The Supreme Idiots

You know the Supreme Court has really pulled something out of their ass when the editorial board of the local paper agrees with me. We are usually on the total opposite sides of the fence when it comes to opinions. The paper's voice here is very liberal and I'm pretty politically conservative.

The Supreme Court's latest disappointment - in a string of disappointing findings lately - finally made me sit up and said WTF?

If you've been sitting on a beach sipping pina coladas, I'll summarize for you. The court ruled that it is okay to use eminent domain to take a person's land for private development. So, if some fat cat with lots of money moves into Denton tomorrow and decides that my neighborhood would be a great location for a high rise building with lots of taxable base, the city could grant him the land and pay us what they consider fair market value and we have to move whether we want to or not. Do you see where this is going? The poor, the old, those without political clout are going to get shit on so some fat bastard can line his pockets with more money and the city council will have more money in its coffers to building another natatorium or some other such "benefit" to the city.

You may have to register to read the editorial, but it is free to do it. But, I found that I tend to agree. What the editorial didn't say is the part that is the scariest to me. Kim du Toit DID say it, though.

This could lead to a revolution. Truly. I don't just say that lightly. I never believed Army of Dad and my other NRA-type friends when they'd tell me about why it is important to be a firearm owners. They would tell me that it is best to have them in case our government ever becomes corrupt or if we were to be invaded by enemies. I would pee-shaw them and shake my head thinking they're kooks who have watched too many movies and associated with that Weaver fella at Ruby Ridge.

However, this REALLY REALLY scares me.

Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the amenities our city offers us and we try to utilize them when we can. I appreciate the city wanting to improve our tax base, but not at the expense of private residents losing what they have worked for. I don't want to move. I don't think we could afford this much house anywhere else in the region. But, more than that, I don't CHOOSE to move. You can offer me fair market value and that is fine and good, but if I don't want to sell, I shouldn't have to. What scares me is that this is one of those instances where I can totally see arming myself and telling government agents to back the fuck off. This is my property. I was guaranteed in the constitution that the government couldn't simply walk in and take my property and this is even worse than eminent domain (which can have its purposes for good). This is taking away a person's property so someone can make money. If they want to build that high rise or mall, they have to pay me what I'm willing to sell my property for OR put your development somewhere else.

End of story. Kim du Toit said it and I agree - people will most certainly fight to the death for our land. Someone is going to die over this ruling and it is an unjust ruling. Make no mistake. The only people who think this is a good thing are the government officials and the developers. I weep for our future if we don't get these justices off the bench. I fear for the justices because some nut somewhere is likely to start taking these dipshits out and clear their spots for some reasonable judges.