Trans-Texas Corridor: Can this possibly be stopped?

September 1, 2007
Joshua Herring
RenewAmerica analyst

Perhaps it isn't going to be as easy for big government and big business magnates to abusively strip Americans of their homes, their businesses, and their property as they originally thought it would be following the latest Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain. In an analysis published by RenewAmerica not long ago titled "A three pronged attack to bring down America," I dealt to some extent with the Free Trade Agreements NAFTA and CAFTA, and I outlined some of the potential threats involved.

One of the things I touched on is what has been called "North America's SuperCorridor." This is a byproduct of NAFTA that is to be a highway four hundred yards wide. Actually, there are plans in the works that will link another stretch of highway to this "SuperCorridor" that is to run up from Panama to facilitate plans being made for the sake of CAFTA as well, but I lack both the time and the room get into all that here.

Bigger is not always better

At any rate, as I said before, this "SuperCorridor" is to run through several Mexican states and then through Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. When I saw a map drawn to scale of this highway, in all its width and immensity, with all the necessary connecting links that are planned for Texas to go where they need it to, I was awestruck. The average American citizen has no idea how much turf the Texas Department of Transportation and global enterprises will have to chew up to facilitate their plans.

As one begins to look into this matter, it quickly becomes obvious that the good of the American people cannot possibly be served by swallowing up the nation the way they plan to with this highway. And this is only one of many devastating aspects of the overall objective. The economic plans that are in the works will swallow the American economy the way the SuperCorridor will swallow up the turf. In fact, although many Americans aren't seeing what is going down for what it really is just yet, our economy is already half chewed and digested by men of global power and prestige — both within and outside of national governments — as a result of their insatiable appetite for even more money and power than they already have.

What is at the root of all this?

Of course, those involved in the planning try and dignify the plans as if their interests and motives are virtuous, noble, and in the best interest of the public. But just in case anyone is missing the point, despite any amount of denial by those involved in what is going on, this is all part of a long-range plan to form a North American Union. (NAU) The reason so few people are aware is that at this point it is still a matter of covert action, involving the Bush government, the Canadian government, and the Mexican government, coordinating with members of high-powered multinational corporations to sustain a plan that has been methodically going forward for many years now. It is also a plan which, despite all the denials being put forth by those involved, will take us right where the European Union has taken so many nations.

By virtue of multinational economic cooperation on a level unprecedented in all of global history, things that become necessary to facilitate such cooperation gradually dissolve that which distinguishes national identities. This is caused by, among other things, the diminution of private economic interests and enterprises — such as small businesses that have always been such an important part of American life — and which are one of the foundations of what was for so long known as "the American dream."

Is it actually progress or just a big facade?

In the transition that takes place as a result of radical economic integration, many of the national economies become weakened in areas and ways that make them increasingly vulnerable to — and dependent upon — the multinational system. They are first seduced and then drawn in before being brought under submission to the system. This is passed off as "progress" by those who benefit from such dissolution and destruction of traditional lifestyles and cultures. The many (commoners) increasingly suffer and pay the price, as the few (elites) continue to take greater control of nations and of the lives of the many — sapping the substance out of their lives, destroying their national heritage, and swallowing up their inheritance as a result.

This, of course, will inevitably lead to a common currency — and to what amounts, for all intents and purposes, to a shadow government that supersedes national governments in many areas — gradually abolishing the sovereignty of every nation involved. It all starts with the kind of economic planning and cooperation that has given birth to the idea of "North America's SuperCorridor, " the first American stage of which is to begin with what is referred to as the Trans-Texas Corridor.

The Trans-Texas Corridor

I intend to do a fairly extensive analysis on the NAU that is forming that will require a series with at least three segments to cover even the bare essentials sufficiently. However there is something I believe everyone should know about right now. There are some of you out there who need to prepare for the same kind of action to save your property from being brutally and unjustly seized by government agencies in days to come. In the last analysis on things related to this subject I wrote:

When I consider the most recent Supreme Court decision pertaining to eminent domain, I think, "How utterly convenient that is, and what a coincidence." This ruling permits local governments to seize homes and businesses for private projects that "promote economic development." This was a highly irregular decision by the Court, to say the very least, and it was certainly well-timed to facilitate the needs of those planning the "SuperCorridor." This highway is to provide not only truck routes entering the United States from Mexico; it will include both passenger and freight railroad lines that run alongside of oil and natural gas pipelines.

The Supreme Court ruling of which I speak, Kelo v. City of New London, has made it easy for government agencies to virtually strip American citizens of their homes and businesses with little or no meaningful opposition. The Texas legislature tried to at least slow down the Trans-Texas Corridor. But the governor, Rick Perry, did some hardnosed work to prevent any effective opposition to the Corridor, and he had it aced . . . or so he thought.

To put it in the words of one person I talked to: "All of the agreements were forged in darkness. Sunshine laws are banned regarding the NAU, SAPP, TTC and the rest of the NAFTA superhighway." (Laws that preserve and encourage openness are known as "Sunshine Laws.")

Greedy and corrupt politicians are being used as facilitators by globalists

By the time Gov. Perry was finished shooting down proposed legislation in Texas — part of which would have imposed a two-year moratorium on the TTC if Governor Perry hadn't vetoed the bill, and some of which would have strengthened the grip of Texas citizens on their rights and their property — the Texas Department of Transportation was exempt from observing Historical Landmark Preservation laws, open-process competitive bidding, open-meeting negotiation the public can attend, public release of proposals and research, and scrutiny regarding environmental impacts, because they're doing that themselves . . . or so they thought — but:

TxDoT isn't Santa Anna, this isn't the Alamo . . . and these Texans believe they can win!

TxDoT, Gov. Perry, and his big business supporters thought they had it aced. There was just one little problem with all this. In order to build the Trans-Texas Corridor, estimates regarding how much private property would have to be seized under eminent domain land-grab laws have been as high as 584,000 acres. This is to say nothing of the other states I mentioned this highway going through. I'm talking about 584,000 acres in the state of Texas alone. Well, some Texans did the math and decided that there must be something that can be done about it . . . and it seems they were right.

Furthermore, there are some real Jim Bowie and Davy Crocket types among them who are just brave enough and stubborn enough to make a stand and fight for their principles all the way down the line, whatever the cost. This fight is liable to become very dangerous at some point — there are billions of dollars on the line, some of which has already been spent. But these people did some investigating into local laws in their counties and found out that they don't really have to lie down and allow Perry, TxDoT, and Cintra-Zachry Construction Corporation to run over them like that.

There are laws on the books in the state of Texas that require state agencies to cooperate with local entities on such projects or the agencies cannot do anything at all. And now that these Texans have learned of this, the proponents of the Trans-Texas Corridor, despite all their big money backing and political clout, have a real fight on their hands.

Serving papers . . . and a big surprise over who has the upper hand at this point

As of Monday, August 27, Gov. Perry, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency were notified of the move to stop the TTC. The four Texas cities of Bartlett, Holland, Little River-Academy, and Rogers formed the Eastern Central Texas Sub-Regional Planning Commission (ECTSRPC) to fight the TTC. Moreover, among other things, they are depending on federal court decisions that have set precedents in favor of landowners, but never involving something of this magnitude, in other federal districts to add backbone to the local laws they are utilizing.

The mayor of Holland, Texas — Mae Smith — has been elected president of the ECTSRPC. In the words of the newly elected president: "This is one issue all four cities are united behind to save our rural way of life." Ralph Snyder, a member of the commission who is business owner from Holland said:

The purpose of this Commission is to give us a voice in this process. It's our land that the Texas Department of Transportation and our Governor want to take and we are not going to let them pave us over and ignore the concerns of our communities.

The newly formed commission, in an unprecedented move, was formed using the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 391. This allows cities to develop plans for their local region and to force the state agencies to coordinate with their activities. Under Chapter 391.009(c), TxDoT is required to coordinate with commissions to ensure effective and orderly implementation of state programs at the regional level. The vice president of the newly formed commission, Ronnie White, said: "TxDoT must coordinate with us before they can implement their plans in our region." He also stated that "The TTC is driven by greed and has no respect for our rural way of life." This would have to be the understatement of the century, in my estimation.

After long consultations with attorneys and massive investigation, commission members concluded that there are no loopholes for the state agencies to exploit here. Therefore, under state law, TxDoT will be required to work with the ECTSRPC and coordinate their plans with the local group before any land is taken or any construction begins. Feeling that she is standing on firm ground after all the deliberations and planning and consultations with attorneys, Smith said: "If not, they are in violation of the state statute and we are prepared to take them to court if necessary."

In conclusion

The reason the EPA is being notified is because TxDoT has submitted a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, but they did not coordinate with local government as required under the law. It looks as if TxDoT really has some problems ahead. Some of the work they thought they had finished was done in vain, and the money they spent so doing poured down the drain.

I was offered copies of the letters that were sent to the overbearing government agencies involved, but the letters have since become a matter of public record. In the interest of conciseness, I am just going to share a link to a website that is being formed to share that information and much more in days to come. These people want other Americans to be inspired, to know there is something that can be done, and to learn some things about how to deal with government entities that try to rob them of their land, their rights, and their American heritage

It is time for Americans to wake up to what is going on. It is time to mount up in unified challenges to the threat before big business and an increasingly corrupt government in America takes everything we have, strips us of the few constitutional rights they haven't already stolen, and destroys our way of life completely. There is a clear and present danger here — and the deadline for getting started doing something about it was yesterday — so we had better get moving. The link to the website is: www.stewards.us.

Please help me pray for the people in Texas who are fighting this battle. They are going to need God's help, and possibly more than favor with the judges. What I said about the fact that they could find themselves in real danger due to the billions of dollars of work that has been planned, some of which money has already been spent, was sincere. I have done some talking with them, and these are very bold, brave, and noble Americans who are putting themselves on the line — not only for the sake of trying to protect their own interests, but for the sake of beginning a movement in America that will hopefully reverse the corrupt trend behind the Trans-Texas Corridor and help lead to the saving of this nation.