Free Republic

Badly worded poll. Another example of morons setting up polls.

You're right. The wording of the question doesn't apply to this situation. I regret posting a link to this lame poll.

ONLINE POLL QUESTION

Do you agree with eminent domain and think the govt. has the right to take private homes and businesses for public use?

Click here for poll - nbc30.com

This story appears to contain some new information on the case.
Court to Hear Battle Over Eminent Domain (AP)

The "Institute for Justice" website has a page with info on the case.
Kelo v. New London info - ij.org

Here's a link with lots of info on citizens fighting eminent domain abuse.
CastleCoalition.org

The taking of private property from citizens to benefit private developers should not be tolerated. The politicians and developers who are involved in these acts of government-approved thuggery should be ashamed of themselves.

If a developer wants to acquire some property he should buy it the old fashioned way instead of conspiring with local government weasels to steal it. I'm so glad that this criminal activity is finally being exposed on such a high level.

Stealing private property is against the law. Using eminent domain for private gain is unethical, immoral and unconstitutional.

Here's a page with some good info on these eminent domain scams...
Eminent Domain for Private Gain

Smith has a lengthy rap sheet in Florida dating back to 1993, including 13 arrests.

This is Joseph Peter Smith's Florida felony rap sheet before his arrest.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Pot

And "The Sound of Sirens"

Where's the beef?

Good question.....Here's a story I found on a TV station's website (KREM - Spokane, Washington).

The story has a good map showing the location of the meat processing and distribution plants that may be involved.....

Mad cow disease suspected in Washington State - krem.com

Note: The KREM website may ask you to register before viewing the story. Turning off your browser's "cookies" and/or "JavaScript " may allow you direct access to the story.

I guess Wal-Mart will have to go somewhere else for their usual corporate welfare handouts. But don't worry, Wal-Mart fans. They'll do OK. There's no shortage of gullible/crooked planning commissioners and city councilmen in this country to "partner" with them.

I'm really surprised that Oakland didn't swallow the usual sales pitch of "Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! - Property Tax! - Sales Tax!"

If I remember correctly, this is the same company that likes to participate in eminent domain scams to take private property from our fellow citizens. Considering that this company has a history of violating the rights of others, I have a hard time feeling sorry for them.

As far as I'm concerned, Wal-Mart can build any size store they like as long as public money isn't used, private property rights aren't abused and they build in appropriate areas. I welcome true free enterprise and healthy competition as long as there's a level playing field for all businesses.

BASE = Blood And Skin Everywhere

These last nine were greedy and wanted way too much. For example, this marketing design company wanted one million for this little two bedroom house that they used as an office, needless to say it wasn't apraised that high.

Greedy? I think they call it "location location location". If a person owns the property then they have the right to demand any price for it. A property owner also has the right to not sell.

The government has no right to force citizens to sell their property so a private developer may benefit. If the property owners can't work out a deal in the free market then it's "game over". Tough luck for the developer. The idea of having the government deciding "fair market value" is really absurd.

I can't believe there are people who think this government-assisted theft of property is justified. It's really quite disturbing.

"They don't have the option to say no to us," said Kent Cagle, Duncanville's city manager. "We have made it clear we want that property. The only thing that will be settled in court is how much we have to pay for it."

What does this Cagle guy do for an encore? Steal Christmas?


Here are a few ideas that may help stop the "economic development" thugs....

* Just say NO to eminent domain for private gain

* Boycott Costco (And members of any lickspittle business groups that support this evil plan.)

* Recall the Duncanville, Texas City Council

* Fire the Duncanville, Texas City Manager

* Find out the truth about so-called "economic development" (see links below)

Eminent Domain For Private Gain

The Myth Of Economic Development

Blight Makes Right

Redevelopment: The Unknown Government

Castle Coalition: Citizens Fighting Eminent Domain Abuse

CHP reviews fast-moving motorcade

Myth: Sunglasses will allow a person to stare directly at Medusa.

Fact: Viewing Medusa with sunglasses or even welding goggles can still be very dangerous and is not advised.

I use the "message filter" function in Netscape and it works pretty good. I still take a quick glance over the rejects before deleting them. Pre-sorting the e-mail allows me to speed up the spam delete process if nothing else.

I'm tempted to give out a password or code to my friends and frequent e-mailers to include in their e-mail "body" or "subject line". Then set up a filter allowing only those e-mails to go into my in-box. Maybe change the password occasionally if necessary. This strategy doesn't solve the problem of spam clogging up the internet however.

When the cases in the US have reached the thousands, an nobody can explain how or where some of the people got the bug, then I'll start to worry. That isn't the case right now.

This "unexplained SARS case" scenario you describe can't technically occur unless the CDC broadens its PR-friendly, self-fulfilling SARS case definition.

The way I read it, the CDC's SARS case definition would exclude any potential "elevator button" cases of the mystery illness that may be occurring now, or may occur in the future.

On paper, the CDC's narrow case definition could dramatically control or slow down any potential spread of SARS in the United States. Somebody should get a promotion in the public relations department. (Clinton would be proud. It depends on what your definition of SARS is.)

SARS is whatever the CDC says it is. Currently their SARS criteria requires patients to have had certain travel patterns and/or close contact with a known SARS suspect case. The CDC seems to suggests that if a patient can't be linked to a high SARS risk situation then he simply can't have SARS. And we're talking about a disease that is still confusing and puzzling scientists around the world. It's almost laughable if it weren't such a serious situation.

At this point the CDC's classification system might actually be producing fairly accurate numbers, but I believe it presumes too much about the nature of the disease. It may not be very accurate in the long term. I think a patient's travel history and activities should be used only to help make a diagnosis. It shouldn't be a required part of the criteria to qualify as a SARS case. (I've caught several colds without being able to trace the infection back to a likely source, but I still had a cold.)

Ironically the CDC's SARS case definition mentions "Areas with documented or suspected community transmission" while at the same time they seem to exclude many types of "community transmission" cases from being counted as SARS.

42,850 divided by 365 days = 117.4 deaths per day by automobile related accidents.

Sars/swine flu has a way to go to equal those statistics.

Another good reason for isolating myself at home during the SARS outbreak. By staying at home I can avoid both SARS and CARS. This is going to work out great! Thanks for the info!

Microbiologist: SARS now attacking intestines

Despite an unparalleled global counterattack, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is likely to be with humanity indefinitely, infectious disease experts say.

"Unparalleled global counterattack"? I must have blinked and missed it.

I wouldn't consider a "Don't wear masks/Please visit Chinatown" campaign by Chamber of Commerce-types much of a counterattack. Oh wait... they handed out informative cards at the airport. My mistake.

What's next from our proudly-baffled scientific community? A counterattack against accidental drowning by discouraging the use of life jackets? (Unless you're in close contact with water of course.)

The scientists should start working on a nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever so we don't die medicine.

Without getting into a flame war, I do think that the CDC is unnecessarily restrictive in limiting the case definition to people known to have been in one of the countries or cities known to have SARS already, or close contact with someone who has been in an affected area recently.

The person might not even know, after all, that they had been on an elevator, for instance, with someone who had recently been to an infected area...

Thank you Judith Anne for pointing this out. The lame-stream media should have exposed this little CDC word game long ago.

For the CDC to assume that a SARS victim couldn't have been infected unknowingly is insane. They're basically saying.... if the patient can't be linked to a high risk SARS area, or a known suspected SARS case, then he can't have SARS. And according to their definition of suspected SARS, they'd be right! What a scam. PT Barnum would be proud.

A while ago I sent an e-mail to the CDC asking them why their case definition for suspected SARS would potentially allow many cases to "slip through the cracks" and go uncounted. They never answered me. (Boo hoo)

The CDC has since updated their case definition, but it still has loopholes that allow for massive underreporting in my opinion. And the CDC has the nerve to say their case definition for suspected SARS is "broad". Give me a break.

Since the CDC's system for reporting and documenting suspected SARS cases is obviously flawed, maybe we should also be following the number of boring old pneumonia cases to find out how bad the "mystery illness" situation really is.