Big Green Blues (Nature Conservancy)

The Washington Post ^ | May 12, 2003 | Editorial

[madfly]

Big Green Blues

IN ITS 52 YEARS, the Nature Conservancy has been a force for good in protecting the global environment. With its "bucks and acres" program to buy land and thereby promote biodiversity, the Conservancy -- with $3 billion in assets the world's richest environmental group -- has acquired millions of acres, and it manages millions more. Those good works notwithstanding, a series last week by Post reporters David B. Ottaway and Joe Stephens revealed a number of disturbing aspects about the Arlington-based group's operations.

One is the tricky position the organization has put itself in by taking contributions from corporations, many of which have sorry environmental records at best. The Conservancy's corporate donations, which include donations from The Washington Post Co., have soared in the past decade, and that money comes with a price: the opening of the Conservancy to accusations that corporate polluters are using its name to "greenwash" their activities and that it remains largely silent on issues such as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and global warming to avoid antagonizing corporate sponsors.

[madfly]

ping

[firewalk]

bttt

[Numbers Guy]

The Nature Conservancy does things the right way: In order to protect lands, it goes out and BUYS the land. It doesn't seek regulation or new laws or file lawsuits to deny the current owners their right to use the land as they see fit. It does it the capitalistic way and becomes the owner of the land.

I have a good friend who has two bumper stickers on his truck: "Support The Nature Conservancy" and "Vote Libertarian". People think the two slogans are contradictory, but they aren't, the Nature Conservancy is perfectly compatible with libertarian ideas--if you want to protect some land, buy it and take it off limits to development.

So, of course, it figures that the Nature Conservancy be attacked from the left for somehow "selling out".

Why would the Nature Conservancy take a position on ANWR? Many of its rank and file supporters would support drilling there anyway. Besides, based on the Nature Conservancy's beliefs, the solution would not be to bar drilling, but to raise money and buy the land. You don't see any leftists proposing that, instead they want to use regulation.

[PrincessB]

Thanks for the brief education. I am a bit of a greenie,I grow my own herbs and veggies from non genetically engineered seeds I BOUGHT ON PURPOSE (simple supply/demand) and spend numerous hours at the local botanical garden. I didn't know that this is how the Nature Conservatory operated. I may review them for a donation :)

[beckett]

The Conservancy is also reexamining its "conservation buyers" program (in which it buys ecologically sensitive parcels, puts on development restrictions and sells the land at a discount) and the insider nature of some of its transactions with Conservancy trustees.

The "conservation buyers program" sounds like the program that David Letterman utilized to pull off the weird backdoor deal he got from the Nature's Conservancy for land in Martha's Vineyard.

According to the NY Post, Letterman tried to buy the over 200 acres on Martha's Vineyard from the former longtime owner, but local authorities decided to declare the land an ecologically fragile preserve, deny the sale to Letterman, and sell it to the Nature Conservancy instead.

Next thing you know Letterman buys the same tract of land from --- you guessed it --- the Nature Conservancy.

[okie01]

"Next thing you know Letterman buys the same tract of land from --- you guessed it --- the Nature Conservancy."

Only after a large contribution (tax deductible) by Letterman to the Nature Conservancy. A large contribution...

[madfly]

Yes, it's exactly that! The Letterman deal is in one of the articles that ran in the 3 day series by the Washington Postl.

Start at "cover page" link here:

BIG GREEN : Inside the Nature Conservancy Nonprofit Land Bank Amasses Billions

Also see this Landmark Legal request for investigation. Cong. Grassley and the Finance Committee will be going after TNC and EPA!

Landmark Calls for Probe into EPA Grants to Nature Conservancy

[Clinging Bitterly]

The Nature Concervancy is no longer all private money, as it used to be. There are large tax dollar grants mixed in these days. And the article referenced on this thread repeats accusations I have heard before. Sure, they are under attack by some of the more militant groups, but nevertheless, what's said about them is believeable.

And it's too bad. I used to consider them a pretty decent outfit, but I'm not so sure anymore.

Dave in Eugene

[c-b 1]

I may review them for a donation :)

Your review should include the article Range Magazine published on the nature conservancy, it is very long, and very informative. go here to download it.

http://www.rangemagazine.com/tnc/tnc-sp-03.htm

[F-117A]

Range - "Nature's Landlord"

[an amused spectator]

I'm shocked, shocked! ;-)

[There's millions of'em]

The Nature Conservancy's gig is nothing but a government sponsored scam:

1. Get property classified as environmentally fragile

2. NC buys it for "market value" (with pre sold contract in hand)

3. Rich person buys it fron NC at huge discount to "market value". AND makes a gift to NC of the delta between market value and selling price

4. Property has "development restrictions" but none that conflict with new buyer's intent or use

5. Rich person takes tax deduction on "gift" to NC

6. Rich person pays lower property taxes forever because property has meaningless "development restrictions"

7. Normal citizens think NC a good group and give them their hard earned money.

8. Corporations (owned and run by Rich persons) also give money to NC. hmmmm

[spunkets]

bump

[Jack Black]

According to the NY Post, Letterman tried to buy the over 200 acres on Martha's Vineyard from the former longtime owner, but local authorities decided to declare the land an ecologically fragile preserve, deny the sale to Letterman, and sell it to the Nature Conservancy instead. The owner should sue the local govt. for the difference in price between the Letterman offer and the price the Nature Conservancy paid PLUS the ammount Letterman paid that would be fair.

[NEWwoman]

Thanks for the ping on the Nature Conservancy articles. This group was real fishy - and I'm not talking about our scaled and finned friends.

[SierraWasp]

"instead they want to use regulation."

I hope you don't continue to stay wrapped up in your present naive opinion about these stealth EnvironMentalManipulators. They cleverly use regulator agencies, (instead of just regulation as you stated) complete with their infiltraitors, without the light of day and the oversite of CONgress, (our supposed representatives) to implement the Useless Nuisance (UN) Agenda 21 to thwart our national sovereignty.

Please take the time to consider other current threads on how the NC is scrambling to perpetuate the darkness with one of the world's greatest PR firms to stop the legal action just initiated by fellow FReeper "hold on now!"

You will not be the first FReeper to learn just how sinister this clever, but threatening organization has become.

[SierraWasp]

"I BOUGHT ON PURPOSE"

I sincerely hope you continue to study and search for truth. I hope that you expand your search beyond what you are being taught by the folks at the botanical gardens, the activists at the local health food store and at the University your attended.

Things are seldom as they appear to be to any of us, early in life. I'm not asking you to become cynical... just a little more skeptical. Your health will be far better protected with a few seeds of curious skepticism than through all the organically grown herbs and veggies from those non genetically engineered seeds you are wasting your money on.

And speaking of "health," you might better protect your "wealth" by directing you donations to a far more deserving cause than the "rural cleansing" and "tradegy of the commons," cause the Nature Conservancy is embarked upon.

May I recommend you check out NaturalProcess.net to begin the re-learning process on how we can all REALLY protect our planet, without further raping our Constitution.

[VOA]

bump

[Tailback]

How much do the top ten execs at the NC make a year? I bet it's significantly more than just a "living" wage. Another typical liberal shakedown scam.

[SierraWasp]

I never quibble about how much anybody makes as that leads into "the politics of envy!"

What bothers me is that anybody, no matter how intelligent, can quite easily be conned! The commander of Gulf War (roman numeral one) soon after arriving home and a ticker tape parade... Announces that he's joining the Bored of Directors of The Nature Conservancy!

Now this is the very same organization that at that time was intimidating farmers and ranchers to "sell out" to them or else they might very well convince local elected officials to use Eminent Domain to "force the issue" and that they would be so much better off with a tax dodge through "gifting" and at least "some money," instead of the pitance coming through Eminent Domain!!!

Boy! Did they ever scramble to deny those tactics, although that's exactly what they did. So did they stop it? Heck no! They just adjusted the tactic, ever so carefully, to stay just inside the line of the law and decency... Just like the "edge men" I became acquainted with while working in State Prision in the late 1960's. ("edge men" aka "Jail House Lawyers," or CON-MEN)

I learned from them that ANYBODY can be "conned," and those who are most confident that they can't be are the best targets, due to their large egos. Plus, they are the last to report the "con" since they never want ANYONE to find out they were really that stupid!!!

[madfly]

Before I began researching the TNC from links on FR threads 2 years ago, I was a fan of theirs. A friend who is a donor, brought me their lovely Arizona chapter magazines with all the beautiful pictures and stories of all the good they were doing. Quite impressive.

Now I cringe to know that our new Governor appointed Lori Faeth who is President (or ex?) of the Arizona Nature Conservancy, as her Environmental Advisor!

[TonyRo76]

IN ITS 52 YEARS, the Nature Conservancy has been a force for good in protecting the global environment.

Nice to see the WashComPost can't even publish a sentence without abrogating its “objectivity” and revealing its leftwing bias.

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

Guys, Below is an email I sent to a bunch of congresscritters. Hope y'all will do the same. Details can be found at EcoLogic Online. Peace and love, George.
==================================

Guys, The "faith" Based Initiative should NOT include special tax breaks for "non-profit" organizations to buy up property. ESPECIALLY when the "non-profits" are instrumental in degrading land values in collusion with governments. Klamath Basin is just one example of such. The enviralists get together to "save" some God-forsaken animal, plant and/or bug and create misfortune for landowners who then become "willing sellers" at fire sale prices to enviral groups. This SHOULD be prosecuted under RICO statutes rather than rewarded through the tax codes. See below. Peace and love, George.<
> ---------------------

The Nature Conservancy had $3 Billion in assets, and $721 Million in annual revenue in 2001.
----------------
Passed By the U.S. of A. Senate
S.476 - CARE Act of 2003 - Faith Based Initiative

SEC. 107. EXCLUSION OF 25 PERCENT OF GAIN ON SALES OR EXCHANGES OF LAND OR WATER INTERESTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES FOR CONSERVATION PURPOSES.

[countrydummy]

SierraWasp is dead right on TNC! They are landgrabbing freaks! Now not all of their members, those are folks concerned but not educated enough to know that the higher ups are the theives that they are!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ethan_Allen]

BUMP BUMP BUMP to your link!

{INDEX http://www.rangemagazine.com/index.shtml}



Please see this one as well, in html:


EXCERPTS


PAGE 1 THE GREAT AMERICAN LAND GRAB
http://www.rangemagazine.com/landgrab/landgrab.htm


THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION'S LANDS-LOCKED LEGACY MAY BE UNDONE BEFORE IT IS EVEN FULLY RECOGNIZED AS A SINISTER PLAN TO MANIPULATE THE POPULATION AND THE ECONOMY OF THE UNITED STATES.

By Tim Findley
A RANGE Publication
At the beginning of the Clinton administration, the United States government owned more than 630 million acres of the nation’s land mass, most of it west of the Rockies. Combined with state-owned land, military bases and Indian reservations, it represented the largest percentage of government-controlled property of any non-communist country in the world, including Russia.

Although challenged in the 1970s by the so-called “Sagebrush Rebellion,” most in the West remained satisfied with the multiple use of federal land that allowed production and profit from timber, mining and grazing under federal management. Because most of the land remained remote, but open to recreation, “ownership” was seldom at issue among political leaders or the generally urban populations on the coasts.

“Environmentalism” had been steadily rising as a cause among urban activists since it was inherited as part of the general mistrust of the industrial “establishment” in the 1960s. By the late 1980s, aided by the influx of funding from foundations that usually


derived their wealth from the underpinnings of the establishment itself, the cause of protecting the environment from pollution and destruction had become a morally-based crusade, with detractors limited to questioning some methods, but seldom the cause itself.

In 1990, the Sierra Club, using Wisconsin-based research, identified what would become the icon of the movement and its inspiration in the use of litigation. The “endangered” Northern spotted owl rapidly emerged as the surrogate species for halting logging on federal properties, first among “old growth” forests in California, and eventually extending to at least 70 percent of forests throughout the West previously open to harvest.

The newly-elected President Bill Clinton, and Vice President Al Gore, acknowledged the economic impact of this on the timber industry in a series of “summit” meetings in 1992 that promised, but never delivered, a new “partnership” that would allow timber harvesting to continue under terms that were more environmentally cautious.




THE WEST IN 2001.
SHRINKING PRIVATE LANDS
AND EXPANDING WILDERNESS HABITAT

---

“GROPING OUR WAY BACK TO 1492?”
OR IS IT SOMETHING CLOSER
TO GEORGE ORWELL’S “1984”?

---

PAGE 2 http://www.rangemagazine.com/landgrab/landgrab2.htm


“We must identify our enemies
and drive them into oblivion.”
Bruce Babbit, 1991


".....Babbitt, himself a failed presidential candidate in 1988, was referred to by environmental organizations such as the Wilderness Society as “our Babe Ruth.” The grandson of an Arizona cattle baron, Babbitt nevertheless expressed his contempt for western livestock producers and vowed to the LCV that “We must identify our enemies and drive them into oblivion.” He set upon a course aimed at revising and limiting the use of federal land for grazing purposes, while at the same time demanding new restrictions on mining and resource exploration on federal properties. Thwarted by congressional resistance to his arbitrary revisions of law and regulations, Babbitt bluntly announced HE WOULD AVOID CONGRESS AND CARRY OUT HIS PROGRAM BY EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY."




PAGE 7 http://www.rangemagazine.com/landgrab/landgrab7.htm

"Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt is a petty tyrant who relished his arbitrary powers in the Clinton administration. His legacy is distrust among citizens who once regarded themselves as the most loyal of Americans."




PAGE 8 http://www.rangemagazine.com/landgrab/landgrab8.htm


LEFT: As of the end of 2000, these were the numbers of endangered species listed in each western state. New federal policy stressed protection of habitat for those species, sometimes extending hundreds of miles from where they were identified. RIGHT: THE WILDLANDS PROJECT DOESN'T REALLY SUPPLY A SENSIBLE MAP UNLESS IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE IDEA IS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR A WOLF OR A BEAR TO MIGRATE ALL THE WAY FROM THE MEXICAN BORDER TO THE YUKON WITHOUT CROSSING A HIGHWAY. In its simplest form, all the West between the Rockies and the Cascade/Sierra WOULD GIVE PRIORITY TO “corridors” for WILDLIFE, WHILE LIMITING HUMAN USE TO TIGHTLY-CONTROLLED ENCLAVES. We leave it to the reader to compare such a scheme to the pattern of wilderness expansion in the Clinton administration.

******FULLY IMPLEMENTED, IT SUGGESTS A REDUCTION IN HUMAN POPULATION OF THE WEST BY ONE-THIRD. It claims to have the backing of the UNITED NATIONS Council on Biodiversity and the Clinton administration. As much ego-ideology as it is the “deep ecology” it claims to be, the Wildlands Project was described by Foreman as “groping our way back to 1492.”

Except as it is acknowledged by its creators to involve a region covering at least half the size of the continental United States, the Wildlands Project is difficult to display on a map because of its spider vein “corridors” proposed for the exclusive use of migrating wildlife. The plan, given some credence in the United Nations, shocked members of the United States Senate who subsequently put aside any vote on the U.N. Biodiversity Treaty....."



EXCELLENT ARTICLE, WITH MAPS AND PICTURES. GOT TO SEE IT.




THE NEW WORLD ORDER MAP
http://www.penncrier.com/penncrier/pcnwompt.html


Regionalism: The Implementation
of the New World Order
http://www.penncrier.com/penncrier/pcnwoimp.html

Quotations on the
New World Order, 1918 to 1995
http://www.penncrier.com/penncrier/pcnwoqut.html

RELIGION AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER
http://www.penncrier.com/penncrier/pcrlgnwo.html

Jesus said:

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." - Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, verse 15

The wolf in sheep's clothing is the coat of arms of the Fabian Society (F.S.) which set out to reform the Free World through creeping socialism. Their coat of arms is a brazen depiction of socialism as the deceptive and destructive political system that it really is. The religious and political realms are both involved, and the international socialist movement has included, and has been endorsed by, various religious leaders and groups. This is the spiritual aspect of the implementation of the new world order.......


BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER
http://www.penncrier.com/penncrier/pcabtnwo.html

In the late nineteenth century, with the industrial revolution sweeping Europe and America, certain individuals dreamed of a world far different from the one they lived in, a world organized in such a way that wars would be impossible and every aspect of human life would be arranged by educated men for the benefit of all. These dreamers included men of great ability and wealth, who devoted their talents and fortunes to carrying out their plans. The point of origin of these people was England, and their idea initially was to extend the British Empire to include the whole earth. If British rule were complete, how could there be any reason for war, and who could attempt it?

The most prominent of these individuals were Cecil Rhodes, Andrew Carnegie, and members of the Fabian Society, particularly H. G. Wells. Rhodes went from England to Africa in an attempt to improve his poor health, and acquired enormous wealth by developing diamond mining properties. Andrew Carnegie went from Scotland to the United States and founded U. S. Steel, earning for himself a substantial sum of money. The Fabian Society was a group of intellectuals in England who believed that socialism was the way to organize the world for social and economic progress. H. G. Wells was originally a member of the Fabian Society. These three men were prominent figures in the development of the idea of a new world order.

Cecil Rhodes died in 1902 and donated his fortune to establish a Rhodes scholarship program at Oxford University to carry out his ideas. The scholarships were to go to promising young men from the British colonies and the United States, with the majority going to Americans. Andrew Carnegie used his wealth to set up foundations to fund educational, religious, and political organizations to "cultivate the international mind" and promote world peace. Some of his money went to the Federal Council of Churches. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was established, and began funding educational intiiatives. By the end of World War II, the U. S. STATE DEPARTMENT was largely controlled by Rhodes scholars and members of this Carnegie Endowment, and was emphasizing the idea of world peace through the United Nations. H. G. Wells wrote extensively on political topics, and influenced thinking in international affairs. One of his books was entitled The New World Order (1939), in which he stated that WORLD SOCIALISM WAS INEVITABLE, AND THAT THERE WOULD BE A DIFICULT AND PAINUL TRANSITION PERIOD IN WHICH MANY 'QUITE GALLANT AND GRACEFUL-LOOKING PEOPLE' WOULD DIE PROTESTING AGAINST IT.'

The basic concept of the new world order is world government. For Rhodes and Carnegie, it was British rule expanded to cover the earth, or at least British influence through the English-speaking world to organize the world according to the English way of life and thinking. Wells and others set out to bring the world under socialism, step by step, in a gradual process. Proposals were made successively for world federation, a League of Nations, and the United Nations. These forces have joined and are still pushing for world government, first by one means, and then by another after the first method meets opposition. They never stop. They never admit defeat. There is only delay, and then new ideas of how to bring the entire world into a planned administrative system.

THE NEW WORLD ORDER IS TO BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH REGIONALISM. Basically, the world is to be divided into geographical regions, internationally, nationally, and locally, and these regions are to be the new units of government, replacing the old, traditional notions of nation-states, cities, towns, villages, etc. POLITICAL POWER IS TO BE CONCENTRATED IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT, REMOVING IT FROM THE CONTROL OF THE PEOPLE THROUGH THEIR ELECTED LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVES. The choices presented to the people for the elected executives are limited to candidates selected by the political establishment, and not by the people themselves. CONTROL OVER EVERY ASPECT OF HUMAN LIFE IS TO BE EXERCISED IN THE FORM OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE DICTATORSHIP, FROM THE TOP DOWN, THROUGH AN ENORMOUS BUREAUCRACY OF APPOINTED OFFICIALS, SPECIALISTS, AND PLANNERS ACCOUNTABLE ONLY TO THE ELECTED EXECUTIVES. In this way, the outward form of democracy is retained to an extent, but the power is entirely taken away from the people and concentrated in government. It is being carried out gradually, with appropriate "education" of the populace, until the system is fully in place.

Why should this concern you? If you are an American, and/or believe in freedom, self-determination, liberty, limited government, free enterprise, the U. S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, this new world order is against all of these things. If you would like to have your life planned entirely by government, if you want to live to serve government, if you think that a world like George Orwell's 1984 or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World would be a wonderful place to live, then the new world order is for you! The time to choose is now, while there is still an opportunity to influence the world of the future, for yourself and your children. Education and action are the keys. The information in the documents that we have collected will give you the understanding that you need to be able to act with intelligence.




It's good for the nay-sayers to see this laid out this way once in a while; a lot of them won't bother to check out the links, or read beyond their nose, and then they'll deny that any of this is happening.


I've read all this before, and did a quick search for something that could make this all crystal clear, but I can't post it. Let this suffice for now:



Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Rev/20/9.html

Jer 23:29 [Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces? http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Jer/23/29.html



Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Psa/2/12.html


2Ch 7:14 IF MY PEOPLE, WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, SHALL HUMBLE THEMSELVES, AND PRAY, AND SEEK MY FACE, AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS; THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN, AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN, AND WILL HEAL THEIR LAND. http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/2Ch/7/14.html

Phl 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Phl/2/15.html


Hbr 8:10 For THIS [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Hbr/8/10.html



Hbr 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

Hbr 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Hbr 8:13 In that he saith, A new [covenant], he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old [is] ready to vanish away. http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Hbr/8/13.html


Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace [be] on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Gal/6/16.html


Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Psa/91/1.html

[Ethan_Allen]

another bump

[ArGee]

The Nature Conservancy does things the right way: In order to protect lands, it goes out and BUYS the land. It doesn't seek regulation or new laws or file lawsuits to deny the current owners their right to use the land as they see fit.

That's what I thought, but it pays lobbyists to influence legislation.

I'm related to one of them. I won't provide more details to protect the guilty

Keep in mind that each state organization runs differently. Your state Conservancy may not do any lobbying at all.

Shalom.

[Ethan_Allen]

I meant to lay this one out as well (link above):

Regionalism: The Implementation
of the New World Order
http://www.penncrier.com/penncrier/pcnwoimp.html


Regionalism is the reordering and rearrangement of governments and jurisdictions so as to transfer power from elected legislative bodies to the executive branch and appointed officials. The international planners have divided the world into regions. The national planners have divided the individual countries into regions. The state planners have divided the states into regions.

At the international level, treaties are crafted and pushed through national legislatures in order to create international organizations and erode national sovereignty (e.g., NAFTA and GATT). A concerted effort is made to combine nations or portions of nations in order to provide an argument for international control.

At the national level, countries are divided into regions by executive order and councils of executive appointees are set up to control each region (e.g., the ten federal regions set up by President Nixon). Control is exercised through zoning and land use regulations and by requirements attached to federal grant money. Multiple states or portions of several states are included to bring the regions under federal jurisdiction.

The same process is repeated at the state level. Regional planning commissions are set up to control all development and funding through land use regulations and direction of spending of tax revenues. The planning commissions are composed of individuals appointed by state Governors, county commissioners, and city mayors, and often include federal appointees. They are not composed of elected representatives of the people who are accountable to the people.

At the local level, regionalism means the combining of municipalities to form new governmental units, with transfer of functions and control from the local level to the county, state, or federal level.

By this process of regionalization, the people lose all control over their own property and their own future. They are oppressed with heavy taxation, endless regulations, and swarms of bureaucrats and officials. This is socialist tyranny, and this is the goal of the New World Order planners.


Whole states [particulary conservative rural states] are being effectively obliterated by landgrab, and our Constitutional government with them. Representative government with respect for the rights of the minority [read Biblical Christians and Constitutionists] are being done away with, and the 'with us or against us' mentality is being imposed.

[yoe]

"...if you want to protect some land, buy it and take it off limits to development.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/auto/epaper/editions/thursday/opinion_e32c0c4126e920f700f7.html
Insider trading infects Nature Conservancy

http://www.landmarklegal.org/latest_developments.cfm?webpage_id=541<\A>
Landmark Calls for Probe into EPA Grants to Nature Conservancy http://www.undp.org/equatorinitiative/secondary/partners.htm
Partners – United Nations
Consistent with the intent of the Equator Initiative to highlight and promote innovative and successful partnerships in sustainable development between communities and civil society, the private sector and/or government, UNDP, the UN's global development network, is undertaking this initiative in partnership with BrasilConnects, the government of Canada, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), IUCN - The World Conservation Union, The Nature Conservancy, Television Trust for the Environment (TVE), and the United Nations Foundation.

http://nature.org/success/summit.html
UN World Summit on Sustainable Development

http://howstuffworks.lycoszone.com/channel.htm?ch=people&sub=sub-good-will
How The Nature Conservancy Works - A fascinating article that describes the work of The Nature Conservancy and the benefits of its conservation projects to our environment and ecology!

http://www.americanpolicy.org/un/theunsdirty.htm

The UN's Dirty Little Secret.....

There are literally volumes of proof that the NC has become a cooperate player in the worlds land – grabs with the United Nations being the largest player and user. People are not being helped, they are not even partners, they are the victims in this scam. The ideals may have been lofty in the beginning, in actuality it has become a private enterprise for the elite, & very powerful and wealthy, water and mineral rich. I don’t want the United Nations as a partner in anything – they represent only dictators and other thugs.

[madfly]

Thanks for all this great stuff. Marked for later reading.

[madfly]

Yup, there's a lot of stuff. Time to run an ongoing thread on this investigation and gather it all up for the Finance committee.

[poindexter]

"The owner should sue the local govt. for the difference in price between the Letterman offer and the price the Nature Conservancy paid PLUS the ammount Letterman paid that would be fair."

Triple damages in the case of fraud....

[Ethan_Allen]

Bump for later read; thanks for the links!


ANOTHER RELATED LINK regarding Biosphere Reserves/Wildlands Project ( http://www.wildlandsprojectrevealed.org ) AND NATURE CONSERVANCY. THIS AFFECTS NOT ONLY THE NATIONAL FORESTS BUT PRIVATE PROPERTY IN AND NEAR THE FORESTS. ALABAMA IS NOT ALONE; SIMILAR PLANS TARGET EVERY COMMUNITY:



U.N. INFLUENCE IN ALABAMA {"BIOSPHERE" RESERVES}

WorldNetDaily / Commentary ^ | Posted: May 24, 2003 | Henry Lamb http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/917046/posts


Posted on 05/24/2003 7:36 AM PDT by George Frm Br00klyn Park


U.N. influence in Alabama
Henry Lamb

Posted: May 24, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

"Only a handful of the people who gathered at the Birmingham Hilton on April 8, 2003, knew that the objective of the meeting was to implement U.N. policy in Alabama. Most people in attendance thought the meeting was to solicit comments about a ""forest management plan" being developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The comment period is open until July, at which time the plan will go into effect to standardize "ecosystem management" in all national forests in Alabama.

"YES," answered Rick Morgan, spokesman for the government, WHEN ASKED IF THE PLAN PROVIDED FOR CORE WILDERNESS AREAS, SURROUNDED BY BUFFER ZONES. The plan fulfills the criteria of Article 4 of UNESCO's "Statutory Framework for U.N. Biosphere Reserves." Most of Alabama has already been gobbled up by the Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve, one of 47 U.N. Biosphere Reserves designated in the U.S., with no debate, discussion or vote by any state legislature or the U.S. Congress.

A major function of all U.N. Biosphere Reserves is to continually expand the core wilderness areas and connecting corridors of wilderness, pushing ever-outward the buffer zones, and surrounding the entire area with an ever-expanding "zone of cooperation." The Southern Appalachian Reserve began with the designation of the 517,000-acre Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a U.N. Biosphere Reserve. State Department maps now show the reserve to include an area that stretches from Birmingham to Roanoke, and from Nashville to Asheville......"

....."

The meeting in Birmingham was to satisfy the requirement to provide for public input to a plan, the outcome of which was decided years ago. THE PEOPLE WERE TOLD THAT THE PLAN AFFECTED ONLY THE NATIONAL FORESTS IN ALABAMA. TRUTH IS, THAT THE PLAN AFFECTS ALL LAND IN AND NEAR THE NATIONAL FORESTS. The federal government uses the Endangered Species Act, the Invasive Species Initiative, wetland policies, viewsheds, smart growth and a host of other policies, to restrict land use on private property to the point that the land will ultimately fall into the hands of the government, or an environmental organization such as the Nature Conservancy.

Alabama is not alone. Virtually every state and every community has been targeted to undergo a similar transformation into what Science magazine described in 1993 as "the transformation of America to an archipelago of human-inhabited islands surrounded by natural areas (p.1868)."......http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/917046/posts



Must Read, many good links. Nature Conservancy mentioned as being in cahoots.

We've got our work cut out for us.

[BADROTOFINGER]

Hey madfly, I dont think my name took on your TNC ping list. Could you add it again? Thanks...JFK

[Ethan_Allen]

"Time to run an ongoing thread on this investigation and gather it all up for the Finance committee."



I have a feeling the 'investigation' will be just another piece of window-dressing - election coming up, doncha know, and all the voting 'puters may not be 'fixed' in time - but I agree, it wouldn't hurt to link all these threads and gather up the information. It might wake up some people anyway.

Here's another site full of info. BTW, I took the NWO quotes on the first Big Green thread ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/906107/posts ) from here.

Environmentalism:
New World Order Socialism and
Gigantic Profits for Big Business!
by Paul B. Dennis
http://www.wealth4freedom.com/truth/chapter11.htm

EXCERPT:

".....All around the world the move is on to transfer the rain forests, the deserts, the jungles, the plains, and even private property to a consortium of foundations, international agencies and councils, all of which are interlocked through directorships and agenda.

In almost every state of America -- I can think of no exception --local environmental groups are pushing ahead with their plans to seize ownership of some of the most productive and beautiful areas of our planet. The same thing is happening in other parts of the globe: Africa, South and Central America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and even Asia. And always and everywhere, there is some local crisis or pending catastrophe to justify their move. In my home state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest, the beneficiary of this concern is the spotted owl. In Montana it is the timber wolf. In Nebraska the whooping crane. In Africa the elephant takes center stage. (In the case of the spotted owl, the leader of the Sierra Club was quoted as saying, "If the spotted owl did not exist, we would find it necessary to genetically engineer one.")

Add to this the so-called threat to the ozone, the greenhouse effect, and countless other real or ersatz environmental concerns, and you have the prescription for a worldwide control mechanism which is awesome in its scope and power.

The Plan Behind It All

Standing astride this environmental juggernaut like a colossus is the same group of Insiders who have been playing God with people's lives since before World War I. Thanks to their "internationalism" and "balance of power" schemes, the 20th Century has proved to be the bloodiest in all human history. Yet these so-called "wise men" finance tyranny, replace governments, elect Presidents and Prime Ministers, and, in general, act as the un-elected rulers for a world gone crazy.

Let me be specific. I am talking about the economic and political cartel represented in Britain by membership in the Royal Institute for International Affairs, in the United States within the Council on Foreign Relations, and internationally in such groups as The Bilderbergers, The Club of Rome, and most recently, The Trilateral Commission.

Now I know that to single out these organizations and the men or women who lead them is not viewed as "responsible" in some circles. But where will an examination of reality take us if not there? Are we to believe that all of this "greening" is the result of some overnight worldwide consensus?

As we examine such foundations as the World Wildlife Fund, the Heritage Trust, the NATURE CONSERVANCY, the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, the World Wilderness Congress, Conservation International, the Center for Earth Resource Analysis, to name but a few, what do we find? Not so strangely, key members of the Insider institutions cited above are leading or directing every one of them. This doesn't take into consideration the UN organizations which are, at the very least, co-directed by representatives of Communist members......."





THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM AND FREEDOM
"As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it."
-- Dick Cavett http://www.wealth4freedom.com/free.html

[Ethan_Allen]

"....THE PLAN AFFECTS ALL LAND IN AND NEAR THE NATIONAL FORESTS......"



The following EXCERPTS show how the passage of the "13th" Amendment and the 14th and the 16th Amendments (the latter which nullified the States' right to elect US Senators from the duly elected State Legislatures, and delivered the US Senate to the highest bidder) made the "servant" (government) the "Master" over the people, who became serfs on the land. The "13th" Amendment is in itself a misnomer, replacing the true Ratified 13th Amendment, known as "The Missing 13th", which would have made the lawyers who have foisted subsequent atrocities on the people, NON-CITIZENS.


If anyone has an aversion to 'cut and paste' don't read these; go directly to the links. The following is provided as a convenience for those who don't have the time to read everything, and because some are new to this and some seem to have an aversion to links! (A couple of poor souls on another thread seemed to be clueless as to why this was happening.) However, the information contained within is something all Americans should know.


From White Paper on State Citizenship
T. Collins -- 10/04/94 http://www.worldnewsstand.net/law/white-paper.htm
I recommend it wholeheartedly. I've read all this before, but this one is written so that even I can understand it.


"THE GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZES TWO DISTINCT CLASSES OF CITIZENS: A STATE CITIZEN AND A FEDERAL CITIZEN.


A STATE CITIZEN, also called a de jure Citizen, is an individual whose inalienable natural rights are recognized, secured, and protected by his/her state Constitution against State actions and against federal intrusion by the Constitution for the United States of America.

A FEDERAL CITIZEN, also called: a 14th Amendment citizen, a citizen of the United States, a US citizen, a citizen of the District of Columbia, HAS CIVIL RIGHTS THAT ARE ***ALMOST**** EQUAL TO THE NATURAL RIGHTS THAT STATE CITIZENS HAVE. I say almost because ******CIVIL RIGHTS ARE CREATED BY CONGRESS AND CAN BE TAKEN AWAY BY CONGRESS. Federal citizens are subjects of Congress, under their protection as a "resident" of a State, a person enfranchised to the federal government (the incorporated United States defined in Article I, section 8, clause 17 of the Constitution). The individual States may not deny to these persons any federal privileges or immunities that Congress has granted them. ****THIS SPECIFIC CLASS CITIZEN IS A FEDERAL CITIZEN UNDER ADMIRALTY LAW (INTERNATIONAL LAW). AS SUCH ****THEY DO NOT HAVE INALIENABLE COMMON RIGHTS RECOGNIZED, SECURED AND PROTECTED IN THE CONSTITUTIONS OF THE STATES, OR OF THE CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, SUCH AS **"ALLODIAL" (ABSOLUTE) RIGHTS TO PROPERTY, THE RIGHTS TO INHERITANCE, THE RIGHTS TO WORK AND CONTRACT, AND THE RIGHT TO TRAVEL AMONG OTHERS.

A FEDERAL CITIZEN IS A TAXABLE ENTITY LIKE A CORPORATION, and is subject to pay an excise tax for the privileges that Congress has granted him/her.

The rights that most people believe they have are not natural rights but civil rights which are actually privileges granted by Congress. Some of these civil rights parallel the protection of the Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution), but by researching the civil rights act along with case law decisions involving those rights, IT CAN BE SHOWN THAT THESE SO-CALLED CIVIL RIGHTS DO NOT INCLUDE THE NINTH OR TENTH AMENDMENTS AND HAVE ONLY LIMITED APPLICATION WITH REGARD TO AMENDMENTS ONE THROUGH EIGHT........



If you have a Social Security Number (SSN), you are not a state Citizen.......


THE BUCK ACT IN 1940 CREATED FEDERAL AREAS INSIDE THE STATES. IF YOU LIVE IN A FEDERAL AREA, YOU ARE SUBJECT TO FEDERAL TERRITORIAL LAWS AND THE MUNICIPAL LAWS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA..........

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is internal to the District of Columbia.
Your ZIP Code determines which ZIP Code region you live in. ZIP Code regions are federal areas. The IRS has adopted the ZIP Code regions as IRS regions. If you accept mail that has a ZIP Code on it, you are in a federal territory and thus subject to the IRS and all other municipal laws of the District of Columbia. .........

I find the most offensive trick to get me to lose my sovereignty was that if I do not protest using the only legal tender in America, the Federal Reserve Notes (FRN), also know as U.S. Dollars, I am receiving a benefit. This is a complicated trick that I will explain in detail later........

.........If every Citizen in the colonies became a sovereign, how could any Citizen lose their sovereignty? The Citizens of each of the several states in the Union were sovereigns. But the people in a territory or in the District of Columbia were not because the territories and the District of Columbia were not in the Union. Congress had/has exclusive legislative control over these areas. The states were governed by a "constitutional republic" while the territories were ruled by a "legislative democracy". IN A LEGISLATIVE DEMOCRACY THE CITIZENS HAVE NO RIGHTS EXCEPT WHAT CONGRESS GIVES THEM. IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLICS, THE CITIZENS HAVE RIGHTS GIVEN TO THEM BY THEIR CREATOR AND CONGRESS IS THE CITIZENS' SERVANT. [HMMM, I may have to rethink statehood for DC - wonder if this would pull the rug out from under them? or is this another Hegelian dialect at play?] This is why Citizens, having left a state to buy or conquer land from the native Americans, would apply for statehood as soon as possible.

How is it that someone who was born in and has lived in a state all his/her life can be treated like a citizen of the District of Columbia? THERE HAS BEEN A SERIES OF STEPS THAT CONGRESS HAS MADE TO CONVERT THE STATE CITIZENS INTO FEDERAL CITIZENS. Over the years, our laws have been made unreadable by the average intelligent person. The 14th Amendment was illegally passed creating a federal citizen who can not question the federal debt. THE FEDERAL RESERVE ACT OF 1913 TURNED OVER OUR MONEY TO A PRIVATE BANKING CARTEL. SOCIAL SECURITY CREATED SOCIAL SECURITY DISTRICTS (OR TERRITORIES) IN WHICH PEOPLE WITH SSN LIVED. THE BUCK ACT CREATED FEDERAL AREAS INSIDE THE STATES........


........The RIGHT OF TRIAL BY JURY IN CIVIL CASES, guaranteed by the 7th Amendment (walker v. Sauvinet, 92 U.S. 90), and THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS, guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment (presser v. Illinois, 116 U.S. 252), HAVE BEEN DISTINCTLY HELD NOT TO BE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES GUARANTEED BY THE 14TH AMENDMENT AGAINST ABRIDGMENT BY THE STATES, AND IN EFFECT THE SAME DECISION WAS MADE IN RESPECT OF THE GUARANTEE AGAINST PROSECUTION, EXCEPT BY INDICTMENT OF A GRAND JURY, CONTAINED IN THE 5TH AMENDMENT (Hurtado v. California, 110 U.S. 516), AND IN RESPECT OF THE RIGHT TO BE CONFRONTED WITH WITNESSESS, CONTAINED IN THE 6TH AMENDMENT." West v. Louisianna, 194 U.S. 258.

The privileges and immunities [civil rights] of the 14th Amendment citizens were derived [taken] from....the Constitution, but are not identical to those referred to in Article IV, sect. 2 of the Constitution [which recognizes the existence of state Citizens who were not citizens of the United States because there was no such animal in 1787]. Plainly spoken, RIGHTS CONSIDERED TO BE GRANTS FROM OUR CREATOR ARE CLEARLY DIFFERENT FROM THE "CIVIL RIGHTS" THAT WERE GRANTED BY CONGRESS TO ITS OWN BRAND OF FRANCHISED CITIZEN IN THE 14TH AMENDMENT........." http://www.worldnewsstand.net/law/white-paper.htm





The United States Civil Flag of Peacetime
http://www.barefootsworld.net/uscivilflag.html

"....On May 26, 1913, with the approval of Senate Bill S. 2337, (shortly after the FRAUDULENT DECLARATION by Secretary of State Philander Knox, that the 16th AMENDMENT had been ratified, and DURING THE SAME WEEKS that the FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM AND THE IRS WERE ESTABLISHED) the U.S. Coast Guard absorbed the Revenue Cutter and the Life Saving - Lighthouse Services, becoming a part of the military forces of the United States, operating under the Treasury Department in time of peace and as a part of the Navy, subject to the orders of the Secretary of the Navy, in time of war......" The United States Civil Flag of Peacetime http://www.barefootsworld.net/uscivilflag.html




Treason in Government!
Admiralty on Land!!
Where's the Water? http://www.barefootsworld.net/admiralty.html

".........The Letter below is restored from a page that disappeared from the WEB



".... the Constitution is past tense, as a restrictive document on Congress. I do not make this statement lightly and I can prove it.

The Constitution was a commercial compact between states, giving the federal government limited powers. The Bill of Rights was meant not as our source of rights, but as further limitations on the federal government. Our fore-fathers saw the potential for danger in the U. S. Constitution. To insure the Constitution was not presumed to be our source of rights, the 10th Amendment was added. I will use a quote from Thomas Jefferson, February 15, 1791, where he quotes the 10th Amendment...


"I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground; That "all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States or to the people." To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible of any definition."


The created United States government cannot define the rights of their creator, the American people. Three forms of law were granted to the Constitution, common law, equity (contract law) and Admiralty law. Each had their own jurisdiction and purpose. The first issue I want to cover is the United States flag. Obviously from known history our flag did not have a yellow fringe bordering three sides. The United States did not start putting flags with a yellow fringe on them in government buildings and public buildings until 1959. Of course the question you would ask yourself; why did it change and are there any legal meanings behind this? Oh yes!

First the appearance of our flag is defined in Title 4 sec. 1. U.S.C..


"The flag of the United States shall be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; and the union of the flag shall be forty-eight stars, white in a blue field." (Note - of course when new states are admitted new stars are added.)


A foot note was added on page 1113 of the same section which says:


"Placing of fringe on the national flag, the dimensions of the flag, and arrangement of the stars are matters of detail not controlled by statute, but within the discretion of the President as Commander-In-Chief of the Army and Navy." - 1925, 34 Op.Atty.Gen. 483.


The president as military commander can add a yellow fringe to our flag. When would this be done? During a time of war. Why? A flag with a fringe is an ensign, a military flag. Read the following.


"Pursuant to U.S.C. Chapter 1, 2, and 3; Executive Order No. 10834, August 21, 1959, 24 F.R. 6865, a military flag is a flag that resembles the regular flag of the United States, except that it has a YELLOW FRINGE, bordered on three sides. The President of the United states designates this deviation from the regular flag, by executive order, and in his capacity as COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF of the Armed forces."


From the National Encyclopedia, Volume 4:


"Flag, an emblem of a nation; usually made of cloth and flown from a staff. From a military standpoint flags are of two general classes, those flown from stationary masts over army posts, and those carried by troops in formation. The former are referred to by the general name flags. The latter are called colors when carried by dismounted troops. Colors and Standards are more nearly square than flags and are made of silk with a knotted Fringe of Yellow on three sides...........use of the flag. The most general and appropriate use of the flag is as a symbol of authority and power."


The reason I started with the Flag issue is because it is so easy to grasp. The main problem I have with the yellow fringe is that by its use our Constitutional Republic is no more. OUR SYSTEM OF LAW WAS CHANGED WITHOUT THE PUBLIC'S KNOWLEDGE. IT WAS KEPT SECRET. THIS IS
FRAUD. The American people were allowed to believe this was just a decoration. ****Because the law changed from Common Law (God's Law) to Admiralty Law (the kings law) your status also changed from sovereign to subject. From being able to own property (allodial title) to not owning property (tenet on the land). If you think you own your property, stop paying taxes, it will be taken under the prize law.


***"The ultimate ownership of all property is in the state; individual so-called `ownership' is only by virtue of government, i.e., law, amounting to a mere user; and use must be in accordance with law and subordinate to the necessities of the State." - Senate Document No. 43, "Contracts payable in Gold" written in 1933.


By our allowing to let these military flags fly, the American people have admitted our defeat and loss of status..........


......Before 1933 all contracts with the government were payable in gold. Now I ask you? Who in their right mind would enter into contracts totaling One Hundred billion dollars in gold, when there was only eleven billion in gold in the whole world, and we had about four billion. To keep from being hung by the American public ****they obeyed the banksters demands and turned over our country to them. They never came out and said we were in bankruptcy but, the fact remains, we are. In 1933 the gold of the whole country had to be turned in to the banksters, and all government contracts in gold were canceled. This is bankruptcy.


"Mr. Speaker, we are here now in chapter 11. Members of Congress are official trustees presiding over the greatest reorganization of any bankrupt entity in world history, the U.S. government." -- Congressman Traficant [??Error? McFadden perhaps?] on the House floor, March 17, 1933


The wealth of the nation ****including our land was turned over to the banksters. In return, the nations 100 billion dollar debt was forgiven. I have two papers that have circulated the country on this subject. Remember Jesus said "money is the root of all evil" The Congress of 1933 sold every American into slavery to protect their asses. Read the following Congressional quotes:


"I want to show you where the people are being imposed upon by reason of the delegation of this tremendous power. I invite your attention to the fact that SECTION 16 OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE ACT PROVIDES THAT WHENEVER THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES ISSUES AND DELIVERS MONEY, FEDERAL RESERVE NOTES, WHICH ARE BASED ON THE CREDIT OF THE NATION--THEY REPRESENT ****A MORTGAGE UPON YOUR HOME AND MY HOME, AND UPON ALL THE PROPERTY OF ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE NATION--TO THE FEDERAL RESERVE AGENT, AN INTEREST CHARGE SHALL BE COLLECTED FOR THE GOVERNMENT." -- Congressional Record, Congressman Patman, March 13, 1933 ..........http://www.barefootsworld.net/admiralty.html




"Nobody Noticed Or Cared!!!!!
http://ocsatire.com/cgi-bin/index.pl/Jail4Judges/Nobody_Noticed_Or_Cared!!!!!.htm

"Before 1940, no US flag civil or military, flew within the body of the forty-eight states except in federal settings and installations. Only state flags did. Since the 1935 institution of Social Security and the Buck Act of 1940, 4 U.S.C.S. 104-113 by clever legal maneuvers the feds have entirely circumvented the U.S. Constitution, and have overlaid federal territorial jurisdiction on the sovereign States, bringing them under the military/admiralty jurisdiction of Law Merchant, the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) the law of Creditors and Debtors.

Since then the U.S. military flag appears beside, or in place of, the state flags in nearly all locations within the states. All the state courts and even municipal ones now openly display it. In the last half century they have more openly declared the military/admiralty law jurisdiction with the addition of the gold fringe to the flag, the military/admiralty flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Such has been the path that has brought us under the Law of the Military Flag. This should have raised serious questions from many citizens long ago, but we've been educated to listen, and believe what we are told, not to ask questions, or think for ourselves, or search for the truth. See how "public" education pays off !! They educate our children to believe government can not do any wrong ! Aren't We being 'Suckered??'....

.......When you enter a court room and come before a judge and the U.S. flag with the yellow fringe displayed, you are put on notice of the law you are in. American's aren't aware of this, so they continue to claim Constitutional rights. IN THE ADMIRALTY SETTING THE CONSTITUTION DOES NOT APPLY AND THE JUDGE, IF PUSHED, WILL INFORM YOU OF THIS BY PLACING YOU UNDER 'CONTEMPT' FOR CONTINUING TO BRING IT UP. [someone posted a thread testifying to this actually happening in the last year or two.] If the judge is pressed, his name for this hidden law is statutory law. Where are the rules and regulations for statutory law kept ? They don't exist. If statuary law existed, there would be rules and regulations governing its procedures and court rules. They do not exist !!!........."
http://ocsatire.com/cgi-bin/index.pl/Jail4Judges/Nobody_Noticed_Or_Cared!!!!!.htm



ANOTHER EXCERPT FROM WHITE PAPER ON STATE CITIZENSHIP
http://www.worldnewsstand.net/law/white-paper.htm

"...Let's restate the central premise of this paper.

The government recognizes two distinct classes of citizens: a state Citizen and a federal citizen. Each has different rights and responsibilities. State Citizens created the states who created the federal government who created federal citizens. Most people are born state Citizens and become federal citizens without their knowledge sometime after birth. You can reclaim your state Citizenship status through a legal procedure. If you remain a federal citizen, you will pay lots of taxes and have no rights. If you reclaim your state Citizenship status, you will have to learn about our legal system and you will have to change the way you bank, and save, and invest, and other aspects of modern living that probably taken for granted. But a state Citizen that knows the legal system has more control over his/her life.

Information is power. For decades the information, and the power, has been centralized by the government class. Today, the balance of power is shifting. As Citizens become more vigilant about government encroachments, the government's power is lessened. As the number of state Citizens mushrooms, you will hear about them in the press as the empire strikes back. This movement is not trying to change the system -- this is the way it works now! In fact, any attempt to change the Constitution via a constitutional convention or international treaty should be opposed strongly. Can you imagine what sort of constitution would be written if our current political leaders do the writing? Now you know what this movement is all about. Whether you decide to change your status is up to you.

Please send a copy of this paper to everybody that you think is smart enough to understand it."




Well, it looks like what the '13th' Amendment gaveth (freed the slaves), the 14th tooketh (made us ALL slaves), and made OUR property the property of the "State"(U.S.). In order for the UN/UNESCO to exercise control over US land, taking us from a sovereign nation, to one of one vote of hundreds to be ruled by communists, despots, and thieves, it has to first transfer the land to a government entity. Chickens are coming home to roost. There appears to be a mad scramble to gather up as much land as possible very quickly, because thanks to the internet, America is waking up.

Search 'The Missing 13th Amendment' or see at barefootsworld.net; also see the page on the Bill of Rights at barefootsworld.net re the *****'declaratory and restrictive clause'. The Constitution was spirited away for 'preservation' shortly before 911. It is due to be returned soon. It will be interesting to see if the declaratory and restrictive clause was preserved.


The article explains how you can become a State citizen. However, and I have not finished reading this, I suspect when you become a state citizen or 'foreign alien', you could conceivably be declared a 'terrorist' by executive authority, and be subject to the rules covering other 'enemy combatants'. I suspect this is the true intended meaning of 'with us or against us'.

Homeland Security had a spooky commercial out, that I hadn't seen for a couple of weeks. Funny, during the last hour I saw it three times, albeit they had changed it quite a bit, trying to make it less spooky, I suspect. Something in the works?



madfly, I wonder who makes up the 'Finance' committee? Don't they have a 'crime and corruption' or even a 'treason' committee? Just wondering.



"Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day. But a series of oppressions, pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly proves a deliberate systematic plan of reducing us to slavery".
Thomas Jefferson



"I have never seen more Senators express discontent with their jobs ... we have been accomplices to doing something terrible and unforgivable to this wonderful country... we have given our children a legacy of bankruptcy. We have defrauded our country to get ourselves elected."
John Danforth, Republican Senator from Missouri, in an interview in The Arizona Republic on April 22, 1992

"Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth. Most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about their business as if nothing had happened."
Winston Churchill



"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion."
Thomas Jefferson

Quotes from They Told The Truth About the New World Order
http://www.wealth4freedom.com/truth/chapter13.htm


Since I am a Christian first, and an American second, I would be remiss if I did not state that there is another side to this coin. I've studied the Bible quite extensively, over the past year or two, and in spite of all those who rebel at the notion, a just God does judge nations, and to whom much is given, much is expected. I need only point out 40 million and counting innocent babies sacrificed on the altar of 'choice' and 'self', without going into all the other ways we've failed to be faithful servants, and suggest that maybe our day of reckoning is near. Idolatry and the shedding of innocent blood are two of the things God hates most. I would suggest we turn back, America, to the God we say we trust.