OK, fess up... which of y'all would have wanted the guy to take his flag down?

[Papa Deuce]

RICHMOND, Va. — A 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient can keep his 21-foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowner's association dropped its request to remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.

The Sussex Square homeowners' association likewise has agreed to drop threats to take legal action against retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.

The association had threatened to take Barfoot to court if he failed to remove the pole from his suburban Richmond home by Friday. It had said the pole violated the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines.


Anybody want to admit that if he lived in your neighborhood you would have wanted him to take it down?

 

[Poppinsme]

I think its great he has a flag pole and flag! Who cares?
In my front yard(which is over 400 ft. deep) and hanging from my trees are all kinds of wind socks. People love looking at all the cool wind things in my trees.Like fishes, spinners, a farmer, horse, rooster etc.
Who cares!

So to answer PD, wouldn't bother me at all.

 

[FireDancer]

Nope, I wouldn't care. There are people in my neighborhood with flagpoles. Some have U.S. flags, some don't. I don't worry about what other people's homes or yards look like.

This is one of the many reasons I would not live in a neighborhood with HMA's. Let people do with their property what they would like, provided it is legal of course. I don't care if they have a fence, clothes lines, a shed, a swimming pool, what color their house is, when they put their trash out, or if they have a flag pole. All of those are things the HMA's get their noses in and it is just an example of people budding into other people's affairs.

Of course the people who live in these areas know the rules so they get what they ask for but in the case of the flag pole I could see how it would become a freedom of speech issue. It wouldn't be unprecidented. HMA's are no longer allowed to restrict satellite dishes because the FCC stepped in and said that was a no no. (site:link)

I would find it sad if the first amendment allowed for the burning of the flag in protest but not the display of the flag by someone who risked his life to protect the freedom guaranteed by that amendment.

 

[lisah0711]

RICHMOND, Va. — A 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient can keep his 21-foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowner's association dropped its request to remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.

The Sussex Square homeowners' association likewise has agreed to drop threats to take legal action against retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.

The association had threatened to take Barfoot to court if he failed to remove the pole from his suburban Richmond home by Friday. It had said the pole violated the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines.


Anybody want to admit that if he lived in your neighborhood you would have wanted him to take it down?

Nope, I wouldn't mind the flag but I would mind having to cough up a special assessment for legal fees because of my association board getting carried away by its "responsibilities." As an attorney who represents owners associations on a regular basis, I am always amazed how rabid and gung ho owners are to seek legal solutions to problems until they understand they have to put their money where their mouth is and pay up front for the fight to the tune of several thousand dollars. When you tell the board they need a vote to go forward with a special assessment, the enthusiasm has a tendency to wane quite quickly. Not to mention the bad PR for the neighborhood taking a stand against patriotic free speech. The guy is 90 -- the flag won't be out there forever.

Pick your battles people!

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

I guess the only thing that would concern me is if the flag pole was put up properly... I wouldn't want that thing falling down on my house during a storm. Other than that, I wouldn't care.

 

[RyeCrimsonMoon]

A flagpole? Oh wow, that's sad. People need to get over it and start minding their own business.

When I get my house with a nice backyard, I plan on putting a big 'ol green pipe in the backyard with a big plumber eating plant popping out of it. Flagpole? Gosh, way to be normal.

 

[MizTink]

Nope, I wouldn't care. There are people in my neighborhood with flagpoles. Some have U.S. flags, some don't. I don't worry about what other people's homes or yards look like.

This is one of the many reasons I would not live in a neighborhood with HMA's. Let people do with their property what they would like, provided it is legal of course. I don't care if they have a fence, clothes lines, a shed, a swimming pool, what color their house is, when they put their trash out, or if they have a flag pole. All of those are things the HMA's get their noses in and it is just an example of people budding into other people's affairs.

Of course the people who live in these areas know the rules so they get what they ask for but in the case of the flag pole I could see how it would become a freedom of speech issue. It wouldn't be unprecidented. HMA's are no longer allowed to restrict satellite dishes because the FCC stepped in and said that was a no no. (site:link)

I would find it sad if the first amendment allowed for the burning of the flag in protest but not the display of the flag by someone who risked his life to protect the freedom guaranteed by that amendment.

 

[Darsa]

So, a flagpole (presumably with an American Flag attached) is not aesthetically pleasing? I find that very, very sad.

Just another reason to never ever live in a place with a "Homeowners Association".

 

[JohnsPrincess]

I wish MORE people would set up a flagpole and proudly display the flag. This wouldn't bother me one bit.

 

[bicker]

He earned a Medal of Honor -- he deserves to be granted a waiver of the rules for this.

The rule itself is sound and defensible, without equivocation. People, living in a community that has agreed to be bound together, and together bound to bylaws set forth for the community, have a right to expect everyone in the community to abide with that community's duly-established rules.

This specific person, in this specific circumstance, however, warrants an exception be made.

 

[Tinker74]

I think its great he has a flag pole and flag! Who cares?
In my front yard(which is over 400 ft. deep) and hanging from my trees are all kinds of wind socks. People love looking at all the cool wind things in my trees.Like fishes, spinners, a farmer, horse, rooster etc.
Who cares!

So to answer PD, wouldn't bother me at all.

Off topic...but i love the Dexter banner in your sig!...Can only see the top of it though...but I know what one it is!

Its been a GREAT season hasn't it.

Oh..I wouldn't mind about the flagpole..as long as it was secure in the ground!

 

[2Kds2K9]

This man earned the right to have that flagpole in his front yard! I'd venture to say that very few, if any, on the homeowners association board have earned that right.

I'd be proud and honored to have him as my neighbor! Flagpole and all!

 

[MIGrandma]

Crap like this makes me wonder why anyone would want to live in an area like that, with so many rules to follow and trouble to get in if you break their rules.

No flag pole in your yard, can't hang clothes out to dry in your own back yard, no outdoor holiday decorations until 2 weeks before Christmas then take them down 1 week after, the list goes on and on and on...

Most stuff is just ridiculous.

 

[luvmyboys]

Nope. I think that man has MORE than earned his right to have a flagpole in his yard. Just one more example of a power-hungry, mob-mentality HOA.

 

[penguin087]

This isnt the first time we've seen something like this in the news. Thats why I would never want to live with a HOA. Just once I would like to see a HOA require residents to fly an American flag on their property. Then I could have some respect for them.

 

[torinsmom]

I'd be fine with an American flag flying on a flagpole. Now, if it was a Confederate flag or a Nazi flag, no.

Marsha

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Nope no problem at all

 

[bicker]

Crap like this makes me wonder why anyone would want to live in an area like that, with so many rules to follow and trouble to get in if you break their rules.

If you've ever lived next to someone who had a junkyard in their backyard, like my father had to deal with, you wouldn't wonder.

I would prefer folks acknowledge, accept, and respect the way other people prefer living, rather than second-guessing and trying to cast aspersions on such folks.

What is ridiculous is when people choose to live in a specific place with specific rules and then presume to place themselves above it all, and assert that the rules that they agreed to don't apply to them.

In this case, there should have been an exception. Other than that, the system is sound, and shouldn't be ridiculed any more than you would want your own choices about where you live to be ridiculed.

 

[LoraJ]

I would not have a problem with it. Maybe someone in the neighborhood hung up a flag of a spots team or school, etc. and they were forced to take it down, so they decided to make a stink about the flag and flagpole. I lived in a town home community once that had an HOA. The people who ran it were scary.Some people have too much time on their hands and have power trips.

 

[DVCLiz]

LOL - I'll be the one!!!!!

I hate flagpoles in individual yards - I think they look tacky and out of place. Way too commercial a look for me in someone's front yard.

I LOVE people who fly American flags, though, and wish more people would do it. But I like the kind of small pole that is attached at an angle to a post or column on your front porch - not a big tall metal pole stuck in the ground. To my mind, those are for commercial properties, not private homes.

I'm in favor of most homeowner and neighborhood restrictions. I don't want to see your laundry drying in the backyard when I drive by!!