Poetic Justice

This is just too good to pass up:

Although it’s clearly a publicity stunt (and it’s working) someone has begun an inquiry into using eminent domain to seize the New Hampshire home of Associate Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who voted in the majority in the awful Kelo v. New London case authorizing eminent domain for tax base increases, for development as a hotel.

On Monday June 27, Logan Darrow Clements, faxed a request to Chip Meany the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter's home.

Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, points out that the City of Weare will certainly gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits with a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road than allowing Mr. Souter to own the land.The proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged."

Clements indicated that the hotel must be built on this particular piece of land because it is a unique site being the home of someone largely responsible for destroying property rights for all Americans.

"This is not a prank" said Clements, "The Towne of Weare has five people on the Board of Selectmen. If three of them vote to use the power of eminent domain to take this land from Mr. Souter we can begin our hotel development."

Since Souter voted in the majority in Kelo, he’ll certainly realize that the tax benefit to the town from a hotel outweighs any interest he has in the ownership of his home, right? And he’ll voluntarily sign it over for whatever value the town chooses, right?

Yeah, sure.

Why did I characterize this as a publicity stunt? The applicant is not a developer, he has a tiny internet media outlet, which he used to publish a press release, which people like me are now linking to like crazy.

On the other hand, it's just possible that, given any group of five New Hampshire residents, three of them may not be too kindly disposed to the Kelo decision...

Chocolate Math

Received in an E-mail:

I don't know how it works but it does, go ahead try it yourself Your Age by Chocolate Math This is pretty neat! Check it out....

DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!

It takes less than a minute....... Work this out as you read.... Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate. (more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (Just to be bold)

3. Add 5 (for Sunday)

4.. Multiply it by 50 I'll wait while you get the calculator.................

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1755......
If you haven't, add 1754

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number .

The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week). The next two numbers are YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2005) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS

June 6, 1944 -- D-Day

There is nothing I, or anyone else, can say that will effect the importance of the events of June 6, 1944. Ultimately, the history of world events has judged, and will continue to judge, the effects and meaning of the titanic events of that day.In thinking about D-Day, and the tremendous sacrifice made on those bloody beaches, consider the following, which I find eerily appropriate:

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain…

The Normandy invasion was one major step in a world-wide clash of ideas and ideals, and those who gave their lives did so in an effort to save civilization from bloody and oppressive tyrants, from totalitarian regimes which believed that the individual human life was unimportant, which sought to impose and maintain their systems over others by force and terror, which held that the state had the right to determine the value of a human life based on the religious beliefs, ethnic heritage, or physical or mental condition of that life.

This struggle is not over. And those of us who are here today should be rededicated “to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain…”

NOTE: The quotes you will hopefully recognize. They are from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

ALSO POSTED at GeoBandy