Unconstitutional
origins of the Endangered Species Act
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Michael Coffman, Ph.D.
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September 4, 2001
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To
most American citizens the Endangered
Species Act (ESA), and many other
environmental laws are a noble effort to
save species from extinction, and to protect
the environment from reckless destruction by
man. The human tragedy caused by the ESA and
other environmental laws is rarely reported,
hence most Americans also do not realize
that hundreds of thousands of their fellow
citizens, primarily in rural areas, are
needlessly being stripped of their
livelihoods and decimated economically by
these laws as our government uses them to
nationalize their property.
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By redefining Article 6 of the
U.S. Constitution, all globlists now
have to do is ratify international
treaties that, in total, subvert the
Constitution and put all power into
their hands.
As a consequence, Americans are
systematically coming under the
control of international law and the
United Nations, and flies and
suckerfish have more legal rights
than people. |
The Endangered Species Act of 1973, the
granddaddy of all these anti-human U.S.
laws, derives its authority and power from
five international treaties, the most
prominent being the Western Convention.
Section 2, paragraph (4) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 states; "the United
States has pledged itself as a sovereign
state in the international community to
conserve to the extent practicable the
various species of fish or wildlife and
plants facing extinction, pursuant to-
A. migratory bird treaties with Canada
and Mexico;
B. the Migratory and Endangered Bird Treaty
with Japan;
C. the Convention on Nature
Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the
Western Hemisphere;
D. the International Convention for the
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries;
E. the International Convention for the
High Seas Fisheries of the North Pacific
Ocean;
F. the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora; and
G. other international agreements;
and..."
The ESA even extols the fact that it
cedes sovereignty to the international
community by saying its purpose is to
"develop and maintain conservation programs
which meet national and international
standards." These in turn are
"key to meeting the Nation's international
commitments." (Bold and italics
added for emphasis)
The Western Convention
and the ESA
Even if they did not know of its
existence, most Americans who live in rural
America will recognize with alarm some of
the key language in The Western Convention
because they have witnessed it being applied
in their area through the ESA. The goal of
The Western Convention is to "protect and
preserve in theirnatural habitat
representatives of all species and
genera of their native flora and
fauna...in sufficient numbers and over areas
extensive enough to assure them from
becoming extinct through any agency
within man's control...." (Bold and italics
added for emphasis)
Some citizens have even experienced the
ESA horror as it has stripped them
personally of their right to use their own
land. Under the ESA, private property can be
condemned by the federal government to
create the habitat needed, or that possibly
could be needed, by an endangered fly,
sucker fish or beetle, as well as more
glamorous species like the bald eagle.
The Western Convention also provides for
the establishment and total protection of
National Parks, National Reserves, Nature
Monuments and Wilderness Reserves. Within
these protected areas, Section 4 of the
Western Convention requires the host nation,
"to the maximum extent prudent and
determinable – shall... designate any
habitat of such species which is then
considered to be critical habitat."
Not surprisingly, in language identical to
the Western Convention, Section 4 of the ESA
states, "to the maximum extent prudent and
determinable–shall...designate any habitat
of such species which is then considered to
be critical habitat." (Bold and italics
added for emphasis)
According to Article VIII of the Western
Convention, all endangered species "shall be
protected as completely as possible,
and their hunting, killing, capturing, or
taking, shall be allowed only
with the permission of the appropriate
government authorities in the country." Not
surprisingly, the concept of full
protection, critical habitat and takings is
also found in the ESA. Under Section 9 of
the ESA, it is unlawful to "take
any" endangered "species within the United
States or the territorial sea of States," or
"take any such species upon
the high seas."
If only National Parks, Reserves,
Monuments and wilderness areas received this
kind of protection, the treaty would
accomplish what most Americans desire. But,
it goes far beyond protecting these
political designations. Article V also
includes " the protection and preservation
of flora and fauna within their
(the nation's) national boundaries but
not included in the national parks, national
reserves, nature monuments, or strict
wilderness reserves...." (bold and
italics added for emphasis)
Hence all land, public and private is
under the jurisdiction of this UN treaty
through the ESA.
The usurpation of the
U.S. Constitution
The UN-administered Western Convention
has provided the hammer for denying
landowners of their property rights in the
U.S. by superseding the Fifth Amendment of
the U.S. Constitution:
".....No person shall be deprived of
life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law, nor shall
private property be taken for public use,
without just compensation." (bold
and italics added for emphasis)
Most if not all of U.S. environmental
natural resource laws have their authority
derived from Article VI of the U.S.
Constitution, not Article I that defines the
eighteen enumerated powers of Congress.
Article 1, Section 8 of the United States
Constitution states:
Congress shall have power to:
1.Collect Taxes and Duties
2.Borrow Money
3.Regulate Commerce
4.Naturalize Citizens
5.Print Money
6.Punishment of Counterfeiting
7.Build Post Offices & Post Roads
8.Promote Inventions
9.Constitute Lower Courts
10.Punish High Seas Offences
11.Declare War
12.Raise an Army
13.Provide a Navy
14.Make Rules for Military
15.Call Militia and Suppress Insurrections &
Invasions
16.Organize and Arm Militia
17.District of Columbia
18.To Make All Laws for Above Powers, and
Powers Vested by the Constitution
According to the U.S. Constitution,
Congress has no power to legislate anything
other than in the eighteen areas listed
above, and none of those allow Congress to
pass environmental law, except number 18,
which is defined in Article VI, Clause 2:
This Constitution, and the
Laws of the United States which shall be
made in Pursuance thereof; and
all Treaties made, or which shall be made,
under the Authority of the United
States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land;
and the Judges in every State shall be bound
thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or
Laws of any State to the Contrary
notwithstanding. (Bold and italics added for
emphasis)
As it was originally written, the
Constitution was the supreme law of the
land. The laws of the United States had to
be "in pursuance thereof," or subservient to
the Constitution. Likewise, treaties could
only be made "under the Authority of the
United States." Since the authority of the
United States comes from the sovereign
people who delegated it to the U.S.
Constitution, treaties also had to be
subservient to it.
Although the founders thought it obvious
and therefore did not include it in the
original U.S. Constitution, the sovereignty
of the people was spelled out in the first
ten amendments to the Constitution. For
instance, Amendment IX states, "The
enumeration in the Constitution, of certain
rights, shall not be construed to deny
or disparage others retained by the people."
Just to make sure future courts understood
this, Amendment X states, "The powers not
delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the
States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people." It
was the people's ironclad contract that they
would never become serfs to the state. (Bold
and italics added for emphasis)
Needless to say, the U.S. Constitution
stopped the globalists from implementing
their one-world plan dead in their tracks.
They knew that something had to be done to
override the sovereignty of the individual.
In the case of property rights and natural
resources, international treaties were used.
The Constitution began to be reinterpreted
in the case of Missouri vs. Holland 252 U.S.
416, 40 S. Ct. 3822, 64 L.Ed 641 (1920). In
that decision the U.S. Supreme Court held
that the federal government may preempt
state control over wildlife under federal
legislation implementing the Migratory Bird
Treaty. By putting liberal and corrupt
judges into lower courts and the Supreme
Court, Article 6.2 of the Constitution was
gradually reinterpreted to mean:
"....all Treaties made, or which
shall be made, under the Authority
of the United States, shall be the
supreme Law of the Land"
Such an interpretation fits perfectly
within the globalist’s agenda. By redefining
Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, all
globlists now have to do is ratify
international treaties that, in total,
subvert the Constitution and put all power
into their hands. As a consequence,
Americans are systematically coming under
the control of international law and the
United Nations, and flies and suckerfish
have more legal rights than people.
("Although they claimed to be wise, they
became fools and exchanged the glory of the
immortal God for images made to look like
mortal man and birds and animals and
reptiles." (Romans 1:22-23))
Michael Coffman is
publisher of
Discerning the Times, President of
Environmental Perspectives, Inc., and CEO of
Sovereignty International. |