Eminent Domained…

Guest Post by Eric Peters

Fascism is fundamentally about economics – not racism. It is when Big Business “partners” with Big Government (it’s no accident we hear that word routinely now) to steal money rather than earn it through the free exchange of goods and services.

Examples include Elon Musk and his Tesla electric car operation – but also GM and the mainline car companies, who are just as guilty of “partnering” with the government as Tesla to mulct the citizenry for their benefit – even if their product (unlike Musk’s) is fundamentally sound and could sell on the basis of free exchange.

The bailouts circa 2008 are the obvious example. Rather than take their lumps GM filched our pockets, using the government’s hands in our pockets. (Whether the money was “paid back” is irrelevant to the moral issue at hand; a guy who mugs you in street but sends you a check later on has still mugged you – even if he includes an apology note with the check.)

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Another example of American fascism – and one that’s even worse than subsidizing Tesla or bailing out GM – is the use of eminent domain to steal people’s land using government’s guns (and courts, to rubber stamp the theft) for the sake of private gain. 

It is happening here in The Woods, rural Southwest Virginia – home of your Libertarian Car Guy.

A private company demands that private landowners stand aside and watch as the company sends men with chainsaws onto their land, to cut down swaths of forest, followed by heavy equipment which will install a natural gas pipeline that will deliver no natural gas to anyone in the county or any county in the vicinity of the county. Instead, the gas will flow far, far away – to be sold for the private profit of the gas company.

Like taxes (theft of money) eminent domain (theft of land) was justified by limiting it.

Property was only to be seized for the “general good” (as defined by those doing the taking). But it usually meant things like right-of-ways for roads, which did at least provide some benefit to the people in the area – even though that it no way changes the fact that a crime has been perpetrated under color of law against the former owner of the land.

Taking is taking – just as theft is theft. 

But now the taking is being done without even the flimsiest pretext of some benefit to the local community. If anything, the community is diminished by the land-rape, the ruination of views, the trampling feet (and loud, obnoxious heavy equipment) brought to bear by the pipeline company – which will make hundreds of millions of dollars on their end of the “deal.”

It is halting. Like that scene in Deliverance, when the gun-wielding hillbilly rapist tells Ned Beatty: “If we want your money we’ll take your money.”

How is this different?

Worse, it’s precedent setting. If this stands – and it appears it will stand – then logically, why shouldn’t private companies be able to take more land – any land, as much as they like – for other privately profitable purposes?

Can anyone produce a logical reason why not?

One thing always follows another thing. In law especially. Precedent matters. The reason why we can’t take a trip by airplane without submitting to degrading – and completely random, probable cause-free and thus unreasonable searches is because a precedent was set decades prior that the Fourth Amendment’s plain language prohibiting such things can be set aside whenever the government decides it is in the “interests” of the government to do so. Random, probable cause-free searches on the road set the precedent for random, probable cause-free searches at the airport.

A police state doesn’t come into being overnight.

But it’s here now.

Because we put up with it, rolled over. Will we we roll over for this?

Probably. In part, because people are able to speak of the unspeakable by using despicable euphemisms.

Like calling theft of people’s money “taxes.”

And like taxes, eminent domain – once permitted at all – inevitably becomes openly monstrous. It is no different than countenancing a little rape. Or rape only on Sundays once every April.

Remember: People are not being “asked” to sell their land any more than they are “contributing” to Social Security or are the “customers” of the DMV.

Their land is being taken from them.

The fact that the victim of an eminent domain seizure is “compensated” changes nothing. Would anyone countenance rape if the rapist compensated his victim? Gave her an amount he deemed “fair” for the taking by force of her body to satisfy his need?

If that is a moral outrage, why is eminent domain not?

Perhaps someone will explain it to me.

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Jack Lovett

Its the parasite’s way, suck,steal,rape, pillage,tax all in the name of the greater public good. Even the best,finest GOVERNment sucks.
Get the SOBs out of here. What we need is 7.5 billion govs on the earth.

starfcker

I think Eric has this one wrong. But it’s going to take a little explaining. I think Kelo is one of the worst Supreme Court decisions ever. I think the corporatist Court has made massive terrible decisions under John Roberts. The idea that taking property for commercial reasons is okay is usually nuts. Probably unconstitutional, with anything but stooges on the Supreme Court. But eminent domain was conceived for exactly situations like this. A pipeline is no different than an interstate highway. It’s a conduit that allows us to have a functioning economy. Without the flow of goods and services we are fucked. By their very nature, conduits are extremely hard to build, because of land acquisition issues. We are not talking about a casino parking lot here. So, good rant, Eric, but how else would you ever get this done?

kokoda the Deplorable Raccoon and I-LUV-CO2
kokoda the Deplorable Raccoon and I-LUV-CO2

good rebuttal, star.

Martin brundlefly
Martin brundlefly

How about for a hospital in the middle of utica ny. Its not a pipeline, its a private enterprise, and thats where they want to put it, so thats the land they are taking. Its not the only land around, but its a good location, which is why the owners want to keep it. How about the buildings which were purchased as an investment, which now arent an investment as they are being taken. The only rights, the only property, that you have is what they let you keep. In other words, all your base are belong to us.

starfcker

They should have to buy the land, Martin. And if they can’t, they should have to build it somewhere else. The case you are describing is exactly the same as the Kelo case, which is a travesty of Justice. I have a pipeline that runs a half mile through my farm. I know where it is, I’m careful not to excavate there, and it bothers me not in the least

doug
doug

Not so good, IMO.State highways are for the common good. How does shipping gas overseas contribute?

starfcker

Okay Doug, that’s a good question. Any kind of extractive industry, or farming can only be done where it can be done. It’s not like siting a hospital. In order to do it you need to be able to get the products to market. That requires a connection to the next part of the transport system, be it whatever it is. Without that ability to transport product, that industry can’t exist. Without productive industry, we have no tax base, we have no employment base, we have no productive economy. This is exactly why we have eminent domain.

Wip
Wip

We have too many people and it will only get worse. The more population the more managed and controlled everything will have to be.

Chubby Bubbles
Chubby Bubbles

You don’t understand that all “production” is consumption, and that which is consumed cannot be consumed a second time.

Rdawg
Rdawg

I beg to differ. We just adopted a rescue dog. She eats shit. Literally. Eats. Shit.

Chente aka EL Coyote
Chente aka EL Coyote

That kind of thinking works well in a conquered land. You don’t have to worry about popular opinion or resistance, do as you please.

Once you stop worrying about others rights, anything is possible for you. God, I love the smell of subservience in the morning.

We have got just the right president for this time, one who brushes aside any complaints and accusations with aplomb. We are all growing up Gotti now. Outta the way, momos!

Trapped in Portlandia
Trapped in Portlandia

Star, very well stated rebuttal. As a libertarian, I usually agree with Eric Peters, but eminent domain does have a purpose. That purpose is to acquire the land to build linear projects like a highway or pipeline. Of course, our supreme leaders have stretched it to allow corporations to acquire cheap property for crap like hotels and parking lots. But as you state, how can you build a road and a pipeline if you can’t acquire the land. Without eminent domain, the interstate system would not exist and we’d still be driving on 2-lane farm roads loaded with 90 degree corners around every other farm.

Chente aka EL Coyote
Chente aka EL Coyote

Trappy, you are trapped in Starstatist’s argument. Did you not understand this is a private company doing private shit for its own profit? How about if some nigger gang wants to eminent domain your property to facilitate the transportation of drugs to NY? You get fucked but they get the drugs to NY on time, cheaper and with less murders along the way. Great, huh?

You CINOs (conservative in name only) piss me off. It is said that liberals want to overthrow the system, they do not want to be part of it. Conservatives don’t want to change the system, they want a share of it. So do criminals, therefore, excuse me if I don’t genuflect at your ‘conservatism’.

kokoda the Deplorable Raccoon and I-LUV-CO2
kokoda the Deplorable Raccoon and I-LUV-CO2

There is a big difference between obtaining private owned land via eminent domain to build Condo’s (Kelo) vs a NatGas Pipeline or a Highway or even a School.

I may not like it (pipeline), but I understand it is for the greater good.
And if we can generate more CO2, it is a Win-Win

Chente aka EL Coyote
Chente aka EL Coyote

Exactly how is more CO2 a win, you old moran? We are unlocking tons of it from the arctic ice cap. No need for more of it.

kokoda the Deplorable Raccoon and I-LUV-CO2
kokoda the Deplorable Raccoon and I-LUV-CO2

Gullible much, idiot

Edit: Actually, I threw that line in as a joke. It was worth it to hook a fish.

Edit (again): Also, wanted you to see how easy it is to use name-calling (I give back what others deserve).

Chente aka EL Coyote
Chente aka EL Coyote

It’s name calling with a purpose and not merely gratuitous. I went easy on you, you fucking basement dweller. Them’s crawling critters yore chawing with your two remaining teeth. Jus wait a while and Mona, your daughter in law, will bring down yore gruel. Then you can slobber out an unintelligible, schannnk chiew, mmmonnuh.

Boat Guy
Boat Guy

What does confiscate mean dad ? STEAL SON !
The ship already sailed regarding eminent domain in some little waterfront community in Connecticut I believe . If the ultimate result of the property seizure produces more tax revanue to the government by allowing a developer use the courts and the seizure claws of government for profit regardless of success or fail the people lose and connected assholes win !

ordo ab chao
ordo ab chao

I guess that’s what is going on in Syria, then. Just another case of ’eminent domain’ exercised by the masonic U.S. government? After all, it’s for the greater good to have the Zionist masons to partner up with the U.S. masons and control the pipeline instead of the legal land owners deciding who they want to do business with.

Dr. Doom
Dr. Doom

Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore riding through the land.
Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore, without a merry band.
Steals from the poor, to give to the Rich.
Wait, what?
Oh, he’s Hillary’s pick. Stupid bitch.

Government is about those things we do together.
Its like sex. You either get fucked or fuck somebody else.

Remember. It is better to GIVE than RECEIVE.

The Old Gods died from tolerance and apathy.
The New Gods are here.

wholy1
wholy1

Some[else] explain it to YOU? Rhetorical? VERY!
Well-written analysis as it is.

Grog
Grog

It should be called “imminent domain”.

Guess what the “common good”consideration for a dinner menu is among two wolves and a sheep?

I’m sure property taxes are for the common good as well.
After all, we all need to pay to have Compulsory Education, no?

Act against your own self interests and call yourself altruistic or patriotic.
Fuck that noise.

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.”
C. S. Lewis

TampaRed
TampaRed

Eminent domain should be used for one reason,and one reason only,and that is national security.
Area 51 type security,where they need large amounts of land either for secrecy or maneuvering,not convenience or optics.
Highways & pipelines are not national security issues in that sense.If property owners will not sell builders the land to build their projects then they will have to either increase what they will pay or move the project.
We might have interstates that have sharp curves because they have to avoid farmer Smith’s land.Pain in the rear-yep.Inefficient-you bet.But more honest-you’re damn straight it is.
When we use function or efficiency as an excuse to forcibly take people’s property we eventually wind up with cases such as Kelo,or worse,developers who take the property to build the exact same type of development,only more upscale,such as the marina/housing development in Florida or the tire store in Oakland.Or even though it was just TBP talk,a few months ago there was an article about the 30 blocks in Philadelphia and some of you guys who should know better were advocating taking the property and moving the people out.
To finalize,eminent domain is nearly as evil as code enforcement and worse than restrictive zoning laws.

Dr. Doom
Dr. Doom

Private property is the foundation of freedom. Large fortunes beget “democracy”. The Rich detest the Middle Class and independent workers. Their hubris and greed have no end but theirs. The Billionaire Class is a bunch of lotus eaters. They are more superstitious than you. They got what they have not from hard work or markets, but merely by joining a “Club”. A filthy and nasty club at that. The price of admission is blood and rape. The mark of death is upon them. They take the mark to get their places. These birdbrains live uncomfortably on their high perches. They cannot fly, but merely grasp. They have a long fall beneath them.
Bread and circuses. Sex and wine. Fight for your parties. Debts are all you get. You borrow to get, you get paid in debts. Its all a nasty swindle. Whether you admit it or not. The Barbie Consumerist Dreams are over. Landfills are overflowing. Mass graves are calling. The future belongs to those who show up for it.

That which survives…

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