Right to Fly Flag

They didn't say he couldn't fly the flag, they said he couldn't erect a freestanding flag pole.

 

is there any other way he can hang our flag like on his house. Instead of the free standing pole. As i am typing this iam becomeing more angry todays gonna suck dammit

 

Without having read most of this thread, my thoughts on the story are that it doesn't appear that the HOA has a problem with the flag, just the pole. The guy knows the rules of the HOA (all of which suck, IMO), so he know that putting up the pole was a violation. Sticking an American Flag on it doesn't change anything.

I hope he can fly the flag for the rest of his life, but he knew better than doing it on a pole in his front yard. He should hang it on a pole that's coming off of his house like everybody else, or move to a place where nobody can tell him what to do.

If this was an issue about the actual flag, I'd have a very big problem with it.

 

I've read a little more of the thread now, and I can't believe this issue brought out so many internet-tough-guys and such strong emotion.

It's not about the flag! It's the pole that's the problem.

Has anybody here lived in a neighborhood with a Home Owner's Association? They are the dumbest things in the world, but you have to sign on and agree to their rules when you move in.

This guy did that, then violated the rules by putting up a free-standing pole. He knew damn well what he was doing and that it was against the rules. Sticking the Stars and Stripes on top of the pole changes nothing.

NOBODY is telling him he can't fly the flag.

 

Your out of your mind lady. If your a non-american living in this country be happy your here keep your flag in your house. If a non american complains about me flying my flag I will make sure they wont complain again. Second How can you say "He's just a veteran & has a few medals" You have know idea what this man has done for us to live the way we live. Your insensitive and ungrateful. He can fly that flag any day all day as high and as big as he wants If I say so he earned it ten folds. Its people like you that are ruining america and causing our fathers to turn over in their grave. Completely disgusted. Heres something for you to wear.

 

Read the whole thing? pfft It's better to just pick out specific pieces that benefit you. Ask any congressman...

 

You wanna know why they disallow it? well....my own mother helped add to the fuel that fed that fire.

When I was in school, I was a Canadian. My mom was hell bent in not allowing me (and fighting with the schools) to pledge the allegiance.

Honestly - I never understand that. As far as I was concerned, we lived in the U.S. and there wasn't a damn thing wrong with pledging to the flag. I was more than happy to pledge the allegiance, but she was soo damn pissed off if I was ever caught doing it. Believe me, that's one of those childhood memories that will never go away (and not proud of).

The flag is great and glorious and it *represents* America. However - the flag is a piece of colored clothe sewn together. If the flag didn't exist, the pride, patriatism, glory, & honor still exists in the hearts & souls of America.
The flag is a representation.....not the 'heart' of America.

Rules & regulations suck but they're put in place to protect us, keep us safe, and help keep things FAIR & EQUAL for everyone. And that means being fair & equal to everyone even if they're not Americans. That's why people come here in the first place to try and enjoy the fruits of what this country has become. It's somewhat saddening that we have to bend our culture to accomodate everyone. And to be honest....downright pathetic that people take advantage of eachother for the good of 'themselves'

 

Kind of my thought...along with the fact that 30/40+ year olds are suggesting writing ugly letters to the HOA's law firm.

Really guys? Nasty e-mails? If you want them to reconsider their position, you're going to have to approach things more maturely than an e-tantrum.

Before anyone gets angry:

1) I think this fellow should absolutely be allowed to put HIS flag and HIS flagpole anywhere he wants on HIS property. Doubly so because of his service.

2) HOA's are worthless and primarily made for mindless suburbanites who want a nice manicured little neighborhood to raise their spawn in that doesn't display or involve anything that makes them uncomfortable. They do this because they are soft of mind and weak of will.


But if you people want to get results, you're going about it the wrong way. Contact this guy. Offer to help organize a legal defense fund, or petition the HOA, or something meaningful.

Whining about stuff on the internet instead of actually doing anything about it is my biggest pet peeve of the 2000s.

Firstly, spelling. Second, you might be surprised to learn that many residents of other developed countries would rather live in their home countries than here in the US. Just like those of us raised here, they were taught and conditioned to love their society and think it's the Best Ever. Societies tend to do that to their children to ensure their own posterity.

Most people in other Western nations would not uproot and move to the US given the opportunity to do so.

 

Ok, I understand rules being in place however, Who does this flag pole hurt? How is it hurting them? What possible damage is it doing to said property values? It is not an eye sore and I fail to see where the issue is. There are all sorts of rules in place to this very day that hold no point and are just down right stupid. Has this flag pole caused low flying aircraft to crash and burn? Or was a pedestrian so overcome by the glory of this flag atop this pole that they wandered into traffic and suffered an untimely demise? I think these people fighting this flag pole need to worry about other things more pressing than a properly constructed pole.This whole thing stems from self righteous people that refuse to budge on this because their egos are far too fragile.

 

IMHO this is exactly the issue. It's a flag pole and a nice one. The HOA need to get over themselves, it's a pole for crying out loud!

 

I agree that he should be able to put up a flag pole on his property. However, he agreed to live within the rules set forth by the HOA, which apparently forbade erecting a free standing flag pole.

HOAs do have their purpose, although they do get carried away. Saying that they are for mindless suburbanites is a ridiculous statement. I will give you an example. This summer I moved from my first house in a neighborhood with no HOA. I had to lower the price on my house by $20,000 in order to sell it. The reason had nothing to do with my home or it's condition or the sad state of the market. It had to do with 2 of my neighbors. One allowed his house to fall in to disrepair. In an attempt to spruce it up for sale he painted it. Pink. The folks across the street painted their house brick red with a mustard yellow foundation. Both color schemes are ethnically appropriate.
We did sell the house and moved to a development with an HOA, designed to protect each of us from our neighbors doing stupid, tacky things to their own property and thereby protecting our investments. The rules may seem silly or ridiculous, but I chose to live here and thereby choose to follow the rules.

 

No one's arguing against that. The issue, once again, isn't whether or not it's right or wrong to have flagpoles forbidden by the HOA rules. The issue is simply whether or not flagpoles ARE forbidden by the HOA rules.

 

This is a perfect example proving my point about soft minds and weak wills. Who gives a shit what someone else's house looks like?

As for unruly/disruptive/dangerous neighborhoods, well the good and bad neighborhoods have always formed themselves. HOAs were never needed before...they were just giving a title to what was already occurring, which was people with manners, education, taste, and class not wanting to live with idiots and criminals.

 

Fuck you! I have neither a soft mind nor a weak will. I do care about my surroundings and where I choose to raise my children. I have worked hard for what I have and do not want to look out my window and see a pink house with several broken down motorcycles and lawn mowers in the back yard.

Perhaps you do not care about such things, but many of us do.

 

As of last night, the HOA has given Col Barfoot another week to remove it.

 

are you really this dumb? or is it pure ignorance?

 

Point being missed: That all happened well before HOAs existed. It was just handled differently. Now you have HOAs, because people can't handle things anymore in our over-litigated society.

More trolling than anything. I just like to rile up people who went for the traditional marriage/kids/family route. I also like to rile up people sensitive to opinions of others.

 

My grandfather is 91, and a veteran of WWII. He landed on Utah beach on D-Day and froze his a$$ off during the Battle of the Bulge. Wounded multiple times. If he wanted to fly stars and stripes, he would do it like everyone else does, from a pole attached to their house. He doesn't expect special treatment and wouldn't accept it if it was given.

 

This entire thread has become completely ridiculous. Old man violates HOA rules and erects pole in front yard. HOA tells him to take it down. Old man is in violation of the rules he promised to follow as part of the association. He SHOULD take the pole down and find another way to fly the flag. End of story.

All of you getting your panties in a wad about his right to fly the flag are idiots.