Giving the Government Power
Gindy likes the following story, but I don't.
Angered by a Supreme Court ruling that gave local governments more power to seize people's homes for economic development, a group of activists is trying to get one of the court's justices evicted from his own home.
The group, led by a California man, wants Justice David Souter's home seized to build an inn called the "Lost Liberty Hotel."...
"This is in the tradition of the Boston Tea Party and the Pine Tree Riot," Organizer Logan Darrow Clements said, referring to the riot that took place during the winter of 1771-1772, when colonists in Weare beat up officials appointed by King George III who fined them for logging white pines without approval.
"All we're trying to do is put an end to eminent domain abuse," Clements said, by having those who advocate or facilitate it "live under it, so they understand why it needs to end."...
[Clements] also distributed copies of the Supreme Court's decision, Kelo vs. City of New London, to residents.
The court said New London, Conn., could seize homeowners' property to develop a hotel, convention center, office space and condominiums next to Pfizer Inc.'s new research headquarters.
The city argued that tax revenues and new jobs from the development would benefit the public. The Pfizer complex was built, but seven homeowners challenged the rest of the development in court. The Supreme Court's ruling against them prompted many states, including New Hampshire, to examine their eminent domain laws.
This is the problem with our baby seal clubbers and Communists. The Communists get defeated, then they take revenge on the baby seal clubbers, who take revenge on the Communists. Take this example:
ASSEMBLYMEMBER JUAN VARGAS
79TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
For Immediate Release: March 10, 2005
Contact: Tanya Aldaz
Vargas Proposes Bill To Ban Smoking In Courtyards!
CA Air Resources Board Report Provides Further Evidence on the Danger of Second-Hand Smoke
SAN DIEGO, CA - Assemblymember Juan Vargas (D - San Diego) will announce a legislative proposal that would prohibit smoking in a courtyard area within a public building, which includes Community Colleges and State Universities, on Thursday, March 10, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. in front of the American Lung Association building located at 2750 4th Avenue in San Diego.
"My goal is to help improve the health of our citizens by increasing the number of tobacco-free zones," stated Vargas. "This bill accomplishes that by limiting the enormous harm done by second hand smoke. Buildings that are open to the public must be free of unnecessary health hazards."
AB 616 is intended to protect California's citizens from the effects of exposure to deadly tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke exposure has been shown to cause lung cancer and heart disease in non-smoking adults and lower respiratory infections and asthma among children. There is no known safe level of secondhand smoke exposure, and evidence suggests that even short-term exposure may increase the risk of experiencing a heart attack.
Vargas has been a vocal opponent of the tobacco industry for years. As a State legislator, Vargas passed legislation that bans smoking in tot lot and playground areas and more recently authored a law that bans smoking in public entryways.
Vargas represents the seventy-ninth assembly district in the California State Legislature, which includes Imperial Beach, Coronado, National City and parts of San Diego and Chula Vista.
####
Oddly enough, Assembly Bill 616 doesn't appear in the list of approved legistlation on Vargas' page. Perhaps that's because the bill would need to be signed by the Governor, who - isn't this an odd coincidence? - happens to smoke in a courtyard area within a public building. So even the California Senate hasn't gotten around to doing anything with it (as of now).
And if this retribution campaign gets going, it could get really ugly. A Republican-authored Constitutional amendment against oral sex in the Oval Office? A Democratic-authored Constitutional amendment that makes improper (nucular) pronounciation of the word "nuclear" an impeachable offense?
Let Souter live! Souter don't deserve to rent!
Comments