Last July, using the powers of eminent domain the Oakland City Council stripped John Revelli of the land and business he had owned free and clear for 56 years. The Oakland Council reasoned that two hold out land owners should not be able to impede the progress of the city.

What progress you ask? A private developer wanted to place apartments and condos on Mr Revelli's land and the city saw a chance at higher tax revenue, just like the Kilo Case in N.H.

To me this goes hand in hand with my "Democracy Sucks" post last week. The Oakland City Council was democraticly elected and six of the seven members democractly voted to strip Mr Revelli of his lifes work and his property in what is a clear violation of the Fifth Amendment to our Constitution.

I think we can all agree that this is WRONG, but where does Mr Revelli go now? The Supreme's have already ruled against him, and us for that matter, so help from the very people that took an oath to defend the Constitution is out. The local police, courts, and city council all draw their paychecks from the same sorce, so they'll all stick together. The ACLU is not big on property rights, they'd rather defend a covicted killers right to practice Voo Doo in his prison cell while simultaneously stripping  the Ten Commandments from every court room in America!

Where does a person go when they KNOW they are being wronged?

So, I have a question for the class. What other Constitutionaly protected, God given right, do "we the people" have that can stop a tyrannical government? Mind you, if this right were exercised just a little more often, this post would be moot because no local governing offical would dare violate the peoples God given right to own property.

What is this right? And if you already know, Have you defended it? Used it?

Good Night

Dave