Eminent Domain can take your land away

From: Georgie Hinklemyer <samoolives_at_yahoo.com_at_hypermail.org>
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 05:16:47 -0000

Sorry to interrupt the fun, gang. But this is serious. I want to
fight the Supreme Court. How do I do it?

Here's the history.

<rant on>

I cannot Fcking believe what the Supreme Court just did today. With
one stroke they took away everything anybody owns.

Today, in a 5 – 4 ruling, the Supreme Court said that Eminent Domain
may now be extended for the purpose of economic benefit. The case
centered around a small town called New London in Connecticut. About
a half-dozen people, middle class, owned homes along a stretch of the
river bordering the town. A big contractor came along and saw the
river and the land and said, "What a great place to build a set of
condominiums, a hotel, and a huge office complex." But no one wanted
to sell. So they went to the mayor. It would be of tremendous
economic benefit, the company said. Everyone would benefit, and think
of the huge amount of new taxes the town would bring in.

The landowners fought back. Court after court they fought. They'd
lived there for 20, 30, even 50 years. They didn't want any
compensation, whether someone else considered it "fair" or not. This
was THEIR property. THEIR homes.

It finally got to the Supreme Court. To paraphrase Star Trek, the
needs of the money outweighed the needs of the few. And the town may
now take the land away from the people.

Congratulations, Scalia & Co. And welcome back to the time of King
George. You just gave any governing body, large or small, the right
to do whatever they please in the interest of "economic advantage."
Not "public use," not "for public good," but pure, unadulterated
money. Never mind blighted communities which no one should be forced
to live in. Never mind that schools are struggling to find any kind
of land to build on. Let's at least make sure the companies are
well-fed with all the resources they need. Ship the people somewhere
else. Who cares? There's plenty more who will buy at that location.

Remember "Of the people, by the people, for the people"? Try Of the
money, by the money, for the money. But you knew that already

This is so dangerous, I'm totally blown away. Any neighborhood may
now be demolished because the town mayor thinks a shopping mall would
be better there. A community wiped out because we've got to have a
new power plant for the rest of the city. Land ownership is now a
pipe dream. It's gone at the whim of a bunch of idiots sitting around
a gorgeously appointed conference room surrounded by pretty charts and
graphs, piles of doughnuts, and the finest Starbuck's coffee.

Can we Eminent Domain them the hell out of their offices and into the
real world, please? Don't let them take everything we've ever worked
for away!!

<rant off>

Personal rancor aside, the facts I've stated are true. And I'm deadly
serious. How do we fight the Supreme Court?
Received on 2005-06-23 22:18:26