. > > Just this year the Supreme Court ruled in Minnesota Vs Mille Lac, "the > President’s power to issue an Executive Order must stem either from an act of > congress or from the Constitution itself." > > The reason Bill Clinton’s avalanche of Executive Orders has become a national > problem is because the leadership in the Congress has refused to use its > power to challenge and stop them. The more Congress has ignored its > responsibility, the bolder Clinton has become in issuing even more. > > The Founding Fathers set up a brilliant system of checks and balances among > the three branches of the Federal government. But how could they have > foreseen that one branch would voluntarily give up its power to another - > especially when the Congress and the White House are controlled by rival > parties? > > By its own inaction, Congress is helping to create a Constitutional crisis, > and as a result, Bill Clinton is managing to change and restructure the > United States to his liking. > > As Senator Fred Thompson has said, "the two most important questions policies > makers must ask themselves are, ‘what should government be doing?’ and ‘at > what level of government should it be done?’ Everything else flows from them. > That’s why federalism is at the heart of our system." > > In 1966, Singer Barry McGuire sang ..."and you tell me over and over again, > you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction..." > > If the leadership of the Congress of the United States doesn’t soon stand up > and take action - if it doesn’t back up the efforts of courageous Members > like Congressman Metcalf, - to stop Bill Clinton’s use of Executive Orders as > an end run around the legislative process - then the system so brilliantly > conceived by the founding fathers - is certainly on the eve of destruction. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Return to APC Home Page > > American Policy Online > Copyright © 1998 American Policy Center > > --- > You are currently subscribed to eagle-forum-tn as: [danmartin@xc.org] > To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-eagle-forum-tn-3790Y@XC.Org -- Have I, therefore, become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? 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