U.S. gives Flight 93 site landowners one week to sell (Update #14, Nixed)

Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 6/6/09 | Amy Worden

[jimbo123]

The federal government issued an ultimatum yesterday to people who own land designated for the Flight 93 memorial in Western Pennsylvania: They have one week to reach an agreement on the sale of their land or the government will initiate proceedings to seize it.

[jimbo123]

[OCCASparky]

While I’m all for an appropriate memorial, this ain’t the way to go about it. Fair value is the right thing to do.

[SlowBoat407]

Sort of defeats the purpose of what those people died for, doesn’t it?

[Knute]

Resistance is futile...

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

This has become truly perverse. Todd Beamer is sadly shaking his head somewhere in Heaven.

[Mr. K]

"...to seize it. "

What the hell? On what grounds?

[jimbo123]

[khnyny]

Sort of defeats the purpose of what those people died for, doesn’t it?

Yes. It's very ironic.

[444Flyer]

At one point, wasn't the design for the memorial going to be in the shape of a crescent?

[ken21]

>One way or another, landowners will receive fair market value for their properties, Salazar said. Complicating the appraisal process is the abundance of natural resources above and below the land: timber, coal, and natural gas.<

[RC2]

Sure does. The government has forgotten about that and will take what they want so they can build a monument to themselves. We don’t need a monument to remember. The owner can simply clear the land and leave natural. It’s his land and will know the best thing to do.

[444Flyer]

Just saw your posts. Is that still in the works? Disgusting.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

It’s changed...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265693/posts

[jimbo123]

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

From yesterday’s thread;
“ Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the U.S. government will not use eminent domain to seize people’s land for a permanent Flight 93 memorial and instead will renew negotiations with landowners near the terrorist crash site in Somerset County.”

[444Flyer]

“LET’S ROLL!”

In memory, Flight 93

[rockinqsranch]

“Sort of defeats the purpose of what those people died for, doesn’t it?”

Precisely my thoughts as well.

Leave it to empowered Leftist Politicians to “Closeau up” the works.

[jimbo123]

It has not changed...

Deadline set for 9/11 memorial talks

SOMERSET, Pa. - The federal government will negotiate with landowners for one week in an attempt to get the property needed to build a Flight 93 memorial without using eminent domain, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said yesterday.

But if no agreement is reached by June 12, the government will seize the land.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/06/06/deadline_set_for_talks_on_911_memorial_in_pa/

[Never on my watch]

I posted these 2 comments on a thread YESTERDAY, when the eminent domain effort was supposedly dropped (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265693/posts):

#9 “Score a victory for the good guys in THIS battle in the property rights war, but the enemy is merely regrouping to attack on another front.

Don’t let your guard down for a minute.”

#12 “ ‘...will not use EMINENT DOMAIN to seize people’s land...’

Read the sentence with the emphasis on EMINENT DOMAIN and I think you get a feeling how Interior Secretary Ken Salazar really feels.”

To say the least I was suspicious.

[khnyny]

The Supreme Court voted for this kind of personal property grab by the government. It's called Kelo vs. New London. In effect, there really is no right to personal property anymore. Imho, one of the worst SC decisions ever.

The Supreme Court decision basically gives corrupt local and federal government officials carte blanche to steal. Government power on steroids.

[jimbo123]

You missed this part:

SOMERSET, Pa. - The federal government will negotiate with landowners for one week in an attempt to get the property needed to build a Flight 93 memorial without using eminent domain, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said yesterday.

But if no agreement is reached by June 12, the government will seize the land.

[Las Vegas Ron]

This is a time when thousands upon thousands of Americans need to unite and prevent the government from seizing this land.........

[nathanbedford]

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. (United States Constitution, Fifth Amendment).

I have no problem with the government condemning this property for use as a memorial which is clearly a public purpose providing there is just compensation. There is nothing in the article that indicates that the government does not intend to pay just compensation. These proceedings are initiated by a seizure, that is a notice of taking, if the parties cannot negotiate a settlement. The matter then proceeds to trial with experts on both sides presenting their arguments to the jury.

[jimbo123]

The eminent domain threat was dropped only for one week! Salazar said if a deal isn’t done by the end of next week, he is going to take the land.

[Clint Williams]

America -- a great idea, didn't last.

[mad_as_he$$]

Kelo is not the decision that would be used to enforce this taking. It does not conform closely enough. Actually if i were the landowners lawyer I would hope for the Feds to try and use Kelo - you could knock that down in the first rounds of motions.

[Las Vegas Ron]

That was yesterday, the article in question is dated today.

Looks like there are some conflicting stories out there

[HungarianGypsy]

Sure does. The government has forgotten about that and will take what they want so they can build a monument to themselves. We don’t need a monument to remember. The owner can simply clear the land and leave natural. It’s his land and will know the best thing to do.

That, and maybe a small marker would be the best monument of all. There doesn't need to be anything else.

[Oldpuppymax]

All so Big Brother can build a nice, Islamic Crescent! Ain’t it great to live in a formerly free country!

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Conflicting stories....indeed.

[KTM rider]

Putting up memorials to 9-11 actully glorifies the terrorism, it is why the terrorists did it.

maybe the landowners dont want to see a memorial

[AuntB]

So...US citizens get attacked by terrorists and the government solution is to take the land of more innocent US citizens?

WOW!

[mefistofelerevised]

You’ve got that right

[jimbo123]

[AuntB]

“Sort of defeats the purpose of what those people died for, doesn’t it?”

EXACTLY!

[dfwgator]

"Unfortunately there is one thing standing between me and that property - the rightful owners."

[jimbo123]

All so Big Brother can build a nice, Islamic Crescent!

Obama's muslim apology tour this week would be a failure if he doesn't get his "Crescent of Embrace" memorial to the 9/11 hijackers built in this field.

[Las Vegas Ron]

Conflicting stories....indeed.

Seems like this is always done, must be how they guage public reaction to "test the waters", so to speak.

[alice_in_bubbaland]

Maybe Obummer will change it to the Hammer & Sickle.

[Las Vegas Ron]

Maybe Obummer will change it to the Hammer & Sickle.

Feh...he'd build a mosque

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Poor reporting is usually the result of trying to be the first with the story. Noboby gets all of the facts anymore before going to press with their “story”. That’s why breaking news stories are so widely mis-reported in the media before we finally get the straight story, sometimes days later.....

[khnyny]

Yes, you're right. The point I was trying to make is that eminent domain has been expanded and that we currently have a Supreme Court who is extrememly sympathetic to this expanded view.

BTW, the whole Kelo vs. New London development was a total failure and wasted taxpayers money to the tune of $80 million.

The Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005) affirmed New London’s authority to take non-blighted private property by eminent domain, and then transfer it for a dollar a year to a private developer solely for the purpose of increasing municipal revenues. This 5-4 decision received heavy press coverage because the Court sided with the city's argument that this sort of taking and private redevelopment was a public benefit. Kelo inspired a public outcry that eminent domain powers were too broad. As a reaction to Kelo, several states enacted or are considering enacting state legislation that would further define and restrict the state's own power of eminent domain. The Supreme Courts of Illinois, Michigan (County of Wayne v. Hathcock (2004)) Ohio (Norwood, Ohio v. Horney (2006)), Oklahoma, and South Carolina have recently ruled to disallow such takings under their state constitutions.

The redevelopment in New London, that was the subject of the Kelo decision, proved to be a failure and as of the spring 2009 (over four years after the court's decision) nothing has been built on the taken land in spite of the expenditure of some $80 million in public funds.

[Las Vegas Ron]

Oh, I agree, but these are completely opposite this time, just seems like too much manipulation going on these days. OTOH, maybe I'm just looking for the bogyman behind every door.

[TrueKnightGalahad]

Wait a minute... there might be legal precedent. Of course! Land-snatching!
[grabs a law book]
Land, land... “Land: see Snatch.”
[flips back several pages]
Ah, Haley vs. United States. Haley: 7, United States: nothing. You see, it can be done!

[Cicero]

Well, I think there should be a memorial of some kind to remember the heroes of Flight 93.

But why do they have to have a large national park? And why does it have to be in the inescapable shape of a Muslim crescent?

Why not just buy an acre or two at the crash site, put up a granite memorial with the names of the deceased, and arrange to have some sort of right-of-way out to the nearest road?

I don’t think the guys who gave their lives to defeat the hijackers would have wanted this.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"They have one week to reach an agreement on the sale of their land or the government will initiate proceedings to seize it."

Seems Flight 93 went down for no reason.

[khnyny]

The “bogyman” is an arrogant government drunk with its own power.

In most instances I believe it to be an almost ignorant arrogance - they really do believe that what they are doing is “for the common good”. But, in the case of government corruption, it means that if you have no money or power and someone with money and power (legal team) wants a piece of property that you own, you are basically screwed.

Imho, the real issue is, and will be, states rights versus federal law.

[laconic]

I couldn’t agree with you more; 3 and 1/2 SQUARE MILES of farmland and tens of millions in acquisition costs and annual upkeep for this? Many of the Civil War battlefields are much smaller in size than this; what’s wrong with the Pentagon Memorial to 9/11, it takes up maybe an acre and is very moving and none of the relatives complained a bit about it, to my recollection. A tablet with the names of the passengers, a small museum and 10 acres of land with parking would be much more appropriate.

[edcoil]

What is this suppose to represent?