In response to the Kelo decision, some humorous people petitioned the government of Weare, New Hampshire to seize the land of Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who had joined court's decision that cities possess the right to confiscate private property for the purpose of transferring that property to other private parties. In the spirit of that shoe-on-the-other-foot stunt, I'd like to see a group of people dig up actress Daryl Hannah's yard and plant potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and other garden crops. When she complains, they should sue her.

Police removed Daryl Hannah from a tree on private property on Tuesday. "I'm very confident this is the morally right thing to do, to take a principled stand in solidarity with the farmers," Hannah explained over her cell phone while perched in the tree. Hannah, along with some other brain-dead and just-plain-evil types, converged on the property to protest its owner's decision to construct a warehouse on the land.

For more than a decade, Ralph Horowitz has looked the other way as squatters used his fourteen acres in Los Angeles to plant gardens. When he decided to build a warehouse--the land is in the middle of an industrial district--the squatters sued him! "I feel that the gardeners have been on the land for 14 years, almost 15 years for free. After 15 years, you say thank you," Horowitz explained to the Associated Press. But they didn't say "thank you." They petitioned the city to block Horowitz from developing the land he owns. They sued. They protested at his home and office.

Horowitz estimates that he pays between $25,000 and $30,000 a month in mortgages, taxes, and other costs associated with the land. Daryl Hannah, and the ingrates growing food on Horowitz's land, pay him nothing. "We've made, in the last three years, enough of a donation to those farmers," Horowitz told the Associated Press. "I just want my land back."

Dan,

Elephant in the living room there. You fail to mention that these "gardeners" seem to be Hispanics living in the area around the property. This is much MORE a story illustrative of our horribly flawed immigration policy then it is one about an airhead Hollywood actress.

Apparently Horowitz thought he owned property in Los Angeles, he didn't realize it had been rezoned as "Sonora North."

Daryl Hannah is out of her tree.

If a tree with Daryl Hannah in it falls in a vacant lot will anyone give a s#&t? Absolutely NOT!

To bad Jackson Browne couldn't smack some sense into Ms. Hannah....or at least just smack her around...again!

Liked her better as Pris in Blade Runner than hanging from a tree. And to think she might have been a Kennedy.

From the CNN article: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called the evictions "unfortunate, disheartening."

No word from him as to whether he's offering his property, or city hall, as a replacement.

What kind of crazy ignorant fool will keep paying $25,000 to $30,000 a MONTH in land costs and let squatters continue to use his land for free? The whole episode makes no sense to me.

Brian,
Notice these people are now “farmers” instead of “illegals” or “squatters”.

This speaks volumes to the sense of entitlement that has been fostered in this country for a long time now. According to some, whether you work hard, save your money, improve your education or not we all are entitled to the same things. What did Churchill call it, the “Creed of Ignorance”?

A.M.,

I can't say that I know the status of these people "gardening" on someone else's property, w/o their permission. Reminds me of Feudalism in a way. But the article does indicate that they are Spanish-speaking "gardeners" suing. Journalists are irresponsible, lazy, and stupid in general, so you can pick any of those three explanations for why we aren't given more detail on who these gardeners are. The whole thing though sounds to me like the peasant land-problems in Chiapas reappearing in L.A., and I don't think that is a good thing. Next come the Zapatistas!

(I know I am being hyperbolic here, but still the point stands that immigration overflow creates these crazy situations, and imports third-world socialism).

I think we should all calm down, and give Ms. Hannah the benefit of the doubt and assume that she thought she was doing the right thing.

"Feudalism"? Gardening/farming w/out the lord's permission would be the exact opposite of feudalism.

This inaccurate comparison undermines the rest of Brian's posts here, which are well-put.