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The former retired U.S. Navy communications officer said he refuses to back down for the American flag. “Our people are serving today to give us freedom to do as we like here within the law of America,” Watkins said. “It is my right to fly my flag from my pole and until a court of law tells me to haul that down, I will not haul it down. I think about all of the people who have served our nation and all of the lives that it’s cost and all of the friends that I’ve lost.” Local 6 reported that all surrounding subdivisions in Kings Ridge allow a flag pole display in a person’s front yard.
Jim Hart, who handles property management for 1,500 properties, including Sussex, said it is the association’s call and not his. “Each sub-association has its own set of documents and they can differ,” Hart said.
HOA’s are generally small fiefdoms ruled by Barney Fife-like characters.
#25 – Oh come on… If anyone with a title and a rule book told you to perform fellatio on them, you’d ask how much suction to use. You LOVE authority. You LOVE being told what to do, how to do it, how wide to smile for the cameras that watch you everywhere you go.
You probably watch football for the referees.
Guy is an American. He bought a house. Wants a flag.
Look at me… I’m the liberal. Half the people on this blog think I hate America and the troops and love Stalin! And I’m defending a guy who just wants to reap the reward of putting his body in harm’s way so you all could have you HOAs, and what happens… The HAO tells him where he can put his flag?
Fuck that. When rules are unreasonable, you fight. In fact, unless there is a real possibility of jail time, I’d suggest fighting as dirty, loud, and obnoxiously as possible.
#26, Why should you have to move? It’s your property.
>>Fuck that.
In a shocking turn of events, I am with you on this one, OFTLO.
Fly the flag. Screw the contract.
#32–OFTLO==you say: “If anyone with a title and a rule book told you to perform fellatio on them, you’d ask how much suction to use.” /// No I wouldn’t. I’d even object it that rule was in a footnote on the HOA rules!! There is a constitutional right to perform fellatio only on those you love, and I would never give my wife a rule book==so, don’t think that is going to happen.
I do think though you are missing my core issue which invovles 2 basic freedoms==
1. Freedom of/to contract
2. Freddom of association
And thats my core. Now, if a State want to make a rule that HOA’s cannot outlaw the flying of (American) flags, I’m ok with that as it is piddling. Always fun to see the jingoists fight for the right to worship mindless symbols.
You are a liberal only for those that confuse being a self centered anarchist with an expansion of individual liberty connected and balanced with all the other rights and duties.
When rules are unreasonable==form a mini community of your own with like minded people, or more generally, learn to prioritize the insults in your life and to hold your nose while maximizing your autonomy.
#3 says that “rules are rules”.
America was founded in rebellion, and the American flag represents our right to think independently. As the snake says, “don’t tread on me.”
I prefer the black jockey holding the lantern, or several.
Or this flag: http://tinyurl.com/5a9hno
HOA neighborhoods are like feed lots in the stock yards. Nice, sterile, understated, non-stimulating, bland, safe and narcoleptic in nature by design. Can’t have the livestock coming out of the trance, now can we? Mooooo. Baaaahh.
I complained to a HOA once about a flag hanging in a neighbor’s window. I thought it made the complex look tacky, mentioning to them what if everyone does that and put different flags in the windows including a Nazi flag. They basically said they wouldn’t touch it as it’s a free speech issue, and it was an American flag, not something that society would find offensive. Since then I have learned that my argument didn’t hold much water as the American flag holds a special place in our civil rights to display it over other flags. It is a “standard”. The key fact to keep in mind here, though these issues have many colors, is that rules and contracts of HOA’s DO NOT SUPERSEDE the constitutions of the USA, State, County, and local government. If something is written into a contract that is violating someones civil liberties, those liberties win out in arguments that make their way to the courts.
While I admire everyone standing up for the flag, you all are missing the point: he signed a contract that he is now trying to violate. It doesn’t matter the reason, he knew when he signed it that what he’s trying to do now is in violation of said contract.
It is not open to discussion, not open to negotiation. If they allow this to go through, then the guy who wants to fly, say, a Mexican flag will have merit to stand. And then at that point there is nothing to prevent anyone from doing whatever they want – the whole reason these HOA even exist.
No one forced this guy to move into a house with a HOA – he chose to, and he willingly signed the contract.
Case closed – the flag needs to come down.
Jimmie Watkins fly our flag!
#34;
In another shocking turn of events, I actually don’t agree with OFTLO on this one.
Odd.
HOA’s are just little Nazi organizations run by little old ladies with nothing else to do.
“Private” property is one of the very foundations of “freedom”. HOAs go against the very base of what this country is supposed to be about and they should be banned by constitutional amendment.
Dealing with what your neighbors do and are is one of the crapshoots of life.
OF course you wouldn’t see as much of this if neighborhoods were properly designed with 5-10 acre lots so the houses weren’t so mashed together.
I really like Brian’s example. 🙂 What a way to fight by their rules and beat them.
A bit of friendly neighborhood conversation might have paved the way so the guy would have a reasonable flag pole, and everyone would have liked it. (Except for the corncob brigade)
A bit of friendly persuasion could have made sure it was a 30′ pole.
Wow, this is quite an understatement.
When I lived in Florida I would have been thrilled with a Barney Fife managed HOA. Barney may have been dumb but he always meant well and he was not an a-hole.
The people who gravitiate towards managing these groups are usually the absolute worst people for the job (especially in Florida). Typically bored, power hungry control freaks with lots of time on their hands.
The HOA agreements are just one of the hundreds of things you must sign when buying a new home. It would take weeks to review all this stuff carefuly.
This is how people end up living in a neighborhood where you may find some geezer in your front yard at 6:00 am measuring your grass.
If you don’t want to have to abide by HOA rules then don’t move into a subdivision that has an HOA. Pretty goddamn simple. If you do, and sign the contract, you’re bound by it. There’s no argument here… move along. Cripes! You guys will argue about ANYTHING.
Why do you anti flag guys hate America?
#50;
Why do you anti legally-binding contract guys think we hate America?
#50–McCullough==nice try there. As an anti-flag guy let me give you my reason(s). It could be religious based as the flag has become a religious symbol==to the degree religious symbols turn off the brain and require a state of non-think. Or it could be non-religious based on power grabbing propagandists who want to stifle dissent in order to destroy the best elements of American society requiring yet again a state of non-think in the populace.
Do I hate America as well you might ask? Only to the degree I am forced to worship anything not of my choosing, including the flag.
bobo- Now repeat after me… Love the country, hate the government, the flag doesn’t represent the government. At least in my mind.
>>religious symbols turn off the brain and
>>require a state of non-think.
It’s clear you know nothing about religion other than the “meth and man-ass” variety, Bobbolina. You might want to turn on your brain and get out of your state of non-think.
#54–Mustard==I’d like that but I can’t find any sense to it. When I talk to people whom I respect for their intelligence who are also religious, they either get too tired before the conversation even starts (like YOU) or the bring forth such mumbo jumbo that I can’t make any sense of it (like Relinguish). Sure wish the Lord would smile on me so i could get to know him.
#53–McCullough==can’t join you there. I see little difference between flags and countries==both symbolic, artificial, and more about separating people than joining us.
No, I think all people everywhere are the same. We are all citizens of this great blue world. We should honor, love, and serve our total humanity and look after it in stewardship. Anything less, is===something less.
>>they either get too tired before the
>>conversation even starts (like YOU)
No, Bobbi, I only get too tired after the 350983209834th reiteration of your faith (or anti-faith, if you will), punctuated with your “unique” style, that says nothing you haven’t said a million times before.
>>Sure wish the Lord would smile on
>>me so i could get to know him.
Pray, son. All is not lost. You may well yet find the peace you seek.
In the meantime, let others do what they will as long as it doesn’t affect you. American flags, Nazi flags, Confederate flags, flags with hot babes from the biker underground who were fucking Canadian politicians; at least you’ll know who your neighbors are.
To my way of thinking, a Home Owners Association is a government. They are governed by an elected council / board and all bylaws are subject to vote. That would make them subservient to the Constitution, regardless of any personal contract.
#56 – Love your own country first, above humanity as a whole. All countries are not equal.
HOA’s generally are corporations that have more power than the city they reside in. They have the power to take your house away for noncompliance, fine you, put liens on you, harass you and so on.
Nowadays it is very hard to find a “community” that doesn’t have an HOA, unless you like living in boonies or in dalapidated areas.
I can relate to this. My father-in-law is currently sitting atop a ham radio tower in protest of his HOA. One man owns a majority of the lots and is trying to get my father-in-law to move away by harassing him. I’m trying to use technology to help him out with stuff like a website and twittering updates. http://www.manonatower.com/