"All Property is Theft?"

Say what? Is the premise underlying that statement that by one person owning something it necessarily deprives another? Is that really a supportable position?

As an official member of the right-wing nutjob club, I must register my disapproval of that statement! What are you, some kinda commie-sicko? :-)

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I really don't know why there is this apparent requirement for humans to compete. Built into our beings through eons of survival struggles? A vestige of the competition formed when God expressed pleasure over Abel's offering but not Cain's?

If I were to venture a guess, it would be that the desire to win is a response to a deeper insecurity. I don't wish to sound too new-age fuzzy here, but doesn't it always seem like people who strive to win are most often trying to "prove" something or another? In almost every case that's what goes on inside my heart. I take offense at some perceived slight, and then I go into a competitive mode trying to right the wrong. It's an awful thing.

Some famous rich person from the last century -- I forget who, but I think it was someone like Carnegie or Vanderbilt -- was asked how much money was "enough." The answer was, "One dollar more than I have." Isn't that a horrible view? What I don't know is whether that sentiment was expressed in an aggressive, competitive way, or whether it was expressed with a sigh, as if there's an element of helplessness in the constant, consuming pursuit of more.

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One of the interesting twists to this "eminent domain" thing is that if local municipalities feel emboldened by this ruling, we can expect to see more and more churches displaced. Churches pay no taxes in the United States. If the Kelo ruling found that increased tax revenue was sufficient reason to invoke eminent domain, then it follows that property offering no tax revenue is a ripe target.

It's not without precedent. Out in California a church owned some property on which they planned to build a new church. The local government invoked eminent domain and attempted to turn the property over so a Costco super warehouse store could be built. I think in that case the court ruling came in favor of the church, but that was pre-Kelo.

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I'm sorry to hear that the Alice/Tony saga turned out so messy. I'm really sorry to hear that there's the spectre of emigration hangs over things. Let us hope and pray that such a thing is too bold a move, and that your daughter stays close to you.