There are two excellent columns in the commentary section of today's Washington Times. In the first one Larry Elder does a good job of tying together the Kelo decision with "Operation Murambatsvina" now taking place in Zimbabwe. Estimates of the number of persons displaced by this example of Robert Mugabe style social engineering range from 300,000 to over one million.

Elder also relates the story of Joy and Carl Gamble whose home of thirty-five years has been threatened by eminent domain for private profit. He includes an excerpt from his radio program with the following question and answer. "Larry: They're offering you twice, three times, what they first offered you, Joy, and you're not taking it? Joy: It's not a question of money. It's our home ... money does not buy everything."

The second piece is by former Congressman Bob Barr. I have blogged before about my mixed feelings towards Barr, however, if he keeps on writing columns like this one I will have to start counting myself an admirer. In this essay he takes on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals reminding us that, “PETA didn't want you to see: two PETA employees attending a court hearing Tuesday in North Carolina on charges they killed and dumped 31 cats and dogs in a shopping center's trash bins.”

He then goes on to give some examples of the animal right’s movement’s attitude towards medical researchers who use animal testing in their work. Barr concludes that, “The message here -- often repeated by the lunatic fringe of animal-rights terrorism -- is that experimenting on animals is an offense punishable by death. In other words, animal lives must be protected, even if it means sacrificing human lives.”

I agree with him because I have always believed that the animals rights movement is not about raising animals up to our level but rather bringing humans down to the level of animals. And, if you are confused about the repercussions of their agenda ponder for a moment how temporarily unwanted dogs and cats are treated by PETA in North Carolina.