Name-calling and disinformation become dangerous when they short-circuit reason. And that is what is happening in state after state. In Arizona it’s Senate Bill 1507. In Alabama it’s House Bill 618. In Tennessee it is House Joint Resolution 587. Related efforts are simmering in New Hampshire, Georgia, Texas, and no doubt in other states as well. Using strikingly similar language these states are pursuing legislative actions to prevent “the destructive and insidious nature of the United Nations’ Agenda 21.” They brand all state-sponsored activities related to sustainable development as anti-American efforts to “terminate your right to own property,… 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.”
Really?
I understand (but resent) that elected officials focus more and more on getting elected and less and less on governing, that modern politics is all about firing up the base by evoking base emotions, that facts matter less and less and fear motivates more and more…but GEEZ. These state resolutions are fueled by misinformation and name-calling. Let’s pause and take a breath. Please.
Do we really want to stop state office buildings from caulking their windows to save energy? Should we abandon small business incubators because they reduce poverty? Is local control of government a bad thing? Saving energy, reducing poverty, and promoting local autonomy are key provisions of the sustainable development agenda that anti-Agenda 21 legislative reactionaries want to reject. Please take the time to research Agenda 21 and some of its history.
As I’ve argued in this blog, there are meaningful concerns about values raised by the anti-Agenda 21 crowd—concerns about poverty rights, precaution, governance process, and even concerns over religion. So let’s unpack and address these concerns, instead of the radical response of throwing the whole suitcase into the fire.
Breath. Think. Talk. Repeat.
Please.