Folks, there are only 15 days and counting down to pass eminent domain legislation.

From the Castle Coalition late yeasterday, we learned that some of the greatest, supposed "advocates" of the rights of every American guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, are trying to KILL eminent domain legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist , are you listening? Senator, you are going to hear the voices of American citizens whether you like it or not!

As a U.S. Senator, you can't pay lip service to our rights, and then try to kill important legislation like this (H.R. 4128, S. 3873 on Private Property Rights Protection 2005 and 2006, respectively), just because you don't feel like dealing with it. That is NOT right. It's just NOT. It's NOT just o.k. to play personal agenda driven politics when so many Americans' lives, livelihoods, and properties are concerned. The U.S. Constitution guarantees us rights. U.S. Senators are supposed to uphold them! Aren't they? Didn't they used to?

Eminent Domain For Private Gain is Class Warfare and Economic Segregation, right? So why not just stop it?

And speaking of U.S Senators who don't feel like dealing with eminent domain, there are ours from Pennsylvania: U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , and Senator Rick Santorum.

Oh, these Senators are around when they want your vote and your money for campaigns, but are they around about eminent domain? It's hard to tell when they won't take a public position on something Americans and Pennsylvanians care so deepy and strongly about.

Where are the courage of their convictions? Why are they letting eminent domain legislation die?

We say reach out and connect again today and every day with your U.S. Senator of choice. Make them understand they can't avoid this topic. Let them know that if they let this die, enough citizens are willing to vote them out of office, and that eminent domain could be their Political Waterloo too.

If these Senators lost their homes to eminent domain, they would sing a different song, woldn't they?

This is what the Castle Coalition is saying :

Last November the U.S. House of Representatives passed “The Private Property Protection Act of 2005” (H.R. 4128). The bill, sponsored by representatives from across the political and philosophical spectrum, denies for two fiscal years federal economic development funds to state and local governments that use eminent domain for private commercial development. It also directly prohibits the federal government from using eminent domain for private development. Even though the measure passed the House by an historic and bipartisan 376-38 vote, it has sat in the Senate Judiciary Committee untouched.

Last week, Senator James Inhofe introduced S. 3873, the "Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2006," which is identical to H.R. 4128. S. 3873 - the new vehicle for eminent domain reform on the Hill - will bypass the Judiciary Committee hold-up and go straight to the floor of the Senate. However, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will not put eminent domain reform on the Senate's agenda, effectively prohibiting the Senate to vote on this bill!

Unless the Senate takes action soon, eminent domain reform will die in Congress this year, and the new Congress will have to start the process from scratch next year because bills do not carry over from one Congress to the next. The House demonstrated that it understands the issue—as do all Americans—when it passed eminent domain reform. The Senate needs to finish the job by passing S. 3873 before the end of September. Eminent domain reform has languished in the Senate for over 10 months and as the 109th Congress comes to an end, so will this chance for the legislative branch to correct the mistake of the judicial branch’s Kelo decision and protect private property rights.

Time is Running Out

Now is the time for the Senate to act. It is more important than ever that you make your voices heard. Call Senator Frist NOW and ask him to put S. 3873, federal eminent domain reform, on the Senate's agenda and allow a vote. Explain that the American people are strongly opposed to the abuse of eminent domain, both politically and morally - and this opposition will only continue to grow. After you contact Senator Frist's office, we urge you to continue to contact your own senators in support of S. 3873.

Contact Your Senators

You can contact your senators by email, or call their offices