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IN 1996, DEAR LEADER TRIED TO BUY VERA COKING'S TRUMP HOTEL & CASINO-ADJACENT HOUSE AND LAND. PERHAPS HE TRIED TO LOW-BALL HER ON THE PRICE, PERHAPS SHE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO SELL -DOESN'T MATTER, THE UPSHOT IS SHE REFUSED TO SELL. UNDER ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES DEALING WITH A SCRUPULOUS, MORAL LAND DEVELOPER, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF IT. BUT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE WITH SCRUPLES OR A MORAL COMPASS; WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONE DONALD JOHN TRUMP. AND IF THERE'S ONE THING WE LEARNED FROM BILLY BUSH, IT'S THAT DON JOHN DOESN'T LIKE BEING TOLD "NO." THE ENSUING EVENTS ARE THE STUFF ONE READS ABOUT IN SILENT FILMS OR (ONLY MILDLY FICTIONALIZED) TALES OF THE VILLAINY OF INDUSTRIALIST ROBBER-BARONS AND SWINDLING CON-MEN. NOW, YOU GUYS ARE HARDCORE PERSONAL-PROPERTY-RIGHTS, MY-HOME-IS-MY-CASTLE TYPES, RIGHT, TRUMP-CULT KIDS? WELL, AS THOUGH CHANNELLING SNIDELY WHIPLASH, TRUMP PULLED STRINGS AT CITY HALL AND GOT THE WIDOW COKING'S HOUSE AND LAND CONDEMNED UNDER EMINENT DOMAIN. IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW, SUCH INVOCATIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF A BUSINESS TYPICALLY COME WITH A REQUIREMENT THAT THE BUSINESS' PLAN FOR THE PROPERTY SEIZED MEET A THRESHOLD OF BENEFIT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. OF COURSE, THE WIDOW COKING WAS SERVED WITH AN EVICTION NOTICE -AND, AS DOES ANYONE WITH AN EYE TOWARD MAINTAINING THEIR PROPERTY RIGHTS, SHE IMMEDIATELY SUED THE CITY AND DEAR LEADER. QUITE FORTUNATELY FOR HER, A JUDGE RULED THAT THE CITY WAS FAR OUT OF BOUNDS, THAT SHE WOULD KEEP HER CASTLE AND GROUNDS. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, ONE COULD SAY... BUT WHY DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE? WELL, THAT LEADS US BACK TO THE REALM OF SNIDELY TWO-SCOOPS PREDATORY AVARICE AND THE REASON A JUDGE SHUT HIS PLOT DOWN; YOU SEE, IT WAS ALL ABOUT TEARING OUT THE WIDOW COKING'S CASTLE SO THAT HE COULD BUILD A LIMOUSINE LOT FOR HIS CASINO.
