I should note that most often, the standard reaction to even mentioning “Agenda 21″ in casual company, tends to elicit blank stares, and a bit of a confusion as to why it is such a bad thing. It requires a thinking mind, real consideration and an understanding of human nature, but once properly understood, it is a horrifying plan to anyone that believes in private property rights, the sanctity of life, and liberty.

I am seeing it here in Traverse City.  A “Grand Visioning” has been going on with the classic group manipulation tool set of ‘consensus’ building to make a more ‘perfect community that is ‘liveable,’ and ‘sustainable,’ etc..”  As a county commissioner, I have had an opportunity to speak up about what it is, but I must say, there are only a couple of us who understand what Agenda 21 is.

Myself, and another board member, a dedicated socialist, understand what it is.  We simply have different desires with regard to our liberties.  I happen to enjoy, cherish and respect mine.

From the Patriot Update:

Agenda 21 and related programs will eliminate many things we hold dear. These have been declared “unsustainable” and will be abolished. Here are some of them:

1. All private property rights (property ownership)
2. All forms of irrigation, pesticides & commercial fertilizer
3. Livestock production and most meat consumption
4. Privately owned vehicles and personal travel
5. Use of fossil fuels for power generation or mechanized travel
6. Single family homes
7. Most forms of mineral extraction and timber harvesting
8. Human population must be reduced to fewer than 1 billion people

It’s not coming from Washington D.C. or state legislatures for the most part. It is seeping in through local city and county governments. Agenda 21 brings with it stealthy code words, comforting words such as “smart growth,” “social justice,” “bio-diversity,” and “sustained development.” You will hear them often. Translated these terms effectively mean total environmental dictatorship and the elevation of the pagan practice of the worship of Mother Earth. Not a joke.

179 countries, including the United States, initially signed on to the Agenda in 1992. Many more have joined since then. It is already in progress in 600 U.S. cities. You can check the list of committed countries and cities at: http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=11454. You can also read the specific programs being implemented.

Read the rest. Follow the links to the official UN sites.

THINK! And make your own assessments.

Procreation.

Truly the greatest boon to mankind, must be considered mankind.  For what we have been made of, is that which allows us to continue our replication through miracle after miracle.  Humanity exists only through this process.  With each child conceived, holding endless possibilities and promise, rights, and responsibility.  Each woman who carries out the responsibility of carriage in these repeating miracles is indeed the most important figure in a child’s life.

It has been said that no man could endure the trauma of childbirth.  Yet repeatedly the process continues by those whom we know as our tireless protectors when we are young.  Treating each of us as treasure, and investment into the miracle of God’s work which is humanity.  Her pain turning to joy as we mature and grow, and change, and become vital.

How could we not love, admire, respect our Mother?  Passing on all that she is, and more, to protect, nurture, and advocate that miracle into continuum.  Forever guaranteeing more sons, more daughters and to be sure, more mothers.

Cherished thoughts and gratitude to our moms.

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Ann Arbor - Manny Pflaeger says the new government credits program has saved his business.

Pflaeger, a bar owner in East Ann Arbor caters to a mostly homophobic male crowd that could not previously find a comfortable setting for their after work drinking. Now, with the help of the Federal Gay Alternative Credit program, he can cater to their desire to drink in a homo free environment. He says:

“I wish they would have thought of this years ago!  I was able to fire all the light-in-the-loafer bunch, and get some hard core dandys who don’t threaten the clientele.”

Pflaeger’s participation in the program began with the Luchisi V. Moran supreme court decision that held, ( among other things) “a business owner’s responsibility to the community requires it to observe the make up of that community in its hiring practices.”  In other words, his employee make up was to be directed by the community make up which could be nearly 20% homosexual.

This presented a major problem for Pflaeger, who has been battling local authorities in his hiring practices, and found himself “stuck” with 4 of his 20 employees whom are gay, and tease the patrons with their subtle mannerisms. The Luchisi case decision, and Sonia Sotomayor’s writing for the majority held:

“Just because they act gay does not constitute a violation of employment conditions.  Further, to dissect mannerisms to that point where it is used as an excuse for dismissal, is unacceptable”

So Pflaeger was out of luck..  until the Federal Gay Alternative Credit program began.  The program, now winding up its first year, has allowed non gay friendly business entities to “purchase” licenses from local governments in lieu of hiring actual homosexuals.  The Federal Gay Alternative Credit program was based on the Carbon Credit program where the non use of certain “allowances” allowed the owners of those allowances to “sell” to either local government or to other polluters directly.

In this case, Pflaeger was able to buy credits that were provided by other businesses that were homo-laden enterprises.  And it has his business seeing double digit recovery in a matter of months.  After boasting of his improved numbers he exclaimed:

ALSO.. check this out.. I was able to get some business smoking credits from a closed up Indian casino, so I’m back in business there as well!

The success of this new method of raising money by government and balance of trade practices has not gone unnoticed by lawmakers and regulators who have already begun implementing Racial Credit programs, and Childless family Alternative Credits.

In fact, The EEOC has proposed a new method of balancing concerns between race issues and actual qualifications when hiring.   It is remarkably similar to both the carbon credits AND the Gay Alternative credit programs. They have devised a formula where business that exists in some areas with low racial diversity can “buy” exemptions from actual highly diverse or racially monochromatic business environments.  Head of the new program within this federal department, Dr. Judith Castor says:

“We feel we have a way to settle issues for those who don’t want to spend the resources seeking a diverse workforce, and solve the balance issue in other environments as well.”

Dr. Castor, a U of M graduate is proud that the new program will have its first trials in Michigan, and will be administering it from Ann Arbor, a fully diverse environment.

“Providing guidance to those within the program requires a certain degree of neutrality, and the federal standards established to determine which mixture of races is appropriate in work environments has determined that Ann Arbor Michigan meets nearly all of its requirements without modification.”

Diversity it appears, does have its advantages.

However, the Childless Family Alternative Credit program has not been received so well, as a part of that program is being challenged by pro life groups who claim there is too much incentive to “harvest babies” for cash credits.  The particular provision Sec 1A of the CFAC says that “an aborted fetus turned in once per semi year re-certifies that family for another year of the claimed allowance.”

What this means, is the certified family gets to “double dip,” which angers many within the Right to life movement.

Indeed, there seems to be a correlation between the newest program of shedding family size, and an uptick in abortion rates, as the abortion on demand figures have been bumped almost 40% since the program’s inception 4 months ago.

But apparently there is an upside. Though Right to life types still cry foul, others praise the new law’s side effects:

“The embryonic stem cell harvesting has been phenomenal!”

Says Dr. Geoffrey Milfrank of the MedCed fertility centers in Livonia.  Milfrank describes a new break through that could cure infant mortality because of the increased availability of human embryos for experimentation.

Our researchers, prior to the CFAC had to be very careful about how they handled the specimens.  Now because embryos are so plentiful if we make a mistake we start over.  It has sped up the process exponentially!”

Milfrank said he expects a banner year.

What happens when you let go of the steering wheel of your car while moving at a high rate of speed?  You might go straight, for a time, then a random stone, pot hole, or fresh roadkill could yet divert even the most calibrated and aligned vehicle, so off the edge you go..

There it is.. in a nutshell..  life.

In a perfect world, the roads are straight and not a speck of dust occupies our path.  Blissfully, through eternity we would pass with neither deviation, nor would we be burdened by having to make choices.  A perfect world would find humanity doing all the right things exactly.. and all the time.  A perfect world would have no need, and frankly no tolerance for any form of randomness.

We have randomness however, and things happen that require our input. And over time, and through uncountable civilizations, all the while retaining the free will given to us by our creator, we have established guides, and principles which form the foundations of civil responsibility, and action.  Those guides serve as limits that we either observe in a manner befitting our gift of choice, or the civilizations that we are a part of perish.

The Ten Commandments have provided an adequate plank for civilized society in western culture and must certainly be respected in some form for most others in order for them to flourish.

(1)  There is but One God, You shall have no other gods before me , You shall not make for yourself an idol
(2)  You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God
(3)  Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
(4)  Honor your father and mother
(5)  You shall not murder
(6)  You shall not commit adultery
(7)  You shall not steal
(8)  You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
(9)  You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife
(10) You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor

The very foundation of civilization as we know it is essentially premised upon these 10 items.  Even the most secular among us should recognize Seven of the Ten as worthy rules, that if broken do harm to family, community, and society as a whole.  The first three should be noted however, as they point out a characteristic we have that seeks leadership and modeling.

Observing “One God,” as a guide, prevents us from throwing our trust entirely as we would our deity into a mere mortal who is imperfect as ourselves.  Why should we follow blindly as perfect, that which is not perfect.  We have been given free will, and to choose to abdicate our will to a false vision of perfection binds us to that imperfection.

Then, using gods name in vain (wrongful use) furthers the disconnect to the above precept.  It provides a disrespect  that obliges them to focus attention to others as more better than God. (or Perfection)  Fundamentalists would describe it as “blaspheme,” and might describe it further as a tool for the devil to distract the will to false premises. In any event, it is socially destructive even on a secular level as it is most often used in a negative context, and promotes NO good will.

“The sabbath” in almost any of its incarnations throughout civilization means a “resting time” or a day or a season of rest. Prayer and communion is often a part of it.  To “keep it holy,” as a reason to focus on the day perhaps, but the underlying message is that all good works, or WORK deserves rest.  A recuperative and possibly a reflective period, the Sabbath serves in even those secular parts of our society as a break in our routine allowing perspective between work cycles.

The very reason I discuss these three, is that while not realizing it, we still must observe even the most abstract representations of these “rules,” or perish as a society that at the very least, is worth living in.

Even without a belief in God, these three items are important.

The Ten Commandments as a whole, are under constant attack however.  The suggestion they are a religious set of beliefs only flies in the face of laws and tradition in some of the worlds nations which are quite agnostic or atheist. Yet relativists might attempt to persuade the confused adolescent or adult even, that such things matter not. “SIN, as it is, is merely relative to the situation,” by promoting adultery, in public venues, and condoning theft and immoral behavior by sometimes “heroes” of cinema routinely.

Our deception is so complete, that we ascribe human characteristics to animals, perhaps innocently enough, but then place a value on those same animals higher than what we place on human life.

We murder our own children, then call for a stop to life saving and enhancing measures, because of a perceived threat to a particular bird’s existence. Millions starve.

We publish our weaknesses as if to spread it, compound it, make it grow, so that all may revel in the luridness. And this makes it OK.

We reward abnormal behavior with a growing social normalizing of sloth, bigotry, and broken families. This in turn grows the same ever more.

And in the name of “Good,” our leaders take from those who still “cling” to the commandments, who still live with ethic and a desire for Godliness. Our leadership takes the perfection that mans hands have created. Produce, Effort, and Pure Will subjected to the whim of Destruction, Laziness, and Apathy.

Our leadership in the name of “goodliness” or “Godliness,” substitutes randomness and the imperfection of man for the tried, and highly successful commandments that have held up civilizations for eons.

Whether one believes in the commandments as a tool of God to teach perfection, though we might never obtain such a status, or the casual law abiding atheist, the commandments serve as a tool to advance the betterment of social norms, and provide a means in which we can interact more peacefully.  Ignoring them, a society goes the way of the most recent “idol” worshiped, Michael Jackson, on the way forgetting God, reasonable standards, and its real heroes who deserve a little more credit.

Keeping our lives between the lines does require action. It requires a vigilance on our part knowing how to make the right decisions and using a base knowledge of what is right, or even moral. As the norms occur outside respectable behavior, and run contrary to the very foundation of what civil society is based on, it becomes increasingly harder to stay on an always changing path, between the ditches on that road we call life.

First of all, if you have the luxury of reading this, then you have the ability to read, and using a computer suggests you have, or can make choices on priorities which affect you.  The ability to plan and make decisions is a blessing. As is the following:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

We are all blessed by our creator with those thing that cannot be taken away by man.

I give thanks for life.  I give thanks for our equality, and ability to pursue through our own personal best means to attain what enjoys us.  I give thanks for the founders, who recognizing tyranny, did the responsible thing for the benefit of future (our) generations. I give thanks to the efforts of men, who in their own pursuits have created from natural resources provided by God.. WONDROUS devices and happiness enhancing products.

We all have much to be thankful for, no matter our station.  In contrast to the hardships faced by the pilgrims who sailed to this great land, today’s poorest in the US are in a far better place. Today’s Middle class live in the luxury of yesterday’s Kings.  ALL of us have the ability to make decisions, to abide by the best practices to improve our personal situations, or to help those who are not as able.

We should all be in a place to give thanks.