HEADS UP, RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY, VA, YOU MAY BE ABOUT TO BECOME A WILDLANDS PROJECT

IN the recent Bicentennial celebrations, it has become popular to examine the contributions of the Founding Fathers of our country. The names of these individuals are well known to all Americans. Men such as George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson will be remembered as long as this country exists. Yet, one individual, who added much to our heritage and especially to the cause of liberty, is unknown to many people. This man is George Mason of Virginia. A brief examination of his life and contributions will remind us of the heritage of our country and should serve as an inspiration to present-day libertarians.....

It was during the years after his opposition to the Stamp Act that Mason established his personality as a leader. Unlike his fellow Virginian Patrick Henry, he was not a fiery orator. Instead, he chose to influence his colleagues in small meetings, where his well-reasoned arguments were greatly respected. As Edmund Randolph, one of his contemporaries noted, "among the members who in their small circles were propagating activity was George Mason in the shade of retirement."3

The "shade of retirement" about which Randolph spoke was always inviting to Mason. An intensely personal man, he never considered himself a public figure but a man of private affairs, even during his most active periods as a leader. Like other libertarians, he would have much preferred taking care of his own affairs and leaving others to do the same. It was only the threat to individual freedom that kept him active in public matters.

Whatever his personal preferences, Mason reached a high point in his career in 1776 when he met in Williamsburg with other Virginians to develop a new revolutionary government. It was here that he drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights. A remarkable document, this paper expressed Mason's view of the basic rights of all men.

The Declaration stated that all men were by nature free and had certain basic rights, including "the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."4 He called for a limited government that would not interfere with an individual's exercise of his rights.

The Virginia Declaration noted "that freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained by despotic governments." Mason also called for freedom of religion and religious tolerance.5 The document went on to proclaim that trial by jury was vital, and it set forth the idea that government gained its powers from the consent of the governed.

The Virginia Declaration of Rights became a model for other states, which adopted similar statements.6 In addition, the Mason proclamation, either directly or indirectly, influenced the national declaration that Thomas Jefferson drafted several months later.

At the end of the Revolution, when many citizens came to believe that the Articles of Confederation did not provide an adequate government for the new nation, a constitutional convention was called in Philadelphia. As a delegate to this gathering, Mason spoke often on the need to guarantee civil liberties. He was disappointed when the convention agreed that a simple majority vote of the national legislature could authorize interference in the internal affairs of the states. He feared that such action would lead to national intervention in local economies .7

At the Philadelphia gathering, Mason also spoke against the continuance of the slave trade and was upset when the delegates took no conclusive action on the matter.8 Mason's anger at the proposed constitution reached the point of no return when the convention members refused to formulate a bill of rights. He believed that such a statement was necessary to protect the citizenry against the growth of the national government.9

When the convention failed to comply with Mason's wishes, he returned home to "Gunston Hall," determined to oppose the new constitution. Joining forces with Patrick Henry and other prominent Virginians, he championed the Anti-federalist cause a t the state convention called to consider the ratification of the new government. He again argued that addition of a Bill of Rights was essential. It was only through such a document, he argued, that the people could feel secure in their freedom. He voiced the fear that the new federal government with its power to levy taxes, would destroy the powers of the states and individuals as well.10........

.....In 1774 Mason again was in the forefront of political events when he assisted in drawing up the Fairfax Resolves, a document that outlined the colonists' constitutional grounds for their objections to the Boston Port Act. Virginia's Declaration of Rights, framed by Mason in 1776, was widely copied in other colonies, served as a model for Jefferson in the first part of the Declaration of Independence, and was the basis for the federal Constitution's Bill of Rights.

At Philadelphia in 1787 Mason was one of the five most frequent speakers at the Constitutional Convention. He exerted great influence, but during the last 2 weeks of the convention he decided not to sign the document.

Mason's refusal prompts some surprise, especially since his name is so closely linked with constitutionalism. He explained his reasons at length, citing the absence of a declaration of rights as his primary concern. He then discussed the provisions of the Constitution point by point, beginning with the House of Representatives. The House he criticized as not truly representative of the nation, the Senate as too powerful. He also claimed that the power of the federal judiciary would destroy the state judiciaries, render justice unattainable, and enable the rich to oppress and ruin the poor. THESE FEARS LED MASON TO CONCLUDE THAT THE NEW GOVERNMENT WAS DESTINED TO EITHER BECOME A MONARCHY OR FALL INTO THE HANDS OF A CORRUPT, OPPRESSIVE ARISTOCRACY.

Two of Mason's greatest concerns were incorporated into the Constitution. The Bill of Rights answered his primary objection, and the 11th amendment addressed his call for strictures on the judiciary.

Throughout his career Mason was guided by his belief in the rule of reason and in the centrality of the natural rights of man. He approached problems coolly, rationally, and impersonally. In recognition of his accomplishments and dedication to the principles of the Age of Reason, Mason has been called the American manifestation of the Enlightenment. Mason died on October 7, 1792, and was buried on the grounds of Gunston Hall.

The Virginia Declaration of Rights

Note: Virginia's Declaration of Rights was drawn upon by Thomas Jefferson for the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. It was widely copied by the other colonies and became the basis of the Bill of Rights. Written by George Mason, it was adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention on June 12, 1776.

A DECLARATION OF RIGHTS made by the representatives of the good people of Virginia, assembled in full and free convention which rights do pertain to them and their posterity, as the basis and foundation of government .

Section 1. That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.

Section 2. That all power is vested in, and consequently derived from, the people; that magistrates are their trustees and servants and at all times amenable to them.

Section 3. That government is, or ought to be, instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security of the people, nation, or community; of all the various modes and forms of government, that is best which is capable of producing the greatest degree of happiness and safety and is most effectually secured against the danger of maladministration. And that, when any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, a majority of the community has an indubitable, inalienable, and indefeasible right to reform, alter, or abolish it, in such manner as shall be judged most conducive to the public weal. Section 4. That no man, or set of men, is entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community, but in consideration of public services; which, nor being descendible, neither ought the offices of magistrate, legislator, or judge to be hereditary. Section 5. That the legislative and executive powers of the state should be separate and distinct from the judiciary; and that the members of the two first may be restrained from oppression, by feeling and participating the burdens of the people, they should, at fixed periods, be reduced to a private station, return into that body from which they were originally taken, and the vacancies be supplied by frequent, certain, and regular elections, in which all, or any part, of the former members, to be again eligible, or ineligible, as the laws shall direct.

Section 6. That elections of members to serve as representatives of the people, in assembly ought to be free; and that all men, having sufficient evidence of permanent common interest with, and attachment to, the community, have the right of suffrage and cannot be taxed or deprived of their property for public uses without their own consent or that of their representatives so elected, nor bound by any law to which they have not, in like manner, assembled for the public good.

Section 7. That all power of suspending laws, or the execution of laws, by any authority, without consent of the representatives of the people, is injurious to their rights and ought not to be exercised.

Section 8. That in all capital or criminal prosecutions a man has a right to demand the cause and nature of his accusation, to be confronted with the accusers and witnesses, to call for evidence in his favor, and to a speedy trial by an impartial jury of twelve men of his vicinage, without whose unanimous consent he cannot be found guilty; nor can he be compelled to give evidence against himself; that no man be deprived of his liberty except by the law of the land or the judgment of his peers.

Section 9. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Section 10. That general warrants, whereby an officer or messenger may be commanded to search suspected places without evidence of a fact committed, or to seize any person or persons not named, or whose offense is not particularly described and supported by evidence, are grievous and oppressive and ought not to be granted.

Section 11. That in controversies respecting property, and in suits between man and man, the ancient trial by jury is preferable to any other and ought to be held sacred.

Section 12. That the freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.

Section 13. That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.

Section 14. That the people have a right to uniform government; and, therefore, that no government separate from or independent of the government of Virginia ought to be erected or established within the limits thereof.

Section 15. That no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.

Section 16. That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practise Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other.

National Archives inquire@nara.gov URL: http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/billrights/virginia.html

SHENANDOAH SECRETS: THE STORY OF THE PARK'S HIDDEN PAST http://www.patc.net/store/PC270.htm

SHENANDOAH HERITAGE: THE STORY OF THE PEOPLE BEFORE THE PARK http://www.patc.net/store/PC250.htm

See also SHENANDOAH VESTIGES: WHAT THE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE LEFT BEHIND (Link at patc.net site).

This is the story of the families who owned homes in the Shenandoah Mountains, and who where forcibly removed, sometimes more than once, having the log cabins that they had built burned to the ground to prevent their return. One photograph that remains vivid in my mind is the one of two burly men in heavy coats, on either side of a five-months pregnant woman, forcibly removing her from her home during what looked to be during the winter, for there was snow on the ground. These people received a pittance from the Federal Government, all in the name of making a National Park. There is still much anger and bitterness among the few former landowners who remain alive and in their children and their children's children.

Heads up Rappannock, they're coming for you, again. And not just you this time, but your neigbors in surrounding counties, possibly in neighboring states. They have been working on this since 1993, I understand, and I have been working since I found out about a week ago, to research it and warn you. While I have uncovered reams of information, I am running out of time to post it here or to give a heads up to a number of landrights organizations who may be able to help you. There is a meeting tonight in Rappahannock County and anyone who has a river, stream, creek, or puddle that empties into the HAZEL RIVER, either immediately or from a distance, should be there to voice your objection. If you live directly on the river, you should have received "notification". If not, this MIGHT be all the notification you get:

PUBLIC HEARING

Proposed Tier III (Exceptional Water) Designation for THE HAZEL RIVER

The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors is seeking public input on a proposal to forward the Hazel River for consideration by the State Water Control Board as a designated Tier III Exceptional Water. They will hold a public hearing on this matter at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 4, 2002 at the Courthouse in Washington, VA.

The nominated section of the Hazel River is its entire length, from its headwaters in the Shenandoah National Park in Rappahannock County to its confluence with the Rappahannock River in Culpeper County.

A designation as an Exceptional Water would prevent any new or increased discharges into the designated section of the river, and may entail additional impacts pending Environmental Protection Agency required amendments to the anti-degration policy section of the Virginia Water Quality Standards regulation.

A file with supplementary information is available for your inspection at the County Administration Office at 290 Gay Street in Washington, VA, during normal busines hours.

Interested persons are invited to attend the meeting or to make their comments in writing to the Board of Supervisors at PO Box 519, Washington, VA 22747

BY ORDER OF

John McCarthy

County Administrator

At this time it looks like a special interest group has been pushing this with the State for many years. It also appears that the decision will be made by a board appointed by the Governor. THIS MUST BE TABLED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION. THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A 60-DAY COMMENT PERIOD. This maneuver is a LANDGRAB BY WATERSHED, and is a part of the Wildlands Project being implemented all over this country. see http://www.wildlandsprojectrevealed.org I'll type as much and as fast as I can, but I hope some FReepers will bump this alert to some of the landrights groups, (landrights.org and the American Policy Center being a good place to start - American Policy Center is located about half an hour from there.)

Says HENRY LAMB at eco.freedom.org: 'The Wildlands Project is coordinated nationally, but implemented at the local, watershed level, by hundreds of environmental organizations. Typically, the watershed council is loaded with environmental organizations and 'interested individuals' who are functionaries of environmental organizations. The watershed council, as Gary Snyder suggests, can be the building block on which the nation is turned over to the grizzly bear."(From Henry's article on the Wildlands Project). The ultimate goal, as is plain from my research is to make this area a Biosphere Region (check out the title of this library SHENANDOAH VALLEY BIOREGION) http://www.lib.jmu.edu/geography/bioreghand.htm to be managed by a 'management authority', euphemism for regional government (i.e., EPA Region 3, which includes, VA, WVA, MD, PA, and DE. See NATIONAL MAP OF FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES AND EPA REGIONS http://www.epa.gov/indian/map.htm . Compare to FEMA map at http://www.fema.gov/about/regoff.htm

Might as well start at the Beast's own mouth: Surf Your Watershed http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/huc.cfm?huc_code=0208013. This is the Hazel River Watershed. Click on under Water "Rivers and Streams in this Watershed."

Then this:

"WATERSHEDS AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH HISTORIC AREAS, by A. Elizabeth Watson, Chair - National Coalition for Heritage Areas, Washington, DC http://www.epa.gov/owowwtr1/watershed/Proceed/watson.html

Introduction

Rivers involve significant human history and settlement that can be addressed in watershed planning, building greater public support through an integrated effort that respects the cultural aspects of watersheds. Watershed planning should recognize human history and communities, and multiple human objectives for life in the watershed, or efforts to restore or enhance water quality and aquatic habitat will fail to build the significant level of public support and commitment required to succeed.

The key element unifying communities and rivers is the land they share.

This linkage is the basis for the following logical sequence of points on why watershed planners should address broader community issues for added environmental gains:

Environmental programs can no longer address a river's water quality apart from the lands it drains: the 'insight' that drives watershed planning.

The health of a river is not judged by water quality alone_living resources (birds, fish, mammals, plants) must also be helped to thrive, primarily through addressing habitat, much of it land-based.[Wildlands Project]

Once land is to be involved in an environmental program, it is vital to enlist communities, citizens' groups, and property owners, for these are the actors[!] that are directly involved in land management, and are closest to both the problems and the solutions to be addressed through watershed planning.

Water-quality programs enlisting communities, citizens' groups, and property owners are most likely to engage them [i.e., give up their rights] by addressing the things they enjoy and want to enhance in their environment, beyond clean streams: outdoor recreation, nature study, attractive scenery, historic sites, and economically healthy and sustainable [I've come to hate that word!] communities.

The massive public investments already made in "restoring" the water quality of many rivers are threatened in the near future by inappropriate [according to the UN] development from population growth and the increase in nonpoint source pollution [the new 'buzz' word] from many sources.

The future health and vitality of a given river is often jeopardized not so much by current environmental threats as by the lack of a shared agenda among those in the basin who could address the river's needs.

This shared agenda must, first and foremost, recognize the idea that community empowerment [at the expense of personal property rights] is key to continued environmental improvement in any given watershed. Sustainable development approaches that recognize "economics, environment, and equity [redistribution of the wealth]" naturally incorporate community empowerment. One such approach is that of forming "heritage areas."

Heritage Areas [recently, an 'anonymous donor' started the ball rolling with several thouand dollars to start listing historic properties in one village in Rapp. County; now the good people are being duped into contributing to the fund to get the job done!] Defined:

The National Coalition for Heritage Areas states that:

Heritage areas are most often regions with a distinctive sense of place unified by large-scale resources [the UN loves our resources]: rivers, lakes or streams, canal systems, historic roads or trails, railroads. They may include both rural and urban settlement, and are cohesive, dynamic environments where private ownership predominates, [such as it does on formerly white-owned farms in South Africa?] and will continue to predominate, but where change can be creatively guided to benefit both people and place.

Heritage areas encourage both the protection of a wide variety of environmental, scenic, and cultural resources and sustainable development for tourism and other economic opportunities. They educate residents and visitors about community history, traditions, and the environment, and provide for outdoor recreation. [until they have devoured all the property and put it off-limits to the people as they are already doing in many parks.] Heritage areas most often comprise more than one jurisdiction, with regional management that combines public and private sector leadership and engages grass-roots enthusiasm for celebrating community assets.[This will be our new government folks, REGIONAL rule by NGO'S.] .............

Links to Watershed Planning

The link of heritage area planning and development to watershed planning is significant. As the above examples illustrate, many heritage areas are centered on rivers and valleys. They often incorporate (or are even known as) greenways an approach that can reinforce either watershed planning or heritage areas, or as implied here, both. Scenic byway corridor planning is another compatible approach to the large-scale planning needed for heritage areas and watersheds; some leaders in the movement, in fact, suggest that "heritage areas" with specific boundaries may be only one approach for heritage development. The heritage tour route developed by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Commission, linking nine counties with their multiple parks, heritage sites, and heritage areas, is an example of a different, equally compatible approach to heritage development in a cultural landscape. This approach is reflected in the South Carolina heritage corridor, and has also been suggested as appropriate to the interpretation of the multi-layered cultural history of the Potomac River watershed in combination with renewed efforts to enlist local communities in addressing nonpoint source pollution.

Planning a heritage area is a variation on standard planning, greatly resembling watershed planning: steps include an assessment of the region's resources and interpretive themes (the "narratives" or "stories"); a review of the issues involved in recognition (sometimes calles a feasibility study); an agreement to move forward with substantial planning (at the federal level, this involves an act of Congress); the identification or development of an entity to coordinate the planning effort; the actual planning; and implementation. Throughout the process, local commitments are developed for concerted action under existing law and funding for initiatives newly identified through the planning process (e.g., marketing or development of a unified signage system). Public education [propaganda and brainwashing] and participation are integral to all stages.

Conclusion

In conclusion, watershed planning that incorporates an approach to heritage assessment, protection, and development may result in the achievement of multiple objectives:

Natural resource protection and enhancement, including water quality improvement.

Cultural heritage preservation, including archeology and historic preservation, including the cleanup of hazardous sites involving historic structures.

Appreciation of community and folk traditions.[REMIND ME TO COME BACK TO THIS ONE; I'VE BEEN FROSTED ABOUT IT FOR A LONG TIME; IT'S VERY REVEALING ABOUT THE TYPE/ILK OF PEOPLE WE ARE DEALING WITH.]

Improvement of recreational opportunities.

Creation of education programs celebrating geography, the environment, human history, and their interaction.

Sustainable [there's that word, again] economic development supporting heritage resources (both natural and cultural), including but not limited to heritage tourism.

Development of physical linkages through greenways, trails, scenic byways and auto tour routes.

Enhancement of community pride and self-reliance. Linkage of competing and fragmented local, state and federal 'programs.' ['voluntary' involvement with the program to be consolidated under the long reach of the 'law']

I always suspect I'm on the right track when things start going haywire. The fan on my monitor just went out, and I am going to have to keep turning it off to cool it down.

If I don't get back on-line for a while, please check out this site www.inlibertyandfreedom.com/rs2.htm I see this as their vision for all of us.

I suppose a 'Biosphere Region' may be defined as an area where bureaucrats recline at the very, very top of the food chain, dining at their leisure upon the softer flesh of lesser creatures, such as 'citizens','land-owners', and the lowly common 'taxpayer'.

LOL! Well, I wouldn't say it EXACTLY in those terms, but Rappahannock is "in" with the "in" crowd. James Kilpatrick and Sidney Gottleib are just two of many notables who have lived there, and Alan Greenspan thought enough of it to marry Andrea Mitchell here: The Inn at Little Washington, (five-stars - check out the prices.) The elite used to helicopter from the "other" Washington (that may have stopped - too noisy); limos are a popular mode of transportation now.

"Little Washington", in particular, is considered elite in the county: http://www.town.washington.va.us/index.shtml

Let me just say here that all of us, (not just the folks in Rappahannock) should take the time to visit and try to contribute financially to some of the websites of the people who have been working tirelessly to wake up America to what has been happening while they slept, and to help property owners who have been at the front lines of the assault.

I think it was through a fellow FReeper that I have discovered another property rights advocate, who has become another of my favorites: Carol LaGrasse of Property Rights Foundation of America, Inc. http://www.prfamerica.org Her focus, I believe is in the New York/New England range, but her insight is valuabe to all. If you live in the above area, I would recommend HIGHLY that you check out her site, because there is a MAJOR ASSAULT going on there against the NORTHERN FORESTS/ADIRONDACKS and the CHAMPLAIN VALLEY, as well. Sen. JEFFORDS is involved with trying to turn the LAKE CHAMPLAIN/ADIRONDACKS area into a Biosphere Reserve. I'm out of the loop again, and don't know where CARA stands in the House, but if this has passed or is passed, these UN puppets will have OUR money to STEAL OUR LANDS.

Carole LaGrasse has one article entitled A LITTLE KNOWN NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (!) PROGRAM - BIOSPHERE RESERVES http://www.prfamerica.org/ALittleKnownNPS_BioRes.html. In it she explains how the enviros are careful not to reveal that all the nice-sounding enticements such as Heritage Rivers, Save the Chesapeake, Bike Trails, Heritage Trails, Historical Sites, Cultural Sites, Bike Trails, Roadless Areas, Wilderness Areas, Endangered Species, Clean Water Initiative, CONSERVATION EASEMENTS,( http://www.prfamerica.org/ConsEaseIndex.html ), etc. etc. are nothing more than simply TRICKS to get innocent people to give up their property.

Rappahannock is a prime example of why this works so well. It is one of the most beautiful counties on the East Coast; it is a much sought-after place to live, especially for bigwigs seeking to escape DC, being 1 1/2 hours away. Then, once people get in the county, they want to keep further development out; "Let the door close behind ME." So they are ripe for the picking by the global pick-pockets, the UN/UNESCO and the Federal Reserve (which as we know, is not federal and is not a reserve, just a gimic for the international banksters to steal from the people of the world - I don't know why I was surprised to find them involved in Australia, as well as here).

In Carol LaGrasse's article, where she explains how a biosphere reserve was set aside for the Giant Panda in Tibet, the people were moved out. The same person involved with that undertaking is now involved with the Adirondack project: "The Tibetan program was a revealing United Nations mistake early in the game and would be a more truthful indicator of the real drift of the biosphere reserves than the official pronouncements about making it easier for rural people to live in harmony with their environment." Then this statement: "In the United States, THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE administrates the Biosphere Reserve programs IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE." She goes on to explain the process whereby the core area (in this case, probably the Shenandoah National Park), would gobble up the buffer, (probably along the rivers, National Historical Sites, etc.), and into the easement areas, and surrounding farms, homes, etc. These would become the new wilderness "core" and the process would start over (the Wildlands Project). Carol LaGrasse on the Structure of Biosphere Reserves: Link.