The Tea Party mentality prevented me from being on The Discovery Channel.

Buddy of mine, an archaeologist, is pitching a show to Discovery channel featuring local archeology. Colleague of mine has relatives, tea-baggers, that own several hundred acres outside of town with some amazing archeology on it. I asked my colleague if she thought her in-laws would let Discovery feature their place on my buddy's show. She thought it would be no big deal, so Discovery said it was a go. We would film at the end of November and then go to Luckenbach near by and drink beer and be filmed hanging out there. That was the nice touch about the show: Local archeology and then hang with the locals.

Got word today that the tea-bagger in-laws said no to this. Their reason being that they were afraid that this would lead to a government takeover of their land.

:crazy:

The government has been known to declare people's property "Historic" and by that declaration limiting many improvements or changes on that property...

if that were the case.

It is a means of "protecting" the land by labeling it "Historic". when the Government puts that label on anything it pretty much eliminates any remodeling or improvements of any sort. It must remain in it's original condition to retain its "Historic" condition.. You still own the land you just can't do anything with it..

Actually this is a real possibility: http://tps.cr.nps.gov/pad/strat1.cfm

LAND OWNERSHIP STRATEGIES FOR PROTECTING ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES ON PRIVATE LANDS
"Eminent Domain. Government has the authority to take private property... If the landowner is unwilling to sell, government has the authority to condemn the land"


More: http://www.nps.gov/archeology/pubs/techbr/tch11a.htm

I hope they realize that the government can just take their land anyway. All it needs to do is justify it by stating that the take over provides some financial or structural benefit to the community, pay them fair market value for the land, then *poof*. No more land.

And their silly little "2nd Amendment solutions" don't mean jack-squat in those situations.