U.N. Agenda 21 Impacts Private Property Rights and Freedom – Article #3

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O’Neil – 

Our last article, “Are You Under Attack by UN Agenda 21,” exposed the “United Nation Agenda 21″ scheme to grab American citizens’ property rights and freedoms. While that information is not exactly going viral throughout America, more and more people are realizing something unusual and troubling is happening in America.

That is good news, because the more citizens become observant and knowledgeable, the better chance we have of stopping what many now believe is an invasive attack upon us. While property rights are a major part of Agenda 21, it encompasses far more areas of our lives, with new laws and adverse changes from our government. We will explain the other tentacles of this odious United Nations agenda in future editions. This article will inform you of more ways it impacts our property and freedom, as well as our natural resources, parks and historic landmarks.

We must deny the assumption that only government can protect nature, air, soil, water, and open spaces. History informs us that all societies run by totalitarian governments experience severe environmental degradation where there is little or no private property and a misuse of resources. The end result is a chasm which develops between the haves and have-nots and a resulting bleak future for individual citizens.

An example of personal property being taken by the government is The Wildlands Project. It dictates how land is to be set aside for non-humans, and if your property happens to be located in one of their designated areas, you become less important than animals. In Kern County, California, there are 400 such areas planned.  The pretense to confiscate the land is that it is national forest land, with the claim “it is good for the people.”There is a definite push to have people become more dependent by relocating them from suburbs into cities, out of private homes into condos, and out of private cars onto their bikes or electric cars.  Bike lanes and bike paths are all the rage right now, as cities and rural areas are being remade in accordance to the sustainable model.  With high density urban developments, parking for cars could be eliminated, as there would be no need for vehicles that sprew forth CO2.  As documented in the Fifth Assessment Report issued by the U.N. International Panel of Climate Change (ipcc) on September 27. 2013, manmade Global Warming was attributed in large part to CO2 emissions.

In 2013 San Francisco Bay Area residents battled city planners on the implementation of “Plan Bay Area and Senate Bill 345”— known as the “smart growth” program — which called for the moving of people from rural communities into the city’s urban sprawl so government would have more control over how they impacted the environment.   Rosa KIoire, a former forensic appraiser and the founder of Democrats Against UN Agenda 21, believes the smart growth plan is more about making people live closer together so government can have more control over them than about any environmental impact.

The Monument Act was originally created to protect America’s historical landmarks and/or structures from being destroyed. That Act is now being used by the federal government to grab land for their own purposes.  Those who designed the Act did not foresee something as odious as Agenda 21, and trusted that our federal government would never use the Act for any other purpose than to preserve our monuments. However, abuses are happening, as the citizens of New Mexico can testify. In December of 2012, President Obama used the Monument Act to grab the area known as the Taos Plateau, even though that area lacked properties that would qualify it for a national monument.  That area of the state has enormous underground resources, such as oil, coal, and uranium, resources that could be providing economic benefits to both the state and its residents.  Rather than create jobs that would benefit the people who live in New Mexico, that land now belongs to the government.

Then there is the Clean Water Act of 1972 where even mud puddles can become wetlands that must be protected.  Should an area be deemed a wetland, the owner is no longer allowed to use or sell it. One of the more mindless abuses of the law happened in California.   Using a provision in the Clean Water Act, which provided for a healthy habitat for fish, California officials purposely diverted the Sacrament River and allowed that essential water supply to flow into the ocean. Sound too incredible to believe?   What would ever cause such a strange action?

A relatively unknown, small SMELT fish was being caught in pumps that supplied water to the valley.  The fish was on the endangered list and citing the Endangered Species Act, a judge ordered the pumps that watered the valley turned off and the water diverted, lest the Delta melt be disturbed   That water supply was needed to irrigate hundreds of thousands of acres  of farm area in California, and without it, farmers were forced to watch once thriving fruit groves to wither and die, as well as other types of crops throughout a huge region in the California valley.  Jobs were lost, lives were destroyed, all because the government chose to protect a fish over peoplewhose lives depended upon their farming their land for a living.  Even when California fell victim to a severe drought, the government would not relent and let the river flow along its normal course.  We now live in a land in which a fish is more important than people.  Certainly this is not what our forefathers intended of the law, but an overreaching government has abused our freedoms.

The erosion of property rights has continued despite public backlash, as it did in the Supreme Court Kelo v. New London decision in 2005, which allowed a Connecticut town to seize private property not just for public use, but also for private development surrounding new offices for the Pfizer Inc. drug corporation. In 2009, New York state’s highest court ruled the state could use eminent domain to seize large numbers of homes and businesses in Brooklyn to make room for a new arena for New Jersey Nets basketball. Even more grievous, in 2005, The Supreme Court ruled that local governments may force property owners to sell out and make way for private economic development when officials decide it would benefit the public, even if the property is not blighted and the new project’s success is not guaranteed.

You are probably wondering whom is behind the U.N. Agenda 21 plan. Unfortunately, quite a few world-wide leaders, including many in our own country.   Not surprising, one of the more prominent is George Soros, a billionaire and liberal socialist, who strongly supports Agenda 21.   Soros’ money has been tracked to funding parts of ICLEI, as early as 1997 when his “Open Society” gave ICLEI over 2 million dollars to support a Local Agenda 21 Project.  His billions fund over 90 leftist organizations such as ACORN, SEIU, MoveOn.org, Occupy Wall Street, the ACLU and most any that promote his far-left agenda. In a subsequent article we will discuss how Soros’ Open Society Institute has partnered with the U. S. Department of Education to promote a global education initiative to bring about the nationalization of the American education system known as Common Core, endorsed by Arne Duncan, Obama’s left leaning Secretary of Education.

We can only hope that we can defeat Agenda 21 before experiencing any more government abuses.  One way to stop Agenda 21 from infiltrating American is to vote for Conservative candidates who oppose U.N. Agenda 21.  Oh, and not just vote, but support them in every way possible.  Educate yourself about the candidates and then talk to your friends, relatives, and neighbors …. maybe even your grocery store clerk.  Whatever it takes:  Vote against the slick liberals who make claims they have no intention of keeping.  Look at their records, not their rhetoric.  There is an ongoing war for our future, and we need good men to fight on the side of liberty and freedom.

When the defense of liberty becomes a crime, tyranny is already in force. At that point, failure to defend liberty makes slavery a certainty.

Monday, March 31, 2014 at 08:37 AM | Permalink

Common Coreis a botched government experiment

Metro East’s Legal Journal

March 26, 2014 9:09 AM
By Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

Isn’t it enough to have one botched government program that adversely affects many more Americans than it promised to help?  The Obama administration is also responsive for launching the highly controversial Common Core.

While everyone has heard about Obamacare, this is not the case with Common Core, a United Nations UNESCO global education agenda.  The Tides Foundation in conjunction with UNESCO and Bill Gates of Microsoft had Common Core prepared prior to Obama’s election, and once elected the funding was incorporated into the stimulus bill of 2009 and funded without knowledge or consent of Congress, as usual.

Most telling is that Arne Duncan, Obama’s Secretary of Education, is a strong proponent of UNESCO.  A “Race to the Top” grant program was used to help persuade the states into signing onto the curriculum sight unseen in 2010.  If states did not agree to implement the Common Core curriculum, the education grant monies for the states was withheld.

With Common Core curriculum, students will no longer be taught math, literature, history, science or social studies the same way we were taught. Also, much of this nation’s history has been distorted or eliminated by the authors of Common Core. It is a one size fits all approach to education which does not address the unique individuality of each child.

Most disturbing is that the progressive movement will flourish through the indoctrination of students, who will be lured into accepting an extreme leftist ideology.  I am not suggesting that this will happen in the U.S., but millions of German young people were won over to Nazism in the classroom. The indoctrination of students is not new; it has happened in Germany and continues in Middle Eastern countries today.

As with most every government program, there are those who stand to make substantial profits from it.  Realizing the escalating controversy over Common Core, those who will benefit from it have begun promoting it through expensive advertisements. They are countered by pockets of parents and concerned citizens all through America who are demanding their state legislators stop implementing Common Core.

Perhaps most significant is the growing number of teachers who are highly critical of the Common Core curriculum and have begun speaking out against it. Their concern forced the attention of the National Education Association (NEA) president Dennis Van Roekel, who recently made the startling confession that Common Core was indeed botched. The battle rages on.

It was on February 19, 2014, when NEA president Dennis Van Roekel posted a letter to union members at NEAToday.org, breaking with his administration pals by admitting that Common core implementation had been botched. This followed intense teachers’ representative dissatisfaction with Common Core during the 2013 NEA convention at which delegates from the floor introduced two measures, both of which failed to pass.  The measures condemned Obama’s education policies outright and were critical of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Teachers, parent and concerned citizens knew several years ago that Common Core was seriously flawed, but no one wanted to hear those complaints. Those who did complain were often labeled as extremists, malcontents and nut-jobs. Obama’s Secretary of Education Arne Duncan even said he found it “fascinating” that Common Core opponents were “white suburban moms who all of a sudden discovered their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were. . . .”  Some wonder if Duncan is equally as fascinated now that the one finding fault with Common Core is his union ally.

In his letter Van Roekel maintains that “scuttling these standards” is a bad idea, but still maintains that “the union wants to make a strong course correction and move forward.”

Van Roekel further suggests allowing teachers “time to field-test the standards in classrooms to determine what works and what needs adjustment.”  As standards have started to be implemented in 46 states and the District of Columbia, doesn’t it seem a little late to be field testing?

According to the NGA (National Governors Association) the CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers), and their agent, Achieve, Inc., teacher input had been included.  Not so claims Van Roekel who wrote:

“The very people expected to deliver universal access to high quality standards with high quality instruction have not had the opportunity to share their expertise and advice about how to make [CC] implementation work for all students, educators, and parents.”

Van Roekel’s letter ends with this proclamation:

“There’s too much at stake for our children and our country to risk getting this wrong.  That is exactly what Common Core opponents have been saying for years.”

On March 26, State Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) will present HR 543 before the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee in Springfield. This resolution urges the Illinois State Board of Education to delay the implementation of Common Core standards until a study is conducted showing the costs associated with Common Core.

What are the chances Illinois will opt out of the Common Core curriculum as was announced by Governor Mike Pence of Indiana on Tuesday, March 25?  The chances, slim to none.

Illinois accepted Common Core sight unseen in 2010.  Endorsed wholeheartedly by the Illinois Education Union, Common Core is now being implemented across the state.

Abraham Lincoln is credited with the warning:  “The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.”

Vladimir Lenin, a notorious Russian communist, knew the power of controlling schools and once said, “Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”

Heed Lenin’s declamation and take action if you care about the future of this nation. It is imperative that you take an interest in how and what your children are learning.  If you don’t have children of school age, attend board meeting, ask questions, and be ready to confront school administrators and school boards with facts about the progressive Common Core experiment which was never tried or tested before using children as guinea pigs.

Nancy Thorner

Lake Bluff, Ill.

This entry was posted in Arguments, Letters to the Editor. Bookmark the permalink.

http://madisonrecord.com/arguments/263591-common-core-is-a-botched-government-experiment

Thorner/O’Neil: UN Agenda 21 schemes to grab property rights – #2 in series

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O’Neil

You may be one of the unlucky Americans that have already experienced the heavy hand of government intruding on your personal property rights. However, today most Americans remain unaware of the planned and unprecedented power grab, inflicted on Americans by a relatively “quiet” agreement our government made with the United Nations, known as U.N. Agenda 21.

It is thought by many to be more of a scheme, with the claim it is being initiated in order to save the world by creating a sustainable environment. If allowed to continue, the plan will change America in many ways. Many of our treasured freedoms and rights will be systematically removed. Many see Agenda 21 as the ultimate goal to gain world-wide control and create a one-world-governing body.

What would it involve and how would it impact American citizens? Forget your dream of a two story home on your own piece of land. Instead the plan is to force us to settle for a nightmare. Conjure up an image of China … specifically a city like Beijing with few private homes and massive apartment buildings. A place where people will likely live in zones connected by congested freeways, and all controlled by an untouchable government.

It was George Washington who said, “Private property and freedom are inseparable,” with John Adams affirming that “Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.”  Those wise words are no longer embraced by members of the Agenda 21 group, some of whom are America’s top leaders.

How close is this plan to creating an environment much like that of a Communist state?

Well, Communism is defined as a system of social organization in which economics and property are controlled by the state, offering its citizens few rights or freedoms. One would think that since such a system has never prospered, it would not be attempted again, and certainly not in a country like the United States, one of the most successful countries in the world. America had the good fortune of forefathers who gave us an amazing Constitution, Bill of Rights, and a   form of government that is the envy of the World.  We have prospered and welcomed others to embrace and enjoy it with us. We have been blessed with the ability to own property; our very own piece of chosen land, which can be passed on to our heirs. Why would we risk losing our freedoms?  Who would willingly hand over their property and lose our many freedoms, due to a United Nations Agenda?

The powers behind Agenda 21 knew most people would resent being manipulated by the government into drastic changes in their life style. They did not expect us to easily give up our homes and move to newly designed, massive apartment complexes in a different neighborhood, and raise families in cramped housing units.  They know we want the freedom to choose the car we enjoy driving, where and when we want to travel, and the size of family we choose to have.

They needed to devise a clever way to convince Americans to surrender their rights and basic freedoms granted them by our wise forefathers. Thus, we began to hear reports of man-made global warming, which included dire warnings of calamities likely to occur as a result.  They claimed man was causing icebergs to melt, potentially causing oceans to overflow onto our shores.  They warned we must make drastic changes in our lives to survive the tragedy. They claimed it to be “proven science”.  It was not; in fact quite the contrary. Evidence began emerging indicating the World had actually been in a cooling phase for the past couple of decades.

Soon, a growing number of scientists and climatologists began refuting claims of global warming.  When massive ships became stuck in thick ocean ice packs and whales became trapped under large ice pockets off the Canadian coast, Agenda 21 masterminds and global warming enthusiasts quickly changed their terminology to “Climate Change”, a much safer title so that any change in our climate can be blamed on you and me, and thus justify laws that dictate those radical changes.

[ The Heartland Institute, located in Chicago, IL, Joe Bast, President, was called “the world’s most prominent think tank promoting skepticism about man-made climate change” by The Economist, May 26, 2012. Due to be released by The Heartland Institute in April are Climate Change Reconsidered II:  Biological Impacts and Climate Change Reconsidered II:  Human Welfare, Energy and Policies. The reports are produced by the Nongovernmental International Panel of Climate Change (NIPCC), which counters the reports of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warning of dangerous and catastrophic human effects on climate based largely on CO2 emissions. ]

Without the threat of oceans warming and flooding our land, what might entice people to make the uncomfortable changes dictated by Agenda 21?   Possibly one or a combination of the following might work:  Create a downward economy and/or economic crisis, cause jobs to be scarce, create further economic woes through escalating gasoline costs, and higher taxes.  Then develop amazingly attractive advertisements of high rise apartments, with low rental fees that are located close to one’s place of employment.  That plan worked in China, and is currently a theme in colleges throughout America.

As documented in our introductory article on the U.N. Agenda 21 published Sunday, March 23, “U.N. Agenda 21 designed to spawn  a one-world-government,” a non-governmental organization called the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) is tasked with carrying out the goals of Agenda 21 worldwide.  It is currently being implemented locally through ICLEI USA which was launched in 1995 and now has a solid network of cities, towns and counties.  Their agenda has not received much attention in the media, so don’t feel badly if the name is new to you.  The organization has  gradually and quietly been making changes within our cities, often clothed in clever phrases, such as “smart growth”, “clean energy”, “sustainability”, “redevelopment”, “high density urban mixed use development” and “intelligent cities”.

Has ICLEI invaded your county or city yet?  Not sure?  Check for the “buzz” words on the agendas of your city council meetings. Better yet, begin attending city and county board meetings

An example of how ICLEI operates in our cities and counties was recently evident in a semi-rural area of Santa Rosa, California; a beautiful and quiet area in which family homes and properties are located with a creek running through their property.  The residents had never heard of Agenda 21, ICLEI, sustainable development, or any of the other language associated with Agenda 21, until they received a post card in the mail from a concerned citizen, suggesting they attend a City Council meeting where the officials were expected to vote for a law that would take a specific amount of land on each side of the river (100 feet) and claim what was private property to be designated as government property.  Shocked, the residents all marched to the meeting, determined to stop the plan to rob them of their property.  Surprised by the overwhelming number of furious residents, the Council put their vote on hold.  It has not been put on the City’s agenda since.

The action of one knowledgeable citizen saved those Santa Rosa residents’ property rights.  If we are to save our cities and our rights, we too must become educated on all the tentacles of United Nations Agenda 21.   Watch for our next edition, as we will provide you with more facts about another facet of this insidious plan.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 10:30 AM | Permalink

Twin ‘botched’ government programs: ObamaCare and Common Core

By Nancy Thorner – 

Who could forget about the botched ObamaCare roll out of last fall by the Obama administration when on September 26 Obama said, “… most of the stories you’ll hear about how ObamaCare just can’t work is just not based on facts. Every time they have predicted something not working, it’s worked.” But when people did start shopping for insurance coverage on October 1, Healthcare.gov crashed.

This past Sunday just happened to be the 4-year anniversary of Obamacare, the president’s signature domestic policy achievement. But despite the wishful thinking of the Obama Administration, and many Washington Democrats, the American people are getting hit with higher premiums and fewer choices, while seniors on Medicare are left with much uncertainly and confusion over what kind of care they will receive.

Americans certainly aren’t celebrating Obamacare’s 4th anniversary. The results of the latest Pew Research survey show 53% of respondents approving of Obamacare, while 41% approve. Opposition to Obamacare is just one point shy of the poll’s all-time high.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are on record to spend $52 million on paid media in a final push before the end of the open enrollment on March 31.  Even so, signups for Obamacare have fallen short of early estimates of seven million now to a hoped for six million.  $52 million represents $17 per head on Obamacare ads

Isn’t it enough to have one botched government program that adversely affect many more Americans than it portend to help?

While everyone has heard about Obamacare, this is not true with Common Core.  In actuality Common core is a United Nations UNESCO global education agenda.  The Tides Foundation in conjunction with UNESCO and Bill Gates of Microsoft had Common Core prepared prior to Obama’s election and once elected, the funding was incorporated into the Stimulus bill of 2009 and funded without knowledge or consent of Congress as usual.  Most telling is that Arne Duncan, Obama’s Secretary of Education, is a strong proponent with UNESCO.  A “Race to the Top” grant program was used to coerce the States into signing onto the Curriculum sight unseen in 2010.   If states did not agree to implement the Common core Curriculum, the education grant monies for the States was withheld.

With Common Core curriculum, students will no longer be taught the usual math, literature, history, science or social studies.  The curriculum as designed is even now changing how children learn.  Much of this nation’s history has been distorted or eliminated by the authors of Common Core.  It is a one size fits all approach to education which doesn’t address the unique individually of each child.  Most disturbing is that the progressive movement will have achieved its goal if Common Core is allowed to flourish with its indoctrination of students who as adults will be in tune with extreme leftist ideology.  I am not suggesting that this will happen in the U.S., but millions of German young people were won over to Nazism in the classroom.

Not unlike Obamacare, ads have been launched but by big business who want Common Core imposed to blunt the momentum of conservatives and grassroots parents across the country in their efforts to stop the implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards, but a rose by any other name is still Common Core!   A coalition including the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commercehave launched a national advertising blitz stemming from a sense that this is a make-or-break moment for the Common Core which has come under siege in many states who had originally signed on to Common Core in 2010

Unlike Obamacare, the president of the National Education Association (NEA), Dennis Van Roekel, admitted that Common Core had been botched.

On February 19, 2014, Dennis Van Roekel, President of the nation’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association (NEA) posted a letter to union members at NEAToday.org, breaking with his administration pals by admitting that Common core implementation had been botched. This confession followed intense teachers’ representative dissatisfaction with Common Core during the 2013 NEA convention at which delegates from the floor introduced two measures, both of which failed to pass.  The measures condemned Obama’s education policies outright and were critical of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Teachers and parents knew several years ago that CC was seriously flawed. No one wanted to hear those complaints. Many were labeled as extremists, malcontents, and nut-jobs. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan even said he found it “fascinating” that Common Core opponents were “white suburban moms who — all of a sudden — their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were. . . .” Some wonder if Duncan is equally fascinated now that the one finding fault with Common Core is his union ally.

In his letter Van Roekel maintains that “scuttling these standards” is a bad idea, but still maintains that “the union wants states to make a strong course correction and move forward.” (Tying teacher evaluations to student test results remains a sore spot that has never been popular with teachers unions.)

Van Roekel further suggests allowing teachers “time to field-test the standards in classrooms to determine what works and what needs adjustment.”  As standard have started to be implemented in 46 states and the District of Columbia doesn’t it seem a little late to be field testing?

According to the NGA (National Governors Association) the CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers), and their agent, Achieve, Inc., teacher input had been included.  Not so claims Van Roekel who wrote:

The very people expected to deliver universal access to high quality standards with high quality instruction have not had the opportunity to share their expertise and advice about how to make [CC] implementation work for all students, educators, and parents.

Van Roekel’s letter ends with this proclamation:

There’s too much at stake for our children and our country to risk getting this wrong.  That is exactly what Common Core opponents have been saying for years.

Illinois accepted Common Core sight unseen in 2010.  Endorsed wholeheartedly by the Illinois Education Union, Common Core is now being implemented across the state. You have a chance to respond with positive action.

Yesterday (Monday, March 24) an Illinois Family Institute E-Alert was received informing of a requested delay in the implementation of Common Core.

Illinois Review followed through with an article yesterday coinciding with the announcement by the IFI, titled, “State Representative Kay Announces Bill to Delay Implementation of Common Core.”

The Illinois Family Institute E-Alert reads:

This Wednesday, State Representative Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) will be presenting HR 543 before the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee.  This resolution will urge the Illinois State Board of Education to delay the implementation of Common Core Standards until a study is conducted showing the costs associated with Common Core.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to create a witness slip in support of Rep. Kay’s bill to delay the implementation of Common Core.  Enter information into all the fields. Click on Proponent and Record of Appearance Only. Type in the Captcha Numbers, check the Terms of Agreement, then click on Create a Slip.

If able to attend, the hearing for HR 543 will be held on Wednesday, March 26th, 8:00 a.m. in room D-1 of the Stratton building located at 401 S. Spring Street in Springfield.  

Vladimir Lenin, a notorious Russian communist, knew the power of controlling schools and once said, “Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”   Heed Lenin’s declamation and take action if you care about the future of this nation.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 10:30 AM | Permalink

 

Thorner & O’Neil: U.N. Agenda 21 designed to spawn a one-world government – #1 in series

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O’Neil – 

Most people in America don’t even realize that a U.N. program exists and is being enacted in our country right now. It is so complicated and difficult to believe that many simply dismiss it, considering it just a conspiracy theory. But even a cursory investigation reveals it is very real and the evidence is easily attained. It is called: “United Nations Agenda 21.” It is pure communistic in nature. We all must fight against it, if we are to remain a free people and nation. First, you have to learn the truth about it and its many tentacles which reach into almost every aspect of our lives.

The specific plan, United Nations Agenda 21 Sustainable Development, is to be implemented worldwide in order to inventory and control all land, all water, all minerals, all plants, all animals, all construction, all means of production, all energy, all education, all information, and all human beings in the world.”

A product of The Rio Conference held at Rio de Janeiro from June 3 – 14, 1992 (Rio Declaration of Environment and Development), Agenda 21 marked a new beginning for the U.N. and represented a decided point of departure for the world organization. Americans at the highest level of government allowed an outside entity (the U.N.) to collaborate and dictate an agenda which will affect our entire country and every one of our citizens.

Although the initial impetus for Agenda 21 can be traced back to the Stockholm Conference of 1972, Agenda 21 became an official document at the 1992 Rio Conference through an extensive process of preparation at the professional level and negotiation at the political level.

Project 21 contained twenty-seven principles warning against a mode of growth that was leading to the extinction of life on earth.  As such, Project 21 represented a major step forward in establishing the basic principles that must govern the conduct of nations and peoples towards each other and the Earth to ensure a secure and sustainable future.  This plan was developed rather covertly, and due to that lack of transparency, we are still discovering some of the more grievous aspects of their Agenda.

Introduced as a cooperative task and challenge for world nations, Project 21 is based on two fundamental ideas:  development and environment.  To the Preparatory Council of the Rio Conference, it was impossible to have an environmentally sound planet in a socially unjust world, as these goals complement each other in each community and each country around the globe.  They claimed without a global order with greater justice, tranquil prosperity would exist for no one.  An awareness of belonging to a wider human community brought with it an obligation to reduce inequalities as a permanent cause if a better future were to be provided to mankind.

Notice all the “buzz” words in the above statement.  They should sound familiar, as they are words and labels used by our mainstream media and “progressives” of today to promote the concepts outlined in Agenda 21.

Upon learning of Agenda 21, and the vast scope of its reach into our lives, begs the question “How did it all happen and why haven’t I heard of it?”

It began when One hundred nations attended the 1992 Rio Education on Environment and Development (Agenda 21), and according to the UN information Center, all nations in attendance agreed to the document. 

Representing the U.S.A. was President George H. Bush, President, 1989 – 1993.  In a News Conference given in Rio de Janeiro on June 13, 1992, Bush’s opening statement included the following remarks prior to questions taken from reporters:

Let’s me be clear on one fundamental point.  The United States fully intends to be the world’s preeminent leader in protecting the global environment.  We have been that for many years.  We will remain so.  We believe that environment and development, the two subjects of this Conference, can and should go hand in hand.  A growing economy creates the resources necessary for environmental protection and environmental protection makes growth sustainable over the long term.

President Clinton signed U.N. Agenda 21 later on to continue the program in the United States.  Agenda 21 is “soft-law,” so elements of it don’t have to be voted on by the Congress.  That is particularly unfortunate, because the impact of this mandate will drastically impact our country in a myriad of ways, and yet basically two men inflicted this agenda on us all.    A non-governmental organization, International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), has the responsibility of carrying out the goals of Agenda 21.  Over 600 cities in the U.S. have since become members of ICLEI, and the number is growing.  Costs are paid by taxpayers.

Is it possible Bush and Clinton were unaware of the full impact Agenda 21 will have?  Has it changed from the time they were first introduced to it?  It is hard to imagine they would have inflicted on us what we are now in the process of experiencing.

They were likely persuaded by lofty Agenda 21 talking points, such as these which are taken from their website:  “The concentration of population growth in developing countries and economic growth in the industrialized countries has deepened, creating imbalances which are unsustainable, in either environmental or economic terms. . . Population must be stabilized, and rapidly.  If we do not do it, nature will, and much more brutally.  The rich must take the lead in bringing their development under control, reducing substantially their impacts on the environment, leaving environmental ‘space’ for developing countries to grow.  The wasteful and destructive lifestyles of the rich cannot be maintained at the cost of the lives and livelihoods of the poor, and of nature.  

For the rich, the transition to sustainable development need not require regression to a difficult or primitive life.  On the contrary, it can lead to a richer life of expanded opportunities for self-realization and fulfillment.  More satisfying and secure because it is sustainable, and more sustainable because its opportunities and benefits are more universally shared.”

When our rights and quality of life are being stripped from us, those talking points will not appease us.  We will know the U.N. statements are simply “cleverly devised words and talking points” to push an anti-American way of life upon us.  The U.N. statements are designed to avoid negative public objections.   If we all realized the full impact of Agenda 21 objectives, we would not be at all compliant.  Fortunately, some have dug out the bare facts of how Agenda 21 will negatively impact our lives, and discovered a very dismal picture.  Imagine Russia just before it fell apart or possibly China today.  There will be few freedoms, if any at all for citizens, as the rules and regulations will dictate a whole different life for you and me.

Americans are largely in the dark about Agenda 21 because facts have largely been kept from the public, but also because the recession slowed their plans a bit.  However, they are now beginning to be more aggressive in their implementation process.  We all must learn of the specifics their plan.  Education is essential if we, the public, are to stop Agenda 21.  Hopefully, we can do so before experiencing the huge adverse effects on our lives.  Once implemented, it will be much harder to stop and restore what has been lost to us.

Are the American people going to sit passively by while the United Nations seeks to co-opt, via individual governments, and eventually spawn a one-world government where individuals are stripped of all personal rights and freedoms? The whole idea seems futuristic and impossible to comprehend, like something out of George Orwell’s 1984, but this is the goal of U.N. Agenda 21 for now, and it will happen unless an army of us rise up and demand it stop.

As Agenda 21 covers so many areas of our lives (sometimes called a whole life plan), each aspect of their agenda must be explained individually and carefully.  That is why we will be writing articles in several installments on issues relating to Agenda 21, among them being Property Rights and the Environment.

Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 08:00 AM | Permalink

 

 

Comments

Spense said…

Agenda 21 is collectivism, socialism, communitarian, they all lead to communism headed by a global dictator.

We Americans must rise up and defeat it’s liberty & freedom stealing underground establishment. The attacks on our u.s. constitution by this country’s progressives like Obama and dictator Durbin are for the benefit of agenda 21. The constitution makes our country by law a sovereign nation, so to fully establish agenda 21 in America the progressives (commies) must work to make the constitution fall. The very reason the Obamanation & Durbin say our constitution is outdated and flawed. They want all power within the federal gov’t.

Its also the reason for the attacks upon the 2nd amendment, they want to disarm all Americans so they can if necessary use force to make us accept the Agenda 21 oppression.

Reply Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:31 PM

Thorner: District 51 Race Turns Nasty When Powerful Incumbent Challenged

By Nancy Thorner – 

An important IL Congressional Lake County Primary race receiving very little coverage or attention outside the area represented by District 51 was the contest between two Republican candidates, incumbent Ed Sullivan, Jr. and Bob Bednar, Sullivan’s conservative Republican challenger.

Ed Sulllivan, Jr. has represented the 51st District since 2003 and now heads the House Republican Organization. As head of the HRO, Sullivan used money from this organization to send out a mailer in support of himself which contained information that was not true (and even slanderous) to sully his challenger, Bob Bednar.

As the one who holds the money bag for aspiring Republican candidates, in the past Sullivan has told Republican conservative candidates that the HRO doesn’t involve itself in Primary Elections, nor does it dole out money, neither of which Sullivan has adhered to in the past. The mailer sent out to 51st District Republican on behalf of Ed Sullivan, Jr. was so nasty that Bob Cook, Head of the Lake County Republican Organization, made a robo call the day before the Primary Election informing Republicans in District 51 about the false nature of Ed Sullivan’s mailer.

Ed Sullivan voted for gay marriage, against reducing the taxpayers’ burden to the state pension fund by $1.1 BILLION, for a state income-tax increase that hits Illinois businesses for $29 million, against parents’ right to alternative education. He voted to allow a minor girl seeking an abortion to circumvent her parents’ authority, for a massive expansion of gambling, to allow alcohol to be sold near schools and to force state and local government to recognize “consular identification cards” issued by foreign governments.

The House Republican Organization mailer sent out on behalf of Sullivan claimed that Ed Sullivan, Jr. had been voted as “one of the most conservative members of the House.”  Really, with Sullivan’s voting record?  The Republican conservative standard must be very low to meet in the House!

Not surprising is that Sullivan received big bucks from the gay lobby for his campaign.  A friend told me that Ed got help with robo calls made out-of-state on his behalf from as far away as San Francisco.

It certainly is not common practice for members of the General Assembly to hold two government positions at the same time.  As a state rep, Sullivan earned a base salary of $67,836 in 2012 — Illinois General Assembly members are among the highest-paid state legislators in the country — along with a $111 per diem for each session day.  Meanwhile, legislators in nearby Indiana earn just $22,6l6 a year.  Many Illinois legislators make far more than the base amount due to bonuses that come with leadership positions.

While serving as a representative, Ed Sullivan, Jr. acts as the Fremont Township Assessor a base salary of $68,405.59, with Health Insurance benefits of $14,343.72 and Life Insurance in the amount of $192,000.

This situation grieves me as a conservative Republican, because Rep. Sullivan has taken the same playbook of the House and the Senate at the federal level in trying to maintain the status quo by being unwelcoming to conservative Republicans.  In regard to his own seat, he had no compunction about making facts up and misrepresenting situations to sully his opponent Bob Bednar and his wife to save his own skin.

Shouldn’t a primary be open to all who wish to run, with voters deciding? This is not yet the Soviet Union.

As at the federal level where a welcoming mat is not in place for conservative Republicans, it seems to be the same here in IL.  Establishment Republicans like Ed Sullivan call all the shots.  Is it any wonder why the Republican Party in IL is dysfunctional and has little clout when it comes to policy-making?

Despite the nasty tone of the campaign, Bob Bednar did quite well receiving 4,985 (41%) votes to Ed Sullivan’s 7,125 votes (59%).  What is more, Sullivan spend $300,000, while Bednar spent approximately $12,000.

Here is Bob Bednar’s You Tube Video responding to Ed Sullivan’s misconception about his life and conduct.

I am personally familiar with two conservative House members – Jeanne Ives (42nd) and Tom Morrison (54th).  More of the same as they are needed, but Sullivan appears to be serving as an impediment to getting good conservative Republican candidates elected and sent to Springfield, as least in Lake County, IL.

District 51 includes all or parts of Mundelein, Libertyville, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Vernon Hills, Hawthorn Woods, Deer Park, Green Oaks, Barrington, Tower Lakes, North Barrington and Lake Barrington.

Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 03:56 PM | Permalink

Technorati Tags: Bob Bednar, Ed Sullivan, Illinois Review, Lake County

Lake Forest High School Musicians and Lake Forest Civic Orchestra partner to perform Grieg and Shostakovich on Sunday, March 16, 2014

By Nancy J. Thorner, cellist in the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra.

Sponsored post by Lake Forest High School Musicians and Lake Forest Civic Orchestra

From left, Ron Arden, Conductor and Music Director of the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra, and Robert Bassill, Director of Orchestra & Music Theory at Lake Forest High School

The Lake Forest Civic Orchestra, Ron Arden, Conductor and Music Director, will share the podium with Robert Bassill, Director of Orchestras & Music Theory, on Sunday, March 16, 2014, 4:00 p.m., at Lake Forest High School, 1285 N. McKinley Road, Lake Forest, in the 3rd concert of its 25th Anniversary 2013-2013 Concert Season, “Community Inspiration.”

Formerly the North Suburban Symphony, the name change took place at our 25th Anniversary concert this past November, and is in keeping with the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra’s association with the community, that we are volunteers, that we believe in making a place for everyone to play, and that we are in it for the long haul.

This season’s partnership with the Lake Forest High School Band and Orchestra Departments marks the third time the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra has partnered with student musicians for a joint concert, the first time in 2010, then again in 2012.

Robert Bassill’s two string orchestras will participate — the Concert Orchestra with 41 players and the Symphony Orchestra with 35. When asked about his string students and their achievement, Mr. Bassill gave this response: “The students have so many achievements in academics and sports I wouldn’t even know where to start! We usually have the smartest kids in the school involved. For example, the principal cellist is going to Yale next year. I am fortunate to work with such talented students.”

As an orchestra calls for woodwind, brass and percussion players, Lake Forest High School Band Director, Janene Kessler, requested that band members elect to participate by joining up with Bassill’s string groups and the forty members of the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra. Brian O’Connor, as instrumental music assistant, helped both Bassill and Keesler in concert preparations.

All excellent musicians and performers in their own right, Robert Bassill will perform as a member of both the violin and the viola sections when Ron Arden is at the podium conducting. Janene Kessler will join the Horn section and Brian O’Connor the percussion during the performance of Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5.” Lake Forest Civic Orchestra conductor, Ron Arden, will assist the viola section when Robert Bassill is at the podium conducting.

The March 16th partnership concert also involves a partnership of the players from Lake Forest High School and those of the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra. Whenever possible a Lake Forest High School musician will be seated next to a Lake Forest Civic Orchestra musician. High school musicians have also been assigned important solos in deference to the more seasoned Lake Forest Civic Orchestra players.

The “Holberg Suite” by Edvard Grieg will open the program. Grieg is considered Norway’s greatest composer. He was able to capture the people, the scenery, and the moods of Norway through his music. Subtitled “Suite in olden style,” the “Holberg Suite” consists of five movement based on 18th century dances. Grieg wrote this composition to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Danish-Norwegian humanist play write Ludvig Holberg. A charming collection of dances, Basill’s “Concert” and “Symphony” string orchestras will share the stage with members of the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra string sections.

Following the “Holberg Suite,” Dimiti Shostakovich’s powerful “Symphony in D minor, Op. 47″ will be performed by Bassill’s Symphonic string orchestra, selected player’s from Kessler’s band program, and members of the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra.

Shostakovich’s “5th Symphony” reflects the times in which it was written. Composed between April and July 1937 and first performed on November 21, 1937, it was during the height of the Stalinist Terror when over half a million people were shot and another seven million dispatched to the Gulag in just over a year’s time.

The four movements of the symphony are seeped in an atmosphere of mourning for those who had lost friends and family on a massive scale. With the “5th “Symphony” Shostakovich gained back favor with the Russian government, having fallen out of favor over a controversial opera he wrote in 1937 which didn’t display the heroic classicism demanded by the government.

As listeners you will be both pleased and surprised. The caliber of the Lake Forest High School musicians is outstanding. They are a credit to both their directors, Robert Bassill and Janene Kessler.

Tickets can be purchased on the day of the concert or check out our Website: lakeforestcivicorchestra.org. Adults, $18.00; Seniors/Students, $10.00; children under 12 admitted free with a paying adult.

The final concert of the 25th Anniversary Season of the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra, “Imagining the Next 25 Years!”, will be held in the auditorium at Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest on Sunday, May 4, at 4:00 p.m. Featured will be music by Bartok, Stravinsky,Debussy, and Williams.

Will silence in the face of evil destroy the church and the nation?

By Nancy Thorner – 

“The Role of the Church in Today’s Culture” was the topic of a free event held at Moody Church, on Sunday, March 9th. As David Smith of the Illinois Family Institute wrote:

You know it, and I know it. Far too many Christians are content to ignore the moral decay in our state and nation. Instead of boldly exposing evil, we tolerate it, and, in some instances, even affirm it. Should the Church confront cultural decay?” What does it mean to be “salt of the earth” and “the light of the world?” (Matthew 5:12:16)

Participating in the event were Dr. Erwin Lutzer and Eric Metaxas. Their dialogue was moderated by radio personality Wayne Shepherd, who for nearly 33 years has served Moody Broadcasting in Chicago.

Dr. Erwin Lutzer is an evangelical Christian pastor, teacher and author who since 1980, as its longest serving pastor, has been the senior pastor of Moody Church now celebrating its 150th anniversary.  Lutzer has authored more than 30 books, including “Hitler’s Cross.” More recently Lutzer’s book entitled, “The Da Vinci Deception,” critiqued Dan Brown’s best-selling novel, “The Da Vinci Code.”

Eric Metaxas is an American author, best known for two biographies, “Amazing Grace:  William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery” and “Bonhoeffer:  Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, and Spy.” Metaxas is founder and host of a New York City lecture series on topics related to religion and culture called “Socrates in the City:  “Conversations on the Examined Life.”

In the beginning ten-minute statements (clarified by moderator Wayne Shepherd as a dialogue, not a debate) were made by Dr. Lutzer and Eric Metaxas centering around the narratives of their most popular books:   Dr. Lutzer’s “Hitler’s Cross” (the story of a nation whose church forgot its primary call and discovered its failure too late), and Eric Metaxas’ “Bonhoeffer” (a biography that presents Bonhoeffer as a clear-headed, deeply convicted Christian who submitted to no one and nothing except God and his Word).

Dominating the conversational dialogue throughout the evening:  What happened to the Church in Germany during the reign of Hitler, and how these tragic happenings should be a warning and a wake-up call to the church?

Dr. Lutzer described how Hitler raised the broken cross of the swastika and released a terrible monstrosity upon the world in which six million Jews died.  There was much pressure on the German people to believe that Hitler was doing the right thing.  The same suspension of judgment existed then as exists in America today.  After WWI Germany was saddled with debt.  Much desperation and hardship resulted.  The German people and the church, caught up in the glories of Hitler, were ripe for a takeover.  As the Weimar Government had failed, the German people were looking for a new and strong leader and were willing to give up their freedom for bread.  And Hitler did improve the lives of the German people early on, even putting people back to work.  It was during this time that the German people experienced euphoria being caught up in Hitler’s electrifying personality and grandiose promises.

Because of a suspension of judgment, Hitler was able to hypnotize an entire nation.  Church leaders throughout Germany were also seduced by the Satanic power of the Fuhrer and allowed the Swastika a prominent place alongside the Christian cross in their sanctuaries, having decided that what was good for the government was also good for the church.   Most German churches even looked away when Hitler implemented a Solution to his Jewish problem.

Eric Metaxas expounded upon the role of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) who made a heart-wrenching decision to leave the safe haven of America to return to Hitler’s Germany as a dissident attempting to dismantle the Third Reich from the inside.  Bonhoeffer knew that twisting Truth to sell it more effectively was inexcusable.  He understood that the church was called to speak for them who could not speak.  As a theologian and anti-Nazi activist Bonhoeffer thought it the duty of the Christian, even a privilege and honor, to suffer with those who suffered.  Because of his Christian faith, Bonhoeffer stood up to the Nazis and ultimately gave his life.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer believed that religion shouldn’t be exiled to a few hours on a Sunday morning, but we must exercise our faith in every way when we leave the building in our secular lives.  Bonhoeffer stood up and preached what he believed, as reflected in this Bonhoeffer quote:

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil:  God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.

There was much to reflect upon during the course of the evening.  Dialogues back and forth between Dr. Lutzer and Eric Metaxas opened up lines of thoughts which should be quite troubling to all Christians who find themselves dissatisfied with the direction of the church in what has become a post-Christian era.  Not to be denied were the similarities presented between what happened to the church in Nazi Germany and the present direction of the church in America.

Expressions of Concern, Caution and Merit:

The church in Germany lost its Biblical image.  We are now in danger of losing the gospel.  Liberal churches have already abandoned teaching according to the Gospel.  Evangelical churches are now in the process of losing gospel teaching.  A sickness exists when the church does not speak out.

It is frowned upon to be judgmental, such as speaking out against gay marriage over fear of being condemned.  To say nothing represents a great misunderstanding of the Scriptures. It is possible to be judgmental if done out of love on behalf of an individual.  Let the Bible define what love is, not popular culture.

The spiral of silence must be broken.  Churches get sucked into the spiral of silence. The less people speak out, the more difficult it becomes to do so as the days pass by.  We must speak out in opposition or we will regret the day.

A herd mentality exists in this culture.  We are told to get with it because this is the direction society is taking. Churches are not immune from society sanctions, examples being same-sex marriage, climate change, and the legalization of marijuana.  Even corporations employ herd mentality if doing so will increase their bottom line, such as in embracing the green issue.

We are blind in this nation as to what is coming down the path.  Islamic radicals are infiltrating all levels of government.  We are subservient to Muslims, submitting to the demands of Islam.  Dark days are ahead.  The Left and Islam are in cahoots to destroy the Church and to destroy this nation.

Sharia law is contrary to our Constitution as it controls rights.  Sharia law would end freedom of religion for every person not believing in Sharia law.

Rights aren’t taken away all at once.  It’s a slow process as the noose begins to tighten more and more until it becomes too late.  The loss of the Gospel in Germany resulted in its decline.

Authority must be respected, but there are limits.  Gridlock isn’t bad in Congress. Doing nothing is often better than doing something.  The finest hour for legislators is when they debate and argue.

What the Average Christian Must Do:

• Pray for our leadership as the Bible commands.

• Become actively engaged politically.  It is shocking how may Evangelicals don’t vote.

• Encourage others to become politically involved.

• Encourage pastors to push up to the edge in the spoken Word. The IRS couldn’t possibly deal with 30,000 pastors if every pastor pushed the envelope as far as possible.  Our Founding Fathers wanted a discussion of the church to take place in the public square.

Dr. Lutzer believes God is giving the American church another chance.  Christians cannot remain hidden from the world.  They do so by exiling religion to within the walls of a church.  Instead, Christians must wake up and stop playing church, even as many Americans are sleepwalking toward a terrible outcome with no understanding of what lies ahead.

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the keeper of our nation.  What direction the church takes will depend on the church itself, but if the church goes down many things will suffer along with it.

Dr. Lutzer, in closing, recommended that a statement attributed to Pastor Martin Niemoller (1892 – 1984) about the cowardice of German intellectuals following the Nazis’ rise to power be emblazoned on every pastor’s door:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.

Dr. Ben Carson also sees the writing on the wall with remarks made after an address to a standing-room-only crowd on Monday, March 10, when he compared our government and institutions as “very much to Nazi Germany.”

Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 09:51 AM | Permalink

 

 

Thorner: Three candidates could energize the Illinois House’s conservative caucus

A notable event was held on Friday, March 7 at Lovell’s of Lake Forest, featuring Republican candidates for State Representative, Dr. Mark Neerhof and Leslie Munger. Featured guest John Tillman of the Illinois Policy Institute, speaking as a citizen representing his own personal views, endorsed Neerhof and Munger as qualified and urgently needed in Springfield to stand up and plant a flag on principle.

Tillman shot down the idea that Illinois as a blue state will remain a blue state, blaming George Ryan for having destroyed the Republican brand here in Illinois. Some good new for Illinois: 40% of Illinoisans identify themselves as conservative, while 20% admit to being liberal.

Tillman said that most Republicans are afraid to take a stand. They hesitate to say what they believe and why their ideas are the best ways to organize society, despite having the moral authority to do so.

There are two teams of players in politics, Tillman told those in attendance:  Public sector unions, private sector unions, non-profits, and the green extremist lobby who use the tax code to extract wealth from others, and on the other hand, the average taxpayer just trying to pursue the American dream.  They want to be left alone to pursue their own dreams.  They have free enterprise and capitalism on their side.

President Obama believes that our founding principles are flawed, that it’s not the object of government to protect our individual liberty, Tillman went on to say.  This results in stifling human potential, much like if a crown were pressing down on Springfield holding captive good ideas and policies that could bring jobs and prosperity to Illinois.

“Causes don’t start in Washington, D.C. or in Springfield, IL,” the group was told.  “They start at living room and kitchen tables, one meeting at a time, where a few people willing to stand up and fight can change the course of history.”

And despite what is commonly believed, revenue is not down in Illinois.  We have record levels of funds coming into the state’s coffers, but massive spending.  Tillman attributed Illinois’ financial mess to high levels of spending due to Medicaid and pensions. And while there are 47 Republicans in the House, very few – perhaps a handful – are willing to plant a flag in the ground and stand on principle, Tillman said.

Dr. Mark Neerhof and Leslie Munger are willing to plant a flag and stand on principle, not only against Democrat Speaker Mike Madigan who rules the House with an iron fist and whose tentacles of power and control are far reaching, but also against the pressure of establishment Republicans who want to keep the status quo in Springfield.

House candidate Mark Neerhof, a physician practicing high-risk obstetrics on Chicago’s North Shore for more than 20 years, is unopposed as a Republican candidate in Illinois District 58.   He will face incumbent Democrat Scott Drury in the November General Election.  Dr. Neerhof described his candidacy as a cause rather than a campaign, one that sets forth limited government, a belief that capitalism and the free market are the surest path to prosperity, and that economic freedom allows individuals to keep as much of their money as possible.

Neerhof feels blessed to have had the opportunity to help so many women and views serving as a state representative an opportunity to assist individuals more broadly across the state of Illinois.  Dr. Neerhof vows to fight against interest groups and also for a fair pension system that considers both tax payers and pubic employees.

As a physician Neerhof is an expert on ObamaCare.  Cited was a need for Medicaid reform which now consumes 40% of the state budget, and where 60% of those enrolled do not even qualify for the program.  Concern was likewise expressed for how Illinois ranks 51 out of 50 (includes Washington, D.C.) in providing care for the disabled.

House candidate Leslie Munger, like Neerhof, expressed her determination to fight against the big union money bags and other special interest groups.  Unopposed in the 59th District, Leslie Munger is challenging incumbent Democrat Carol Sente who has been a dependable foot soldier for endorsing the policies of Democratic Speaker Mike Madigan since her election to the House.

Candidate Leslie Munger is a lifelong Illinoisan; a businesswoman with 25 years of business experience at Helene Curtis, Procter & Gamble, and McKinsey & Company where she managed large budgets, cut spending and delivered results; a community leader; and most importantly a mom.  It was Munger’s role as a mom that prompted her to run for office.  One of her sons, having graduated from the U of I with a degree in engineering, was enable to find a job in Illinois.  Having found a job 1,200 miles away in Houston,Texas, became the personal wake up call Leslie Munger needed to run for office.  Democrat policies are driving businesses out of Illinois and also exporting our children.

Bob Bednar has been added by Thorner as the third principled Republican candidate running for an Illinois House seat from Lake County with 23 years of service to the Republican Party.  Although Bob Bednar was not part of the event held at Lovell’s, it would be a disservice not to advance his Lake County candidacy along with those of Dr. Mark Neerhof and Leslie Munger.

Unfortunately, candidate Bob Bednar is privy to what is happening at the federal level where House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are basically saying that Tea Party or conservative Republicans need not apply.

In Bednar’s case, he is challenging the incumbent Republican representative in District 51, Ed Sullivan, Jr., who has upset many of his constituents by voting for same-sex marriage, supporting a bill to virtually eliminate parental notification of a minor girl’s abortion, and failing to hold the line on spending by voting for tax increases.

Representative Sullivan calls the shots in Lake County and can make or break Republican candidates in how he doles out campaign money.  Ed Sullivan, trying to save his own skin and to maintain the status quo in Springfield, requested of two well-respected and well-liked Lake County conservative legislators in no uncertain terms (one in the House and the other in the Senate), not only to tell Bednar to drop out of the race, but also not to support Bednar.

What has the status produced in Illinois where Democrats hold a super majority is both the IL House and the Senate?

Recently Moody’s Investors Services downgraded Chicago’s credit rating one notch to Baa1 with a negative outlook, putting it only three notches above junk-bond states.  The downgrade was due to Chicago’s huge unfunded pension liabilities.

Ranked by the Mercatus Center, Illinois ranks second from the bottom (New Jersey is last) of state rankings based on long-run solvency scores for Fiscal Year 2012.  (Table 7, p. 36)  In the same report, Illinois ranks dead last based on ranking of states by Cash Solvency for Fiscal Year 2012.  (Table 5, page 34).

It’s not only time to sweep house in Springfield, but also to elect candidates who will stand on principle and who will not be intimidated by the powerful on either side of the aisle.  Such are the House candidacies of Dr. Mark Neerhof, Leslie Munger, and Bob Bednar.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 09:20 AM | Permalink

Our Responsibility For Making America Strong

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O’Neil – 

America is in trouble: controversies circle the White House, foreign affairs are flailing, the economy remains anemic, controversy is covered-up. Republicans blame Obama, Obama blames Bush, and the P.C. media yawns while the chaos continues. If America ever needed a change in direction, it is now!

Citizens have the power to elect candidates capable of making appropriate changes that can put us back on the right road to prosperity. Yet, many remain oblivious and/or unconcerned about the serious problems. How do we educate those who have been deceived by years of lies and deceptions? How do we get the attention of those who ignore politics and most everything else outside of their own personal world?

We know the media is largely liberal and far from fair and balanced.  Why do we allow that?  There is a way to force more objective reporting, by motivating people to write a letter to the offending reporter and his superiors, with examples of the blatant bias.  Can we encourage people to do that?

We know a very large segment of our population remain woefully ignorant and uninformed of present problems and dangers.  To our detriment, the current population has largely resorted to being headlines readers and sound bite listeners, leaving them woefully uniformed and vulnerable to clever, but deceptive advertisements.  A horrifying number forfeit their treasured right to vote and ignore the election completely.

Others believe they have fulfilled their civic duty by just marking their ballot, but too often their picks are just guesses? I often wish we had a slogan stating “Be Informed:  No vote is better than a bad vote”.

How do we get the facts and truth to these uninformed people?  Social media is a good way to get facts out quickly, but in addition there is one tried and true, viable system that has worked best throughout the century. It is walking a neighborhood (precinct), going door to door and engaging neighbors in conversations.  That remains the most effective way to inform and educate the uninformed among us.   I know that seems uncomfortable for some to consider.   Could that be because we have been trained to think it impolite to talk religion or politics with people?   We have been warned never to discuss those two controversial issue. Friends, that is why we find ourselves in this major mess.  Too few people are discussing these two important aspects of our lives, thus the uninformed or under informed among us remain ignorant of facts, issues, and laws.   That must change if we are to save America from continuing down a path of self-destruction.

Churches have also been deceived and politically silenced by a faulty understanding of what they can and cannot legally do regarding politics in the church, but elections do have consequences.  Many realize that it is a moral responsibility for church leaders to explain the direct link between candidates we elect and the immoral laws subsequently enacted.    We cannot completely lay the blame on church leaders, if its members (you and me) are hesitant to ask pastors/priests to become involved in the election process.

Some churches may just need a friendly nudge to do so.  Consider asking your church leadership for permission to set up a non-partisan voter registration table and volunteer to be in charge of it.  Inform your church of how and where to obtain Christian voter guides to help keep church members informed of candidate positions on important issues.   The Bible clearly reveals that God took His hand of protection off of nations when His people preferred ungodly leaders.   Many believe the church has a responsibility to encourage their congregations to actively engage the culture, and to vote their conscience.  A good start would be educating their people as to the differences between the two parties regarding the two big moral issues:   abortion and homosexual marriage.

Proof of the necessity for every American patriot to leave their normal comfort zone and become politically engaged can be seen by the results of our last two elections.   Did the 40 million Christians who voted for Senator Obama in 2008 know he had voted to extend the limits and numbers of abortions by making late term abortions legal? Did Christians know that President Obama supported Planned Parenthood, the biggest supplier of abortions, as well as that he advocated special rights for homosexuals?   If they did not know, could that lack of knowledge be due to the silence of their church leadership?  If every Christian had been given that information, might it have changed the election results?

We all need a little self–introspection to judge our own involvement.   Have you investigated the candidates on your 2014 ballot?  Have you found the ones who best align with your political viewpoints, donated money to help elect him or her, walked and talked to your neighbors about them, and/or worked at phone banks to help get the “good guys” elected?   If so, congratulations, you are not part of the problem.  If you have not … will you consider doing so?

The importance of being educated, updated, and involved in the political process cannot be stressed enough. Much of our lives depend upon our government making decisions that align with our values and principles.   Let’s pass the torch of liberty and freedom on to our next generation, like our forefathers did for us.  Let’s not be the generation blamed for the financial and moral downfall of this great country due to our lack of effort to right the wrongs we surely all see.

Time to get involved folks!   Let’s all work together for the good of our country and families.  VOLUNTEER WITH ME AND WE WILL CHANGE OUR COUNTRY, MAYBE EVEN THE WORLD.

Thursday, March 06, 2014 at 11:30 AM | Permalink