As my regular reader will recall (Hi, Jeff!), I often concern myself with what we can or need to do when we find some of our rights are in conflict with each other. There are lots of examples of this, such as gun control. We generally accept limitations on what weapons we can own (no flamethrowers, biological bombs in private hands) which is a limit on our Second Amendment rights for the greater good. We accept limits on religious freedom when a claimed right comes into conflict with another, such as a hypothetical church’s claim their religious rituals require them to, say, steal money to donate. (If I really wanted to generate outrage, I’d talk about the often too-thin line between churches and cults, but I’ll leave that for another day (Editor: good call)).

And usually, when those passionately supporting various rights in conflict battle each other, there are no easy solutions. This is especially true when the concept of rights gets carried to more and more extreme ends. Do you have a right, for example, to have 50 cats in your private home in a city, or can you express your religious beliefs by sacrificing puppies in your front yard? No to both, because both those “choices” infringe on the basic rights of others. Again, right in conflict.

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This principle is currently on display in the brand-new battle regarding whether the giant gas station chain Buc-ee’s can build one of their super stores in the Palmer Lake region. As reported in Colorado Politics, Buc-ee’s wants roughly 30 acres off of Interstate 25 near Palmer Lake to build one of their rather massive truck stops.

I confess I never heard of Buc-ee’s prior to last summer. When visiting friends in Texas (to view the solar eclipse, because I’m a nerd) we came across a Buc-ee’s and stopped there. It is an immense operation, selling everything you can think of a truck stop selling and then some. They host a huge selection of foods, automotive components, clothing and more. Picture a Walmart that sells gas out front and you’ll get the general idea. I left the store munching on circus peanuts (I’m the guy who likes them) and carrying a few gifts for friends. I admit, I loved the place and personally would like to see the new Buc-ee’s built not too far, nor, hypocritically, too close, to me.

That said, I totally understand the concerns raised by quite a few actual local folks at a recent meeting held to discuss the proposed new construction. The meeting was packed, and CoPo reports the tone often turned hostile and there were lots of arguments between local residents and the company representatives. The best comment, at least as far as was reported, was one local stating, “we don’t desire your beaver nuggets.” The comment refers to delightfully sweet corn puffs, which Buc-ee’s sells along with a few thousand other snack items.

But I digress…

Local residents had a variety of concerns about the new construction. Some worried about the influx of traffic on county roads not designed for such a volume. Others worried their home values, in a community that is a lovely spot in the foothills, would be significantly reduced due to the presence of the new Buc-ee’s. This is a community wherein quite a few people live in hopes of being left alone (a right to be left alone?) in a quiet community. As noted in the story, Palmer Lake, with about 3,000 residents, has rejected chain stores in the past, but this one is different, in size and impact.

So what rights, if any, do these local folks have to prevent other folks from buying and then building a commercial operation that will almost certainly be successful and will boost the local economy in a number of ways? Do your rights as a property owner extend to telling other property owners what they can and cannot do with their property?

Frankly, I don’t know, and I suspect, as is the case with similar “rights in conflict” type situations, we’ll see this one end up in the court system. I also appreciate the Buc-ee’s company hosting the meeting, though of course, we can’t yet know if that was out of a sincere desire to see how locals felt about the development, or if it was just a ploy to pacify opponents. I’d hope for the former, but my gut tells me it might just be the latter.

Rights in conflict are an intellectual exercise until they aren’t, and a particular struggle represents an actual and significant potential effect on the quality of your life. It’s quite easy for me to say I hope Buc-ee’s is successful, just because I had a good experience at one of their Texas locations. But if I happened to be living near the proposed location, I can certainly see myself concerned about the issues noted above and more. Heck, as an amateur astronomer, I’d hate to have that giant brightly lit site near me at night when I’m trying to spot dark objects in the sky.

And so, as is far too often the case, I offer up a problem with no obvious solution (Ed: yup, again). The issue of rights in conflict is now, and will continue to be, a profound challenge. We’ll know more after a Dec. 12 meeting, when the local authorities will formally consider the annexation proposal. Either way they decide there will be angry and hurt people.

Will there be beaver nuggets in Palmer Lake?

Stay tuned.

Hal Bidlack is a retired professor of political science and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who taught more than 17 years at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.