New Orleans Rich to poor: Take your soul and shove it

(photo: Andrew H. Hochheimer, andrew@softwareartist.com)

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Rep. Richard Baker (R-La) was overheard telling lobbyists, "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."

Later, Baker backpedaled, saying he was misquoted. He claims what he really said, or meant, was, "We have been trying for decades to clean up New Orleans public housing to provide decent housing for residents, and now it looks like God is finally making us do it."

But Baker's revisionism is exceedingly hard to swallow. It would be far less surprising if the initial report were correct - and Baker is, in fact, among the substantial number of wealthy white New Orleans residents who have openly suggested that this tragedy presents a perfect opportunity to "rebuild" New Orleans as a richer, whiter city.

Can Black people's homes and land be taken in the service of this "rebuilding"? The worrisome answer, after the Supreme Court's recent Takings Clause decision, Kelo v.New London, is yes.

There, the Court held that a transfer of private land, to private developers, for "economic development," had a "public purpose" sufficient to satisfy the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment. ...
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20050920_bernier.html)