Posted on 10/29/2007 8:09:19 PM PDT by processing please hold
When State Department Legal Adviser John B. Bellinger III gave a controversial June 6 speech on the subject of "The United States and International Law," he mentioned that the Bush Administration had "put forward a priority list of over 35 treaty packages that we have urged the Senate to approve soon, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea."
The latter is now up for Senate ratification, with a vote scheduled on Wednesday, and one of its many controversial provisions is the regulation of land-based sources of pollution. This treaty covers the water and the land. But now we have discovered that the Bush Administration has asked the Senate to ratify a treaty that defines one of those land-based sources of pollution as toilet flushing. No kidding.
It is amazing but true. The Bush Administration wants the Senate to ratify a treaty that will invite international inspections of what you flush down your toilet.
We are talking about Annex III of the “Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region, with Annexes.” You can read it for yourself here.
Annex III is titled, “Domestic Wastewater,” which is defined as including “all discharges from households, commercial facilities, hotels, septage and any other entity…” These discharges are defined as encompassing (1) toilet flushing, (2) discharges from showers, wash basins, kitchens and laundries, or discharges from small industries, provided their composition and quantity are compatible with treatment in a domestic wastewater system.
Lawrence A. Kogan of the Institute for Trade, Standards, and Sustainable Development uncovered the dangerous details of this agreement and has termed it the “Toilet bowl treaty,” noting that it constitutes a sort of mini-Law of the Sea Treaty. The protocol, he says, is one of 11 “regional seas” agreements. It is on an October 1 State Department list of “Treaties Pending in the Senate.” (Not all of these treaties are currently being pushed by the Bush Administration).
Our major media were, as usual, asleep at the switch. It turns out that the White House issued a press release about submitting this treaty to the Senate for ratification. President Bush's statement was quite specific. He noted that “It is estimated that 70 to 90 percent of pollution entering the marine environment emanates from land-based sources and activities,” and that parties to the treaty “are required to ensure that domestic wastewater discharges meet specific effluent limitations, and to develop plans for the prevention and reduction of agricultural nonpoint source pollution.”
Bush claimed that “The United States would be able to implement its obligations under the Protocol under existing statutory and regulatory authority.” In other words, he thinks this is supposed to affect others, not us. But this may not be the way some activist judges and international lawyers see it.
Bush's admission that 70 to 90 percent of pollution entering the marine environment emanates from land-based sources and activities is directly relevant to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which has provisions relating to prohibiting pollution from such sources. That is why many observers have concluded that the Law of the Sea Treaty can serve as a back-door way to implement the (unratified) global warming treaty. Foreign judges and lawyers could easily interpret greenhouse gas emissions as contributing to pollution of the oceans. As a result, under UNCLOS they could order cuts in energy use.
Since the State Department submitted the protocol for ratification, along with the Law of the Sea Treaty, it's a certainty that Legal Adviser John B. Bellinger III knew all about the potential for regulating land-based pollution sources and activities, including toilet bowls, when he testified before the Senate about UNCLOS on September 27. But not only did he deny that UNCLOS had any such potential, he said it had no such provisions. When pressed, he claimed the provisions were “hortatory” and had no practical legal impact. This is why Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch and I have asked for a formal review (PDF) of his testimony. He clearly misled the Senate.
But now we find out that it's worse than we thought. The State Department had previously submitted another treaty that specifically and explicitly defined a land-based source of pollution as being a toilet bowl. Ratification of this treaty, in conjunction with ratification of UNCLOS, would literally invite U.N. inspectors to review and manage discharge from your toilet bowl. Why didn't Bellinger tell the Senate about that during his UNCLOS testimony?
Bellinger seems to be far more open and honest with international audiences that he is trying to appease and impress. In his June 6 speech to a group at The Hague, for example, Bellinger boasted about using his own staff of 171 lawyers to “integrate” international law “into the decision-making process” of the U.S. Government. He defended the President's order to Texas to comply with a ruling by the U.N.'s International Court of Justice on giving convicted Mexican killers another hearing. Bellinger called this compliance with “an international obligation.”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on UNCLOS on Wednesday. UNCLOS is the first order of business and if it passes, as seems likely, Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid could call it up for a quick Senate floor vote.
Before the committee votes, it should recall Bellinger as a witness and determine why he has been less than open and honest about the “obligations” of the U.S. under UNCLOS. Then he should be asked to explain why we need a treaty targeting toilet bowls and showers. If he claims the need to adhere to “international obligations,” he should be laughed out of the hearing room, along with his treaties.
The reasons to oppose GWB never seem to end. But what happens on Jan. 20, 2009? I think a certain person is already measuring the drapes, to use the old cliche.
We are on the fast road now to losing everything we held dear about our freedom in this country. If you don’t believe in a coming global government in which you are an expendable pawn... then now would be a good time to wake up.
There ya have it.
Check out my homepage sometimes.
Not too long ago when some of us got on here and started posting about Agenda 21 we were called tin foilers and black helicopter people.
But we persevered against their scoffing and ridicule.
If this gets defeated Wednesday(I’m too afraid to guess which way this will fall) he can issue an Executive Order as the last thing he does.
Oh, and do you want to know why they are wanting to let out dollar tank. Think “amero”...as in just like Euro. Get the picture.
He refuses to do anything to secure the borders and enforce immigration laws. He pushes an expansion of the SChip program, he vetoed the Democrat's version, because they expanded too far. He pushed thru the Prescription Drug expansion of Medicaid. He's come out on the global warming side of the debate. He's fiddled, while Iran builds the bomb. He holds back Israel from attacking the Syrian nuke plant. He has Condi push this ridiculous Annapolis Palestinian Peace Plan and pushes for a Palestinian State. One insane elite policy is being pushed after another.
Bottom line, he's destroyed his family business. No Bush could get elected to dog-catcher these days. He's trying to take the GOP down with him and destroy the conservative movement. Worst of all, his policies are bad for America. We still have over a year of this turkey to go.
Let's hear all of these Bushbots defend this loony. You got sold your bill of goods with this FAKE.
Huh? Whuzzat???
How'd I do?
LOL, seeing as I was on the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management Roundtable of the first local Agenda 21 in the US, I am more than familiar with that crooked process. I been Delphied.
I have that site bookmarked. I like it.
Something that should not be joked about, and ammo for O’Reilly and the “hate-site” labelers.
Trying to ram as many of these through so the incoming pres won’t have to take the rap for them.
He has single handedly done more damage to the GOP since his reelection.
So he wants the honor of taking down our sovereignty himself?
Fred Thompson supporters take note: "Oh, but Bush can win."
I believe in the NWO....and I thought I had done a lot of research....but this shocks me.....I will take a careful look at your homepage.
Thanks so much.
With BS like this treaty and illegal aliens running wild, we are, IMHO, well on our way.
I find it harder and harder to be shocked anymore. I'm mostly dumbstruck now by what's coming from of our 'leaders.'
You're very welcome.
It pains to to say it but I agree. We're on our way.
Over ten years ago, Claire Wolfe wrote, in 101 Things to Do 'Til the Revolution, "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." Well, it's still too late, but it is no longer too early. Fire at will. Don't directly harm the innocent.
This is how they are going to disarm us....a 3000 page treaty that no one will read....but on page 792 all signatories will be required to blah blah blah....
Just like the SPP and the NAU
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