The Lost Liberty Hotel

Haven't had time to follow or comment upon the many recent US Supreme Court rulings over the past few days, but the Kelo judgment, in particular, has provoked substantial concern and ire on both the right and (albeit less so) on the left. Essentially, the Court ruled 5-4 that the city of New London's taking of property and giving it to a private entity still qualfied as a "public use" under the Fifth Amendment, permissable under the Constitution so long as those deprived of their property were given appropriate compensation.

Instapundit had the roundup and further discussion. The blogosphere responded characteristically fast.

Certainly the most intriguing subsequent development of ruling, however, is this application to build a hotel on Supreme Court Justice David Souter's property, based on the legal principles established in Kelo. Be careful who you rule for, I guess. Wonder who sits on that board:

Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, points out that the City of Weare will certainly gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits with a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road than allowing Mr. Souter to own the land.

The proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" 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."

Clements indicated that the hotel must be built on this particular piece of land because it is a unique site being the home of someone largely responsible for destroying property rights for all Americans.

"This is not a prank" said Clements, "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."