Ours is a culture of demand—specifically, demand predicated on “rights”—not necessarily referencing inalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness advanced in the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America (4 July 1776).1 No longer is mutual pledge of one’s lives, fortunes, and sacred honor deemed necessary. Folks want what they want, and they demand it now. For example, characterized as “undocumented workers,” law-breaking immigrants claim entitlement to jobs and all the rights and privileges (oftentimes minus responsibility) of American citizenship.2

Moreover, many activists blame whites for black poverty and, to level the score, some call for taxpayers to underwrite black reparations to the tune of trillions of dollars. It stands to reason that if society owes African-Americans, it likewise owes Japanese-Americans, Norwegian-Americans, all victims of terrorism and natural disasters, unwilling hostages, war prisoners, families of those lost- or missing-in-action, the handicapped, all victims of crime and self-described discrimination, the sexually harassed—just about everyone. But who’s counting?

Yes, Gaia Has Rights, Too!

So inclusive are universal rights and entitlement that, now, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has established a declaration to secure rights for Mother Earth.3 Yes, Mother Earth. Whereas the late Geologian Father Thomas Berry outlines three rights for every component of

the Earth community—namely, right to “be,” right to habitat, and right to fulfill its role—Mother Earth’s rights are copious and not to be ignored.4

Article 2 of the declaration outlines her inherent rights to existence, genetic integrity, life, respect, self-regulation, water, clean air, integral health (minus contamination, pollution and toxic or radioactive waste), freedom from human disruption and reparations for damaging human activities tantamount to “torture” and/or “cruel treatment.”

In tandem with International Mother Earth Day (April 22) is a push to attain a million signatures in support of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth—just in time for the upcoming United Nations conference, Rio +20 (20-22 June 2012), plugged as “the future we want”—

namely, poverty eradication through a Green economy in the context of sustainable

development.5

Signers acknowledge human obligations as outlined in Article 3 of the Earth-doting document.

Since humans bear the brunt of responsibility, it stands to reason that all States and public/

private institutions must commit to living in accordance with rights and obligations being put forth.

The charge is to establish and apply effective norms and laws for defense, protection and

conservation of Mother Earth. This includes eliminating nuclear, chemical, and biological

weapons and promoting non-capitalistic economic systems considered friendly to the cause.

Gaia’s Gospel

Signers embrace a gospel eerily similar to the New Testament plan of salvation.6 Here’s how it

goes: Living Earth is sacred, the sustainer of all life, and therefore worthy of “our loving prayers,

ceremonies, and joyful dances,” all of which serve “to lift the vibration of the mountains and

oceans where toxins cannot exist.”7

Be sure Earth’s children are karma-bound to the Sacred Planet.8 Hence, Mother Earth has rights

to freedom from human exploitation and greed. Our charge, then, is to “fight against Green

capitalism” (tag line used by proponents) to ensure the Sacred Planet’s rights.9

But, alas, selfish humans fall egregiously short. Damaging, unsustainable human activities halt

Earth’s “evolutionary processes” and put her natural cycles into a state of “painful chaos.” (We

mustn’t make Mother mad!) Even so, our Merciful Matriarch has graced us with good news—a

means whereby wayward humans can restore broken fellowship with her.

The plan is threefold. First, we must acknowledge Earth’s sacredness. This we do by reclaiming

her indigenous roots drawn from the muddied pool of ancient knowledge. (Only spiritual solutions

ensure her perpetual renewal.) Then, we must offer reparations for unsustainable human

activities so that, finally, we coexist with the Sacred Planet in “a fully synergistic, spiritually

harmonious manner.” In the end, ours promises to be “a new world resplendent with life.” You

know: utopia.10

What’s not to like? Everyone’s rights will be realized, but only when the Gross National Product

(GNP) bows to Gross National Happiness (GNH), the latter to be achieved when Earth’s

demands are satisfactorily appeased. We need only take the necessary steps of spreading

wealth, mobilizing for green jobs, and combining Earth Rights with Keynesian economics. And

this we can do. Yes, we can!

• Spreading Wealth

According to Beverly LaHaye of Concerned Women of America, sustainable development is a

specious term the UN uses to say that wealth and resources must be redistributed; and

populations must be controlled. Indeed, sustainability is the globalist’s central organizing, ruling

principle, its three “E’s” being environment, economy, and equity. The mission is to integrate

eco-nomic policies (with emphasis on “eco”) and to define for all world citizens the proper (i.e.,

politically-correct) conduct, supposedly “voluntary,” but with forced equity and selective tolerance

in view. In a word, producers are expected to provide for non-producers.11

• Mobilizing Green Jobs

In 2007 the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the International Labor Organization

(ILO), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) jointly launched the Green Jobs

Initiative. A green or green-collar job is "work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and

development, administration, and service activities” aimed at preserving or restoring

environmental quality. This allegedly is accomplished by protecting ecosystems and biodiversity

while, at the same time, reducing carbon emissions and human consumption (specifically for the

masses).12

President Barack Obama got on board in March 2009 when he appointed Czar Van Jones as

Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on

Environmental Quality (CEQ). Jones resigned in September 2009, but the work continues

uninterrupted. Examples of initiatives currently in effect are identified in a report, Going Green:

The Vital Role of Community Colleges in Building a Sustainable Future and a Green Workforce,

published by the National Council for Workforce Education and AED. The report examines how

in-service education and community colleges contribute to advancement of deep ecology.13

"Instead of making Green jobs,” explains workforce education administrator Ken Warden, “we

need to make jobs Green." To that end, the Obama Administration’s Pathways out of Poverty

(POP) goes beyond teaching basic literacy and job readiness skills by specifically targeting

competences needed to enter a Green job market. Established in August 2009, POP is funded by

the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.14

• Combining Earth Rights with Keynesian Economics

John Maynard Keynes argued that, without the artificial demand stimulus of government

spending, the market can’t extricate itself from permanent stagnation, high unemployment, and

underutilized capacity. New spending creates market demand, and governments promote rising

wages and schemes designed to redistribute incomes downward to those who will spend the

money. Ironically, when more humans gain adequate wealth to own cars and refrigerators,

Mother Earth purportedly suffers all the more. But, never fear. Eco-crats have this covered. The

Nanny State is poised to shame, punish, and thus curtail human assault on our Sacred Planet—

albeit at the price of personal liberty.15

Conclusion

Ammonites who worshipped Moloch understood that someone’s child would be sacrificed in order

to abate their god’s wrath. Gaia (Mother Earth) likewise requires unthinkable sacrifice. She’s

miffed; and from pesky humans, she will extract her due—unfortunately, at the dear price of

personal liberty. Shame’s her game, and power’s her prize. Problem is: To appease Gaia is to

sacrifice our children and grandchildren, denying them fruit of the Grand Experiment of America

that we oldsters once upon a time were blessed to have known.16

1 Larry P. Arn. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States (Hillsdale, Michigan: Hillsdale

College, 2003), 1-27.

2 http://www.newswithviews.com/Rae/debra18.htm and http://www.newswithviews.com/Rae/debra19.htm.

3 http://pwccc.wordpress.com/programa/.

4 http://www.squidoo.com/thomasberry.

5 http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.html.

6 Gospel means “good news.” Because they contain the basic facts of Jesus’ life, the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke,

and John are called the Gospels. The Bible makes it clear that all have sinned, and sin is what (1) separates man from

God and (2) what earns him wages of death. The good news is promise of (1) restored fellowship and (2) salvation by

means of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice. His glorious resurrection from the dead demonstrates complete victory over the

ultimate enemy. By means of repentance, confession of sin, belief, and becoming “born again” (literally, “born from

above”), man is saved through faith, not by his own feeble efforts. Men and women, boys and girls said to be “in Christ”

are new creations for whom all things are become new. In the end, each receives the free gift of Christ’s eternal weight of

glory in everlasting life. See: Rom. 3:10, 23; 1 Jn. 3:4 and 5:17; Jas. 1:13-15; Acts 2:38; 1 Jn. 1:9: 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Jn. 3:3-7;

2 Cor. 5:17; Jn. 3:16; 2 Cor. 4:17.

7 The earth is the LORD’s (Ps. 24:1). He created it, even as He created mankind (Gen. 1ff). The Creator-God will by no

means share His glory with another (Ps. 24:9-10). To worship and serve creation over and above the Creator is to forfeit

truth for a lie (Ro. 1:25).

8 Karma is a Hindu concept that embodies personal responsibility for one’s actions. Since every decision results in

determinate consequences, “what goes around comes around.” To be karma-bound to Earth is demonstrated in Earth

servitude.

9 Making token ecological changes, Green capitalism allegedly rewards energy companies, airlines, carmakers, and

industrial agriculture with more money that helps maintain profit rates while doing little for the Planet.

10The legendary city (or island) of Atlantis was said to exist at the helm of a world government thought to represent the

ideal, as envisioned by Nazism and Marxism. The ultimate rational system of the latter is a sort of secular version of the

kingdom of God. Utopianism is about building a new society apart from God; but the Bible warns, “Except the Lord build

the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Ps. 127:1).

11Just what is/isn’t sustainable? “Current lifestyles and consumption patterns of the affluent middle class (involving high

meat intake; use of fossil fuels, appliances, air-conditioning, and suburban housing) are not sustainable”

(Maurice Strong, Rio Earth Summit 1992).

12http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_job.

13http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com/articles/community-colleges-join-to-promote-green-education_10875.aspx.

14http://www.jff.org/projects/current/workforce/pathways-out-poverty/1024.

15Socialism is the steppingstone for bureaucratic controls, tightened regulations, increased invasion of privacy, and

confiscation of wealth.

16 T. Alton Bryant. The New Compact Bible Dictionary,