Man calls for seizure of Justice Souter home, under eminent domain ruling
Friday, July 1, 2005
In the wake of a United States Supreme Court ruling in Kelo v. New London on eminent domain last week, a California man has proposed that Justice David Souter's New Hampshire home be seized by the state and a hotel be built on the site. Logan Darrow Clements faxed a letter to town officials in Weare, New Hampshire June 28, 2005 that justified the action as such:
"The justification for such an eminent domain action is that our hotel will better serve the public interest as it will bring in economic development and higher tax revenue to Weare."
Justice Souter, who was in the majority ruling in the Kelo case, has lived at the farmhouse in Weare since he was 11 years old. Clements indicated that it was necessary to build on that location because "it is a unique site being the home of someone largely responsible for destroying property rights for all Americans." The action has given rise to a great deal of support nationwide, as many are writing to the councilors of the small town of Weare to voice their approval for the proposal.
The proposal for the "Lost Liberty Hotel", as it is to be called, features a number of components which seem to focus on the libertarian leanings of its designer. A dining room, called the "Just Desserts Cafe" and a museum based on the "loss of freedom in America" are two such components. Instead of a Bible provided by the Gideons (a standard item placed in most American hotel rooms), each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged.
Sources
[edit]- Dan Whitcomb. "Man to try to seize home of Supreme Court justice" — Reuters via Washington Post, June 29, 2005
- Ron Strom. "Supreme Court Justice faces boot from home?" — WorldNetDaily, June 28, 2005
- Bob Ellis. "Tidal Wave of Support for Souter "Lost Liberty Hotel"" — Dakota Voice, June 29, 2005
- AP. "Proposal: Replace Souter's home with 'Lost Liberty Hotel'" — The Boston Globe, June 29, 2005
- Logan Darrow Clements. "Press Release" — Freestar Media, LLC, June 28, 2005
The text of this article has been released into the public domain. In the event that this is not legally possible, this article may be used for any purpose, without any condition, unless such conditions are required by law. This applies worldwide. Copyright terms on images, however, may vary, so please check individual image pages prior to duplication. Please note that this only applies to Wikinews content created prior to September 25, 2005. All content created after that date is released under a Creative Commons license which is mentioned at the bottom of each article. This is currently the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. |