Tags
Agenda 21, American Planning Association, Growing Smart, International council for Local Enivronmental Initiatives, oklahoma, RealOK, Smart Growth, Sustainable, Sustainable Development, United Nations
This was taken from an e-newsletter that receive from Mark Sharpton, who’s a county commissioner for Logan County in Oklahoma District 1.
As a county commissioner I am often in regional planning meetings
where I continually hear the word “sustainable” or “sustainable
development.” If you begin to pay attention, you will hear it too, or
read it in news articles and reports generated by government planning
entities. What does the word mean and why is it used so frequently? It
sounds good, but is it? In an effort to educate myself on the subject,
I attended a conference in Tulsa to hear Rosa Koire, a recognized
spokesperson on the topic. I found what she had to say troubling. Here
is some of what she said and encouraged us to share with others….
“Sustainable Development was created and defined by the United Nations
in 1987, and the action plan to implement it was signed onto in 1992
by President Bush and 178 other nations. It was called Agenda 21, the
Agenda for the 21st century. Considered unsustainable under this plan
are middle class lifestyles, single family homes, private vehicles,
meat-eating, air conditioning, appliances, dams and farming.
President Clinton began to implement it in the US in 1993 by giving
the American Planning Association a multi-million dollar grant to
write a land use legislative blueprint for every municipality in the
US. It is called the “Growing Smart Legislative Guidebook with Model
Statutes for Planning and the Management of Change.” This was
completed in 2002 and is being used to train planners in universities,
colleges and government planning offices throughout the nation.
“Growing Smart” is sometimes referred to as Smart Growth.
“Growing Smart” is in planning departments and its principles are in
city and regional plans right now. In addition, there is “The Local
Agenda 21 Planning Guide” put out by the United Nations and the
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).
Urban areas are being consolidated and rural areas emptied of people
through restrictive land use policies, gasoline costs, loss of rural
road maintenance, closure of rural schools, closure of rural post
offices, water well monitoring, smart meters and regionalization
pressures. “Smart Growth” is not just the preferred building style for
UN Agenda 21/Sustainable Development; it is the ideology. Moving
people into centralized urban areas in high density housing creates
the perfect opportunity for domestic surveillance. This ideology is
being used as the justification to radically change every city in the
US and to impose regulations dictated by unelected regional boards and
commissions. It is remaking government. This affects private property
rights and extends to every facet of our lives: education, energy,
food, housing and transportation.”
As a county commissioner, I can assure you that I have seen efforts
underway to implement “sustainability.” It is occurring at various
levels of government. On Friday, May 24, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, Kevin St.
Jacques, part of the National Complete Streets Speakers Bureau will be
in Guthrie to present a workshop which I believe is related to this
issue. A public form is scheduled the same day at 6:00 pm at Guthrie
City Hall Council Chambers. Specific information about this event is
posted at www.commissiondistrict1.com. Additional information about
“sustainability” is available at http://americanpolicy.org/agenda21/.
