BARELY A RIPPLE IN WASHINGTON

Judging from my email and from a selection of blogs, the people of this country continue to be completely outraged over the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo vs. New London.  No matter what those five Supreme Court justices say, Americans just don't seem to be warming up to the idea that a government can seize one person's private property and then turn that property over to another private individual or corporation for private development ... all for no other purpose than to increase tax revenue.

Scanning the nation's newspapers over the weekend I saw that quite a few local government officials are a bit worked up also.  Many are making pledges to seek rules or new legislation to prevent these private party to private party eminent domain transfers in their states or jurisdictions.  In Connecticut the officials from New London are working on damage control.  They're telling the nation that the very economic survival of their community depends on them kicking these people out of their well-kept homes so that Pfizer Corporation will have a nice hotel, work out facility and some office buildings next to their new facility.  Elsewhere in Connecticut state legislators are looking for ways to stop the New London land grab. 

State and local officials?  They recognize the public outrage over this decision.  They see the outrage, and they're reacting.  But what about Washington?  Where's the outrage from inside the Beltway?  Well ... it just doesn't seem to be there.  I can't read every word in every newspaper, nor can I check every congressman and senator's website to look for press releases ... but what searching I did do turned up absolutely no congressional outrage over this hideous, anti-American Supreme Court decision.

So .. why are local government officials reacting, and we're hearing next-to-nothing from the Washington crowd?  One reason .. and one reason only.  The state and local politicians feel you, the voters, breathing down their neck. The feel the anger, and they know that their political survival may well depend on what they do at the state and local level to reinstate the private property rights that have been decimated by the Supreme Court.   Not so in Washington.  Every one of those 435 members of the House of Representatives knows that year after year the voters return 95% of them to the perks and power of Washington.  They want to ignore this Supreme Court decision.  They want to ignore it because they like it, as do their local counterparts.  But unlike their local counterparts, DC politicians feel that there will be no price to pay for their silence.  They have the voters under control ... or so they think.   

Let's think for a moment about why politicians like this Supreme Court ruling so much.  It won't take long for you to figure it out.  They like it because it weakens the individual and empowers government.  Simple as that.

Let's draw a comparison here.  We'll compare President Bush's idea for private Social Security accounts to the Supreme Court Kelo vs. New London decision.

First .. the Social Security plan.  Bush's idea was essentially to allow American wage earners to maintain control over some of their private property.  All property isn't dirt.  The money your earn with your sweat and brains is property also .. it's the property you convert to the necessities of life and the property you convert into the fulfillment of your dreams.  When Bush suggested that the people who earned this money -- this property -- be allowed to maintain some degree of ownership and control over it, the Washington left came unglued.  The usual cast of characters came out of the woodwork.  The Democratic Party, the AARP, the NAACP, Moveon.org .... all united with one goal .. to kill the idea of personal Social Security accounts.  There was just no way that the left could sit back and allow Social Security to shift, even partially, from a system whereby the government has complete and absolute control over the assets seized from American workers, to one in which the workers are allowed ownership and control of those assets .. no matter how limited.

Now .. the Supreme Court's Kelo decision.  Here the Court crippled the idea of private ownership of real estate.  Thanks to the Kelo decision we find ourselves in a situation whereby we can proceed as if we "own" our homes and real estate so long as some developer doesn't convince the local political establishment that he could generate a lot more tax revenue with our piece of dirt than we can.  Our real estate is now essentially owned by the community ... or the commune, if you will.  As long as you use your property in a way that best suits the needs of the community, you will be allowed to remain.  If the community comes up with a better use, kiss your house a big goodbye.  This decision greatly weakened our rights to our own property, and strengthened the hand of government.  Now listen --- do you hear that?  Do you hear the Democrats, the AARP, the NAACP, Moveon.org or any other liberal organization rising up in indignation and anger over this decision?  Many older citizens are going to be kicked out of their homes in New London.  Is the AARP there to raise hell and protest?  I checked the AARP website yesterday.  Nothing.   And what about the NAACP?  History shows that eminent domain is used disproportionately to seize the homes of the elderly and minorities.  What did the NAACP website have to say about the Kelo decision?  Nothing.  Apologies for lynchings seems to be the hot issue over there. 

The fact is that the left -- at least at the national level -- is all but silent on the Kelo decision.  The five liberal members of the Supreme Court issue their ruling, and the left quietly nods in agreement and turns its attention to demonizing American men and women in uniform and cooking up the next sequence of Senate apologies.

Suggest private Social Security accounts -- the left goes nuts.  Destroy the concept of private property -- the left sits back in quiet satisfaction.

You do see what's happening here, don't you?  You do recognize the essential difference between private Social Security accounts and expanded eminent domain powers?  Come on!  Say you do!  You're Boortz listeners!   It's easy!  Bush's plan for private Social Security accounts empowers citizens!  The Kelo decision weakens citizens and empowers government!  When you try to empower citizens and weaken government the left is going to rise to the fight!  When you weaken citizens and empower government the left is going to remain silent.

Hopefully it isn't news to you that the left is historically not friendly with the concept of private property rights.  Do you happen to remember one of the Senate Democrat's principal objections to the appeals court nomination of Janice Rogers Brown.  They were concerned that she was too proactive on the issue of private property rights.  You can hardly expect a political party that celebrates a war against individualism to be friendly to someone who believes strongly in individual property rights, or to protest a Supreme Court decision that critically injures the concept of private property.

Eminent domain abuse crosses party lines .. but it is usually the province of the left.  Timothy Carney wrote in Human Events of a group in New York called the Group of 35.  This group was composed of business, political and labor leaders in New York City.  The purpose of the group was to advocate the use of eminent domain to increase the commercial capacity of Manhattan.  Heading this effort was the liberal Democrat Senator from New York, Charles Schumer, and Clinton's former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.  Liberals have never seen a property right that couldn't be taken away. 

Friday afternoon I was interviewed by Fox News Channel.  Jonathan Serrie asked me if I thought that the Supreme Court Kelo vs. New London decision was anti-American.  Well, anti-American is not a phrase I use lightly.  After a few seconds consideration I came to the conclusion that the decision fit the definition of anti-American just fine, not to mention anti-Constitution.  When you tell a couple in their 80s that they must leave the house in which they celebrated their wedding day; the house in which they conceived and raised their children; the house where friends gathered to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary; and the house they wanted to live in until they died .... when you tell them that they have to leave that house, and that the government will use deadly force to make them leave that house if necessary, so that Pfizer, or any other private business or individual, can enjoy a nice corporate campus --- then you're damned right.  That's un-American. 

Some places you should visit: Institute For Justice & the Castle Coalition. There is also a blog that focuses on eminent domain issues. Want to contact your representatives and tell them how you feel about this? Look them up here.

WHAT TO DO NOW?

It's in your corner, my friends.  In its Kelo ruling the court made it clear that states and local jurisdictions were free to enact their own laws restricting eminent domain powers. Eight states already have strong protections in place; protections which prevent the seizure of private land for private developments.  Other states will enact those laws ... but only if the citizens of those states demand it.  The politicians in those states and in their local jurisdictions are hoping that this clamor dies down quickly.  They like power just as much as their Washington counterparts do, but they also know that they're closer to the voters and more susceptible to being thrown out of office.  No free society has ever survived without protecting private property rights.  Our Supreme Court wouldn't step up to the plate.  Only you can force your local governments to do so.  After watching the political scene for the past 35+ years, I must say that I believe the politicians will soon be breathing easier.  The initial outrage will die down and people will return to their couches to live their lives of celebrity worship and watching sports and TV reality shows.

WHY ARE IRANIAN CHILDREN VACCINATED AGAINST SMALLPOX?

Smallpox is an acute, highly contagious and often fatal disease caused by the variola virus.  The virus is so dangerous and potentially deadly that one confirmed case of smallpox is considered to be a public health emergency.  Oh .. and there is no proven treatment for the disease once a person falls ill.  You just administer fluids and antibiotics to handle any secondary infections, and hope that the patent is one of the 70%.  The other 30% will die.  

In case you don't already know, Smallpox has been eradicated worldwide.  The eradication is so complete that we don't even vaccinate people against smallpox any more.  In fact, smallpox vaccinations are not currently available to ordinary citizens in the United States any more. 

Why bring this all up?  Well -- as I said, you can't get a smallpox vaccination in the United States; but apparently you can get vaccinated in Iran.  There are reports that young Iranian children traveling outside their country have been vaccinated against smallpox.  Why would that be?  The smallpox vaccination process is not fun.  So why would you go through the trouble of administering a troublesome and difficult vaccination to your child for a disease that has been eradicated around the world?

Do I really need to carry this bit any further?  Tell me I don't need to connect the dots.  Well .. there is that chance that you've just stumbled into this bit from some reality show website ... so here you go.  Iran is a state supporter of terrorism.  Iran is developing a nuclear weapon.  Iran is providing people and support to the Iraqi insurgency.  Iranian mullahs want to see as many Americans die as possible.  Even though smallpox has been eradicated, the virus still exists in government laboratories.  It is possible that Islamic fascists in Iran have acquired some of the Smallpox virus and are working on plans to use that virus as a weapon against the Western world.  That being the case, would it make sense to vaccinate Iranian children who might be traveling to the West?

Just something for you to think about.

THE HILLARY MEDIA BLACKOUT

There is a book out about Hillary Clinton by reporter Ed Klein.  The book does not present a very favorable view of The Hildabeast and has become an immediate best-seller.  As always accompanies a controversial book, you would expect to see the author on every news program, TV show and other network.

But not in this case. You see, the mainstream media, ever the liberal protector of the Clintons, has canceled appearance after appearance by Ed Klein to promote the book.  What you're seeing is a media blackout...one no doubt orchestrated by Hillary Clinton herself.  ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC...you name it...all canceled.  Everybody except Fox News, naturally. So what's going on?

The book has numerous allegations in it unfavorable to Hillary.  Hillary is running for president.  The media wants Hillary to be president, and may even fear losing access to her campaign.  The media is canceling Ed Klein's appearances.  You can bet they're being threatened.

Now turn things around here.  Imagine such a book was written about George W. Bush.  Do you think the author's appearances would be canceled?  Of course not!  It would be the top story!  Can we say liberal bias?  This is just like it was with the Swift Boat Vets...completely ignored by the mainstream press.

The Clintons wield enormous political power in this country...and we're now seeing it in action.

NEWS MEDIA POLL

There's an interesting new poll out about the media.  The survey was done by an organization called the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.  They asked 1,484 adults what they thought about the news media. 

It found that most people have a positive view of the news media, at least when it comes to their local newspaper.  At least a third now get their news from the Internet.  But half were critical of the media for not standing up for America or lacking patriotism.  This shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

We've had several cases over the past couple of years where the mainstream media in this country has joined in with the Blame-America-First Euro crowd in bashing their country.  From the slanted coverage of Iraq to the outright fabrication of stories about Korans being flushed down the toilet...the media is not on America's side.

And people are finally starting to realize it.

CONGRESS TOURS GITMO

Democrats like Dick Durbin in Congress and others have been criticizing the Islamic terrorist prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as some sort of Gulag where prisoners are mistreated and human rights have been violated.  So Democrats and Republicans alike toured the facility over the weekend to see for themselves.

The verdict?  The prisoners are being treated humanely and the place is quite luxurious, just as the administration has been telling us.  Democrats are starting to eat crow. First up, California Democrat Ellen Tauscher, who said: "The Guantanamo we saw today is not the Guantanamo we heard about a few years ago."  Even none other than Sheila Jackson-Lee, who has said the facility should close, had this to say: "What we've seen here is evidence that we've made progress.''  I guess that's about as much as you're going to get out of Ms. Lee. 

Perhaps now that they've seen there's nothing amiss at the prison, the Democrats will move on from bashing the United States. Yeah .... right.

HEATHER'S CORNER ... from Neal Boortz Show intern Heather Jackson

THE FAITH OF A SCOUT

We do not give The Boy Scouts of America the credit it deserves. In the past 2 weeks we have heard of 2 unrelated missing Boy Scout cases. The first one was found after 4 days of, well, being a Boy Scout. The second one has been missing since falling into the Yellowstone River. I said from the beginning that boy #1 would be found alive I have the same hope for boy #2. These are not just kids who know how to climb trees; they are kids who are taught to fend for themselves in situations such as the above cases.

The Boy Scouts of America is dedicated to preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes. The oath (explained here) states: "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country..." The ACLU has continuously tried to show that the Boy Scouts of America are intolerant of other religious groups, and have even filed claims against the Pentagon for violating the separation of church and state by funding the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts do not include only Christian children. There are scouting programs for Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish, and Catholic as well as Protestant children. Many Boy Scouts continue their endeavors by entering the military, but even military bases are now forbidden to sponsor Boy Scout troops. They can't even camp on public land as an organized group anymore!

We are training a lot of little people to have respect and dignity for not only themselves but also for their country. These kids are growing up and learning lessons that they could not learn in any other situation. And we are denying funding? We should not only stop cutting the funding, but also encourage more children to get into scouting. It is proven that these kids grow up to be positive contributors to the community and the country.

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

Travel the countryside in style in this RV. Don't worry, there are funnier ones in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

For those of you who still have a modicum of confidence in our government schools .. read this.  Even the teaching of basic math has become politicized in our government schools.  If this column doesn't outrage you, you should be listening to sports talk.

The American people are having more questions about the patriotism and fairness of the American news media.  What a surprise.

If you get your news from television then the only news you will get about Iraq will be where the latest suicide bomber struck and how many U.S. servicemen were killed.  Click here if you want some of the good news and a more balanced look at what's happing in Iraq.

This Wall Street Journal editorial is a must:  The Journal correctly points out that the terrorist suicide bombings in Iraq are hitting their real target ... and that target is in Washington.

Heather's reading assignments

ENDA already calls for "banning employment discrimination based on sexual orientation." Including the word "transgender" could be restricting free speech. [pdf]

There are 800,000 or more children reported missing each year. They don't have to be rich, but unless they are cute, we don't hear about them.

Only 3 years of use: More wasteful spending in the White House. Tell me you are not surprised .

Big week for the Supreme Court: Rehnquist may retire and so may the 10 Commandments.

Florida continues to be the world's shark attack capital as a young girl was killed by one this weekend.

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