Posted on 06/28/2005 11:04:00 AM PDT by ovrtaxt
A private developer has contacted the local government in Supreme Court Justice David Souter's hometown in New Hampshire asking that the property of the judge – who voted in favor of a controversial decision allowing a city to take residents' homes for private development – be seized to make room for a new hotel.
Yesterday, Logan Darrow Clements faxed a request to Chip Meany, the code enforcement officer of the town of Weare, N.H., seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road, the present location of Souter's home.
Wrote Clements: "Although this property is owned by an individual, David H. Souter, a recent Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. City of New London, clears the way for this land to be taken by the government of Weare through eminent domain and given to my LLC for the purposes of building a hotel. The justification for such an eminent domain action is that our hotel will better serve the public interest as it will bring in economic development and higher tax revenue to Weare."
The Kelo v. City of New London decision, handed down Thursday, allows the New London, Conn., government to seize the homes and businesses of residents to facilitate the building of an office complex that would provide economic benefits to the area and more tax revenue to the city. Though the practice of eminent domain is provided for in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, this case is significant because the seizure is for private development and not for "public use," such as a highway or bridge. The decision has been roundly criticized among property-rights activists and limited-government commentators.
According to a statement from Clement, the proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" and include a museum, open to the public, "featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America." Instead of a Gideon's Bible in each room, guests will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged," the statement said.
Clements says the hotel must be built on this particular piece of land because it is a unique site – "being the home of someone largely responsible for destroying property rights for all Americans."
"This is not a prank" said Clements. "The town of Weare has five people on the Board of Selectmen. If three of them vote to use the power of eminent domain to take this land from Mr. Souter we can begin our hotel development."
Clements says his plan is to raise investment capital from wealthy pro-liberty investors and draw up architectural plans. These plans would then be used to raise additional capital for the project.
While Clements currently makes a living in marketing and video production, he tells WND he has had involvement in real estate development and is fully committed to the project.
"We will build a hotel there if investors come forward, definitely," he said.
Clements is the CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, which is dedicated to fighting "the most deadly and destructive force on the planet: abusive governments," the website states.
The activist says he is aware of the apparent conflict of someone who is strongly opposed to the Kelo decision using it to purposely oust an American from his property.
"I realize there is a contradiction, but we're only going to use it against people who advocated" the Kelo decision, Clements told WND. "Therefore, it's a case of retaliation, not initiation."
Clements says some people have already offered to put money into the project.
Related stories:
Property battle heads to states
High court's property decision stirs anger
Court rules cities can seize homes
"Lost Liberty Hotel" is great but I like his idea of the "Just Desserts Café."...:-)
Just Desserts Cafe is great as well.
"schadenfreude"
Haven't seen that word for a long time.
Now the state gives and takes what it wishes...the state becomes our provider.
Aren't we now a very lucky lot of once free citizens???? sarcasm
Not that both scenarios wouldn't be satisfying. Personally, I think tar and feathering went out of style much too quickly. ...:-)
I repeat --- I can't believe this isn't a hoax. Weare=weary; Cilly=silly; and a Meany for a code enforcer??
With Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Helen Thomas as the madams.
We'll have to think of an appropriate name for your (ahem) "enterprise". I'm sure Freepers will have some suggestions to make for the name.
But my staff have carefully examined it and certify that it is an untouched picture of the judge.
Perhaps there are some California contractors who are interested in some eminent domains out here. There are a number of Hollywood biggies, Barbra Streisshand, Spielburg, etc etc who have low tax-yielding residences right on the ocean. Certainly, motels/hotels would generate much more cash for Los Angeles and other coastal counties.
Kennecut?
Are you Moby?
Maybe a cheaper self-storage building would be much cheaper??
At any rate, I'm ready to invest as well!!!
I pray you're mistaken that it might be a hoax. This Logan guy runs the site where the release came from and he's also the same guy in the link above and the one making this pitch.
Does anybody here know anything else about him?
Carolyn
I pray I'm mistaken, too, but it falls into the "if it's too good to be true . . ." category.
Now this is what I love to see. It would be better if he would buy the property around the good justice first, to make the case more analogous.
Let's give him a DIME for compensation. I'm sure the Hotel will pay plenty of TAXES and that's ALL that matters.
Among many, many other things. That’s why this is a “prank” whether he wants to admit it or not.
Around here he’d not only have to supply *detailed* plans – they’d cover a variety of areas. They’d cover how his development intends to approach things like water, sewer, gas, and electricity. They’d have to address grade issues and whether/not their structures obstruct views. They’d have to address wastewater runoff and containment.
Hell, they’d have to delve into specifics concerning how their development will impact the surrounding area regarding noise and traffic – disclose how many employees they’d be hiring, from where, and where they’d be living and where their kids would be attending school and where/how those employees would do things like eat lunch or fuel their cars or catch the bus or whatever.
Yep – many things go into big developments and they don’t start out by faxing a quickie-request or pencil sketch on a napkin. Let him spend the next 8 years and 12 million doing all the studies to support his proposal and I’ll believe he’s something other than a blowhard.
A lot of people think you just get yourself a piece of land and build a building and go into business turning out widgets or renting out rooms. Doesn't quite work that way. Many, many, many hoops to jump through.
You do not know me, sir... though pulling up a list of my postings might cause you to rescind your initial impression.
All the reasons for legal reprisal posted on this thread ironically propose to use the same method of rape - applied to the criminals who have allowed it in the first place - that we all universally and in strong voice protest in the first place.
Of COURSE I would like nothing better than to see these socialists get their comeuppance... but I believe to take these steps among the shattered remains of the fifth amendment is to legitimize this rupture. This is wrong. It furthers the destruction of property rights, and those rights apply to every American Citizen, even the ones whom I stand against until the Good Lord issues me my final PCS orders.
So, how do we defend this Constitution? How do we punish these usurpers? Will our Congress impeach these violators of our most sacred structure? Will Congress even declare - as is their legal right - that this decision is null and void, and direct the courts to stay out of 5th amendment concerns, save for strict interpretation of it?
Many want reprisal now, and see no problem using the Souter's rape against him. The problem is bigger than transient satisfaction at seeing the perp hoisted upon his own petard... We've got some serious, serious fixin' to do in this country and against these leftists - smiling at their being knocked down a notch is nothing compared to the permanent damage against a pillar of the Constitution that has occurred, much less offering any concrete advancement in the repair work now needed.
And I stand my ground on this opinion. Period.
CGVet58
... and it will only work if we get the 5th amendment back. If we lose interest (as we have been doing for these past 50 years before the Gramscian march through the institutions...) then these passions are wasted.
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