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The U.S. Supreme Court broke new legal ground in its Kelo vs. New London eminent domain decision. It would appear that state or local (heaven help us) governments have the right to seize private property and award it to private developers if they can show an overall economic benefit in doing so. Thus your home can be taken now for the development of shopping malls, hotels, private office buildings, etc.

Guess the concept of private property is an exploded idea. "A man's home is his castle?" Forget it. Well, Thomas Jefferson did warn us about the danger that the Supreme Court could become an oligarchy, but then who remembers that old history stuff?

Most of us do remember, however, from our high school civics course that the American system of law is based pretty much on the English system of law. The English system, of course, has as one of its taproots the Magna Carta of the 13th century. Wonder if the members of the Supreme Court have bothered to check the Magna Carta lately.

If those justices have, they kind of overlooked Clause 31 in the Magna Carta. That clause states, "Neither we nor our bailiffs shall take other men's timber for castles or other work of ours, without the agreement of the owner."

Just think - those old dudes who never bothered to bathe and dressed in iron clothes - inserted that clause into their law in 1215 A.D. Of course they were semi-civilized, and we are civilized. Aren't we? Or do we sometimes confuse plumbing and electricity with civilization?

LARRY MORGAN

Oregon

We need mayor who believes in Toledo

I long for the days when we had a mayor who really believed in Toledo like Carty did. I read that the mayor has decided that it's time to outsource some more Toledo income and jobs to another city. The people of Toledo will now get paychecks for all the city employees from Ann Arbor and cut the checks in Chicago. Now I am sure that will be welcome in those cities, but is the mayor going to have us believe that no business in Toledo or the surrounding communities would be willing to add some employees to be able to provide this work?

Remember, if the work stays here these people then pay income taxes here in the community. Wasn't it the mayor and the Kerry clan who told us all the jobs were being shipped over seas by George Bush? I, for one, am counting down the days until we get a mayor who believes in Toledo and looks for every way to keep jobs here, not ship them off to other places.

James Moline

Sylvania

Cartoon disrespectful of Native Americans

Shame on The Blade for running the appalling July 28 "Dennis The Menace" cartoon, which was incredibly insensitive to all Native Americans. The cartoon depicts the Mitchell family in the Southwest visiting a "Navajo Ruins."

Dennis is standing on a lower wall of the ruins while lassoing a higher portion. His mother states, "We should be thankful they were in ruins before he got here." Despite clearly being aware of their child's destructive intent, Dennis' parents totally disregard his outrageous (and illegal) behavior and the serious physical damage he can cause to ancient and irreplaceable Native American sites - a legacy to be enjoyed by future generations.

This cartoon, so disrespectful of Native Americans and their rich heritage, has no rightful place in our multicultural society.

Jeffrey Gordon

Associate Professor of Geography
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green

Stop playing politics with patients' lives

As president and CEO of MedCorp, let me amplify my comments to The Blade regarding the suspension of one of our stations because we transported a patient to the hospital rather than call Lucas County EMS.

The Maumee EMS chief would have you believe they could have been at the scene in 2.5 minutes from two miles away in heavy traffic. Captain Kirk must have Scotty "beaming" him there!

This chief complained we'll bill for this call. Talk about someone calling the kettle black! If his department transported, they would have billed. This is in addition to the tax dollars his department receives that MedCorp doesn't. If the chief is so worried about bills being sent, why is his department billing?

Private ambulance companies aren't in the business of providing free service, although that's what happens with inadequately insured patients. Lest anyone thinks Lucas County EMS is free, remember they're getting $10 million of your hard-earned tax dollars to man 10 or 11 units.

LCEMS employs some of the finest paramedics and dispatchers, but so do private ambulance companies, including MedCorp. The problem is with LCEMS policies and procedures. They'll send a Life Squad from one end of town to another, making critically ill and injured patients wait unnecessarily while private ambulances with equally trained paramedics are much closer. Now that is delay of patient care!

Because one of our stations is now on this unfounded suspension from county calls, citizens in southwest Toledo are waiting longer to get to the hospital. It's already happened. Recently, a person injured in an accident waited 20 minutes for an ambulance while our unit could have been there in less than five minutes.

It's time Lucas County stops playing politics with patients' lives.

Richard Bage

Maumee

Going on 'offensive' made things worse

I am writing in response to a recent letter that stated that America should change its plan from defensive to offensive on dealing with terrorists. Maybe that letter writer has forgotten that we are in a war against Iraq that the United States initiated under faulty intelligence and lies.

This "offensive" war in Iraq has done nothing toward fighting terrorism, but has rather made Iraq a gathering center for terrorists. Also, this "offensive" war in Iraq has resulted in more than 1,800 American soldiers killed, thousands of American troops injured, and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians killed. The United States will continually be a target of terrorism as long as we are occupying Iraq and our list of enemies will keep getting longer.

The letter writer went on to state that all we need to do with these terrorists is "kill them all and let God sort out the good ones later." This sounds like the same rationale that a suicide bomber might have.

Daniel Chisholm

South Kennison Drive

Shopping is meant to be done indoors

I feel the majority do agree with Dennis Kraynak's Aug.1 Readers' Forum letter on "all-season shopping."

Keep Southwyck shopping indoors. I, along with my son and daughter and their families, did make a first visit to Levis Commons on a cold and windy day. We all agreed that this was not the way to shop in inclement weather. Such a design will not last or prosper in the weather found in northern Ohio.

Bob Bins

West Country Club Drive

Kaptur's stand is morally responsible

I'm sure the Catholic college students on their "Crusade for Life 2005" are deeply sincere and dedicated to the pro-life movement in this country.

However, they are wrong to paint U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur and other members of Congress with the broad brush of evil intent, affecting their status as faithful Catholics.

With her more than 21 years in Congress, Miss Kaptur's total life record is outstanding. Marcy Kaptur is also an active member of "Democrats for Life," a national organization promoting greater respect for the unborn, life sentences for criminals instead of execution, morally responsible stem-cell research, and other life issues.

Richard Daley

Westowne Court

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