The Georgia Guidestones
The Georgia Guidestones are a granite monument erected in 1980 in Elbert County, Georgia, in the United States. A set of 10 guidelines is inscribed on the structure in eight modern languages and a shorter message is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient language scripts.
I broke a rib while working in the garden this week and while in pain, I found a comfortable position to sit and watch telly in the evening but was nervous to move into bed for the fear of the pain involved and doing so in comfort, so I stayed where I was for most the night. Tons of cushions, a big throw and me with my feetup. Freeview on the telly is wonderful and I watched Ancient Aliens - and as I love at the silly conspiracy theories that abound, sometimes you find something that fascinates and catches your attention, and the Georgia Guidestones did just that.
The monument stands at an approximate elevation of 750 feet (230 m) above sea level, about 90 miles (140 km) east of Atlanta, 45 miles (72 km) from Athens, Georgia and 9 miles (14 km) north of the center of the city of Elberton.
One slab stands in the center, with four arranged around it. A capstone lies on top of the five slabs, which are astronomically aligned. An additional stone tablet, which is set in the ground a short distance to the west of the structure, provides some notes on the history and purpose of the guidestones.
The structure is sometimes referred to as an "American Stonehenge". The monument is 19 feet 3 inches (5.87 m) tall, made from six granite slabs weighing 237,746 pounds (107,840 kg) in all.
The anonymity of the guidestones' authors and their apparent advocacy of population control, eugenics, and internationalism have made them a target for controversy and conspiracy theory.
In June 1979, a man using the pseudonym Robert C. Christian approached the Elberton Granite Finishing Company on behalf of "a small group of loyal Americans", and commissioned the structure. Christian explained that the stones would function as a compass, calendar, and clock, and should be capable of withstanding catastrophic events. Joe Fendley of Elberton Granite assumed that Christian was "a nut" and attempted to discourage him by giving a quote several times higher than any project the company had taken, explaining that the guidestones would require additional tools and consultants.
Christian accepted the quote. When arranging payment, Christian explained that he represented a group which had been planning the guidestones for 20 years, and which intended to remain anonymous.
Christian delivered a scale model of the guidestones and ten pages of specifications. The five-acre land was apparently purchased by Christian on October 1, 1979, [non-primary source needed] from farm owner Wayne Mullinex. Mullinex and his children were given lifetime cattle grazing rights on the guidestones site.
The monument was unveiled on March 22, 1980, before an audience variously described as 100or 400 people.[Christian later transferred ownership of the land and the guidestones to Elbert County.
In 2008, the stones were defaced with polyurethane paint and graffiti with slogans such as
"Death to the new world order".
Wired magazine called the defacement "the first serious act of vandalism in the guidestones' history". In September 2014, an employee of the Elbert County maintenance department contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation when the stones were vandalized with graffiti including the phrase "I Am Isis, goddess of love".
Inscriptions
A message consisting of a set of ten guidelines or principles is engraved on the Georgia Guidestones in eight different languages, one language on each face of the four large upright stones. Moving clockwise around the structure from due north, these languages are: English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, and Russian.
Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.
Unite humanity with a living new language.
Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason.
Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
Balance personal rights with social duties.
Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite.
Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature.
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Yoko Ono praised the inscribed messages as "a stirring call to rational thinking", while Wired stated that unspecified opponents have labeled them as the "Ten Commandments of the Antichrist".