Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others.

As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor; let every man remember that to violate the law, is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own, and his children's liberty.

Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap; let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs; let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and Let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.

While ever a state of feeling, such as this, shall universally, or even, very generally prevail throughout the nation, vain will be every effort, and fruitless every attempt, to subvert our national freedom.


- Abraham Lincoln, January 27, 1838
  Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois

Friday, September 19, 2008

Let me get this straight

The citizen-loving state of Texas can apparently 'claim' any person's beach front property if a hurricane like Ike comes ashore moving the sea moves in a little closer than it was before - The Texas Open Beaches Act allows this, whether the house was destroyed by the storm or not. The state also doesn't have to give this everyday American taxpayer a single dime for the property they claim. Its just gone. Poof.

Oh, and a stern finger in the face:

"Every one of them was warned of that in their earnest money contract, in the deed they received, in the title policy they bought," he said. "And whether you like it or not, neither the Constitution of the United States nor the state of Texas nor any law permits you to have a structure on state-owned property that's subject to the flow of the tide."

No doubt this ruling also affects those storm-damaged oil rigs out in the Gulf? Aren't they also subject to the flow of the tide? Different set of rules? Oh, I see... they aren't on the beach. Yet.

Imagine for a moment that this same beach front land wasn't owned by an ordinary citizen, but was instead owned by... AIG, or by Fanny Mae, or by Freddy Mac, or by the Lehman Brothers. The government would - of course - rebuild their offices if they could be rebuilt; and if not, would pay them whatever the property was worth before the storm.

One disaster is not like any other... it's all about who is affected by it.

Because of course - this really isn't about 'public beaches' at all. Texas probably intends to replace these homes with luxurious resort hotels. I'm sure investors are lining up, as they were after Katrina... and after the 2004 Tsumani. It may take a few years, but let's watch what actually happens to that land Texas plans to claim.

And the best part of all, is that whatever the State of Texas decides to do... they can use those former-beachfront-dwellers' tax money to pay for it.

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