The U.N.'s "Agenda 21" The U.N.'s "Agenda 21" [FORM] From: norgesen . The U.N.'s "Agenda 21" Oh Say, Can You See? By Ken Anderson Jan 23, 2004, 03:40 In June of 2003, the Millinocket town council voted, unanimously, to award a $60,000 proposal to a Wiscasset company by the name of Advanced Management Catalyst, Inc. (AMCi) for consulting services related to the consolidation of area municipal and school departments and services. The selectmen of East Millinocket and Medway did likewise, although I'm not sure if the votes were unanimous. A couple of weeks ago, they came back for more money. Millinocket voted unanimously to give them an additional $7,500. East Millinocket and Medway said no. There were hints that an additional $30,000 might be required in the future. What's this all about, anyhow? Michael Kelly and Larry Lemmel of AMCi, in conjunction with other agencies and individuals, were invited to schedule a series of what was billed as informational meetings, hosted by the Millinocket Area Growth and Investment Council (MAGIC). Following this, a committee of 86 carefully selected citizens of the Katahdin area of Maine, including the towns of Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway, and Woodville, were chosen to represent their respective communities in what was termed a "vision conference" or a "visioning process." The good people involved in the Katahdin area visioning process were under the impression that there was no preconceived agenda, and there was no indication that these efforts were in any way connected to United Nations Agenda 21. I presume that most of these people are sincere in their beliefs, and honest in their answers. However, I strongly believe that they are wrong, and I am going to try to put together the pieces of this carefully constructed puzzle. When you add to this the fact that these visioning sessions are going on in communities throughout the United States and the world, it will become obvious that this is bigger than AMCi, and that this is not a process that was developed by them, although they may have tweaked it. You will see that there is a central plan. I am convinced that this plan is Agenda 21. Agenda 21 In some parts of the United States, and in most other countries, the sessions are openly referred to as "Local Agenda 21" initiatives. Since the United Nations has not earned a very good name among many in the United States, the process here is usually disguised, or called something different. The Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage web site, for example, doesn't hide the relationship between U.N. Agenda 21, sustainable development, and the visioning process. The page is entitled: Ecologically Sustainable Development: Local Agenda 21. From this site, if you would click around to some of the Section 1 - Action Areas pages, you will see that it describes a process very similar to that which AMCi claims to have developed. You will also find the terms "visioning process," "Agenda 21," and "sustainable development" used often, and clearly tied together. "Sustainable development" is sometimes referred to as "smart growth," but it's the same thing, or a part of the same process. I'm not going to quote from every document that ties the visioning process together with Agenda 21, as there are too many, but I will include several of the links. The U.S. Office of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, in Berkeley, has a lot to say about it. The following are direct quotes from a report published by this organization, and hosted by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives: Although the U.S. lacks the coordinated national attention to, or assistance for, local governments' sustainability efforts as set out in the Local Agenda 21 process, many of our cities, counties and regions are beginning to incorporate such principles into their community strategic planning processes. Developing a Local Agenda 21 process takes a long time. Many communities start by taking a baseline assessment of their current situation; others begin with a 'visioning' process (i.e., a series of public meetings at which residents and other interested people define the sort of community they would like to see in the future). The same site, hosted by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, has a Local Agenda 21 Guidance and Training Programme which you might find interesting. Outside of the United States, the agenda is no secret. The following is a direct quote from the briefing sheet: Snip Simulated Reserve and Corridor System to Protect Biodiversity * Proponents of Sustainable Development + Community Visioning + Enterprise for the Environment + Project Planet Eye + Wildlands Project + Center for Consensual Democracy + Political Analysis of Michael Shuman's Going Local * Opponents of Sustainable Development + American Policy Center + Freedom 21 Santa Cruz + Environmental Perspectives + Eco-Logic Powerhouse + Liberty Matters + Sovereignty International + The Mustard Seed + Citizen Review + Property Rights Research