GreeNR + ICLEI + Mayor Bramson, Did Somebody Say Treason?

This article is intended to shed some light on the hidden costs and threats to your rights as a property owner in the City of New Rochelle. Links are provided throughout the article providing a true glimpse into the back-story and agenda yet to be provided by city council. If you care about your rights as a property owner, or just want to know more, please take some time to read more about the revenge of unintended consequences associated with handing over control to outside influence.

Green, for lack of a better word, is good but evaluating the Mayors GreeNR initiative hasn’t been easy. It’s hard to argue with buzzwords like "sustainability", "environmental management","local community input", and "climate mitigation". The catch however, and there’s always a catch, seems to be the question of the true costs to a city (taxpayer) both from an economic and social standpoint. What will the cost of a better tomorrow be if it’s driven by the agenda of an organization looking to control ownership and mitigate freedom as it mitigates our climate? If you think it can’t happen here, read on and take notes as I make the connections necessary to shed some light on the downside of GreeNR. As someone once said, "follow the money". Ponder this for a moment, New Rochelle was "selected" by ICLEI to take part in a plan, in cooperation with the Regional Plan Association(RPA). Now hold that thought.

In a previous Seven Part Series about ICLEI, Robert Cox gave us a background on the "radical" NGO known as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. The connection? ICLEI is a major source of funds for the RPA. Who helps fund ICLEI? Left Leaning groups such as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Tides Foundation. What’s the big deal you ask? It stems from the size of these organizations and the power they wield as they infiltrate local governments to implement the United Nation’s Agenda 21. It’s been going on for years, and yet it gets very little press, unless of course, you look for it. Agenda 21 effectively places the decision making process under the control of "regional" boards, as in privately owned entities(RPA?) and the local government loses its say. (Kinda like fascism, wouldn’t you say Mr.. Sussman?) We’re seeing it already in New Rochelle. ICLEI already lists New Rochelle as a "member" city. People loyal to "the cause" have been carefully placed i.e. a sustainability coordinator.We’ve set up our "Sustainability Advisory Board",(remember Dr Kent from the board who said “Assets do not belong to those who have accrued them…”) and we’ve kept quiet about the true costs. That’s a pretty good start, according to the Agenda 21 plan book.

Can you agree with this statement "Land…cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also the principle instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth, and therefore, contributes to social injustice…" (that’s from the Agenda 21 preamble or is that what Dr Kent just said?) What happens when your property stands in the way of “sustainable development”? As the city presses forward with its "pseudo-urbanization", where will the new world order housing be located, on your property perhaps? Will you get a fair deal as you’re ousted by private developer agenda’s?

On a less drastic scale, what if you are forced to take out a second mortgage to bring your house into compliance with the “new” sustainability code? The kinder, gentler government will lend you the money, coupled with a lien, to be paid through a property tax add-on that will have to be settled before you can sell your home.What will we do about these Green Liens (also known as PACE loans) and the inherent burden they place on those foolish enough to apply? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have turned their backs on the whole idea. They realize the disaster in the making if your mortgage is held hostage to these liens. You may need to find alternate sources for completely re-financing your home. That alone speaks volumes towards this sustainability plan.

It’s a lot to digest, and that’s one of the points here. There hasn’t been any discussion with the public at large regarding the finer points of a plan we’re all supposed to embrace. Support it or not, you would do yourself, this city and your next generation a grave disservice if you based the decision solely on what the city administration is allowing you to know. Others have begun to see the light and are making some changes of their own. In fact, Maryland’s own Carroll County has recently severed ties with ICLEI as their Commissioner Rothschild identifies ICLEI as "…an organization with extreme beliefs on global warming that promotes United Nations’ big-government socio-economic policies. The UN Millennium Papers caution activists not to mention the UN Agenda because of potential American backlash, and instruct, "So, we call our process something else, such as comprehensive planning, growth management, or smart growth." (italics added for emphasis). Good for you Carroll County.

Treason you say? Well, if it wasn’t for an interview with Michael Shaw from Freedom Advocates.org on the Talk of the Sound Radio Show, I wouldn’t have made the connection. In this interview, Mr. Shaw explains the interpretation of Article 1, section 10 of the United States Constitution and how " its practical significance lies in the limitations which it implies upon the power of the States to deal with matters having a bearing upon international relations.". The case is made that by negotiating with international organizations like ICLEI, and by promoting and initiating policy with an international agenda, local governments would be violating the restrictions of States spelled out in the Constitution. By Mr.Shaw’s comments, this could implicate the Mayor, City Council, and by extension any New York State elected official in a case of Misprision of Treason. Interesting, to say the least.

Where do we go from here? This is a strong city, blessed with bright, energetic and motivated people. The outpouring of ideas and involvement around this issue was nothing short of impressive. Why then, do we need to have outsiders frame the conversation for us? New Rochelle has the resource right here, in our backyards, to develop and implement a greener city program that could be the model for others to follow. It could be tailored to address the specific needs and wants unique to this city without giving up basic unalienable rights. Encouraged to comply out of a sense of civic pride and incentive, not by outsider mandates and government sponsored tax burden. You want to see a jewel of a city, then let New Rochelle be New Rochelle, not some sort of Orwellian utopia mandated by the United Nations. At the end of the day what we do will make more of a difference than what the politicians do. Get informed and get involved.