On September 15, Virginia Public Radio, reported about the effects of the Tea Party on local politics: Namely the fight against the unconstitutional ICLEI! It actually was a fairly good rendition of the two sides. Here is the report; it actually talks about why ICLEI violates the Constitution and cites Article I, Section 10:
For those who don’t have their constitution handy, article one, section ten says states shall not enter into any agreement with a foreign Power, and ICEI, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, is a global group of more than 1,200 cities that has ties to the United Nations.
There is always a superficial response to report, too:
ICLEI helps communities figure out how to reduce their carbon footprint, provides software and educational materials and allows cities around the world to compare notes on going green. To Rich Collins, professor emeritus of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia, that seems like a good idea.
“The feeling, like well, if we join with others on behalf of common planetary concerns, somehow it’s subversive of American values. I find that absurd. Frankly, I find it laughable,” Collins says, “I think there’s a broad consensus that land use planning is essential. And land use planning is not just simply cutting land into different zones; it is dealing with the capital improvements that are needed, with the schools that must be built to accommodate the new population, of getting people from here to there. This is pretty well accepted now, except by those who perhaps have not been paying attention.”
To join with others from other nations for common political concerns and in an organization that partners with the United Nations allows cities and towns to have a foreign policy voice. This is exactly what Article I, Section 10 prohibits! I have blogged on this twice – try here and here. The Tea Party is right to oppose ICLEI and its goal of implementing Agenda 21. Here is one place where Agenda 21 affects liberty!
I am available for Virginia Public Radio to speak on this even though public radio is not authorized by the US Constitution! Reach me at ssanders at varight.com!
