Putting People First / August 25, 1994
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PO Box 1707, Helena, Montana 59624 * (406) 442-5700 * Fax (406) 449-0942
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     FAX ALERT - FAX ALERT - FAX ALERT - FAX ALERT - FAX ALERT


               BIODIVERSITY TREATY MUST BE STOPPED


     The Senate is about to ratify possibly the most dangerous and far-
reaching international treaty in the history of the United States
Constitution.

     By mandating ecosystem management on a worldwide scale the
Biodiversity Treaty threatens private property rights and places human
beings on equal footing with all other creatures.  Putting People First
is concerned that the Senate is being pressured by the Clinton
Administration into signing away U.S. sovereignty by endorsing a treaty
that won't even be written until an international conference is convened
in November.

     We have sent a letter to our members urging them to call or fax
their Senators and the President, telling them NOT to ratify the treaty
until it has been written and the Senate has time to advise and consent.

     There is no time to lose.  Because of delays in the Crime and
Health Bills, the Biodiversity Treaty could come up for a vote even
before our membership receives our letter.

          We implore you to get your members, employees, family,
friends, neighbors -- to call your Senators today.  Ask them to refer
the Treaty to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee for hearings,
because the substance of the Treaty will radically change how the U.S.
manages its natural resources.. Tell them that the grass roots, the
American people, are upset about this being pushed through  with little
or no review; that we are watching what the Senate is doing with this
treaty with an eye to the November elections.

     Here are some of the reasons to hold back on the treaty:

* The treaty makes all species equal.  Human existence would have no
more judicial rights than any lesser species.

* The body of the treaty has not been written yet, but the Senate is
still supposed to sign it -- giving carte blanche to whatever may be
written in the future.

* Science is no longer to be the basis for determining  what is good and 
what is bad for the earth's ecosystem.

* Most human activities, including farming, hunting and fishing, mining
and logging, violate "sustainable use," the basis for all "protocols." 

* Private property is an obstacle to "sustainable use."

FOR A COPY OF OUR LETTER TO OUR MEMBERS, CALL OUR OFFICE AND WE WILL FAX
IT TO YOU.


To reach your Senator:   Senator _____________
                         Senate Office Building
                         Washington, DC 20510

                         Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121