NDN Thoughts on Eminent Domain

I'm sure by now everyone has heard about the most recent high profile Supreme Court ruling. The one that involved bulldozing the houses of little old ladies to make room for high-rise hotels, yuppie condos and, dare we guess, a Starbucks or four.

The Court ruled that "local governments may seize people's homes and businesses -- even against their will -- for private economic development". This, as I understand it, is part of the law of eminent domain.

Eminent domain "is the power of the state to appropriate private property for its own use without the owner's consent." Usually there are riders that stipulate that the land must be used for public works and that the owner must be justly compensated.

OK, ndns, is any of this sounding familiar?

Now I don't know all the legalese (yet) and I'm not trying to draw legal parallels so much, but I gotta say, as soon as I heard that report, I thought, well, now you know how Indians feel.

And I'm not alone on that thought.

Georgia Albert posts on ProudToBeNativeAmerican:

"Not to long ago the Indians had control of their ancestoral lands, the land to raise their families on, and then the government exercised eminent domain. The government seized the Indian's ancestoral lands and sold their land to private parties. The Indians could only stand and watch as their land, their Mother, was stolen from them, and sold to private parties. And now, the government has come for the land of the citizens of the United States, the government is using the same tatics used to steal Indian lands, the eminent domain scam. "

Karma's a bitch, ain't it?