The king owns the land

The king owns the land

This was extremely clever, and a pivotal moment in the development of common law. Remember the pyramid of land holding and obligations? William decreed that, instead of relying only oaths, he would personally enforce property rights as owner. In the past, if a dispute arose between two property holders, they (and allies) settled it themselves. As owner of the land, though, William promised to use his armies to make sure that those who swore fealty honoured their oath. His superior right of ownership would let him enter land and end the dispute. Although you might suspect that English lords were offended when the king said, "Your land is now owned by me," it wasn't really too different than what they already knew. While William owned the land, land holders would still enjoy most of the rights they had before. For those already high on the food chain, this was a good deal: As long as they kept their oaths of fealty to the king, they didn't have to worry about those underneath them. The king would back them. For William it was political gold, because, as owner, he could reassign property. Just like a landlord can evict a lousy tenant, the king could "evict" a rebellious baron or earl. If you were the king's friend, and I was the king's enemy, the king could simply turn to you and say, "Kent's lands are now yours. If you need my help removing Kent, I'll gladly send in my troops." Now, I would be lying if I suggested that everyone was immediately happy with this arrangement. But William became Duke of Normandy at age seven, and by the time he took the English throne, he had lived through three murder plots and had 31 years' experience putting down rebellions in France. Those lords who didn't like the new arrangement faced William's sword and having their lands divided among William's supporters.

King William the Conqueror

Editors Note:  Just like the Kings of old,  planners want to diminish the rights of private property rights in favor of regional planning and central government.  This is at odds with our Constitutional liberties and a dangerous trend for democracy.

Decoding Planner Speak

Planners are easy to understand

by Robb Caldwell

In hopes of promoting understanding I’m providing a translation to standardized English for use with Agenda 21 vocabulary. Certain words just go together and any article involving any issues ecological written since the beginning of this decade just has to have the word “stakeholder” in it. I challenge anyone to pen a story on Plan Bay Area without using it . Kind of like describing Buddhist monks without saying “saffron”. It should also be noted it’s not paranoia if they really are out to “get ya”.

Vision: My ideas and people who think as I do.

Sustainable: If this type of thing went on for a long time I wouldn’t agitate against it.

Inter-disciplinary: If I don’t agree with the science I’ll get someone on board who will, preferably a sociologist from Berkeley who is good at public relations.

Common Good: I know what’s best for you.

Best Management Practices: Don’t blame me because things went wrong, I covered my butt with a long paper trail.

Restoration: I want things to look just like they do on modern Hollywood westerns.

Public/Private partnerships: My friends are going to get a piece of this thing and if you go along you can too.

Watershed: Catch and release fly fishermen.

Preserve: Preserved for bird watchers only.

Endangered species: Not a vegetable or mineral, amended to include any plant except those sold in Whole Foods.

Historic Preservation: I want cute looking houses to drive past and I’m going to make you keep your house cute by law.

Benefit of all: I know what’s best for you in the long run even if you don’t.

Consensus: We might pretend to listen to you, but at the end of the day we’ll simply outlast you at the meeting and vote later after you’ve gone home.

Traffic Calming: We’re going to put in traffic circles so you and your doggone horse trailers don’t drive in my neighborhood. Can also mean raised beds with annuals.

Landscape: Used with words like “wide” or “level” meaning someone wants to impose something over hundreds of square miles. Something pretty enough to be photographed. A tell that the user has origins in the burbs of one coast or another where landscaping is what you pay people much poorer than yourself to do to your yard.

Facilitator: Someone to calm the crazies without committing to anything.

Affordable Housing: We don’t want trailers so we’ll build some condos school teachers can afford but please, no poor people.

Smart Growth: Sprawl with bike paths.

Livable Communities: Cul de sacs with bike paths all the way to Starbucks.

Stakeholder: blood sucking vampire that can only be put to rest with a wooden stake through the heart. If someone calls you a stakeholder consider yourself officially “undead”.

Smart Growth: My ideas are smart, yours are dumb.

Editor's Note: This comment was sourced from an article in High Country News, that attacked people opposed to smart growth plans as anti government conspiracy extremists.