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Tonight we are no longer a free country (vanity)
6/23/05 | Self

Posted on 06/23/2005 8:06:55 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants

Everybody knows about the shot that was heard around the world as the birthing pains of this once great nation. Today, sadly, we may have heard it's death knell.

It did not come with violence or shots fired. It came with the virtual elimination of personal property rights.

Our founding fathers knew how important the ownership of property was and sought to protect the right to be secure in the ownership of property to the extent that they enshrined the guarantee that property would not be taken for public use without due process and just compensation.

For over 200 years it was understood that "public use" meant that the ownership would transfer from the private owner to the local, state, or federal government for things such as military bases, roads, schools, prisons, etc. Now, the meaning of "public use" has been altered by 5 people who were never elected to office and in all reality, are completely unaccountable to anyone, to mean privately owned condos, shopping centers, and business parks under the thin guise that those enterprises would contribute more tax money to the coffers, thus increasing the "public good"

Justice Stevens, writing for the majority said that judges should give city councils and state legislatures "broad latitude in determining what public needs justify the use of the takings power," he added. To make sure that he wasn't misunderstood he added, "The city has carefully formulated a development plan that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including, but not limited to, new jobs and increased tax revenue," and just destroyed any pretence that you have any recourse whatsoever if the government or county decides that they want your property for any reason at all.

Sandra Day O'Connor writing a scathing dissent correctly said that now rich and politically land developers and businesses could basically take your land away from you with the help from the local government. Yes, you could fight it in court, but it is now fruitless as you are guaranteed to lose in a fixed fight.

For years the people have for the most party sat quietly as the government stole more and more freedoms from us. Prior to 1914 and fool could take any drug he or she wanted and kill themselves, thus increasing the quality of the gene pool for the rest of us. Before 1918, the government had no claim to your wages and could not tax them. Prior to 1934, Sears sold machine guns from their catalog and nobody thought anything about it. Prior to the 1950's preachers could freely endorse or denigrate any political candidate they wanted, just as had been done since the very first town government was formed in this country almost 350 years prior. Since 1986 it has been illegal to manufacture and sell a machine gun to a civilian despite the fact that in the past several decades the number of people int he US murdered by a person with a machine gun has been exactly one, and the person doing the shooting was a police officer using a gun issued to the police department.

But hope is not lost however, ownership of real property does a funny thing to people. It is a spot that a person can say, "This land is MINE!" with a dedication and a fierceness that is somewhat scary. Religion and politics and abortion and the WOT all take a back seat when two neighbors are faced with having their property stolen by the government.

Maybe that bell sounding isn't the death knell but the alarm.

Maybe this will awake the sheeple to realize that the socialist have gone too far.

Maybe the bell is just signalling round two of the Revolutionary War.

Will this war be fought with bullets or ballots?

We shall see.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: court; crime; domain; eminent; kelo; landgrab; property; rights; supreme
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To: Ravenstar

I want to seriously urge you to start a new, seperate post stating what you just did. Now is the time for action.


281 posted on 06/24/2005 6:05:23 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
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To: Hank Rearden
"Nine out of ten voices in my head are telling me to clean my guns."

I haven't been this depressed since Babe the pig found out that humans---even his beloved farmer---eat pigs.

"Don't you know what pigs are for? Why you are here?"
"Why are any of us here?"
"The purpose of a pig is to be eaten."
"They eat pigs?"
"Pork, they call it, or bacon. They only call them pigs when they're alive."
"But I'm a sheep pig."
"Believe me, sooner or later, every pig gets eaten."

282 posted on 06/24/2005 6:07:26 AM PDT by Graymatter
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Every one of the 5 Supreme Court persons that made this obviously unconstitutional decision need to be impeached for violating their oath of office. If there are no consequences they will continue to rip liberty from us until we are no better than slaves.

Ravenstar


283 posted on 06/24/2005 6:09:00 AM PDT by Ravenstar (Reinstitute the Constitution as the Ultimate Law of the Land)
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To: Ravenstar

This might be a good place to start:

http://www.clubforgrowth.org/why.php


And as far as political parties... Only the libertarian party truly believes and practices limited governmnet, as practiced in this country until after 1907.


284 posted on 06/24/2005 6:09:33 AM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/canadahealthcare.htm)
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To: cyborg

They may be liberals, but they at least understand the importance of property rights. There is hope for them at last.


285 posted on 06/24/2005 6:13:54 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
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To: nygoose
It's not for private use, only public use.

The public use is what's been redefined. Now that means if it helps the town's finances, then it's a benefit to the public at large. Blackbird.

286 posted on 06/24/2005 6:17:43 AM PDT by BlackbirdSST
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To: oceanperch
I wonder what those living in Hawaii would comment on your subject matter?

Care to be more specific? Blackbird.

287 posted on 06/24/2005 6:24:07 AM PDT by BlackbirdSST
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

To paraphrase Lincoln: "Government's power comes from the assent of those governed. Oh, you don't assent to my government? Here comes the Grand Army of the Republic to kill you."
This is only the fruit of 1865.


288 posted on 06/24/2005 7:16:00 AM PDT by warchild9
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To: Blood of Tyrants

"How about a shooting range?"

How about a landfill? That would fit right in with the PREVIOUS owner. ;-)


289 posted on 06/24/2005 7:18:58 AM PDT by Humal
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To: Tobor
The Constitution limits the government, not us.

We are Free, the government is contained by the constitution, not us.

Our Rights do not come to us from the government. Go figure.

But, the government's rights do come from us, and our consent.

We the People are the final check in our system and the Second Amendment was intended to insure that the People always matter and have a say in what happens here.

Best post in the thread. And that's saying something.

290 posted on 06/24/2005 7:32:56 AM PDT by Semper911
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To: Domestic Church

It was during a Republican administration true. However, it was due to 5 liberal justices. This underscores the absolute need to break the Democratic Senatorial movement to keep conservative judges from the bench. Forget SS, forget taxes, forget everything. This is the number one problem, because even if the majority want freedom, laws, and common sense, it only takes 5 liberals to trump it. This is the war that needs to be fought.


291 posted on 06/24/2005 7:36:36 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Hank Rearden

George H W Bush's presidency grows smaller and smaller with the passage of time........Souter is his shameful legacy.


292 posted on 06/24/2005 7:43:58 AM PDT by MamaLucci (Mutually assured destruction STILL keeps the Clinton administration criminals out of jail.)
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To: Mulder; Blood of Tyrants
Sounds like your head's outlook upon the whole world is one big "Fear Factor." Liberty and self-governance are only scary things when in the hands of untrustworthy people.
293 posted on 06/24/2005 8:10:09 AM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: warchild9
"Here comes the Grand Army of the Republic to kill you."

The one question still remains. Will a standing army comprised of US citizens open fire on US citizens standing up for their God given rights? I have no doubt that the orders willbe given but will they be carried out?

294 posted on 06/24/2005 8:10:47 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk)
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To: Blood of Tyrants
There have been more than several threads on this.

The weird thing is that nothing has changed. Property has been taken forever. Is it suddenly legal?

No, it was legal all along.

If there is to be a Constitutional amendment, it should state explicitly what property is, what private property is, where it comes from, what part the gov't plays in maintenance of property rights, and extend the domain of property into outer space.

I am serious about all of that because we have been playing with only this planet all this time and now we ought to look toward new land.

The debate on the nature and origin of property will be interesting. BTW, the US has already claimed all of outer space, this in case somebody wants to ignore that fact just like they ignored eminent domain.

295 posted on 06/24/2005 8:17:22 AM PDT by RightWhale (withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

That's a tricky question. I've seen anonymous polls of service people (including a recent one at UNC Chapel Hill--you can probably find it on the net soon, if it isn't there already...I know one of the modelers of the poll) which indicate that 60% would shoot Americans to "maintain order." On the other hand, NO service person whom I know personally would consider this, unless shot at first. On the other hand, increasing numbers of combat personnel are foreign-born, and (this is the historian in me coming out) a foreign-born army is the first tool of tyrannizing a free people.
It's a complicated matter. Who can say?
Personally, my Kentucky ancestors fought for their freedoms (right or wrong) in a Tennessee regiment for four years, and they lost, and so did all of us today.


296 posted on 06/24/2005 8:17:35 AM PDT by warchild9
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To: Blood of Tyrants
Will this war be fought with bullets or ballots?

Ballots. And we'll win.

297 posted on 06/24/2005 8:21:00 AM PDT by GOPJ (Deep Throat(s) -- top level FBI officials playing cub reporters for suckers.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants
Melodramatic.
298 posted on 06/24/2005 8:22:08 AM PDT by verity (Big Dick Durbin is still a POS)
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To: RightWhale
BTW, the US has already claimed all of outer space

Kind of like an ant claiming ownership of the entire earth, isn't it?

299 posted on 06/24/2005 8:23:38 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

It would result in bloodshed without political action-- but political action will right this wrong, mark my words. The Supreme Court is no longer any better than Mugabe. They've killed 40 million unborn, and now they are empowering local governments with so much power that all the wealthy will bow and scrape before them. In fact, the wealthy now can use local govt. stooges to punish men who don't share their wives. It's complete tyranny. That's why we can win this politically. Sure, I advise anyone with sufficient savings to buy at least one gun, just in case. But they won't be needed.


300 posted on 06/24/2005 8:24:48 AM PDT by Arthur Wildfire! March (<<< Ad Campaign for Durbin the Turbin in profile)
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