Dear Friend:

The government CAN NOW take your business, your farm -- EVEN YOUR HOME -- and hand it over to PRIVATE developers!

ThatÕs what five unelected judges on the U.S. Supreme Court -- the highest court in the land -- recently ruled in Kelo v. City of New London.

Imagine, the government, under the guise of economic development, handing your home over to a private developer just to clear the way for a strip mall, hotel or even a bigger home -- basically anything that can produce more tax revenue to fill the politiciansÕ already bloated coffers.

Make no mistake: now they can.

In fact, dissenting from her colleaguesÕ decision in Kelo v. City of New London, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OÕConner wrote, ÒNothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.Ó

            Simply put, the Supreme CourtÕs Kelo decision renders your private property rights worthless.

            ThatÕs why we cannot take this assault on our fundamental freedom -- the constitutional protection of life, liberty and property -- lying down!

            Within days of the Supreme CourtÕs decision, the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) launched a nationwide grassroots campaign to RESTORE OUR PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.

            And, Senator John Cornyn, along with 25 co-sponsors, quickly answered the call by introducing legislation in the United States Senate -- S. 1313: ÒThe Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005.Ó

            S. 1313, if passed, will help correct the High CourtÕs draconian Kelo decision and begin to restore our private property rights as guaranteed in the Constitution.

            But Senator Cornyn needs our help to get this vital legislation passed.

Please join us TODAY by urging the United States Senate to support the ÒProtection of Homes, Small Businesses and Private Property Act of 2005.Ó

Use the hyperlink below to send your personalized Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush, the Members of the Senate Leadership and the Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Tell our elected leaders -- in no uncertain terms -- that you will view any refusal to support this vital legislation as a rejection of fundamental freedom and a refusal to stand up for everyday Americans over the interests of big developers and big government.

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/kelosoft.html

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WE ARE MAKING PROGRESSÉ

Senator CornynÕs legislation would ban federal money -- taxpayer dollars -- from going to any local government that seizes private property for the purpose of Òeconomic development.Ó

And, this week -- thanks to an outcry by concerned Americans like you -- the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on S. 1313.

As I sat there and watched the Senate hearing, I grew angrier and angrier at the new reality that you and I -- and all Americans -- now faceÉ

ÉWe are forced to live in fear every day that local government may seize our property -- our homes -- just so local government and private developers can fatten their wallets.

Indeed, Susette Kelo, who was the lead plaintiff in Kelo v. City of New London and who stands to lose her home because of the Supreme CourtÕs decision, said it best during her testimony before the Committee this weekÉ

ÒWhat is happening to me should not happen to anyone else. Congress and state legislatures need to send a message to local governments that this kind of abuse of power will not be funded or tolerated.Ó

Susette is right!  Americans like you and me must stand together to restore our private property rights!

Believe it or not, there are some powerful Members of Congress, backed by deep-pocketed special interests, who support the Supreme CourtÕs Kelo decision.  These politicians plan to work hard to defeat S. 1313 when it comes up for a vote by the full Senate.

But it is our job -- the job of American citizens who value our freedom and liberties -- to join together to clearly demand that Congress pass S. 1313 without delay.  We need to tell out elected leaders in Washington, in no uncertain terms, that we will not stand for this any longer!

Use the hyperlink below to send your personalized Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush, the Members of the Senate Leadership and the Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Tell our elected leaders -- in no uncertain terms -- that you will view any refusal to support this vital legislation as a rejection of fundamental freedom and a refusal to stand up for everyday Americans over the interests of big developers and big government.

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/kelosoft.html

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THINK YOUR PROPERTY -- YOUR HOME -- IS NOT AT RISK?

            Think again!

            The Supreme Court opened the door, and now local governments across the country are scrambling to use their expanded power -- called Òeminent domainÓ -- to take private property anywhere and anytime the politicians see some more tax dollars and the developers see a place for a new strip mall or office building.

• Spring Valley, New York: Less than a week after the Kelo decision, Spring Valley officials asked the New York Supreme Court to authorize the condemnation of 15 private properties in an area where a private developer plans to construct residential and retail buildings. On August 12th the Court granted the village permission to condemn more than 30 properties, over twice as many as the village sought to acquire.
   

• Lodi, New Jersey: Less than a month after the Kelo decision, 200 Lodi homeowners went to court to prevent the city from seizing their homes and handing them over to a private developer.  Lodi Mayor Gary Paparozzi called the Kelo ruling a Òshot in the armÓ for the town. He told the Bergen County Record, Ò[The homeownersÕ community] is like a poster child for redevelopment. ThatÕs the best-case scenario for using eminent domain.Ó
   

• Sunset Hills, Missouri: Less then three weeks after the Kelo ruling, Sunset Hills officials voted to allow the condemnation of 85 homes and small businesses for a shopping center and office complex.
   

• Oakland, California: A week after the Kelo decision, Oakland city officials used eminent domain to evict John Revelli from the downtown tire shop his family has owned since 1949. Revelli and a neighboring business owner had refused to sell their property to make way for a new housing development. Said Revelli of his fight with the city, ÒWe thought weÕd win, but the Supreme Court took away my last chance.Ó
   

• Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Property owners in downtown Menomonee Falls were notified that their land could be seized for a redevelopment project. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the CityÕs ability to condemn property for economic gain was made easier by the Supreme CourtÕs Kelo ruling.
   

• Hollywood, Florida: Twice in one month, Hollywood officials used eminent domain to take private property and give it to a developer.
  
  

• Memphis, Tennessee: The Riverfront Development Corporation is planning a massive five-mile development effort, including the use of eminent domain to claim a four-block section from the current private property owners.  RDC President Benny Lendermon was quoted in the Memphis Commercial Appeal as saying, Ò[Kelo] definitely gives the city more tools in its tool box for dealing with the legal issues surrounding that piece of property.

Following the Supreme CourtÕs Kelo decision, NO PROPERTY -- no small business, no farm, no home -- is safe from government seizure.

After the Kelo decision, even YOUR CHURCH is at risk of being SEIZED by the government.  ItÕs already happeningÉ

• In New Castle, New York, St. LukeÕs Pentecostal Church saved money for more than a year to buy a property so the congregation could move out of the rented basement where they were holding services.  After purchasing a property for the congregation, it was condemned by the North Hempstead Community Development Agency, which administers funding from HUD (your tax dollars!), for the purpose of retail development. Today, St. LukeÕs is still holding services in their rented basement.

As Justice OÕConnor wrote in her dissent, ÒAny property may now be taken for the benefit of another private partyÉÓ

There is hope.

If we can put enough pressure on Congress to pass S. 1313, our local politicians will think twice before they try to take your property. 

But we must act now!

Use the hyperlink below to send your personalized Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush, the Members of the Senate Leadership and the Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Tell our elected leaders -- in no uncertain terms -- that you will view any refusal to support this vital legislation as a rejection of fundamental freedom and a refusal to stand up for everyday Americans over the interests of big developers and big government.

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/kelosoft.html

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ITÕS TIME TO TAKE ACTION!

The Founding Fathers understood how important property rights were when they wrote the Constitution.

ThatÕs why the Fifth Amendment specifically says that private property canÕt be taken except for public use.  By public use, they were talking about roads, utility lines, sewers, schools, etc. -- NOT strip malls, office buildings, golf courses or mansions!

But in Kelo v. City of New London, the Supreme Court abandoned our Founding Fathers and our Constitution.

Since 1998, CFIF has worked to protect and defend individual freedoms and individual rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

And, I can honestly say that this is by far the most important battle weÕve ever undertaken. Together you and I must tell Big Government ÒHANDS OFF OUR PROPERTY!Ó

Use the hyperlink below to send your personalized Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush, the Members of the Senate Leadership and the Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Tell our elected leaders -- in no uncertain terms -- that you will view any refusal to support this vital legislation as a rejection of fundamental freedom and a refusal to stand up for everyday Americans over the interests of big developers and big government.

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/kelosoft.html

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Yours In Freedom,

Jeff Mazzella
President
www.cfif.org

P.S. All concerned Americans like you and me must make their voices heard and demand that all 100 Senators support S. 1313. Please forward this message to 10 of your colleagues, friends and family members and URGE them to get involved in this vital effort to RESTORE OUR PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.