This is the best of times and the most threatened of times. It is the best because private property and the productive activity it fosters have brought to Americans longer lives and broadening opportunities for individual realization. It is the most threatened because the collectivization of property is occurring at an increasing rate. The trend is ominous. As factions intensify their struggle for government favor and as the size of government grows, little seems to be gained. But o­ne thing is certainly lost: individual liberty.

At present, over 200 American communities are formally implementing the United Nations land-use agenda. This agenda calls for the ultimate elimination of private property and the replacement of the United States Bill of Rights by an authoritarian grant of "human rights." As this initiative gains strength, it is wise to recall what George Washington said: "Private property and freedom are inseparable." Freedom and a healthy planet are also inseparable. The expression at Liberty Garden is a symbol of these ideas.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of liberty.

Michael Shaw

La Selva Beach, California

(rev. June 2003)