The Pink Flamingo :: How Conservatives Became Marxists Over Immigration Reform

Eminent Domain are two very dirty words in the “Conservative” lexicon. I’ve heard both Hannity and Rush and all the lesser little “Reagan” conservatives wax poetic about the evils of eminent domain and how government is stomping on ‘the little guy’. We’ve also heard demands for states to pass laws putting an end to the practice of eminent domain. So – now that one of the biggest land grabs since homesteaders rushed across the Oklahoma panhandle to take land from the Indians, why aren’t we hearing or seeing any conservatives protecting it?

It’s simple, stupid.

Immigration

Immigration is turning “good” conservatives into Marxists as they become so conservative they cease being conservative and turn into the very creatures they despise more than anything but illegal Mexican migrants – LIBERALS!

On Friday Michael Chertoff announced that if landowners from California to Texas don’t sell their land for the border fence, they will lose it by eminent domain. We’re talking confiscating – a Marxist word – land from something like 600 property owners. They will be offered a “fair market value” price for their land. But if they don’t co-operate and allow the whims of extreme conservatives to be catered to, they will go to court and will lose their property. ONLY IN AMERICA?

We’re dealing with conservatives who have sold their soul to John Tanton, and believe every word about that idiotic North American Union dodo. They decry the confiscation of private property by government for everything – but the border fence! Evidently people who live along the border do not have the same rights as Americans living in the heartland or even along the Canadian border. They must give up their homes, land, and businesses to keep a MINORITY of very vocal ultra conservatives who are associated with the CofCC, white supremacists, KKK, and neo-Nazis more than they are REGULAR Americans. Evidently they now rule the country and are pulling what were once normal, rational conservatives along with them. If this the case, I’m glad they no longer refer to me as “conservative”. I am a proud Republican, but NEVER AGAIN will I allow myself to be lumped in with these people.

I wonder if we will hear Hannity wax poetic about the way several hundred land-owners are going to have their land taken from them for the fence? Wanna put money on it? I wouldn't!

From the LA Times

“…Chertoff said that by the end of next year, the administration planned to fence off 90% to 95% of the border from the Pacific Ocean to Texas, adding that the Rio Grande forms a natural barrier. In addition to 370 miles of fencing, the agency is building 300 miles of vehicle barriers. "That is a big step forward in answering the public outcry to have some protection at the Southwest border," Chertoff said. But he added that two challenges are getting funding from Congress and dealing with uncooperative landowners. Homeland Security contacted some 600 owners and held town hall meetings in border communities to explain the fence project. The agency mailed about 150 letters Friday. Department officials say "relatively few" letters will be going to California landowners. They were unable to give an exact count but said the state's landowners had been cooperative. The agency has encountered the most resistance in Texas, where much of the land along the border is privately owned. Ranchers and farmers say that the fence would cut off their access to the Rio Grande, the only regional source of fresh water. Business groups say fencing will slow cross-border traffic that is crucial for local economies.

Salinas says that many Americans work and volunteer on the Mexican side of the border, or have family there. "What kind of message are we sending them?" he asked. Chertoff said two-thirds of Texans who were approached agreed to give Homeland Security access to their land, a quarter did not respond, and about 10% refused. The objections, the secretary said, stem from "the problem of what we sometimes call 'not in my backyard.' " He said his agency had been receptive to suggestions, including the creation of open areas that allow for easy visibility instead of a fence….”

From the Herald Tribune

“…The Bush administration warned landowners along the southern border Friday that it will seize their property if they refuse to cooperate with federal efforts to build a fence meant to slow illegal immigration. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he would give landowners 30 days to indicate if they will allow federal officials on their land to survey whether it is suitable for fencing. If they decline, he said, he would turn to the courts to gain temporary access. If the agency determines the land is appropriate for fencing and landowners refuse to cooperate, the department will turn to the courts."The door is still open to talk, but it's not open for endless talk," Chertoff said of the time-frame landowners have in which to respond. "We do need to get moving."…”

From the Houston Chronicle

“…Taking aim at the Texas holdouts refusing to allow surveyors onto their property, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff made clear Friday that he would use the government's power to seize land needed for the border fence. "We would, of course, like to reach an agreement with the landowner," he said. "But if we are not successful, we are prepared to use (the legal principle called) eminent domain."

On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security mailed letters to about 150 Texas landowners who refused to let surveyors onto their land or have not responded to requests. The letters give them 30 days to come forward and negotiate, warning that the department will go to court to gain access to the land if they don't. Federal officials say that government surveyors must examine by February land where a fence and a high-tech "virtual" fence will be built. Chertoff pledged to complete 370 miles of fencing in Texas and other border states by October 2008. About 130 miles of fences are planned for Texas.

Leonard Loop, who farms hundreds of acres along five miles of the Rio Grande below Brownsville, expressed resignation. "I guess they can do it if they want to, but what is this country coming to?" he said. Loop, who hasn't allowed surveyors on his property, said government officials still won't tell him where they want to locate the fence on the land where he was born 70 years ago and which his parents settled in the 1920s. Edward Mathers and his father Robert are allowing the survey of the 2,000 acres their family has owned since 1880 on the river north of Brownsville. ''They're going to take it no matter what, so it's best to cooperate now or they make it harder later," said Edward Mathers, who contends the fence won't work.

Chertoff said that only 10 percent of the landowners who may be affected by construction of fencing, roads or lighting have refused access. Most of the holdouts are in Texas, where opposition to the fence has been the strongest. Texas, unlike Arizona and New Mexico, has most of its border land in private, not government, hands. Some 408 landowners are affected in Texas. Sixty-three percent, or 258 property owners, have granted right of access to their land. Another 110 haven't responded or can't be located. Forty have refused to allow surveyors on their property.

Sen. John Cornyn, who met with Chertoff earlier in the week, said he is encouraging the government to keep the lines of communication open with the recalcitrant property owners. "His hope is that the vast majority of these cases could be resolved without litigation," Cornyn said….”

From the Brownsville Herald

“…In the Rio Grande Valley, where 70 miles of fencing has been designated, protest has been widespread.
Farmers, who use the Rio Grande to irrigate, have complained they could be cut off from their water pumps. Politicians have expressed concern over the message the fence sends to Mexico and what effect it might have on commerce with that country. And environmentalists have questioned what damage the fence, which is expected to pass through federal wildlife refuges, would have on local plant and animal species.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said Friday that while the fence was more or less a certainty at this point, he was still hopeful that some “flexibility” could be written into the plan. A possible amendment to the existing $1.2 billion appropriations bill is scheduled for debate in Congress next week. “I never say never. I want to keep fighting,” Cuellar said. “It’s very important the community does participate and tell the government what they think.” Homeland Security-sponsored meetings on the environmental impact of the proposed fence are scheduled to take place next week in McAllen, Brownsville and Rio Grande City.

With their letters now in the mail, many landowners are already considering legal action, said Monica Weisberg-Stewart, a representative to the Texas Border Coalition, a group of local government officials advocating on behalf of Texas border communities. Jimmy Pawlick, a citrus and vegetable farmer with 1,200 acres south of McAllen, said the U.S. Border Patrol requested access to his land last month and he refused. Now that the government will likely be seeking a court order against him, Pawlick said he would seek legal counsel. “Let them go ahead and try. I’ll make it so painful for them,” Pawlick said. “I told (the Border Patrol agents), ‘Hell no, I wouldn’t do it.’ Let them get on your property and do whatever they want? … You’d have to be crazy from a business standpoint.”

What recourse landowners will have in keeping federal surveyors off their land is likely minimal. The law authorizing the fence granted Chertoff sweeping powers in constructing it, and in other areas has bypassed federal environmental regulations. David Calvillo, a McAllen lawyer with experience in eminent domain law, said landowners should start trying to establish the best price possible for their land. “They can arm themselves with financial data on the value of their property,” he said. “The values these guys (the feds) are going to offer will be minimal.”…”