"Ohio's quest for regional unity"

The Plain Dealer ran an editorial on May Day (May 1) with the innocuous title “Organizing NE Ohio's quest for regional unity: editorial.”

It sounds so mother-and-apple-pie. Who could be opposed to “better coordination” or “reducing the duplication of government services and figuring out how to connect transportation systems with one another”. The editorial reports that The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium expects to issue its first report in June and then convene community meetings to discuss next steps. A “Sustainable Communities Consortium” likewise sounds appealing.

Its goals? “To create a vibrant and resilient Northeast Ohio that increases our quality of life; connects our communities; welcomes diversity; restores and protects our natural resources; and creates a competitive economic framework for the vitality of our region.” Sounds great.

Now compare this language to the buzz words compiled by Marianne G, co-cordinator for Ohio Tea Party Patriots, at her Mansfield Tea Party website (buzz words such as “sustainability”, “sustainable development,” “smart growth”, “ regionalism”, etc.). Marianne posted an Introduction to Agenda 21, a phrase you may or may not have heard about.

But the Plain Dealer, the Consortium, and an outfit called Greater Ohio are already pushing Agenda 21 under alternative nomenclatures – i.e., those buzz words. In addition to every other pressure we face in this election year, Agenda 21 should be at the top of our list. If we don’t defeat Agenda 21 at the local and state levels, the rest may not matter much. And the first step is for us to understand what Agenda 21 is, and what it looks like when dressed up in (or disguised as!) feel-good “sustainability” language.

Marianne has inaugurated a newsletter to start to educate patriots about Agenda 21, especially as it comes to a neighborhood near you. There have already been hearings or meetings in northeast Ohio, and there are many more on the calendar. Here’s one list of meetings listed on the Consortium’s website

The list includes an upcoming Cleveland area event:

NEOSCC Launches Young Leader Events
Greater Cleveland: This Is What Vibrant Looks Like
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Brother's Lounge
11609 Detroit Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44102

Much more to follow.