As I've reported many times, Sustainable Development affects every aspect of our lives. Yet Americans continue to think of it as simply harmless, helpful environmental conservation. In reality Sustainable Development is a radical political agenda designed to control and change our society to fit into a top-down global governance structure.

Here are two quick examples of Sustainable policy and propaganda that have dire effects on us all.

Item: Vegetarianism is a major tenant of Sustainable Development. Agenda 21 focuses on the goal to eliminate the consumption of meat and to instead use the fields to grow wheat and soy for human consumption. Again, freedom of choice is not part of Sustainable Development. To get us to comply, we're told in endless propaganda campaigns that meat is dangerous to us and the vegan lifestyle is the only healthy alternative. The argument has been as one-sided in the media and as the claims of consensus for global warming - with the same lack of honesty and scientific evidence.

Now comes this report from popular doctor William Campbell Douglas in his daily blog called the Daily Dose. In a recent issue, Dr. Douglas reported why "meatless diets can be deadly."

Says Dr. Douglas, "Anyone who still believes a diet of sprouts and beans is healthy should hop on the next flight to India, where they can get a firsthand look at the ravages of the vegetarian lifestyle." India, of course, is one of the leading vegetarian nations in the world, up to 42% of the population, most of it religion-based.

Reports Dr. Douglas, "When researchers studied 300 vegetarian patients at Hiranandani Hospital for a year, they were stunned to find that 70% of them were either suffering from heart disease or were at high risks of heart attacks."Wait a minute - isn't that the charge the Vegans make against eating meat - that it causes high risk of heart attacks.

Well, says Dr. Douglas, "the reason was pretty simple. Nearly all of the patients were badly deficient in vitamin B12, an essential nutrient found in meat. The deficiency caused a surge in levels of homocysteine - a much better marker of heart attacks than cholesterol." The high homocysteine levels led to atherosclerosis - hard, narrow arteries that make the heart work overtime and put the patient at risk for heart attack and stroke.

So, banning certain foods in preference of one's political agenda isn't going to save you. Over doing anything is bad for your health. Vegetarian diets have good and bad aspects, including both things you need and things that, if taken to extreme, are bad for you - just like eating meat. We need meat and vegetables! So keep your political agenda off my plate.

Item: Retail giant Wal-Mart is not satisfied to have almost single-handedly created the Communist Chinese global economic menace that has created a massive US trade deficit. Now it is also determined to enforce Sustainable Development on the world's food industry. Wal-Mart announced "aggressive goals" for improving ways that food is grown and transported across the globe. In other words, Wal-Mart is now going to enforce Sustainable farm policy on all of its suppliers and customers - just like Whole Foods. This is not free markets - it huge global corporations playing footsy with radical environment groups and pretending that it's for the "common good." Aren't they just wonderful global citizens!

Specifically, Wal-Mart says it plans to triple the amount of food it sells from small farms in emerging markets such as India and Brazil. It also makes strong emphases on the fact that it will split its orders to assure it includes "women" producers. Apparently good farmers aren't as important as politically correct farmers. In the US, it vowed to double sales of locally sourced produce - but only if they use the proper "sustainable" farming practices, promising to reduce the use of water, energy, fertilizer and pesticides. What is not mentioned is that such policy will force up the price of producing the products. That will not only affect consumers who will have to pay the higher costs, but will also affect the farmers who will be shackled with the strict, unnecessary restrictions. So-called "Sustainable" farming is not cheap and it's not easy or efficient. It's like tying a huge weight around the farmer's neck, taking away his proven tools, and forcing him to grow his crops by pleasing a huge committee of meddling busybodies. Many local farmers will not be able to meet Wal-Mart's demands and will be left out of the chance to sell their products.

So, in the end, as Wal-Mart collects plaques and awards for its Sustainable "leadership" and "caring for the environment," they have only helped to damage the economy even more. It is also telling that Wal-Mart has relied on some of the most radical environmental groups to form this policy. The Rainforest Alliance is one of the most radical in the world, with a policy of virtually blackmailing retainers to toe their environmental line. The National Resources Defense Council makes its living suing anyone who stands up against their radical environmental positions. And the World Wildlife Fund is the largest and most dangerous of the bunch, with strong ties to the United Nations. All have set their sights on Wal-Mart to force these new Sustainable policies.

But Wal-Mart is too much of a corporate coward to use its power to expose these global bullies - so the rest of us will pay the price.

Tom DeWeese is one of the nation's leading advocates of individual liberty, free enterprise, private property rights, personal privacy, back-to-basics education and American sovereignty and independence. Go to americanpolicy.org for more information