By: Daniel Nardini
The John Birch Society, an extreme rightwing organization, has been talking about a part of a United Nations’ program called Agenda 21. What is Agenda 21? All it is is a voluntary program for food product sustainability. Then U.S. President George H.W. Bush signed on to this program in 1992 as an effort for local producers and development. Hundreds of U.S. cities are a part of this, and there is nothing sinister about it. However, the John Birch Society has characterized this program as a United Nations’ effort to “confiscate” American property as part of a “conspiracy” to destroy the United States. In the wild and nutsy imagination of the John Birch Society, this Agenda 21 is part of an effort by the United Nations to wipe out America and create a one world socialist government. In fact, representatives of the John Birch Society have been going around the country and trying to whip up support for their paranoid viewpoint on Agenda 21.
Well, this campaign seems to have born some pretty nasty fruit. The Alabama state legislature passed a resolution stating that no land in all of Alabama can be confiscated under Agenda 21 without due process of state law. This law got read and passed in just ten minutes. What this tells me is that there seems to be either supporters and/or outright members of the John Birch Society in the Alabama state legislature. Since Agenda 21 is little more than a voluntary program, why is it necessary to pass a law against it? There are no cases of any lands in Alabama or any other part of the United States being confiscated, seized or anything else by the United Nations under Agenda 21. There is a danger however that because of this newly passed law in Alabama that what funding from the federal government that goes to these sustainability projects could be jeopardized. The Alabama cities of Birmingham and Huntsville could be forced to withdraw from projects associated with Agenda 21, and thus not only destroying these projects but putting hundreds and maybe even thousands of people out of work.
I find it totally ironic that the State of Alabama, with all of the problems it has, passed a piece of John Birch Society-inspired legislation that is not only pointless but may do considerable damage to its downward spiraling economy. Because of Alabama’s previously passed state immigration law, many immigrants—both legal as well as undocumented—have left the state and this has caused a serious shortage of farm labor. Because of the farm labor shortage, fruit and vegetables have been left to rot in the fields and thus hurting farmers and produce middlemen in the process. Poverty has rapidly increased in the state as well. The poverty rate in Alabama stands at 17.3 percent, or 808,000 people at or below the poverty line. With these problems, you would think that the Alabama state legislature has better things to do. Apparently this is not the case, and one has to wonder what world many of the Alabama state legislators are living in?
What is Agenda 21?
By: Daniel Nardini
Well, this campaign seems to have born some pretty nasty fruit. The Alabama state legislature passed a resolution stating that no land in all of Alabama can be confiscated under Agenda 21 without due process of state law. This law got read and passed in just ten minutes. What this tells me is that there seems to be either supporters and/or outright members of the John Birch Society in the Alabama state legislature. Since Agenda 21 is little more than a voluntary program, why is it necessary to pass a law against it? There are no cases of any lands in Alabama or any other part of the United States being confiscated, seized or anything else by the United Nations under Agenda 21. There is a danger however that because of this newly passed law in Alabama that what funding from the federal government that goes to these sustainability projects could be jeopardized. The Alabama cities of Birmingham and Huntsville could be forced to withdraw from projects associated with Agenda 21, and thus not only destroying these projects but putting hundreds and maybe even thousands of people out of work.
I find it totally ironic that the State of Alabama, with all of the problems it has, passed a piece of John Birch Society-inspired legislation that is not only pointless but may do considerable damage to its downward spiraling economy. Because of Alabama’s previously passed state immigration law, many immigrants—both legal as well as undocumented—have left the state and this has caused a serious shortage of farm labor. Because of the farm labor shortage, fruit and vegetables have been left to rot in the fields and thus hurting farmers and produce middlemen in the process. Poverty has rapidly increased in the state as well. The poverty rate in Alabama stands at 17.3 percent, or 808,000 people at or below the poverty line. With these problems, you would think that the Alabama state legislature has better things to do. Apparently this is not the case, and one has to wonder what world many of the Alabama state legislators are living in?