busy body idiots strike again (one in a continuing series)

Oh give me a fucking break.

A homeowners association in southwestern Colorado has threatened to fine a resident $25 a day until she removes a Christmas wreath with a peace sign that some say is an anti-Iraq war protest or a symbol of Satan.

The president of the homeowner's association, Bob Kearns, said "three or four" residents in the 200 home subdivision complained that the wreath was "divisive" (nothing divides people quite like peace, you know,) and ordered the architectural control committee to have the wreath removed. When they refused, concluding that it was "merely a seasonal symbol that didn't mean anything," Kearns fired them all.

Wow. And I thought my homeowner's association were a bunch of fascists with too much free time, when all I wanted to do was install new windows.

Comments

[Arcticoyote]

Ok, this surprises you how? When I lived in Tucson, I fought daily with the home owners association. The best thing is, track the fees aid to them and a lot of them can not give a proper accounting of them.
As to the peace symbol wreath, that home owner needs to sue. I hate frivolous lawsuits, but in this case I fully support it. Mainly as the lawsuit is going against the frivolous lawn nazis. Same with the committee that was fired.
After Tucson, I absolutely refuse to ever live in a neighborhood with an association again.

[SpikeB]

I have to ask what is a Homeowner's Association? A part from fascists with too much free time. We don't get them here in the UK.

[Lytspeed]

Okay, it's things like this that make me sad to admit that I'm from Southwestern Colorado, not far from where this is taking place.

I would just like to mention that not all of us from that area are right-wing nut jobs. But the nut jobs that do live there are vocal.

[Claire]

Hah! I read that article this morning. It's wonderful, huh? That's more or less what's happening to my grandma right now, too. The homeowner's association is telling her she will be kicked out of her house if she doesn't remove the FLOWER POT she put next to her door (which is not visible from the street) because it may bother neighbors who feel it breaks the uniformity and class of the neighborhood.

Yeah.

[Zee]

I'm convinced that homeowners associations are one step removed from satan. My mother's HA is just as ridiculous and stupid... Sighhhhhhhhhh...

[Joe]

This simply proves that air really does get thinner the higher you go.

What impresses me is how the president of the HOA was able to take a break from the Klan fundraiser in order to issue the warning letter. That's multitasking!

[PirateAlice]

Homeowners associations are the spawn of satan. I will NEVER live in a neighborhood with one ever again.

SpikeB - Homeowners associations are groups of people who band together to make every house in the neighborhood exactly the same. In theory they were good because they kept Sparky from leaving 80 dead and rusting cars in the front yard, but in practice they give all the people with nothing better to do the power to keep you from putting up basketball hoops and flower pots and wreaths on the property you OWN that you PAID FOR. If I own the property I want to be able to do what I darned well please.

[Ruth]

3 or 4 out of 200?

Dude, that guy's fucked up.

[Kornham]

HOA's scare me. They seem drunk with power. Didn't you just pay a fortune for YOUR home? Isn't this America? Where is the concept of free speech anymore?

[Eric]

SIGH

[rasa]

Related sorta. A month or so ago I saw The Stupidest Bumper Sticker Evar. It was a peace sign, with the words: SIGN OF THE AMERICAN CHICKEN under it.

Cuz yeah, anyone who DOESN'T WANT FUCKING WAR is a chicken.

*hatestabhate*

[Dataghost]

If I were that woman I'd simply arrange for about 500 plastic pink flamingos to be set up on the homeowners association's president's front lawn @ about 2 AM and call him to complain about his flamingos at like 4:30 in the AM...

[Dataghost]

I wonder if she was ever able to find out just who brought the complaint about her...These people obviously chose not to talk to her about it, but circumvented her and went straight for the HOA offices. As for the $25 a day fine they want to impose? I'd invoice the HOA @ $50 a day to cover the hassle of protecting the wreath and property from damages caused by those who complained...

[pegret]

Well, I'm not Christian anymore, so I could be remembering this wrong, but doesn't the Christmas gospel say "PEACE on earth"?

[Cathy]

Fundamentally, the concept of the HOA is valid. Townhomes and condos are often leased to people who don't really care about maintaining the value of the place they live. Put together an HOA, get some rules everyone agrees on, and everyone is happy. As a renter in a condo, it's nice to pull up to a well-maintained complex where the roof doesn't leak and my out-of-state landlord doesn't have to deal with things like landscaping.

On the other hand, I and others have been victimized by nonexistent rules that don't make much sense. And when I call the management company to be sure I'm doing something within the rules, it takes 4 days to get a response. Sigh.

In the CO case, it looks like it's just the one guy who managed to get himself crowned czar of the block and is totally abusing his powers (who else thinks he's a Republican?). Since he's using the book to attack Wreath Lady, she should use the book, with the people he fired, to stage a coup. Shouldn't be too hard, unless others there really do think the peace symbol is satanic, in which case the whole place should probably just be wiped off the map.

[Wil]

pegret: Among the James Dobson cultists, the peace sign is Satanic, because (they claim) it is a cross with the arms broken off.

Yeah, that makes about as much sense as a Jack Chick tract (and has about as much to do with the peaceful teachings of Christ, as well.)

[SAL9000]

At the very end of the article, it is stated that, "(T)he subdivision's rules say no signs, billboards or advertising are permitted without the consent of the architectural control committee." Interesting how this was left to the very end...

Most HOAs I know of don't even allow campaign signs, football banners, and other such garrish or conspicuous signage.

She's dead wrong about not being forced to pay. Virtually all HOAs have the ability to file a lien against the property for unpaid dues and/or fines.

People sign into HOAs yet complain when it goes against them. I have zero remorse.

[Joe]

I love to get into it with fundamentalist Christians. They always try to get me to eat their pudding!

[LizS]

Oh great - I'm planning on moving there next year! I guess I'll have to throw out all my wreaths with peace signs! :)

[wolfger]

Fucking morons.

[ahaley]

I have to go find a wreath with a peace sign now!!!

[shawnasue]

Well, you know, wreaths are a pagan tradition anyway. :) Before Christianity, people hung evergreen branches in/on their houses, because evergreens were the only thing that survived the winter, and people thought they had mystical powers to ward off evil. Even Christmas trees are pagan :)

[Adrienne]

Seriously? Since when is peace at Christmas offensive? Or any time, for that matter. Dang, watch out for doves and olive branches.

[porkerella]

The sad part is that HOAs think they actually have some kind of authority, when in actuality, the only power they have is to suggest. Times like this I'm glad we're barely scraping by. The class issue never comes up in this neighborhood.

[Jeff]

This reminds me of something that happened in Avondale Estates, GA a couple of years ago. Avondale Estates is a neighborhood that sort of morphed into a small town many, many years ago.

Anyway, a couple of years ago, one of the homeowners wanted to build a new porch or something, but the town's Historic Preservation Commission turned him down, even though the proposed porch was in keeping with the style of the other houses in the neighborhood.

In protest, he painted the house lime green with purple polka dots. The story and the house generated so much negative publicity for the town that it eventually backed down.

You can read part of the story and see a picture of the house here: http://www.strangepersons.com/content/item/9844.html.