This letter is directed to state legislators in Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Washington. Dear State Elected Official:
I’m writing to express my great concern for a pending piece of legislation and my need for your help in defeating it.
The state legislature may soon be wasting valuable time taking up a bill that takes on a nonexistent threat. Specifically, this bill concerns itself with
Agenda 21, a two decade-old nonbinding United Nations document. Haven’t heard of Agenda 21? I’m not surprised, most citizens and even legislators wouldn’t know the difference between Agenda 21, Forever 21, or Century 21.
Agenda 21 is non-binding document on sustainable development. It is not a treaty and it is not legally binding. Federal, state, and local governments are under no obligation to adopt any of the document’s strategies or methods. Anti-agenda 21 legislation are essentially anti-UN bills that restrict state governments, municipal governments, and in some cases nonprofits from funding and working on issues like combating poverty, reducing pollution, health and education, to name just a few. What citizens and elected officials in any state would want to restrict our options for handling these issues?
You should be aware that a
recent poll demonstrated that more than 80% of Americans (of all political stripes) support the United States’ engagement with the United Nations. Given such broad support for the UN’s work and impact our state and others around the country, why is our state legislature quarreling over such an old document that has no legal bearing on our state constitution, state or local government bodies, or the U.S. Constitution? I’m flummoxed by why state legislature leadership or committees would waste precious time, especially given how short the legislative session is, with such a conspiracy theorist bill being pushed by a paranoid few.
Several other states have already defeated similar measures. In Arizona, the business community spoke up to turn back a bill that it deemed would hurt economic development. In Tennessee, the legislature passed an anti-Agenda 21 resolution, but
the governor didn’t sign it because of his reservations.
You should speak out about how this bill misrepresents the intent and the truth about the UN and Agenda 21. Most aren’t familiar with Agenda 21 or perhaps even the UN, but I am, and I support the UN. I am a member of the UN Association of the USA, and I vote.
This is worse than the emperor has no clothes. The emperor is wearing a tin foil hat. I implore you to speak out against this bill and vote against passage if it comes to the floor for consideration. Don’t allow a fringe political voice drive our state legislature’s work.
Let’s get back to the business of advancing our state’s future — not chasing nonexistent threats from the past.
Sincerely,
Patrick Madden
Executive Director, UNA-USA
