U.S. Gov't Backs Off Seizure Plan, Says Flight 93 Landowners 'Will Be Treated Fairly'

thepittsburghchannel.com ^ | 6/5/2009 | General

[AbeKrieger]

SOMERSET, Pa. -- 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.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., and Salazar met with families of victims and landowners on Friday in Shanksville to discuss issues surrounding the planned national memorial for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, fatal hijacking.

Specter's office said Friday's meeting also focused on what still needs to be done for the memorial to be complete in time for the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2011.

Recently, the National Park Service said it would use eminent domain to seize land from seven property owners needed for the memorial. But Salazar said those plans are now changed.

[AbeKrieger]

Finally, sanity prevails.

[tsomer]

Now that real estate is in a slump....

[sionnsar]

Agreed.

[American Quilter]

Oh, good for YOU, Ken.

[HiTech RedNeck]

These private parties certainly may, if they wish, erect their own monuments or agree on a common collective monument. It’s a notorious enough spot that hiding it would do no good.

[the OlLine Rebel]

What sanity? I mean, aside from the irony of “seizing” American citizens’ land to pay homage to other martyrs as if the Moslem terrorists were the sole scumbags.

The best thing about this is we may have time to scrap that Homage to the Religion of Peace and get a REAL memorial instead.

[mmichaels1970]

Landowners will receive fair-market value for their property, Salazar said.

Just hoping this isn't simply a "rebranding" effort. Hoping they don't intend to "make them an offer they can't refuse".

[AbeKrieger]

I hold teh position that it would be better to forego the memorial altogether than to use any sort of eminent domain. Unless of course they were going to confiscate and knock down a mosque. Beyond that, it would be an insult to the dead and their families.

[Never on my watch]

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.

[hattend]

I can’t believe it’s taken 8 years to get this memorial built.

[pissant]

Are they still trying to put up a muslim crescent?

[Never on my watch]

“...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.

[BikerJoe]

I can’t believe it’s taken 8 years to get this memorial built.

Hey, when the original design is a crescent facing Mecca, and the thing just HAS to be 2200 acres (yup, 3 friggin' square miles!), it's only natural that folks would object a little and maybe cause it to be delayed...

[ReneeLynn]

Next step, make the property owners look greedy and force them into accepting squat for their land. Or just raise the property taxes, they won’t be able to pay, and take the land anyway. Ah, government.

[Never on my watch]

Yes, despite their statements to the contrary.

[pnh102]

Why is such a large memorial needed? Put up a small monument on the side of the road and be done with it.

[peace with honor]

not on my worst day

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yes. That’s why I say this could buy some time to scrap that crap.

[w1andsodidwe]

I can’t believe it’s taken 8 years to get this memorial built.

I can't believe that the Twin Towers have not yet been replaced.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I’m sure it’s not THAT large. Seems they’re always wanting a buffer zone. They don’t need all that land; it’s ridiculous.