Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was noted for his strong advocacy for bicycling, and Miami Beach has just launched its Decobike bike-sharing program. This all seems progressive and positive, but is it secretly part of a larger plot to erode our personal freedoms, undermine the American Constitution, and promote the eventual United Nations' take-over of the world? Yes it is, according to a certain brand of Tea Party thought exemplified by the leading Republican candidate in the Colorado governor's race.
Dan Maes, a Tea Party favorite who's leading polls for the Republican primary in Colorado, will likely face Democratic Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in the general election. Hickenlooper has been a strong bicycle advocate and helped launch a bike-sharing program in the city, similar to Miami Beach's.
"At first, I thought, Gosh, public transportation, what's wrong with that, and what's wrong with people parking their cars and riding their bikes? And what's wrong with incentives for green cars? But if you do your homework and research, you realize ICLEI is part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty," Maes tells the Denver Post. "Some would argue this document that mayors have signed is contradictory to our own Constitution."
Surely, though, our area is not caught up in this nefarious scheme of undermining the Constitution and taking our rights in the name of sustainability. Surely not.
What's that? Miami-Dade County has been a member of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiative since the year it was founded? My Lord! Apparently, the county even worked closely with the group to test its latest "Sustainability Planning Toolkit," which is probably just code words for "hating America." County Clerk Harvey Ruvin spoke at one of the council's conferences, and the county has met all of the group's "Climate Protection Milestones." Why do you hate freedom and make eagles cry so much, Miami-Dade?
North Miami, Miami Gardens, and South Miami are also individual members.
"This is bigger than it looks like on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms," Maes told a group of supporters while warning against promoting bicycling programs.
He's not alone among conservatives rallying against the group.
"Right now, in your town and neighborhood, policies are being implemented that will ultimately eliminate your freedoms and destroy your way of life. You need to know what's going on to stop this process. Many town officials are selling us out to global regional development with help from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI): Local Governments for Sustainability. ICLEI is used as one of the mechanisms to undo the political recognition of unalienable rights.
ICLEI uses the false premise and outright lies of anthropogenic global warming to change our way of life, for the worse!" warns one conservative website.
Well, clearly, we will soon live under socialism thanks to riding bicycles because trying to save the environment is evil. Uh? OK, I stopped trying to understand Tea Baggers a long, long time ago.
