HOA: Pocket Dictators
HOA orders 90 year old medal of honor winner to take down a flag pole. Says Marko:
Also, you have to question the smarts of a group of people who decided to boss around a man who took on three German Tiger tanks head-on armed with only a bazooka and a Thompson, and came out on top.
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 am
The story made Digg and of the many great comments left there this one stands out as being the most accurate:
“He should be able to have a cannon and band that plays Reveille and taps everyday.”
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Petty power corrupts all out of proportion.
HOAs are an answer to the question of “we want to zone, but there are no zoning regs”. A bad answer – zoning boards are at least answerable to the political process.
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Reminds me of a story I heard about Audi Murphys dealings with a director who was yelling and cussing with regards to the work on the set of a movie, Seems Audi had about as much as he could take and whispered some words in the directors ear. The people who related this incident said the director actually pissed himself and quit before the next day. He was never rude to Mr. Murphy again.
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
“You need our permission to honor the flag the way you choose in these parts.” /ugly
December 3rd, 2009 at 6:38 pm
If you read the details of this rather than just falling for the knee-jerk ‘OMG! PATRIOTISM!’ thing, you would discover that the flapole in question was errected on a common element; it wasn’t on his property.
Are you seriously arguing that being a veteran means you have a right to start building things on other people’s land whether the actual owners want it there are not?
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:03 pm
any 90 year on Medal of Honor awardee can do anything damn thing he pleases as far as I’m concerned and if needed I would help him. Even the goddamned president, commander-in-chief, must salute him first. So should we all.
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:04 pm
No, but if a Medal of Honor winner wanted to take a piss in my front yard, I’d hold his hat and put my hand over my heart while he did it.
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Markie Marxist sez: “People shouldn’t be allowed to fly the American flag because it’s too American. That’s just common communist sense.”
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Wow! Three German Tigers. Now the 2.75 inch bazooka was NOT made for taking on that kind of tank (and most certinaly not the Thompson. People don’t understand what it takes to go against tanks. Real tanks. BIG tanks, with just a short range weapon like the bazooka, which would have to wait for a side or rear shot.
My hats off to Col. Barfoot. And I hope the sniveling weenies that object to his flag rue the day they challenged him.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 pm
“A bad answer – zoning boards are at least answerable to the political process.”
So was every HOA I’ve ever dealt with. The people in the HOA aren’t appointed for life or anything. If you don’t like your HOA, you have two options: move or run against them. I chose the former myself.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Stormy Dragon:
Everything I have seen says that it is “in his yard”.
Could you please share the source that states that the flagpole is built on a common element?
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:09 pm
+1 on Stormy Dragon
I’m plenty sympathetic to this guy, but he must have signed a contact when he bought the house. Mine says which days I may fly the flag and the type of flag pole, and proably the type of flag too.
It also keeps me from deciding to paint my house purple with pink pokadots or growing sweet corn on my tree-lawn.
I’m not a fan of HOAs, but I’ve found mine can be reasoned with. However, if I just decided to plant a poll in my yard and run something up it while ignoring the covenants I agreed to, I’d expect my HOA to do exactly the same thing.
If congress really wants to let a Medal of Honor winner to fly a flag anywhere they want, they could consider doing the exact same sweet deal that the Satellite TV LLCs got. Federal law overrides any local HOA covenant and allows anyone to mount a dish that’s one meter or less on their home.
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:56 pm
See, that’s the problem: he doesn’t have a ‘his yard’ for it to be in. The report I saw indicated that land all belongs to the association, he only owns the actual townhome. Which, I might add, he’s allowed to put a flag on, but which he refuses to do because he has some sort of neurotic issue about flying the flag at a 45 degree angle and insisted on putting a vertical pole on the common lawn.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:30 am
I don’t give a damn about any of it, but leave him the fuck alone to fly the flag. He earned the right. Piss on his lesser neighbors and their petty bullshit. If they don’t like it, let them move.
Oh, SD if he doesn’t have a “his yard” does the HOA maintain the grounds around his house at their expense? Regardless he has earned the right to fly the flag anydamnwhere he wants. Isn’t it goddamn funny that those who have invested the least in the preservation of this nation want to control those who risked it all? Fuck ’em, feed ’em fish heads and rice.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:36 am
Yeah ,how could you say no? He could come fly the flag on my damn lawn, and I couldnt say a word. Simply out of respect, and to maintain my dignity, of which these HOA people have none.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:33 am
With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot (then Tech. Sgt.) moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers. Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks. From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank. As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety.
The man has earned the right to fly a flag any damn where he pleases.
December 4th, 2009 at 9:35 am
No, what’s funny is that all the people who spend their time whining about how Obama is just like the Soviet Union will apparently fall all over themselves to destroy personal property rights as long as someone involved has a pretty uniform on. Apparently all Obama really needed to do is get some WWII vet to make the announcement about nationalizing GM and then start telling a story about their landing at Omaha beach.
So by all means, throw Col. Barfoot a parade, but I don’t care how big a hero he is; it doesn’t give him the right to tell other people what to do with their land.
December 4th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Stormy, while I agree with your sentiment, everything I had read implied or said that the flag pole was on his property.
December 4th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I’m just going based on the local news report I saw (I’m on travel in DC part of Virginia at the momment), where the person they interviewed from the association was saying that all modifications to the commons require preapproval from the association.
Now, it could be the local news got it wrong. If it is Col. Barfoot’s land then I’d be inclined to agree with him.
It could also be the national new assumed it was on his land since it was in front of his unit without bothering to check. Based on what I saw when I was house hunting two years ago, it’s relatively common for the HOA in townhouse developments (particularly newer ones that were originally built as associations) to have all of the land held in common rather than being owned by particular unit owners.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to matter to some of your commenters (many of whom I would have expected to know better) whether he owns the land or not. Apparently they think military personel are just above the law and can do whatever they like to the serfs.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
[…] I hope my HOA is listening […]
December 4th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Now that I’ve actually read the comments…
An all too common problem at HOA’s now is the association claiming privately owned land is actually commons. That might explain some of the confusion in the reports.
December 4th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
sd said “Apparently they think military personel are just above the law and can do whatever they like to the serfs.”
No, but heroes who made it possible for the others to live at ease can damn sure display the flag under which they did it.
December 4th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Do I hold this man to be a superior human? Absodamnlutely!
December 5th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Found this via Ridefast.
I’m not gonna argue about him being a 90 year old vet that performed some shit your pants just hearing about it heroics being above the law.
I’m not gonna rant about How the evil HOA doesnt or does own the land.
I’m just going to quietly point out that reguardless of who owns the land, that land is American Soil, paid for in blood by men just like Lt(Sgt?) Barfoot. Its a sad day when we are told, in our own country, that we cannot be patriotic.
Like my Granddaddy said, “Sometimes the right thing to do isn’t legal, and sometimes someone can do something really evil and not break a law.”
Personally, I’d be willing to send him a Gadsen flag to fly underneath the stars and stripes.
December 5th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Wuulf +1
December 6th, 2009 at 3:12 am
Ah, the joys of virtue ethics.
December 6th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
better than the joys of petty assholery.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Sorry SD but as originally reported “The Association’s bylaws do NOT forbid flagpoles, but the HOA ruled Barfoot should not be allowed to use his “for aesthetic reasons”.”
The only use of the flagpole is for its INTENDED purpose, TO DISPLAY A FLAG.
Also, you should know that certain privilages are bestowed upon Medal of Honor recipients.
This doesn’t concern those however, just simple courtesy to someone who has served his country above & beyond what was required of him.
December 8th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
A group of students has just launched a PETITION to support Col. Van Barfoot and his right to fly the American flag with pride and respect.
Please join & spread the word.
http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/get-involved/online-petitions/petition-support-veteran-col-barfoot-american-flag.html