Decorated WW2 vet--persecuted by homeowners assoc

[rbell]

Absolutely sick.

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-veteran-flagpole,0,2550197.story

Van Barfoot is a very highly decorated WW2 vet (who is 90 years old) has a flag & flagpole in the front yard of his house. Barfoot has been awared more than 20 medals, including the Medal of Honor, The Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, The Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. He served from WW2 all the way to Vietnam.

The homeowners association, whose covenant does not explicitly ban flagpoles, has their depends in a bunch. They are trying to force him to remove the flagpole.

What a bunch of ungrateful imbeciles.

His sacrifice obviously means little to them.

I hope he pulls up the flagpole, and beats them over their noggins with it...then he puts it back, runs up Old Glory, and salutes.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

Sorry rbell, but flags and the chains on flagpoles can be very noisy. Also, I imagine a big flagpole in a neighborhood yard would not fit in, and could damage te property value of his neighbors. He is part of a community, and signed the covenants when he bought his house. Not a matter of patriotism, but of appropriateness and following the rules. HOAs can be overly oppressive, but it doesn't appear to be the case here.

 

[Revmitchell]

The HOA is absurd and infantile.

 

[Johnv]

I side with the homeowner's association. This isn't just a little pole, this is a tall ground-mounted staff. Technically, no, they don't have a ban on flagpoles in specificity, but they have a ban on aesthetic erected structions, which would include things like flagstaffs, arbors, trellaces, etc.

Homeowners in that community are permitted to erect flags and banners from wall-mounted flagpoles, but he doesn't want to do that. He should fly his flag in accordance with those guidelines. Just because he's a war hero, that doesn't mean he gets to be exempt from the association rules, especially when those regulations are reasonable. In this case, the regulations are quite reasonable.

 

[rbell]

Sorry rbell, but flags and the chains on flagpoles can be very noisy. Also, I imagine a big flagpole in a neighborhood yard would not fit in, and could damage te property value of his neighbors. He is part of a community, and signed the covenants when he bought his house. Not a matter of patriotism, but of appropriateness and following the rules. HOAs can be overly oppressive, but it doesn't appear to be the case here.

Believe it or not, had the HO been explicit in their prohibitions (as long as they were in place when he agreed to them), I would have sided with them.

However, since there was no explicitly stated ban on flagpolesm, I think you should always err on the side of honoring a 90 year-old veteran who protected your freedom at such a great cost.

Just MHO.

 

[rbell]

I side with the homeowner's association. This isn't just a little pole, this is a tall ground-mounted staff. Technically, no, they don't have a ban on flagpoles in specificity, but they have a ban on aesthetic erected structions, which would include things like flagstaffs, arbors, trellaces, etc.

Homeowners in that community are permitted to erect flags and banners from wall-mounted flagpoles, but he doesn't want to do that. He should fly his flag in accordance with those guidelines. Just because he's a war hero, that doesn't mean he gets to be exempt from the association rules, especially when those regulations are reasonable. In this case, the regulations are quite reasonable.

I think my response to MP also fits your post as well.

Either way...this illustrates clearly why I never plan on buying a home with a HO in charge. Those people scare me. I've seen too many instances of folks who get infatuated with their slice of power.

Once again...just MHO. (my humble opinion, not my homeowners association ).

 

[Johnv]

I think my response to MP also fits your post as well.

They DO have a ban. It's on aesthetic structures. A ground mounted flagstaff is an aesthetic structure. The HOA doesn't need to go and list every type of possible structure to enforce the regulation. They probably don't have a ban on 20 foot pink flamingos either, but it would be ridiculous to claim pink flamingoes are okay because they don't have an explicit ban on pink flamingoes.

 

[pinoybaptist]

Believe it or not, had the HO been explicit in their prohibitions (as long as they were in place when he agreed to them), I would have sided with them.

However, since there was no explicitly stated ban on flagpolesm, I think you should always err on the side of honoring a 90 year-old veteran who protected your freedom at such a great cost.

Just MHO.

The MEDAL OF HONOR !!!
Goodness gracious.
And he's 90 years old.
In a few years he'll be gone.

But then, OTOH, what does a Medal of Honor mean to this generation of Americans ?

What does a lost limb, busted eardrum, or missing eye, mean to people who think it is wrong to stand up for America and be politically incorrect when it is necessary ?

The Medal of Honor, goodness gracious.
Officers stand at attention when somebody with that medal walks in, I'm told.
And here a danged HOA will order a good old fashioned brave American once honored by his country to tear down the flagpole and not display the flag of the country he loves ?

I think the chastisement of God on this country is rather subtle.

 

[Revmitchell]

Officers stand at attention when somebody with that medal walks in, I'm told.

And they must salute when passing

 

[carpro]

If the homeowner's association had any sense of decency at all, they would call a special meeting and vote to make an exception.

This American Hero has earned the right to fly his country's flag anyplace he wants to, even a telephone pole if he so desires.

 

[preachinjesus]

I think "persecuted" is misused here.

Could the HOA be a bit more charitable, certainly. But persecuting him? That is a misuse of the term imho.

 

[Robert Snow]

I wonder if he would be allowed to construct a smaller flag pole on which he could continue to fly the American flag?

 

[carpro]

I side with the homeowner's association. This isn't just a little pole, this is a tall ground-mounted staff. Technically, no, they don't have a ban on flagpoles in specificity, but they have a ban on aesthetic erected structions, which would include things like flagstaffs, arbors, trellaces, etc.

Homeowners in that community are permitted to erect flags and banners from wall-mounted flagpoles, but he doesn't want to do that. He should fly his flag in accordance with those guidelines. Just because he's a war hero, that doesn't mean he gets to be exempt from the association rules, especially when those regulations are reasonable. In this case, the regulations are quite reasonable.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

To see Old Glory waving proudly in the breeze in front of the home of a holder of a CMH is aesthetically pleasing to me.

I'm just as sure it's abhorrent to the flag burning crowd, aren't you?

 

[NiteShift]

Technically, no, they don't have a ban on flagpoles in specificity. They probably don't have a ban on 20 foot pink flamingos either, but it would be ridiculous to claim pink flamingoes are okay.

Flagpoles are a pretty common sight in many neighborhoods. 20 foot flamingos are not. If they didn't want flagpoles they should have said so.

This sounds like harrassment to me.

 

[Aaron]

This sounds like a neighborhood of yuppies who have come up through the public schools and state colleges thinking just as they were trained to think: freedom evolved, it wasn't fought for.

 

[Johnv]

This American Hero has earned the right to fly his country's flag anyplace he wants to, even a telephone pole if he so desires.

So an Americen hero doesn't need to follow rules and regulations like everyone else?

Flagpoles are a pretty common sight in many neighborhoods. 20 foot flamingos are not. If they didn't want flagpoles they should have said so.

This sounds like harrassment to me.

So what? In the OP's neighborhood, ground mounted flagpoles and pink flamingos are against the rules and regulations. If this guy wants to fly a flag, let him do so like everyone else in his neighborhood: On a wallmounted pole. But he doesn't want to fly his flag like that.

There's nothing wrong with the association requiring this guy to adhere to the rules like everyone else. There is something wrong with a person when he doesn't think the rules apply to him. This isn't about flying of a flag, it's about this person's entitlement mentality. That doesn't change just because he's 90. If he wants to keep his flagpole, let him go before the board and request a variance.

 

[carpro]

So an Americen hero doesn't need to follow rules and regulations like everyone else?

Your question is immaterial.

If I understand it correctly, there is no rule against flag poles.

 

[Johnv]

If I understand it correctly, there is no rule against flag poles.

If that were so, I'd be the first to agree. But in actuality, the association has a ban on all aesthetic erected structiors. That would include anything such as flagstaffs, arbors, trellaces, etc.

Homeowners in that community are permitted to erect flags and banners from wall-mounted flagpoles, but he doesn't want to do that. He should fly his flag in accordance with those guidelines. Just because he's a war hero, that doesn't mean he gets to be exempt from the association rules, especially when those regulations are reasonable. In this case, the regulations are quite reasonable.

 

[rbell]

You know what? The most highly-decorated WW2 vet alive ought to get some leeway. If I was a HO president or board member, I would find a way, if possible, to get off the back of such a fine hero.

From what I've seen of Homeowner Associations, they are usually comprised of folks who have never had leadership roles before...and thus are infatuated with the concept of power.

 

[carpro]

If that were so, I'd be the first to agree. But in actuality, the association has a ban on all aesthetic erected structiors. That would include anything such as flagstaffs, arbors, trellaces, etc.

In your opinion and I'm sure you mean non-aesthetic.

IMHO Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

To see Old Glory waving proudly in the breeze in front of the home of a holder of a CMH is aesthetically pleasing to me.

What is or is not aesthetic is subjective and not as cut and dried as you make out.