D.I.Y. Eminent Domain

Jesse Walker | April 23, 2008

RIA Novosti reports:

A villager in south Russia's Astrakhan Region has been detained on suspicion of stealing his neighbor's house, which is common practice in remote areas, a local police spokesman said Monday.

The spokesman said the hapless house owner, who had been away for four months, reported the theft to police after he returned home to find his house gone and just the foundations remaining.

"A local resident decided that if no one was living in the house, it could be taken away piece by piece, and he dismantled it for construction materials and put them inside his yard," the police spokesman said, adding the suspect faced a maximum of three years in prison, if found guilty.

Comments

|4.23.08 @ 10:14AM|#

At least in Russia the house thief has a chance of being prosecuted...

tarran|4.23.08 @ 10:15AM|#

Technically, you shouldn't call it eminent domain but rather attempted adverse possession.

Taktix®|4.23.08 @ 10:15AM|#

But in Soviet Russia, houses steal you!

|4.23.08 @ 10:17AM|#

But in Soviet Russia, houses steal you!

Somehow I knew that was coming...

|4.23.08 @ 10:17AM|#

"But in Soviet Russia, houses steal you!"
Why did I find this so funny? I must have a damaged chromosome somewhere.

|4.23.08 @ 10:30AM|#

"But in Soviet Russia, houses steal you!"

Why did I find this so funny? I must have a damaged chromosome somewhere.

You do. It's lame, nonsensensical and completely unoriginal.

|4.23.08 @ 10:31AM|#

And thus: funny.

|4.23.08 @ 10:32AM|#

"It's lame, nonsensensical and completely unoriginal."
It's also funny how people used to say that about my writing all the time!

Taktix®|4.23.08 @ 10:36AM|#

You do. It's lame, nonsensensical and completely unoriginal.

Exactly. Not only am I poking fun at the meme, but I'm also putting the system on trial!

Lame, nonsensical, and complet|4.23.08 @ 10:41AM|#

In Soviet Russia, meme pokes fun at YOU!

lunchstealer|4.23.08 @ 10:42AM|#

Exactly. Not only am I poking fun at the meme, but I'm also putting the system on trial!

Why do I see the trial being presided over by Graham Chapman in a wig?

|4.23.08 @ 10:44AM|#

From Google:
In May 2006, Smirnoff received a master's degree in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.[1] He has taught classes at Drury University along with Missouri State University in this topic.

Now THAT's funny.

|4.23.08 @ 10:45AM|#

Er, Wikipedia.

Episiarch|4.23.08 @ 10:51AM|#

Why do I see the trial being presided over by Graham Chapman in a wig?

The staff of Reason would like to apologize for the poor quality of this thread. It is not Reason policy to get cheap laughs with Yakov Smirnoff references, prog rock references, or Aqua Teen Hunger Force quotes.

|4.23.08 @ 10:57AM|#

I think they've been outsourcing their threads, Epi. Someone should check for lead.

ed|4.23.08 @ 11:14AM|#

Evidently his neighbor read the book, Eminent Domain For Idiots.

|4.23.08 @ 11:15AM|#

Exactly. Not only am I poking fun at the meme, but I'm also putting the system on trial!

Hit & Run? I only read it for the deconstructionist humor!

|4.23.08 @ 11:33AM|#

It's not like I'm going to fall for that "libertarian" crazy talk about free minds, or personal responsibility, or anything....

If anybody needs to be protected from himself, it's me.

And now for something not at a|4.23.08 @ 11:35AM|#

"The staff of Reason would like to apologize for the poor quality of this thread."

Those responsible have been sacked?

Episiarch|4.23.08 @ 11:37AM|#

Those responsible for sacking those responsible for this thread, have been sacked.

A moose once bit my sister...

|4.23.08 @ 11:43AM|#

Stop calling me a moose.

|4.23.08 @ 11:48AM|#

And, she had it coming.

|4.23.08 @ 12:03PM|#

Wait, Russian police will pistol-whip you in public and do everything but rape your wife in front of you and the courts will hand down 50 fucking years in a rat-infested shithole for running caviar, BUT YOU ONLY GET THREE YEARS FOR STEALING A WHOLE FUCKING HOUSE?

Naga Sadow|4.23.08 @ 12:14PM|#

Stealing houses is common in Russia? Sounds like I could make a lot of money in that booming economy. Better donate money to Putin's successor just to be safe.

Abdul|4.23.08 @ 12:21PM|#

Oh, vodka, for all the trouble you cause, I still can't stay mad at you.

kinnath|4.23.08 @ 12:38PM|#

Wait, Russian police will pistol-whip you in public and do everything but rape your wife in front of you . . .

20 trips to Moscow in the mid-90's, and I never saw a pistol-whipping. Apparently, I hung out in the wrong places.

|4.23.08 @ 12:38PM|#

Well clearly the owner wasn't making productive use of the place.

Anon

|4.23.08 @ 1:02PM|#

Wait, Russian police will pistol-whip you in public and do everything but rape your wife in front of you . . .

Mmm... Pistol-Whip®.

Genri Molodočelovek|4.23.08 @ 2:36PM|#

"do everything but rape your wife in front of you . . . "

Take my supruga, požalujsta?

Brian|4.24.08 @ 4:12AM|#

Tarran beat me to it. It's adverse possession... sort of.