Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
Souter Shrugged
I saw this news item on my cell phone that was such a delicious tidbit there was simply no way it could be true, but in the hours ahead, to my astonishment…well, it seems to be true. A developer is using the Kelo v. New London case to seize the family home of Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
Logan Darrow Clements sent a letter to the town of Weare, N.H., proposing to build “The Lost Liberty Hotel” and “Just Desserts Cafe” on Souter’s property.
“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,” he wrote. Clements, who runs a California media company, added, “This is not a prank.
Indeed it is not, contrary to what one would presume from names like “Just Desserts Cafe”. If indeed it were a prank or an urban legend or a bluff of some kind, Clements is to be congratulated for proliferating his little joke here and here and here and here and here.
Who is Logan Darrow Clements? He is a former candidate for Governor of California, having run during the 2003 recall effort under an Objectivist platform. What is an Objectivist you might say? A half-assed explanation can be found in the last story linked, above:
Objectivism is a philosophy advocating “rational selfishness” and capitalism, founded by the late philosopher Ayn Rand. Clements confirmed that he is an Objectivist, and that Rand is an “influence” on him.
“Are you sure you’re a Republican?” asked the pleasantly surprised youth.
By way of explanation, Clements suggested that he read Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.
I’m not entirely sure why the scare quotes are thrown around “rational selfishness”. The words could have been in a speech Ayn Rand gave, but as far as I recall that term is not used in The Fountainhead or in Atlas Shrugged. I do not take issue with the accuracy of the description, but I got a gut feel this tag was chosen because of the ugly spin it puts on the Objectivist concepts & goals. You hear the word “selfish” and you recoil reflexively.
Although what Mr. Clements is addressing, here, is the prospect if you going to a Starbuck’s or a Trader Joe’s where, a year before, your toilet and medicine cabinet used to be. I just have a tough time thinking most people would call the desire to keep your family home, “selfish”.
What really tickles me pink about this is that as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Souter’s authority over this case ended when the case was decided. According to a press release from Clements’ company, Freestar Media LLC, the developer is going to be looking for a simple majority vote on the Weare, NH city council.
“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.”
The proposed development, called “The Lost Liberty Hotel” will feature the “Just Desserts Caf�” 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.”
This story gets a pencilled-in First Place Award for the annual “you could never in a bazillion years make this up” award. For the time being, until something better comes along.
Hey by the way — you do realize, don’t you, that our most liberal Supreme Court justices voted for this hideous decision, and the most conservative justices voted against it? You’re also aware that there is a historical trend of Supreme Court decisions that parallels that, aren’t you? Good, just checking.
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