Why Freedom Won't Die In The 21st Century
By Henry Lamb
January 5, 2009
When Bill Clinton assumed the presidency in 1993, few people had ever heard the term "sustainable development." When Barack Obama assumes the presidency on January 20, sustainable development will guide the formulation of public policy in city councils, county commissions, state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, and the U.N. General Assembly.
Sustainable development is the reorganization of society around a body of principles and recommendations set forth in a document called Agenda 21, endorsed by 179 nations in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.
Sustainable development has permeated government at every level because its sponsors have executed a magnificent marketing campaign and provided extensive funding incentives for the agencies and governments that implement Agenda 21 recommendations.
Sustainable development is government management of all development to achieve environmental protection, economic and social equity. Neither free markets nor private property rights can exist in a sustainable society managed by government.
It didn't take long for the pain of sustainable development to be felt. The federal government provided states with model legislation and generous funding incentives to enact laws that require counties to adopt a "comprehensive plan" that includes the principles of Agenda 21.
It didn't take long for freedom lovers to respond with the creation of Freedom21, pledged to "advance the principles of freedom in the 21st century." The group held its first national conference in 2000, attracting leaders of dozens of grassroots organizations from across the nation, and developed its own policy Alternative to Agenda 21.
Now, hundreds of groups have taken up the challenge to "advance the principles of freedom in the 21st century," by educating their neighbors, and their local elected officials, and showing how federal and state mandated sustainable development policies are destroying private property rights and transforming the function of local government into what the U.N. calls "governance."
Alabama's Alliance for Citizens Rights conducts regular seminars throughout the state, educating both elected officials and private citizens about the source and consequences of sustainable development and "smart growth" policies. Chairman, Ken Freeman, and Vice Chairman, Don Casey, have led the group to recognize and resist policies that infringe private property rights.
The Alliance for Citizens Rights is typical of hundreds of organizations working in the Freedom21 movement - to advance the principles of freedom. These organizations are not funded by government, or by large foundations. They consist of hard-working individuals who make time after work to see that freedom is preserved for their children and grandchildren.
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