[azhenfud]

United Socialist States of America.

[kjenerette]

...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter(1) or to abolish(2) it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.... when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

- excerpt from The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

Note1: The 1st Amendment provides the means to ALTER the Government
Note2: The 2nd Amendment provides the means to ABOLISH the Government �

[The Great RJ]

My liberal wife was also incensed by this decision, but she blamed the conservatives on the court for once again "selling out to big business". I delicately reminded her that the most conservative members of the court voted in the minority. Perhaps liberals might now see why we need a conservative SCOTUS.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Another stupid, anti-American, Judiciary legislated law from the Supreme Court(aka decision) that will stand as the law of the land, until or if we can confirm enough gutsy and non-activist judges to reverse this asinine ruling. It's either that or a Constitutional amendment........dream on.

[LetsRok]

Let's take all the homes in the Hamptons from the mega-wealthy and convert them to condos. We nee more tax payers up there you know. We can do the same in Malibu.

[gregwest]

For what it's worth, the Mormons in the 1830s and 1840s were repeatedly driven off their lands by governments and their militias in the states of Missouri and Illinois. In 1833, Joseph Smith was given a revelation by God regarding a Christians' obligations to obey the laws of the land. Here is a statement from that revelation:

"And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil." (Source: Doctrine and Covenants 98:5-10)

In 1835, Mormon founder Joseph Smith published a declaration of belief regarding governments and laws excerpted below:

"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life."

"We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded." (Source: Doctrine and Covenants, Section 134)

I thought those quotations were particularly relevant to this topic. The statement that "no government can exist in peace" unless rights to freedom of conscience and control of individual property bodes ill for the Republic. Inasmuch as the government twists the Constitution to advance socialism, the blessings of peace will ultimately be withdrawn from our nation.

[GOPJ]

If more conservatives were on the court this ruling would never have happened.

With enough Republicans we can stop the dems from blocking conservative judges. And that's the key.

I met a guy once who owns prime property in the Florida Keys -- and some liberal radical environmentalist wanted his land for gazing out at the ocean and found some excuse of a bug that had to be saved on his property. It stopped him from building a home. It stopped him from being able to sell the property becasue no one would have a use for the land other than to stand there and gaze out at the ocean.

It's funny how liberals have to take the beautiful land - for their developer friends or their hiking buds. They never take the ugly land. It's an outrage.

This is a big issue and the fact that it's not getting wider play on FreeRepublic tells me we have a more subtle brand of troll.

[shellshocked]

We need to organize a national tax protest. Refuse to pay income tax and property taxes. Defund these assholes!

[Lesforlife]

Somehow the word dismayed doesn't quite capture
the reaction our nation should be having to this
travesty!

[najida]

This scares the bejeezus out of me. I can easily see where I live now being in the line for a super-mall in about 10 years. And I don't wanna move or sell.

[andy58-in-nh]

Thanks for posting this excellent article on a truly horrible decision by an increasingly dictatorial SCOTUS.

For those of you who still fail to see the importance of Federal judicial nominations -just read the majority opinion in this case - and shudder. The "Least Dangerous Branch", having abandoned even the pretense of Constitutional interpretation, has become the most dangerous. The time to "Go Nuclear" is now.

[loveliberty2]

This decision is another indication of how far we have strayed from the philosophy and principles underlying liberty, as understood by America's Founders.

"Our Ageless Constitution," Bicentennial Edition (1987), outlined those principles, one of which it titled, "Private Property Rights." Another section of this Bicentennial Volume dealt with the 200-year history of court and legislative decisions that eroded those principles.

One essay is reprinted below, with permission:

Private Property Rights

-- A basic Premise Of America's Constitution

"Tired of having the fruits of their labors confiscated by an overpowering British government, America's Founders declared themselves free and independent.

"Most American schoolchildren can recite their claim that '. all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights ... to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' Less familiar, however, are these lines from their Declaration of Independence:

"'He ( King George III ) has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance .... He has combined with others to subject us, ... imposing taxes on us without our consent.'

"What, then, did the Founders consider to be the real cornerstone of man's liberty and happiness? On what basic premise did they devise their Constitution? Let them speak for themselves:

"John Adams: 'The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God ... anarchy and tyranny commence. PROPERTY MUST BE SECURED OR LIBERTY CANNOT EXIST.'

"James Madison 'Government is instituted to protect property of every sort .... This being the end of government, that is NOT a just government,... nor is property secure under it, where the property which a man has ... is violated by arbitrary seizures of one class of citizens for the service of the rest.'

"Their guiding principle was that people come together to form governments in order to SECURE their rights to property - not to create an entity which will, itself, 'take from the mouths of labor the bread it has earned.' What was wrong for individual citizens to do to one another, they believed, was equally wrong for government to do to them.

"The right to own property and to keep the rewards of individual labor opened the floodgates of progress for the benefit of the entire human race. Millions have fled other countries to participate in the Miracle of America."

End of quoted material. Underlining emphasis added

As homes and schools have failed to study, understand, teach, and pass on the principles which produced a constitutionally limited power in the various levels of government, we see the constitution's protections eroded.

The 'redistribution of wealth' advocates of the past several decades, some of whom were dedicated to other philosophies, but many of whom were well-intentioned, have provided a gate by which tyranny and oppression threaten liberty.

America's Founders understood the human tendency to abuse power, and they meant for both elected and unelected persons with delegated power to be bound down by the "chains" (Jefferson) of the constitution. It is up to our courts, especially our Supreme Court, to heed Jefferson's admonition:

"On every question of construction, carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it conform to the probable one in which it was passed."

As late as 1968, Justice Hugo Black's words constitute another wise warning:

"The public welfare demands that constitutional cases must be decided according to the terms of the Constitution itself, and not according to judges' view of fairness, reasonableness, or justice. I have no fear of constitutional amendments properly adopted, but I do fear the rewriting of the Constitution by judges under the guise of interpretation."

[ironcitymike]

I am not ordinarily much of a believer in conspiracy theories. However, if a terrorist, border or other event of sufficient magnitutude to distract the public from this decision occurs this weekend or next week, I will change my mind.

[Sprite518]

Another great point by Boortz! He nails it on the head all the time.

[Durus]

The judges that made the majority decision of this ruling should be removed from the bench.

1. for willfully depriving and conspiring to deprive "the people" of property rights under the color of law.

2. For breaking their oath of office to "perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God."

Call your congresscritters. This decision is completely inexcusable.

[PeterFinn]

With the legal options to resist the corrupt actions of local officials no longer on the table that leaves us the Second Amendment.

I will only hope that the GOP will act to get an Amendment passed to protect individual rights. I doubt that they will, but I can hope.

Otherwise our only options to protect our homes from eminent domain abuse is to lock and load or leave. No one's home or property will be secure anymore.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Property Rights:
Thank You, Justice Strelnikov

[RightWhale]

The Supreme Court decision is

The Supreme Court decision is making the chickens scurry around the yard. Otherwise, nothing has changed.

[The Last Rebel]

It matters not what our state representatives do. Big brother has spoken. We are serfs residing on the Kings land. They have said our land is not ours--that is their decision, regardless of what a state legislature decides, that is the way they feel. They can change their mind and nullify the states decision to be different whenever they want.

TLR

[Vicki]

There are eight states in the nation where the use of eminent domain for private development is all but prohibited by law. Those states are Washington, Montana, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Maine, South Carolina and Florida.

I don't feel secure here in Washington state where in Unincorporated King County if you own 5 acres or more you cannot use 65% of your land. You cannot build on it. You cannot plant on it, heck you cannot even pick berries or clear out invading weeds.You own it and pay taxes on it, but you can't use it.

How can we have faith after state and federal elections laws were violated and ignored. Laws mean nothing here.