Obama Signs 'White House Rural Council,' an Agenda 21 Executive Order

John Birch Society CEO Arthur R. Thompson introduces the Stop Agenda 21 action project and shows how the UN’s Local Agenda 21 program may already be in your local community, through your home town or city’s membership in ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. Agenda 21 seeks for the government to curtail your freedom to travel as you please, own a gas-powered car, live in suburbs or rural areas, and raise a family. Furthermore, it would eliminate your private property rights through eminent domain. Agenda 21 can be stopped at the local level by organizing and informing others to encourage local government officials to end their community’s membership in ICLEI and to repeal any of the Agenda 21-related “sustainable development” laws and ordinances they have enacted. - John Birch Society, Stop Agenda 21



Sustainable Development is the United Nations’ Agenda 21 program, which calls for the government to curtail your freedom to travel as you please, own a gas-powered car, live in suburban or rural areas, determine the number of children you may have, and determine the “rates of harvest” of farms and fisheries; and it calls for the government to eliminate your private property rights through eminent domain and to increase the price on goods and services through artificial shortages and new consumer taxes.

Stop the UN's Agenda 21 & 'Sustainable Development'

Infiltrated Nation
September 17, 2011

On June 9, 2011 President Obama signed Executive Order 13575, which established the creation of the White House Rural Council (WHRC). The purpose of the WHRC is to facilitate the federal coordination and implementation of sustainable development at the local community level.

President Obama’s EO 13575 reads in part:

Section 1. Policy. Sixteen percent of the American population lives in rural counties. Strong, sustainable rural communities are essential to winning the future and ensuring American competitiveness in the years ahead. These communities supply our food, fiber, and energy, safeguard our natural resources, and are essential in the development of science and innovation. Though rural communities face numerous challenges, they also present enormous economic potential. The Federal Government has an important role to play in order to expand access to the capital necessary for economic growth, promote innovation, improve access to health care and education, and expand outdoor recreational activities on public lands.

The Executive Order references “sustainable rural communities,” which is a reference to “sustainable development” – the nomenclature for the United Nations’ Agenda 21 program.

The term “sustainable development” was popularized in the now often-cited 1987 United Nations report, entitled Our Common Future, released by the Brundtland Commission. Chaired by its namesake — Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former Director-General of the World Health Organization and the Vice President of the World Socialist Party, the Brundtland Commission defined “sustainable development” as:

…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

This became the central theme of the United Nations’ 1992 Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the UN unveiled its program on sustainable development: Agenda 21, signed on to by 178 world leaders including then-President George H. W. Bush.

Sustainable Development is the United Nations’ Agenda 21 program, which calls for the government to curtail your freedom to travel as you please, own a gas-powered car, live in suburban or rural areas, determine the number of children you may have, and determine the “rates of harvest” of farms and fisheries; and it calls for the government to eliminate your private property rights through eminent domain and to increase the price on goods and services through artificial shortages and new consumer taxes.

Maurice Strong, the Secretary-General of the United Nations 1992 Earth Summit had this to say about sustainable development:

Current lifestyles and consumption patterns of the affluent middle class — involving high meat intake, use of fossil fuels, appliances, home and work air conditioning, and suburban housing — are not sustainable.

Since Agenda 21 was not an official treaty it did not require ratification by the U.S. Senate and has instead penetrated the American heartland and coastal regions through the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), which now prefers to be known as Local Governments for Sustainability.

ICLEI was founded in 1990, as the ‘International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives,’ at the World Congress of Local Governments for a Sustainable Future, held at the United Nations in New York City. According to its website, ICLEI describes itself as “an association of over 1220 local government Members who are committed to sustainable development.” Spanning over “70 different countries and representing more than 569,885,000 people,” ICLEI facilitates local governments in the implementation of UN Local Agenda 21.

You can find out if your local government is member by taking the following three-click challenge:

• Type WWW.ICLEI.ORG on your web browser & click go
• On the top bar menu of the website click on “Members”
• On the left side column click on “Global Members”

Scroll down to the United States of America, or other country of your choosing, and see if your local town or city is listed. If listed then you will know you're a member, but if not, do not celebrate just yet; your local government may already be implementing Agenda 21 and sustainable development.

Some buzz words to look out for in your local community are mentions of “smart equity,” “smart codes,” “smart growth,” “sustainable consumption,” “sustainable development,” “sustainable land use,” and “open space.” These terms are normally associated with your local government’s board, committee, or department of “sustainability” or “redevelopment.”

These agencies are usually comprised of their own staff and governing board, appointed by your local government. You might not be aware of this because the establishment of such an agency would have likely occurred without your vote or consent and is now passing ordinances and regulations affecting your livelihood, family, home, and property.

Using ICLEI computer software and smart growth models, a host of new regulations and new zoning laws are implemented by these agencies. One such commonly used model lays out the following new law:

…Government may enter upon the land and act to put it in compliance.

In the publication, Building a More Sustainable Future in Wisconsin, published by the University of Wisconsin-Extension Sustainability Team, it recommends and promotes:

…the importance of state and federal training and education programs to generate educators, facilitators and motivators who would be capable of going into individual homes and helping people develop their own personalized sustainability action plans.

The reason for this disregard for private property rights is due to the United Nation’s view on private property. According to “Section 11.2.3.1.3 Property rights and the use of biological resources” of Global Biodiversity Assessment (1996), published for the United Nations Environment Programme:

Property rights are not absolute and unchanging, but rather a complex, dynamic and shifting relationship between two or more parties, over space and time.

This interpretation of property rights is a far cry from the Founding Fathers. President George Washington said,

“Private property and freedom are inseparable.”

His successor, President John Adams said that

“Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.”

The forefathers of this nation understood that without property rights there could not be freedom and individual liberty; the state can control the people so long as the people are on government-controlled land. The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes no recognition or mention of this fundamental right.

If Agenda 21 is fully implemented it will eventually terminate your right to own property; and once that fundamental right is lost, tyranny is ripe to flourish. Your ability to live the lifestyle you desire, your freedom to pursue and reach the American dream of owning a large home and raising a family, and the means to travel as you see fit are all at jeopardy so long as your local government adheres to the principles and protocols of Agenda 21 and sustainable development.

You can help put a halt to this United Nations’ environmental juggernaut by contacting your State Representative and State Senator and encouraging them to cease funding and oppose all measures for sustainable development.

You should also work with your local officials to withdraw from ICLEI, if your local government is a member, and to cease implementation of sustainable development measures. Click here for further resources for doing this.

Obama Signs Agenda 21-Related Executive Order

Computer World reports that during his December 6, 2008 video address, Obama announced that he would invest in new computers for schools, expanded broadband access -- particularly in rural areas -- and funding on technologies to reduce medical costs as part of his stimulus package (Obama's technology plan calls for $10 billion for the adoption of a "standards-based" electronic health information system, which would include the adoption of electronic medical records). According to a July 14, 2008 news article in Bloomberg, Obama wanted the government to take an active role in reducing poverty and rural isolation with the Web, which would be in line with Google Inc.'s agenda. In November 2007, Obama held a meeting with Google employees to outline his plan to subsidize $5 billion to rural and low-income households for high-speed internet access. [Source]

The New American
June 22, 2011

President Obama signed his 86th executive order (13575) on June 9, which established the White House Rural Council (WHRC). According to The Blaze, the Executive Order seems to be in line with the United Nations radical Agenda 21, as it is designed “to begin taking control over almost all aspects of the lives of 16 percent of the American people.”

Evidence of this can be found in Section One of the Executive Order, which reads:

Section 1. Policy. Sixteen percent of the American population lives in rural counties. Strong, sustainable rural communities are essential to winning the future and ensuring American competitiveness in the years ahead. These communities supply our food, fiber, and energy, safeguard our natural resources, and are essential in the development of science and innovation. Though rural communities face numerous challenges, they also present enormous economic potential. The Federal Government has an important role to play in order to expand access to the capital necessary for economic growth, promote innovation, improve access to health care and education, and expand outdoor recreational activities on public lands.

As the Executive Order references “sustainable rural communities,” it raises a few eyebrows, since that is one of the key phrases found in the UN plan for sustainable development known as Agenda 21. The order admits that it intends to seize greater power over “food, fiber, and energy,” items that are key to human sustenance.

The mission and function of the White House Rural Council, according to the Executive Order, is as follows:

“The Council shall work across executive departments, agencies, and offices to coordinate development of policy recommendations to promote economic prosperity and quality of life in rural America, and shall coordinate my Administration’s engagement with rural communities.”

The order doesn't at all camouflage the levels of authority it will achieve. In order to reach the mission set out, the Executive Order states that the council will “make recommendations to the President, through the Director of the Domestic Policy Council and the Director of the National Economic Council, on streamlining and leveraging Federal investments in rural areas, where appropriate, to increase the impact of Federal dollars and create economic opportunities to improve the quality of life in rural America.”

Analyzing the language of the document, The Blaze questions,

“Is there a hint that a ‘rural stimulus plan’ might be in the making? Will the Federal government start pumping money into farmlands under the guise of creating ‘economic opportunities to improve the quality of life in rural America?’ ”

The order also states that the WHRC will “coordinate and increase the effectiveness of Federal engagement with rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, education and training institutions, healthcare providers, telecommunications services providers, research and land grant institutions, law enforcement, State, local, and tribal governments, and nongovernmental organizations regarding the needs of rural America.”

In other words, the federal government will seemingly control every aspect of rural America.

The order’s mention of “nongovernmental organizations” (NGOs) should be disconcerting, as NGOs are unelected, often government-funded organizations that are key to Agenda 21.

Executive Order 13575 asserts that the WHRC will “coordinate Federal efforts directed toward the growth and development of geographic regions that encompass both urban and rural areas, and identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy development, outdoor recreation, and other conservation-related activities.”

As observed by The Blaze,

“When did outdoor recreation become a conservation-related activity?”

So who will be heading these opportunistic efforts? The following is a list of members who will be serving on the new council, which will be headed by Tom Vilsack, the current Secretary of Agriculture:

(1) the Department of the Treasury; Timothy Geithner

(2) the Department of Defense; Robert Gates

(3) the Department of Justice; Eric Holder

(4) the Department of the Interior; Ken Salazar

(5) the Department of Commerce; Gary Locke

(6) the Department of Labor; Hilda Solis

(7) the Department of Health and Human Services; Kathleen Sebelius

(8) the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Shaun Donovan

(9) the Department of Transportation; Ray LaHood

(10) the Department of Energy; Dr. Steven Chu

(11) the Department of Education; Arne Duncan

(12) the Department of Veterans Affairs; Eric Shinseki

(13) the Department of Homeland Security; Janet Napolitano

(14) the Environmental Protection Agency; Lisa Jackson

(15) the Federal Communications Commission; Michael Copps

(16) the Office of Management and Budget; Peter Orszag

(17) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; John Holdren

(18) the Office of National Drug Control Policy; R. Gil Kerlikowske

(19) the Council of Economic Advisers; Austan Goolsbee

(20) the Domestic Policy Council; Melody Barnes (former VP at Center for American Progress)

(21) the National Economic Council; Gene B. Sperling

(22) the Small Business Administration; Karen Mills

(23) the Council on Environmental Quality; Nancy Sutley

(24) the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs; Valerie Jarrett

(25) the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs; and such other executive branch departments, agencies, and offices as the President or Secretary of Agriculture may, from time to time, designate. Chris Lu (or virtually anyone to be designated by the 24 people named above).

The Blaze says of the list,

“It appears that not a single department in the federal government has excluded from the new White House Rural Council, and the wild card option in number 25 gives the president and the agricultural secretary the option to designate anyone to serve on this powerful council.”

Even more notable than the levels of power being achieved by the creation of this new council is the various connections to Agenda 21.

For example, Valerie Jarrett served as a member on the board of the Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC), which uses the language of Agenda 21 and ICLEI [International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives] as their webpage descriptively explains the organization’s work to build “sustainable communities.”

Likewise, Melody Barnes is the former Vice President of the George Soros-funded Center for American Progress. Soros is a prime advocate of Agenda 21 and in fact, his Open Society provided $2,147,415 to ICLEI.

Additionally, Hilda Solis and Nancy Sutley, through their environmental endeavors, appear to be connected to Agenda 21. In 2000, Solis received an award for her work on “Environmental Justice.” Sutley served on the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District and supported the low-flow toilets, which are now being revealed as costing more money and creating an odor problem in the city of San Francisco.

Finally, the timing of the Executive Order is a bit suspicious, since the administration is meeting with a number of Agenda 21 operatives at the end of the month. ICLEI reports:

ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI USA) and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced the launch of the National Press Club Leadership Speaker Series to be held on June 28. The event’s inaugural keynote speaker will be the Honorable Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), whose keynote address, The Road to Rio+20, will explain the role of key global and national stakeholders, and the impact and vision of this historic conference.

Fortunately, Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the radical agenda being pushed by the U.N. and supported by this government, and have hosted a number of anti-ICLEI rallies this week, with more planned in the future.

Smart Growth will increasingly herd Americans into regimented and dense urban communities. Smart Growth is Sustainable Development’s ultimate solution, as it will create dense human settlements, subject to increased controls on how residents live and increased restriction on mobility. In the words of one smart growth activist: “It will be the humans in cages with the animals looking in.”

USDA Signs MOU with Rockefeller’s Council of Foundations to Exploit Rural America

Food Freedom
August 20, 2011

On Friday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA has signed an agreement with the Council on Foundations “to provide new sources of capital, new job opportunities, workforce investment strategies,” and, last on the list but the heart of it: “identification of additional resources.”

The group will work with Obama’s newly created Rural Council, which Vilsack also chairs, to implement UN Agenda 21 – a 300-page, 40-chapter, “soft-law” policy that came out of the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Brazil in 1992.

Though couched in eco-friendly motives, Agenda 21 will “severely limit water, electricity, and transportation - even deny human access to our most treasured wilderness areas, it would monitor all lands and people. No one would be free from the watchful eye of the new global tracking and information system,” wrote Berit Kjos in 1998. (Patrick Wood believes that today’s smart grids are doing just that, and gives an excellent 40-minute speech here.)

Ironically, the Secretary made the announcement while hosting a White House Rural Forum at the Iowa State Fair, the same day news broke about how the USDA lied to farmers and ranchers about federal drought insurance. Vilsack has refused to pay up during the worse drought in US history.

The Council on Foundations formed in 1949 and was joined by the Rockefellers in 1958. It has since morphed into a think tank drawing from the government and private sector. It is funded mainly by corporations and foundations (including Ford, Lilly, and General Mills) to provide “a wide variety of services primarily for endowed, grantmaking organizations throughout the United States and in foreign countries.”

The Memorandum of Understanding will give corporations – whether dressed up as foundations or just openly themselves as profit-driven businesses – full and unhindered access to all resources in rural America, where oil, gas, uranium, coal, water and other resources are buried under people’s private property or under public lands.

In the name of “sustainable” practices, helping rural America, and creating jobs (another broken Obama promise), Obama enlisted 25 federal agencies for his Rural Council, including the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

With this new MOU, the USDA has now openly invited corporations in the name of “philanthropy” to join the Rural Council’s efforts.

Government agencies and now corporate America are openly working together to assert complete control over all of rural America, removing state sovereignty which is central to the Constitution, written in by the framers to protect the nation from tyranny.

Vilsack’s press release promises things that superficially sound positive. But if one looks closely, one can easily read the MOU as a corporate gift. Simply remove the gloss about rural America.

With gloss:

• Foster greater economic opportunities and partner in creation of new sources of rural opportunities to improve the quality of life for rural Americans
• Identify resources that can be used to produce new economic opportunities
• Promote new partnerships in workforce investment strategies and
• Develop innovative, effective and sustainable methods of collaborating to benefit rural communities.

Without gloss:

• Foster greater economic opportunities and partner in creation of new sources of opportunities to improve corporate interests
• Identify resources that can be exploited for corporate interests
• Promote new partnerships in investment strategies for corporate interests
• Develop innovative, effective methods of collaborating to benefit corporate interests.

Neither Obama’s Rural Council nor the Council on Foundations include farmers and ranchers. This is a corporate-federal assault on the country. Combined, they are moving to achieve the long-planned Agenda 21, which the Rockefellers designed, as a means of getting people off the land so that corporate interests can have direct access to resources to use as they wish.