Free Republic

A speeding goods train has crushed seven elephants to death in eastern India after the animals tried to rescue two calves that got stuck in the tracks. The baby elephants became trapped as a herd was crossing the line in a densely forested area in the northern district of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal state on Wednesday night. "Five elephants died immediately on the track while two others succumbed to their injuries on Thursday morning," Atanu Raha, West Bengal's chief forest conservator, said. The adults had crowded around the stricken calves to protect them when they were hit, he added. The...

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”—Marcus Garvey

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every region of the country has its own piece of Americana that locals brag about to visitors. Increasingly, they are asking Congress to help spread the word through a little-known federal program that designates National Heritage Areas. After approving just two dozen such areas since the early 1980s, Congress adopted 10 last year. The House signed off on six more last month, and the wait list is growing. Illinois wants recognition for Abraham Lincoln's early stomping grounds; New York is bidding for the area around Niagara Falls. Alabama is pushing a region along the Tennessee River where...

Washington, D.C.-Nearly one year after the U.S. Supreme Court's shocking Kelo v. New London decision touched off a firestorm of bipartisan support for stronger property rights protections, some anti-property rights groups are receiving support from a surprising source: Senator George Allen (R-VA).Senator Allen is the chief sponsor of legislation that would create a massive federal "National Heritage Area" that would stretch from Charlottesville, VA, through Frederick County, MD, and end in Gettysburg, PA. Such areas are best described as heavily regulated corridors where property rights may be strictly curtailed.

Here is a description of the seal of Los Angeles County. There are six small panels, three going up and down each side of the seal's central figure. Top left: engineering instruments. Middle left: a Spanish galleon. Bottom left: a tuna representing the fishing industry. Top right: oil derricks. Middle right: the Hollywood Bowl, along with two stars representing the movie industry and one small cross. Bottom right: a prize cow. The central figure, the largest object on the seal: Pomona, the Roman goddess of gardens and fruit trees. Anything disturb you enough to demand that the seal be redesigned?...

Land grabbers in Congress, led by Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO), want to pass federal legislation (H.R. 1427) to create a National Heritage Areas program. Property rights advocates must be on the alert and prepared to fight to ensure that such a program never comes into existence. National Heritage Areas present many dangers to traditional property rights and local zoning. Here are a few of the more serious implications and problems associated with an NHA program: * National Heritage Areas are de facto federal zoning. Despite proponents' claims to the contrary, as federal dollars flow from Washington to individual NHAs, inevitably,...

The newest threat to property rights, which are the foundation of American liberty, is posed by H.R. 2388, "The National Heritage Areas Policy Act." Sponsored by Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), H.R. 2388 is due for a vote any day now. The bill sets up a process for the creation of National Heritage Areas. It dangles federal tax dollars under the noses of the states, essentially begging them to designate land as a Heritage Area. Once land is designated, it is subject to the whims and dictates of the National Park Service, setting the stage for myriad property rights abuses...

Way back when weapons were a significant part of the national culture (and part of judging a man's worth was based on his level of marksmanship), Harper's Weekly ran this cartoon on this day in 1875. Recaption if you'd like.