Hugo Loves Kelo

Dumb and Dumber






Special Forces Colonel and good friend David McCarthy responded to my "Europe's Fantasy Life" post with the following observation:

What is truly frightening to me is that there are judges in the US (primarily those appointed by Clinton) who beleive that the US should follow "international law," even when it conflicts with our Constitution. There have been a few Supreme Court decisions which have cited international law and international tribunals.

Consider the infamous case of Kelo v. City of New London Conn. By a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court held that the City's development plan served a "public purpose" that justified use of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment to condemn the homes of nine citizens. These properties would then be combined with other land to form the site of a new Phizer Inc. facility that would provide jobs and increase the tax base. The five affirming Justices were Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer.

According to Mayor Eddie Perez of Hartford, "the American dream means letting city governments seize property under newly expanded eminent-domain powers so they can give it to private developers who promise to generate greater tax revenues." And despite the near-universal outrage from minority groups, the Hartford mayor said eminent domain is good for blacks.

Susette Kelo -- whose restored pink home in New London, Conn., faces such a seizure -- said the American dream means owning a home without fear that the government will take it to give to the highest bidder. (Washington Times)

Meanwhile, according to a Wall Street Journal story, "the Venezuelan government (read Hugo Chavez and his Marxist buddies) have been seizing idle farms and now industrial property in his attempt to reduce poverty in the manner of Robert Mugabe. The government has asked food company Alimentos Polar to sell corn flour at cheap prices to the poor as a condition to resolve a state seizure of its grain-storage silos. A similar seizure has taken place at Alimemtos Heinz, a subsidiary of the H.J. Heinz Co."

Gotta wonder what Thereza Heinz thinks of her hubby's Marxist buddies now.

One wonders if the US Supreme Court took advice from Mr. Chavez in the Kelo case or vice-versa. The next time someone tries to tell you that the Democratic Party is for the little guy .... oh, never mind!