Arizona lawmakers appear close to sending to Gov. Jan Brewer a tea party-backed bill that proponents say would stop a United Nations takeover conspiracy but that critics claim could end state and cities’ pollution-fighting efforts and even dismantle the state unemployment office.
A final legislative vote is expected Monday on a bill that would outlaw government support of any of the 27 principles contained in the 1992 United Nations Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, also sometimes referred to as Agenda 21.
Senate Bill 1507 was passed by the state Senate last month and received an initial House affirmation Wednesday. It is sponsored by state Sen. Judy Burges, R-Sun City West, who also sponsored a state birther bill that Brewer vetoed last year.
"The bill is designed to protect the rights of Arizona citizens and prevent encroachment on those rights by international institutions," Burges told msnbc.com in an email. "We have three branches of government and when one branch preempts the process through executive orders, the balance of power is lost in the process. It is that simple -- no more, no less."
At a March 15 hearing on the bill, Burges said an executive order signed by then-President Bill Clinton in 1993 started the implementation of Agenda 21 after the Senate refused to pass a treaty ratifying it.
"Any way you want to describe it, Agenda 21 is a direct attack on the middle class and working poor" through "social engineering of our citizens" in "every aspect" of their lives," she told the hearing.
But House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, has a different view.
“It’s the most poorly crafted bill in this state,” Campbell told msnbc.com. “It’s so broad and overreaching, we’re not sure what it could impact.”
Among the U.N. declaration’s non-binding principles are calls for sustainable development, environmental protection, eradicating poverty, eliminating unsustainable production and consumption patterns, economic growth and the participation of women in government decisions.
“We wouldn’t be able to use CFL light bulbs in state buildings because that would be considered energy efficiency,” Campbell said.
Campbell also said that the state’s Economic Security Department, which handles unemployment and welfare benefits, could be outlawed because it has to do with eradicating poverty.
Also, Arizona universities have sustainability programs that could be banned if the bill becomes law, Campbell warned.
Arizona State University has a School of Sustainability, Northern Arizona University offers a master's in sustainable communities, and the University of Arizona has an environment and sustainability portal.
Watch US News videos on msnbc.com
Brewer, who last spring vetoed Burges' bill to require presidential candidates to prove their U.S. citizenship, typically does not comment on legislation until it reaches her desk, her spokesperson told msnbc.com Thursday.
About the Rio declaration, SB1507 says “the United Nations has enlisted the support of numerous independent, shadow organizations to surreptitiously implement this agenda around the world.”
Rep. Terri Proud, R-Tucson, told supporters in an email that the U.N. declaration “will take away our rights as Americans by allowing the United Nations to mandate laws on our soil,” the AzCapitolTimes.com reported. “It’s very real and it is happening.”
The Times also reported that during House debate Wednesday, Rep. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, said the declaration is connected to the “occult” of sustainability.
"The tea party and conspiracy theorists run the state now, Campbell told msnbc.com.
See video from the March 15 House Judiciary committee meeting on SB1507 here.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Autistic boy's father: Why hasn't teacher been fired over 'bullying'?
- New report of Secret Service debauchery
- Poisoning trees to make billboards visible
- Unborn baby shot in Los Angeles riots: 'I'm still here'
- Marine who criticized Obama on Facebook: I wish I could take it back
Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook


....and if the Anti UN bill doesn't work...try imposing UN stuff on Patriotic Americans...a gun behind EVERY BLADE OF GRASS! Go Jan Brewer!! Don't Tread on Me!
flyingviper,
Patriotic Americans, many of whom served with honor in the U.S. military, tired of WAR, did much to create the United Nations. So...you're threatening to kill fellow American veterans that fought in our wars?
"Cannot swords be turned to plowshares? Can we and all nations not live in peace? In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences world-wide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. And yet, I ask you, is not an alien force already among us? What could be more alien than war and the threat of war?" - Ronald Reagan
"They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." - Isaiah 2:4
Not to worry. There isn't that much grass in Arizona.
Flying-no one is trying to impose any UN stuff on anyone. It's time for your nap and then some black and white movies on TCM.
Good grief, this is why the sane people living here want to divide the state and create Baja Arizona. Let the crazies in Phoenix thump their Bibles and raise their state guns.
I have an idea. Start calling the Arizona legislature '' The Brewery ", to honor the governor. Some of these proposals look like they've spent to much time in a brewery all ready !
Sounds like a good idea that is poorly written. I can buy that. I completely understand Arizona wanting the freedom to determine their own future instead fo the UN or Agenda 21. I support them in that, but the need to make sure that the bill doesn't have many unintended negative consequences.
Then do not listen. If you recall Leon Panetta said he would inform Congress after the UN gave the US permission to go to Syria. You just might want to wake up.
Wake up to what?
go to sleep already.
I see both sides of this debate. Boy Scouts of America's policy clearly states that "other than heterosexual" sexual partners are not accepted within their ranks. She knew that when she allowed her son to join and when she joined.
That said, I think it's ludicrous that in this day and age, we still have such a backwards organization who is supposed to teach strong morals. Discrimination shouldn't be a moral to shoot for and I personally think they should be ashamed of themselves and concentrate more on the heterosexual pedophiles within their ranks.
The only way to solve the problem is to boycott the organization and start an all-inclusive organization that would rival BSA. Success is the sweetest revenge :)
sparrow
Did you get lost? õ¿õ
I sure did, LOL! I had two windows opened and posted in the wrong one :) Sorry 'bout that.
the boy scouts is a wonderful organisation, and they should never give in to political sactioned immorality.
Obama and Clinton would rather adopt UN policies and law than work to enforce our own.
Rob, did you know that Obama's administration has deported more illegals than any of his last few predecessors? The current immigrant/emigrant ratio from/to Mexico is one. As many leave as come in. First time in 200 years!
Try looking into the facts before you drool again.
Tex, that is why Obama has the Latino vote LOCKED-UP… he has deported more illegal immigrants than any other President in history!!!
It's the Tea Party Line. They all have to recite it every day and everywhere. Thinking is verboten.
What is it about Arizona that has drawn the bewildered and ignorant over the last few decades?
Arizona is trying very hard to be the bastard child of the United States. Hard to believe there are citizens this childish in our country. And Brewer is the biggest child of them all.
To the Arizona State Officials:
Do you know the what the ramifications are to your state due to your selfish , tea party bigot actions?
As a very seasoned traveler, I will never, ever visit Arizona again! I will boycott any product that is manufactured in Arizona. I will never promote Arizona as a tourist destination.
The other state that will not be promoted as a tourist destination is Florida. The Stand Your Ground law is enough to turn off any visitors to this state. Florida is just too dangerous to be in. People shoot first, then ask questions later... Not good for tourism
Bla bla bla
Welcome to the Revolution...................................
Leatherneck, does that mean you are a has-been marine or just a reptile? I guess we would be able to figure that out by your brilliant post, a reptile would not be so immature. How often do you hear the word "traitor" whispered behind your back at the Walmart checkout line?
tex2c: Sorry pal, Once a Marine always a Marine by order of the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Immature your the one acting immature with your BS. Traitor funny that I served my Country how about you sunshine... Sorry, I will fight for my Freedoms and my Fellow Americans too.
No comment? Please, oh please keep your promise to never return to our beautiful state of Arizona, nor buy any products that are manufactured here...I'm very sure that we'll do just fine without you.
Who cares what your Commandante says (is he a communist or what?), we all now know that you are a has-been marine. Please keep that in mind as you spew your traitorous hatred out your butt. Thanks.
The rest of the US should just let these morons go.
D I V O R C E !- sometimes it is worth the trouble.
Let them try to overcome the invasion from the south by themselves. We will lose nothing except loudmouth idiots that pollute the national discussion as intelligent folks try to solve the problems left over from Dubbya's debacle.
they must have fallen and bumped their heads down in Arizona.
UN fear? I don't think so. the UN deals with the feds, not individual states. That's a diversion and a ploy.
I'd see more of a set up to exploit the large Mexican population living down there ( legal and Illegal), with no unemployment benefits. And a free-to-pollute manufacturing sector without regulation(right along the border), which would work out well for manufacturing plants coming back from abroad(China).
So, China in Arizona. Then we are going to hear how it is to be competitive with foreign goods. the fact is that the goods we got from China are way expensive for what they are, mostly with collateral societal damage. Which gave much too much money and power to people who shouldn't have so much because obviously it goes to their "heads".
A cash machine were the workers get screwed. Wouldn't that be a Republican dream?
The Wild Wild West in Arizona, sure they already have lax gun laws. I hope they can ride horses because soon that's all they be able to afford in their regression efforts.
I'm not against enterprising, I'm actually for it yet not at all costs on others. I guess wealth is addictive, I suggest a good therapist for those affected by the greed disorder.
This bill is a slam dunk to pass the US supreme court. As long as a republican has written the bill the US supreme court will uphold it. This is how the republican democracy in the US works.
Those guys are pretty nutty but they have this one right. Laws disreguarding all Presidential orders would be good.
For traitors.
A Federal law kicking AZ out of the union would be even better.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Perhaps they should open the doors wide open to the Mexican illegals. The state's IQ level obviously needs a boost.
but, what if that decreases their I.Q? Maybe they don't want to think liberal.
London School of Economics found Liberals and atheists generally have higher IQ than Conservatives and the religious:
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/high_iq…
Sorry 'bout that Corey. Just the way it is. The liberals have to spend way too much of their time trying to keep the ignorance of the reich from causing us all more and more problems.
The UN is a group of nations that hate our guts and want to do everything possible to knock us down to size. And they have the support of the American left. Between the two, they have hit the mother lode with global climate warming change. That's why the liberals get all upset whenever there are information uncovering the global climate warming change conspiracy. You would think Americans would be happy to hear that global climate warming change is not as bad as previous predicted. No, they get all depressed.
Road Warrior, are you from Arizona or you just paranoid?
Distort, deceive, disinform! The strategy of the right wing extremists since Reagan. Actually, it got a foothold using Texas oil millionaire money in the 50's - remember the John Birch Society and the House on UnAmerican Activities Committee? They soiled their pants until they figured out that they were not going to get the ignorant behind them until they got an actor up front.
How has that worked out for ya? Except for a short improvement under Clinton the rest of the time has been a downhill slide for everyone except the extremely rich. Narrow minded religious family values thrown up in your faces as they rip off the future of your kids. GET IT?
Yes we did have a short improvement under Clinton. Thats because most of the time both parties fought. It kept them from doing alot of damage to the country.
Any legislation passed by the AZ. politicans supercedes federal laws. The Az. congress has an inside track to the US supreme court and they, the supreme court will protect this Az. law with the threat of military intervention if needed. How much justice can you afford today. The Az politican never compromise its against the laws in the state constitution. The Az. congressional members are in the process of passing a law that will force the federal government to sign off on any and all federal lands to the state to care for as they please. I understand they have the nod from the courts. The US supreme court is going to rule on the Az. papers please law which states police can stop anyone any time because of their skin. They don't have a lot of blacks in Az. but the state will be passing other laws like driving hispanic, driving black, you know the same thing that is part of the make up of similar law in the south. The US supreme court doesn't use the constitution to determine the constitutionality of laws they vote according to republican party policy.
Gary, “The US supreme court is going to rule on the Az. papers please law which states police can stop anyone any time because of their skin.”
Can you point out in the law where it “states” that? Here is a link to the law…
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070h.pdf
Gary Hanson: your statements about SB1070 are absolutely not true and you know it (driving hispanic?)...it's such a shame that you and so many people like you would rather remain in the dark about our issues here in Arizona instead of actually educating yourselves.
If I lived in Arizona I wouldn't tell anyone else right now, this would be far too embarrassing.
Wow this country is full of irrational, senseless knuckleheads.
I am not in any way embarrassed about living here in our beautiful state of Arizona. Those of you that don't like us...well, that's your problem. Please continue to just be as ignorant as your posts indicate that you are.
We have a meth lab of ignorance and religious zealots thinking simplistically that do not deal with overpopulation as if birth control is about abortion when in reality prevention and now overpopulation is causing immigration problems, worse pollution loss of so called God's creatures habitat. As if land is endless and is unlimited.
The the religious right can say there is a heaven afterwards. They create the problems and then want me to believe. How dysfunctional a dogma and amazing such system exists. How long does this illusion exist and what intelligent person can keep waiting for this rapture? A hoax and money maker for churches and sick dogma that believes in faith and not science. Amazing to me. Sad part if we really leaned green concepts and applications we could create a heaven on earth but that take responsibility. Easier to say they believe in God and not be held accountable with true stewardship.
Well, when you see the hell we have here on earth, would not you want something better?
Corey,
The hell we have on Earth was mostly created by religious people.
Anything involving the UN's agenda in the United States should be stopped. Americans shouldn't answer to foreigners; we are a sovereign nation. Kick the UN out.
Yep, yet people like tex2c will never understand it.
Does the UN do anything worthwhile?
So you want to kick it out even when the suggestions make sense and are non-binding? Yeah you're independent and you'll show em (just how stupid we can be).
The UN is a threat to US sovereignty and are an enemy of the People. Kick them out.
Just when you think Arizonans can't get any dumber, they manage to exceed all expectations. They're going to protect us from the UN's sinister plan to protect the environment! If the UN were for God, Mother, and Apple Pie the Arizona Republicans would oppose it because they're all 'fureigners' and must somehow be concocting a sinister plot. Yeah, they're 'patriotic Americans', who hate the president, the government, and most of the people in the country.
Well good. In this diverse culture we call America there is room for all opinions as to how best to run the state. So celebrate diversity and hug Governor Jan Brewer for her efforts to preserve Arizona for America.
New state song for Arizona, "If I only had a brain. . ."
nothing but liberal fools posting here except aworld
Not true I'm here.....................
Not only do we have the butt-fracking ugliest Governor in the world, but we're also stuck with the teapottyist nut-bag Repuglickin legislators in the country.
Whenever another state's government passes a ridiculous law, our scumbag pols go right to work on something worse. Their motto is, " Ain't no other State gonna' out crazy us."
Support Baja Arizona. We down in the south want our freedom from Phoenix, it's suburbs and especially Jan 'The Hag' Brewer.
Sustainability is the main topic of global business. To deny it is like saying we are going to outlaw computers and make our students study the bible instead of science (the latter is actually happening in the US). I travel throughout Asia on business and meet business people and government officials. They are just starting to become aware of the Tea Party and American anti-environmentalism and denial of evolution, etc., etc. They are quite shocked and dismayed by it and make comments like "America is not an advanced country anymore." The negative effects of having people in power in the US like those in this article are far reaching for our status and influence in the world. They are leading us to a role as a "rogue state," fighting solutions to global problems.
Robert - you can't build sustainability on unsustainable economics. Obama's Green Agenda is economically unsustainable. Some argue, we need to invest in these infant businesses. They are not infant businesses....they are fully mature businesses that, try as they might, have no economic viability.
Just curious Robert in your Asian travels with business people and politicians, what are THEY doing about the environment and the "green" movement besides undercutting our own manufactureres and selling to our goverment and all the other "green" motivated governments or entities, while the plant making the SOLAR PANELS/HYNRID CAR/Insert Own GREEN PRoduct is powered by the most polluting of coal plants-real smart!