Welcome to the Civil War: Your Stake in the Endless Battle over Land Rights By Thomas A Bowden   A vast political conflict in America pits neighbor against neighbor and permeates every corner of the nation. Each citizen—at home, at work, at play, or simply traveling from place to place—has vital interests at stake in the battles that rage all around.   Are you building a house? Not if the neighbors object. Relaxing on your back porch? Look out for the eminent domain bulldozer. Operating a business? Beware the zoning officer. Visiting a public park? Make sure environmentalists don’t mind. Drilling for oil? You must be joking.   In the civil war over land rights in America, the combatants struggle to influence the governmental machinery that imposes fines, penalties, and jail terms on fellow citizens. What we call property rights these days are not rights at all, only temporary permissions based on political compromise. The result? Dwindling freedom and slowing progress.   This provocative talk by an experienced trial lawyer suggests a permanent way out of the land use wars—a path to peace based on the radical political principles of America’s Founding Fathers and the revolutionary moral code of Ayn Rand.