Today, justice was served in the United States at the same time as an injustice was committed - by the Supreme Court justices.
The injustice:
High court OKs personal property seizures (from CNN):
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses -- even against their will -- for private economic development. In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled in favor of private developers who want to bulldoze private homes and businesses in New London, CT, to build an office complex, riverfront hotel, and health club.
The Court said "cities know best" and claim this provides economic development -- but do the cities really know best, or are they just being sucked in by their own greed and power? This is a case of the private interests of some wealthy corporate leaders and developers putting their interests ahead of those of private citizens. What I see is an abuse of the 5th Amendment "eminent domain" clause that allows the government to seize private land and homes for "public use" -- so what right does a big, profit-making development corporation have to come in and take someone's home - even if they are offering to pay for it?
How would you feel if someone did that to YOUR home? Your small business? Think about it.
The justice:
As frustrated I was when I saw that story, I was really gratified by the news of some actual JUSTICE taking place today in two signficant ways:
House restores $100 million to public broadcasting
and
Ex-Klansman sentenced to 60 years
The first story made me feel great because I was one of the over 1 million citizens who either signed a petition via MoveOn.org or who otherwise wrote or called their members of Congress, urging them NOT to slash the budget for PBS and NPR and local public broadcasting. It felt great to know I had a voice and the voice was (for once) heard by our lawmakers.
The second story is a case that shows that justice can be served, even 40 years too late. Edgar Ray Killen was sentenced in the three 1964 murders of the civil rights workers - the story portrayed in the powerful film, Mississippi Burning (starring Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe). Mississippi has been burning over its civil rights issues for decades and it's good to see that there are good people there, who despite enormous pressures, CAN and WILL do the right thing. Mississippi can surely be proud of itself today.
2 steps forward... 1 step back, I guess.
