Exploris talks to Wake County Taxpayers Association

Thank you very much for asking me to speak to you this evening.

I am grateful that the Wake County Taxpayers Association provides tax-minded citizens a place to meet and discuss tax issues and to organize against tax increases.

I hope you will agree with me that citizens of this nation should not only be responsible for limiting how much tax money is given to government, but we should also be responsible for what ideals or principles our tax money is supporting. Do these ideals and principles align with those of our State and United States constitutions which were originated from a strong Judeo-Christian foundation? Are our elected officials adhering to their oath to obey the U.S. Constitution?

On May 26, 2004, it was reported in The News and Observer that Wake County proposed a cut in funding for Raleigh's struggling Exploris museum. On Monday of this week (June 21, 2004), The News and Observer reported that the County Commissioners reduced funding for Exploris by $100,000 or 9%. This is a cut from $1.45 million to 1.35 million. Although the State legislature gave Exploris quite a bit of capitalization money, Wake is the only government, so far, that is contributing to the Exploris budget. (We are waiting to see what the State Legislature decides to give.)

When the proposal to cut funding was first announced by Wake County, the Exploris board stated that it will submit to the County, this summer, a long-term plan of major new initiatives to attract funding and visitors.

Defenders of Exploris, who are generally liberal, say that, despite its poor performance, the museum's mission to teach children about other cultures of the world is worth salvaging. Even Rick Martinez, one of the rare columnists at The News and Observer who is on the conservative side, wrote on June 9, 2004 that "Exploris is one of those well-intentioned concepts that looks good on paper but doesn't pan out in real life." (1) The general consensus of the most vocal advocates is that we need fresh new leadership and stronger initiatives to make Exploris more attractive to visitors.

This leads to the main thrust of my talk tonight. Most people think that this is just a local issue. But, that is not the case. People outside the community have a powerful interest in Exploris's success and have cooperated with Smith's global vision.

So, tonight I will focus less on the financial tax details and more on the global vision. Is Exploris simply a local children's museum? Or is there another mission? I would like to use Exploris as an example of how this is one of a multitude of issues that taxpayers will be subjected to through a far-reaching global agenda that is using local communities to achieve its goals. So here we go:...

EXPLORIS: A NATIONATIONAL PROTOTYPE

The popular bumper-sticker slogan, "Think globally, act locally" coined in 1972 by the French microbiologist and UN environmental advisor, Rene Dubos (2), is a perfect slogan for what is going on at Exploris. The problem is that the concept erases one step from the equation, "thinking nationally."

In Raleigh, Gordon Smith III is implementing the Dubos process locally through his global vision for Exploris, a unique combination of children's museum and school which he touts as "the first global learning center" or the first learning center "solely dedicated to helping young people achieve a global perspective through interactive learning experiences." (3)

The result of an expansive public-private partnership, the Exploris project is a $50 million plus, 84,000 square foot public museum with an IMAX educational theater and affiliated charter middle school built from 1997-2001 in downtown Raleigh. It is outfitted with state of the art computers and multi-media technology so that students and visitors may "make connections with people of the world." Smith aspires for Exploris to be "a new national prototype" (4) for future global learning centers in the United States. If Exploris is successful, "global learning centers" could be cropping up "locally" all over the nation.

GORDON SMITH, THE FOUNDER

To understand the Exploris vision, it helps to understand the visionary - and Gordon Smith has indeed been described as "a visionary" by many of his supporters.

Gordon Smith III is a Raleigh native who has been a global investment management consultant for Salomon Smith Barney since 1986. He spent his entire childhood in the North Carolina Triangle area until he attended the Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Va. In the 1960s, after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in political science, he joined the Peace Corps where he worked with impoverished farmers on a hybrid seed farm in famine-stricken India. There, the mental seeds for a global museum and school began to hybridize as well.

Considering Gordon Smith's family background, it is little wonder he has such expansive goals. Smith's great-grandfather, Charles Brantley Aycock, distinguished himself as North Carolina's "education governor" by championing public schools and teacher training. Smith's grandfather, Clarence Poe, was one of four founders of the North Carolina Museum of Art, the first state-funded art museum in the country. Poe named his 800-acre farm, "Longview", after his philosophy and became editor and publisher of Progressive Farmer magazine. Progressive Farmer eventually became part of Southern Progress Corporation, publisher of popular magazines Southern Living, Cooking Light and Coastal Living.

Returning to Raleigh, in 1969, Smith became Director of Planning for the Governor's Crime Commission while pursuing a Masters degree in sociology. His thesis was on the feasibility of a museum like Exploris. In 1977 he began an eight year term as Executive Director for the Governor's Crime Commission at the beginning of Jim Hunt's administration. As most of you know, Jim Hunt was an extremely liberal governor who supported (and still supports) state or government managed "cradle to grave" education. Governor Hunt was very cooperative with Hillary Clinton's goals for progressive education and very supportive of the Exploris idea.

At the Governor's Crime Commission, Smith met Ann Bryan who is now the President of Exploris. At the time, she she worked for the juvenile justice division. As an education consultant, she too dreamed of helping young people to have global understanding." For years they talked of a center that would accomplish their goals. When, Time-Warner, Inc. bought Southern Progress in 1987, the sale of the magazines brought substantial wealth to the Poe family heirs. Gordon Smith finally had the capital to jump-start his vision.

EXPLORIS SCHOOL

The first step they accomplished was to start the Exploris Charter Middle School in 1997.

In addition to being the first center solely dedicated to teaching a global perspective, Exploris is also a pioneer in an alternative educational model that has emerged in the 1990's called a "museum school." The museum school concept is so new, and experimentation is so diverse, that no one model has been commonly accepted or defined. But essentially, it is a system where a school collaborates with a museum or cultural institution on curriculum, instruction and assessment. This generally results in much restructuring of both institutions.

Even among museum schools, Exploris is unique because it has its own charter school where the students test the Exploris museum's programs and critique exhibits.

But, the Exploris experience is not limited to students of the Exploris school. At the Exploris museum's televised opening ceremonies, Smith remarked: "We look forward to partnerships with schools across the state as they all prepare the schools to become global schools."

EXPLORIS MUSEUM

Let's talk a little about the museum and its exhibits. The museum opened to the public in October 1999

Unlike traditional "don't touch," collection-based museums where one learns from an artifact or object, Exploris is a "do touch," "interactive" museum devoted to a process - teaching young people through experiential learning techniques how to "be successful" in a constantly changing world and to conform to the emerging New World Order system. Exploris is not for learning about the past, but is preparing for the future. Exploris President, Anne Bryan stated "Exploris will be a window on the world and a door to the 21st century." (5)

Exploris' interactive exhibits range from high-tech satellite links and Internet connections (donated by globally minded international corporations like AT&T, Nortel and Time-Warner Telecom who each donated a million dollars or more to Exploris) to basic activities such as exploring "Culture Boxes," giant drawers filled with objects from the daily lives of people around the world or answering the museum staff's questions about global problems written on large colored cards posted around the museum. All exhibits are designed to prepare participants for changes in environment, economy and culture.

Most people don't recognize that the Exploris staff is intent on indoctrinating children away from national sovereignty, a love of country and traditional American ideals and to global multicultural values.

For instance, environmentalism as a theme is favored over capitalist industrial progress. One exhibit warns of the dangers and high expense of the modern refrigerator. Conservation of water is a big theme at Exploris - Taxpayer Association members who are currently opposing the new city "stormwater fees" would do well to visit the room in Exploris solely dedicated to the quantity and quality of water in our lives. Posters on geography and economics promote regionalism over sovereign states and nations. American traditional and historical culture is non-existent at Exploris. Books and videos about "tolerance" (or relative values) are displayed in several exhibits. The Many Voices exhibit teaches young people to become social change agents through volunteerism and "social activism" by encouraging membership in such international humanitarian and environmental organizations as CARE, Roots & Shoots and Greenpeace. Greenpeace is notorious for breaking law to push or publicize the environmental agenda.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT and AGENDA 21

Many of the themes emphasized at Exploris come from the UN-led environmental movement to achieve "sustainable development." Some of you may not be familiar with the term, "sustainable development" You will be hearing it more and more in every aspect of your everyday life - in grocery stores, restaurants, beauty parlors, hospitals, health spas, the workplace - as the push to implement it heats up.

"Sustainable development" is the belief that humans are depleting the earth of its natural resources and therefore, in order to conserve these resources, they must give up their freedoms, such as the right to own and manage private property. The United Nations definition of "sustainable development" is: "Meeting today's needs without compromising future generations to meet their own needs." (6)

A blueprint for the implementation of "sustainable development" has been created by the United Nations. It is called Agenda 21. Agenda 21 outlines how "sustainable development" can be implemented not only internationally and nationally, but in your local communities. The proposed 1 billion dollar light rail systems are an example! Kay McClanahan's property rights fight in South Carolina is another example - and let's not forget the stormwater fees. The public is being conditioned to accept Agenda 21, not by name, but by suggestion, under the radar so to speak.

This brings us back to Exploris. Exploris is a perfect example of an institution that is introducing by stealth the UN's Agenda 21 goals.

UNITED NATIONS CONNECTION

Although camouflaged by trendy jargon and technology, Exploris offers the same stock socialist ideas that have emanated from the United Nations since 1945.

Exploris' support of the United Nations' agenda is not hidden. As part of a "United Nations Week" observance (10/22/01), Exploris Middle School students, accompanied by their teachers, stood on the Wake County Courthouse steps and recited all 30 articles of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights over a pubic address system to the bewildered downtown Raleigh lunch crowd. I was present at this event.," The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an open-ended document, which declares that man's rights are granted by government instead of God. It is completely irreconcilable with the United States Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.

The student recitation was moderated by the Wake County chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA/USA), a non-governmental organization whose purpose is "to carry out the mission of UNA/USA at the community level" and "to strengthen the United Nations system and the United States participation in it." (7)

EXPLORIS AND STATE OF THE WORLD FORUM

Exploris' televised opening ceremony (October 9, 1999) was reminiscent of UN Summit ceremonies. It included Neo-pagan, occult, Eastern mystical and tribal rituals performed by guest artists and Exploris school children.

Outside in a public park, a videotaped congratulatory message from First Lady Hillary Clinton sitting in the White House was displayed on a large monitor.

Guest speakers included Andrew Young, civil rights activist, former mayor of Atlanta, former UN Ambassador and President of the National Council of Churches and Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist leader and international peace activist.

Hanh's presence is noteworthy because he is an active participant in the State of the World Forum, a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1995 by former Communist President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev, who has never renounced communism, has openly embraced a worship of the cosmos as the new spirituality of the age. The State of the World Forum has been prominently displayed as a link on the Exploris' Internet web site since Exploris first announced itself to the public.

Thich Nhat Hanh supports Gorbachev's vision for a single global cosmic spirituality, or one world religion, with a syncretic desire to merge Christianity and Buddhism. In Hanh's national bestseller, Living Buddha, Living Christ, he states: "When you are a truly happy Christian, you are also a Buddhist. And vice versa." (8) At the opening ceremony, the robed Hanh instructed the crowd how to use "mindfulness meditation" and the Buddhist tradition of "Seven Steps" as they viewed the exhibits: "In the Exploris museum you will see a big piece of the Berlin wall... and please pass in front of that piece... and practice 'mindful breathing' - breathing in slowly and breathing out deeply... I would propose that every morning we practice Seven Steps:... Breathing in, I am aware of Mother Earth'... It would be wonderful if every one of us on earth could make steps like that... to massage the earth with our feet, with our love, with our understanding..."

Raleigh's newspaper, The News & Observer reported (10/15/99) that Thich Nhat Hanh will be working with Exploris to expand The Inner Voice, an exhibit that "focuses on writing in journals as a spiritual exercise." New Age disciples like Hanh use "journaling" to unlock the unconscious by connecting with their "inner wisdom" or "sacred self."

One of the most prominent State of the World Forum members to work with Exploris is Forum co-chair, Dr Jane Goodall. Dr. Goodall is well-known for her research drawing the similarities between humans ("the human animal" and chimpanzees. An Exploris newsletter (Update/Spring 1998) reported that, "Dr. Jane" met early with the Exploris board, staff and middle school students to share her goals for the museum. A votary (worshiper) of "Mother Earth," she is introducing Exploris children to her international humanitarian and environmental program called Roots & Shoots.

And Maurice Strong, a founder of the World Forum, narrates an Exploris exhibit theme film. Maurice Strong is a powerful global change agent and committed Gaia (Mother Earth) worshipper. He is a Canadian billionaire best known for organizing the1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and for his collaboration with fellow cosmos worshippers, Gorbachev and Steven Rockefeller, to draft the blasphemous Earth Charter, a UN document that was recently unveiled to the world at the United Nations. The Earth Charter is housed and transported in an "Ark of Hope" a counterfeit model of the biblical Ark of the Covenant that held the tablets of the Ten Commandments. The creators of the Charter blasphemously claim it to be a "kind of Ten Commandments, a Sermon on the Mount" for the world. (9) A New World Religion is behind Exploris!

At the September 2002 UN Earth Summit II in Johannesburg, South Africa, enthusiastic environmental disciples were given the go-ahead to begin a stealth campaign to introduce the Charter's principles into our churches and schools.

One needs to look no farther than Exploris to find the Earth Charter principles.

AMERICAN FORUM FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION

I'll briefly mention The American Forum for Global Education which is also displayed on the short list of Internet links posted on the Exploris web site. Look at the web site. The children do. You should too. The American Forum for Global Education has been an educational advisor for Exploris since day one. The President of the AFGE, Andrew Smith, is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. So are many of the AFGE members. In the United States, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is the leading organization openly working today for world government and the erosion of national sovereignty. And AFGE Board member Emeritus, Father Theodore Hesburgh an openly enthusiastic advocate for a One World Order was also on the Board of Advisors for the Gorbachev foundation.

EXPLORIS EVOLVING...

State of the World Forum personalities and various globalist foundations, companies and satellite UN organizations will work with Exploris because they see the potential to draw Americans to universal global schooling through the guise of entertaining and appealing educational experiences.

Gordon Smith said on a local PBS program (9/20/02), North Carolina People: "We believe that Exploris, as 'the first interactive museum about the world in the world,' could be replicated in State capitals around the United States and around the world. I am hearing that people are coming from other states and nations now considering the possibility of building an interactive museum about the world in their state capital."

Despite Smith's optimism, there are problems that could spell trouble for Exploris. During the summer of 2002, a number of North Carolina journalists voiced disappointment that, although a children's museum about the world is a great idea, the Exploris museum is not "fun." They reported that despite the expensive addition of IMAX, the exhibits are boring, the attendance is dismal and the whole thing is a taxpayer sinkhole. Some critics are calling for new leadership to redesign the museum's exhibits. Now, in 2004, the cry rallies forth again as the County reduces funding for Exploris because of its failure to attract visitors. Remarkably, no critic questions that the ideology could be the root of the problem. Let's face it! Socialism is not fun!

Smith and Bryan worked fifteen years to develop Exploris. They have the talent, determination, connections and tenacity to institutionalize their global vision. Whether or not it is successful depends on the powerful Insiders who support it and the sagacity of its critics to question it.

But, let's not be discouraged by what sometimes seems to be an overwhelming assault on the United States and its Constitution. No amount of money or people of influence can counter real grassroots action. Majorities have never accomplished anything in history. Determined minorities do. The other side seems to know this. It is about time our side did.