CAHABA WATERSHED III
North Central Alabama enters the "New Age"
by Don Casey
Ideology is defined as: an overall view of or attitude toward life. It is a creed, a philosophy that frames our actions as we move through our daily lives. Society generally reflects the domaint ideology held the its members.
Symbols are often used to display the deeply held convictions of a society and/or its members. Sometimes a change of societal symbols is accompanied with much fanfare. Witness Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice's (Judge Roy Moore's) defense of the Ten Commandment monument. The symbol in this case represents an ideology that society affirmed in 1776, and because of actions taken then we have enjoyed the right to personal property.
It is true, however, that our society has not extended protection of the most basic personal property right, life itself, to the most innocent and defenseless of its members since the mid 70's. Thomas Jefferson's phrase in the Declaration of Independence: "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" was a deviation on John Locke's statement "life, liberty and property." Jefferson understood that life is the first aspect of personal property. He therefore altered the phrase to include the right of the individual to pursue his idea of personal happiness. Needless to say, society has accepted "the right to choose" philosophy over the right of the innocent victim to live. This acceptance by society sets the stage for the next transitional step for society - loss of private property rights.
A consortium of twenty municipalities within St. Claire, Jefferson and Shelby counties in the State of Alabama have contracted with Limno Tech a consulting firm to devise a plan of action to direct the growth for the area. Limno Tech has hired three additional consulting firms to aid in the project. As mentioned in prior columns EDAW, Inc., an environmental, economic, planning and design consultancy with 700 employees and 24 offices worldwide is one of the three firms.
Connecting a consortium of local governments, an international corporation, and an ideology that will strip us of our property rights is not a difficult task. In 1999 EDAW, under contract with the Department of Defense, published "Sustainable Planning: A Multi-Service Assessment 1999: Feasibility Study for Implementing Sustainable Development Concepts and Principles into the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps Land and Facilities Planning Processes and Programs."(1) This publication utilizes symbols that convey the ideology behind the words. On page 21, the globe is depicted with two swirled tear drops, commonly known as the yin and the yang. One swirl contains the word humanity, the other nature. The concept is from the Chinese religion, Taoism.
"Taoists believe that when the world began, there was only the Tao, a featureless, empty void pregnant with the potential of all things. At this point, the Tao generated swirling patterns of cloud like energy, called Qi (pronounced "chee"). This energy eventually developed two complementary aspects: Yin, which is dark, heavy, and feminine, and Yang, which is light, airy, and masculine. Yin energy sank to form the earth, yang energy rose to form the heavens, and both energies harmonized to form human beings."(2)
In EDAW's publication the phrase "yin and yang" is replaced with the more western sounding "sustainable development". EDAW describes the application of the ideology on page21: "By subscribing to the fundamental concepts of sustainability and applying them to every and all aspects of human existence, improvements can be made to the existing condition that will ensure a life-giving and healthful world for future generations."
EDAW further describes the emerging philosophy:
To date, "sustainable development" has mandated the inclusion of military chaplains who espouse a faith in ocultic beliefs. The survey of an area for endangered species prior to digging a fox hole. The elimination of lead in bullets. (The new bullets are very expensive and do not have the same characterics as the old amunitions. What this will mean on the battlefield has yet to be determined.) The list will go on and on. The ideology of "sustainable development" will destroy the effectiveness of the military. It will also destroy society as we know it.
A consortium of governments that will pay $225,000 for a plan of action to direct (and control) how the residents that reside in this north central Alabama area will grow their community will no doubt incorporate tenets of "sustainable development" into local legislation. How long the concept of personal property will retain a semblance of reality is a matter of conjecture.
Remember, the birth of that infant nation in 1776 was a happening that occurred only once in 6,000 years of recorded history.
Footnotes:
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