U.N: 'Mother Earth' Deserves Human Rights Status

[46&2]

U.N. Prepares to Debate Whether 'Mother Earth' Deserves Human Rights Status

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/04/18/prepares-debate-rights-mother-earth/#ixzz1JvVd6yGJ

United Nations diplomats on Wednesday will set aside pressing issues of international peace and security to devote an entire day debating the rights of "Mother Earth."
A bloc of mostly socialist governments lead by Bolivia have put the issue on the General Assembly agenda to discuss the creation of a U.N. treaty that would grant the same rights found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to Mother Nature.

Treaty supporters want the establishment of legal systems to maintain balance between human rights and what they perceive as the inalienable rights of other members of the Earth community -- plants, animals, and terrain.

Communities and environmental activists would be given more legal power to monitor and control industries and development to ensure harmony between humans and nature. Though the United States and other Western governments are supportive of sustainable development, some see the upcoming event, "Harmony with Nature," as political grandstanding -- an attempt to blame environmental degradation and climate change on capitalism.

"The concept 'Mother Earth' is not universally accepted," said a spokesman from the British Mission to the U.N. about Bolivia's proposal. "In general, our view is that we should focus on tackling important sustainable development issues through existing channels and processes."

The General Assembly two years ago passed a Bolivia-led resolution proclaiming April 22 as "International Mother Earth Day." The measure was endorsed by all 192 member states. But Bolivian President Evo Morales envisioned much more, vowing in a speech to U.N. delegates that a global movement had begun to lay "out a Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth."
Morales, who repeatedly says "the central enemy of Mother Earth is capitalism," called for creating a charter that defends the right to life for all living things. Morales, who was named World Hero of Mother Earth by the General Assembly, has since made great strides in his campaign.

In January, Bolivia became the world's first nation to grant the natural environment equal rights to humans. Bolivia's Law of Mother Earth is heavily influenced by the spiritual indigenous Andean world outlook that revolves around the earth deity Pachamama, roughly translated to Mother Earth.

The Bolivian law establishes 11 rights for nature that include: the right to life and to exist; the right to pure water and clean air; the right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered; the right to have nature's processes free from human alteration. The law also establishes a Ministry of Mother Earth to act as an ombudsman, which will ensure nature is "not being affected my mega-infrastructure and development projects that affect the balance of ecosystems and the local inhabitant communities."

Emboldened by this triumph, Morales' goal is to emulate his domestic achievement as a U.N. treaty. In a 2008 address to a U.N. forum on indigenous people, he said the first step in saving the Earth is to "eradicate capitalism" and to force wealthy industrialized countries to "pay their environmental debt." Morales presented 10 points, or Evo's Ten Commandments, as they are affectionately called by devotees, to save the planet.
Among them is a call to end the capitalist system, and a world without imperialism or colonialism. Respect for Mother Earth is Commandment 6. U.N. critics slammed the decision to devote an entire day debating Mother Earth legislation as not only a waste of time and resources, but a major blunder.

"The UN is a one-act show," said U.N. watchdog Anne Bayefsky, of Eye on the U.N., in which "Western democracies are responsible for the world's ills and developing countries are perpetual victims."
Bayefsky said the General Assembly's focus on Mother Earth distracts from more pressing issues and problems at the U.N.

"The rights of inanimate objects violated by developed countries are considered a useful focal point this month," she said, adding that, "Syria is scheduled to be elected next month to the U.N.'s top "human" rights body, and Iran is on the U.N.'s top women's rights body." Syria is one of the sponsors of the "Mother Earth" treaty.

Bolivia's ambassador to the U.N., Pablo Solon, who will represent Morales at the debate and 'expert' panel discussions at U.N. headquarters, said, "Presently many environmentally harmful human activities are completely legal," including those that cause climate change.

"If legal systems recognized the rights of other-than-human beings," he says, such as mountains, rivers, forests and animals, "courts and tribunals could deal with the fundamental issues of environmental contamination."
It is not clear if Bolivia's new tough environmental laws will actually go as far as to protect life forms like insects, but the legislation does include all living creatures.

I like how insects are the scum of the earth apparently and not likely to be protected under their plan. What about bacteria? They have rights too ya know.

[Rocksurfer]

So does this mean that if I pull some weeds I'll be sentenced to life in prison for Holocaust crimes in wiping out an entire area of human plants?

I can't believe that with World War III starting in the Middle East they are taking up this type of BS.

[brainlessfool]

mother earth must be protected!! we can not do enuf to help her. drive an elct.car.
don't fart, don't eat beef. eat plants, no wait plants help heal the eath so don't eat them... STARVE!!!!!

[abnormaltoy]

In the land of happy, dancing unicorns and rainbows, they have time to ponder deep thoughts.

[Stocker]

It's deep sumpthin, alright....

[brainlessfool]

In the land of happy, dancing unicorns and rainbows, they have time to ponder deep thoughts.

[46&2]

Whatever they are smoking, they need to pass that to me. 

[kneedownnate]

And the UN still exists why 

[46&2]

And the UN still exists why 

Thats a question I've been asking myself a lot lately...

[yoshaleng]

mother earth must be protected!! we can not do enuf to help her. drive an elct.car.
don't fart, don't eat beef. eat plants, no wait plants help heal the eath so don't eat them... STARVE!!!!!

[REG535]

Oh you cant hike on soil or rocks, cause that damages the earth.. 

[Stocker]

And the UN still exists why 

To usher in the New World Order, if you believe the conspiracy theorists...   

[REG535]

It is true about the "New World Order'', they had the plan from around the 1800s, documentations and pamphlets. They know us better than we know us, and are playing a great chess game

[brainlessfool]

Whatever they are smoking, they need to pass that to me. 

no way dude, we're bogarting it all.

[abnormaltoy]

To usher in the New World Order, if you believe the conspiracy theorists...   

Just because you're paranoid...doesn't mean they aren't out to get you! 

I mean just check out the quote from Mr. Franklin in my sig!

[Stocker]

Point taken, and thank you for continuing my edjumacation 

[abnormaltoy]

Point taken, and thank you for continuing my edjumacation 

You've probably forgotten more than I'll ever learn 

[Stocker]

You've probably forgotten more than I'll ever learn 

Thanks, I...... hey waitaminute, are you saying I am forgetful?? 

Mebbe so, but it can be a curse or a blessing.... ya just need to know when, and how, to apply it.

Kinda like selective hearing, and anyone who has been married longer than the honeymoon lasted will know of which I speak. 

[Tofudude]

Next thing on their list, privacy rights for imaginary creatures.

UN is a joke, they keep Qaddafi on the human rights council

[abnormaltoy]

Thanks, I...... hey waitaminute, are you saying I am forgetful?? 

Mebbe so, but it can be a curse or a blessing.... ya just need to know when, and how, to apply it.

Kinda like selective hearing, and anyone who has been married longer than the honeymoon lasted will know of which I speak. 

[HULK]

I got a good one for you guys.  I was at a hardware store picking up supplies for a job I was working on, and when the Prius just came out, I saw one in the parking lot there.  So I kind of was checking out how weird it looked in person and was like o.k.  Then the owner walked out and said to me, " Are you looking to go green?" and I was like, "Yeah.  I already did."  He smiled and said, "Really?"  Then I said, "Yeah.  See that Green 4X4 Dodge Ram over there?  That's Mine."  Then he looked pissed off and put the batteries in that little remote control car and drove off. I mean don't get me wrong.  I recycle and do all i can to a point, but by driving a hybrid, that isn't a huge saving of the earth, check out those nice city buses, school buses, those are pretty bad.  I don't know how many times I was behind a stupid school bus, and you get a nice big puff of black smoke clouding up four lanes of traffic, they need to go cry about those.

[46&2]

I got a good one for you guys.  I was at a hardware store picking up supplies for a job I was working on, and when the Prius just came out, I saw one in the parking lot there.  So I kind of was checking out how weird it looked in person and was like o.k.  Then the owner walked out and said to me, " Are you looking to go green?" and I was like, "Yeah.  I already did."  He smiled and said, "Really?"  Then I said, "Yeah.  See that Green 4X4 Dodge Ram over there?  That's Mine."  Then he looked pissed off and put the batteries in that little remote control car and drove off. I mean don't get me wrong.  I recycle and do all i can to a point, but by driving a hybrid, that isn't a huge saving of the earth, check out those nice city buses, school buses, those are pretty bad.  I don't know how many times I was behind a stupid school bus, and you get a nice big puff of black smoke clouding up four lanes of traffic, they need to go cry about those.

The Pruis is nothing more than a device to inflate their owner's ego. "Look at me! IM GREEEEEEEEN!!!"

I live in a bicycle town. At least 1 in 5 cars here is a Prius. My 85 Supra, 92 Extra Cab and 85 Runner combined are far "greener" than any single Prius because 90% of my driving is done on a BICYCLE. I recycled old cars, and use junkyard parts to keep them running. These people Prius around a town that can be biked across in 20 minutes.

[HULK]

I think the next thing we are going to hear about these hybrids are that the batteries are giving off some sort of thing destroying the atmosphere.  I think environmentalists can't make up their minds.  I think environmental freaks need to be recycled.  Figure out what is actually right, do some scientific tests to prove it to me, then I might believe a word they say, but I would not own a stupid hybrid.

[46&2]

I think the next thing we are going to hear about these hybrids are that the batteries are giving off some sort of thing destroying the atmosphere.  I think environmentalists can't make up their minds.  I think environmental freaks need to be recycled.  Figure out what is actually right, do some scientific tests to prove it to me, then I might believe a word they say, but I would not own a stupid hybrid.

Me either, I'd rather put an OM617 in one of my Yotas and run it on veggie/waste oil. Plan to do that some day.

[kneedownnate]

Look into how destructive it is to mine the materials used in a prius battery, then look at how long you have to own it and how far you have to drive it before you notice a real difference.  And that's only if you don't have to replace the batteries 

[Rocksurfer]

...and what happens to those spent batteries?

[abnormaltoy]

...and what happens to those spent batteries?

Which batteries? From the cars or the vibrators of the women that have boyfriends that drive them? 

[Rocksurfer]

  I imagine the ladies would win that one.

[46&2]

...and what happens to those spent batteries?

We probably ship them to a third world country where there are no environmental disposal laws where they are "recycled" and then shipped back to us. Like much of our tech waste, its cheaper to ship it overseas, than it is to use environmentaly sound recycling methods here in the USA. Out of sight out mind, right?

[HULK]

I know I do not have a 4X4 toyota now, but soon I will be saving for one.  I have a runner for the wife, and she loves it.  I like those new 4.0 motors, they are powerful.  It is a sport 2005.  Got a great deal on it with only 24k on the odo.  My other truck is a 95 ram 4X4, just got new tires today for it, use it for work, but runs like a champ.  I'd like to get an old school 1st gen for fun.