Dallas Cowboy Stadium Scandal: Part VII

Sometimes reading what people think is really depressing. Depressing because when you read what some people think, you are reading what they wrote to express what they thought. And from reading what they thought, well, their thinking, as written, is, well, sad. Sad and stupid.

I like to believe, but I think I'm probably naive, that there are fewer really stupid people out there than there really are.

And then I read comments to my blog. Most of the comments are from people who are obviously well informed, smart, sophisticated, understand nuance and the concept of difference of opinion.

And then I get comments to something like the YouTube video I made of the eminent domain abuses that were done in Arlington to build a private business a football stadium. The comments are like a sad window into some very undeveloped, ignorant minds. Why is it the less someone knows the more sure they are of what they know? While smart people always seem to leave a window open to the fact that maybe there is some bit of information that might shed a different light.

So, the comments. This morning I got one from someone calling him/herself (I'm gender confused because he/she used "titty" in the name) "theonetitty."

Here is the comment...

"this guy must have lived in one of the homes destroyed to build it. its not really a scandal cause nothing illegal happened? Jerry Jones bought the land, and built on it. all the people and businesses that were there would have had to agree and sell their property for him to build it. who ever made this is kinda dumb. sorry."

Let's just ignore the shooting fish in a barrel part of the irony of someone saying someone else is dumb when that person can make so many errors in one short paragraph.

First off. Jerry Jones did not buy the land via negotiating with the property owners. The land was condemned by using the concept of eminent domain, where the government can condemn property for the public good and decide what you will be paid for your property after forcing you to negotiate. You can't just say NO, I don't want to sell. Usually this is used to build highways, hospitals, schools, airports. Using eminent domain to disrupt the lives of thousands of citizens to build a sports stadium is not the norm where eminent domain is non-scandalously used.

Second off. All the people who were victimized by this abuse of eminent domain did not agree with the hurried condemnation of their property. They fought it in court. Dozens of those cases are still in court.

Third off. How can anyone be so clueless as to think that absolutely everyone upon who's property this stadium was built agreed to sell their property so Jones could build a stadium?

Fourth off. The stink from this scandal has been so strong that when Jerry Jones tried to get Arlington to abuse eminent domain again, so that he could take some more houses, so he could build a parking lot, Arlington and Mayor Cluck said no, that they would be party to no more eminent domain abuse. With the city of Arlington refusing to help Jones steal houses he has had to go about it the old-fashioned way, by offering deals to homeowners to get them out of their houses. Several are saying NO. Which is what would have been said by many who's land was taken to build the stadium. Which might have been for the greater good. Forcing Jones to look elsewhere to build his stadium.

Somewhere like Dallas, perhaps, that's seems a logical location for a Dallas Cowboy stadium, at Fair Park, maybe, instead of in a lackluster Arlington neighborhood surrounded by a lot of industrial blight.

Trust me, when this stadium opens, the national press is not gonna be pretty. Like I've said before, the stadium looks like a giant thing from outer space that's been plopped down in a poor American neighborhood.

The one thing "theonetitty" said that sounded like it might be sort of true is "who ever made this is kinda dumb. sorry." Obviously I'm kinda dumb. But it was sort of rude to be so blunt about it. Below is the "dumb" video that riled up "theonetitty."