Now I'm confused. I'm not certain if I should start commenting on violating freedom of religious expression, or go onto freedom of speach first...
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
So does this mean that some hippies will get sued if they have a peace sign painted on thier stoner van? Or will someone get sued for having a peace sign tattoo?
Sometimes I wish everyone would just drop dead. Oh wait, I ALWAYS wish that. Maybe Santa will give me an arsenal of thermonuclear warheads...
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Saw that in the paper today and laughed- no way will they ever be able to make her pay up- besides the inevitable counter-suit would put the homeowner's association out of business forever. Freedom of expression trumps tightasses any old day.
Amazing how every Christmas some idiot(s) see a need to flex their tiny amount of power to amke everyone else miserable. Remember last year's whole "Christians boycotting Target/Sears/Whoever if all the "Holiday" sighn were not changed to "Christmas" and their innane "Jesus is the reason for the season" slogan of muck?
It's worked well- Target is all about Christmas this year. Fuck all those other religions anyhow, right?
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Happy Solstice.
--Jonah
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Reading to the article, I think that there's nothing going on more than a personal grudge-match.
My reasons:
a) The resident is a past association president b) The current president tries to blame other unverifiable residents saying that *some* residents who complained think its a Satanist symbol or have children in Iraq. (I'm betting that very few residents would fit either of these conditions...resident's in an upper-class area with a home-owners association would be more probable to be educated well enough to not believe something so stupid and would also be more probable to have children that aren't subsequently drafted into the dangerous frontlines) c) After making it sound like he has no choice because other residents complained, he fired five board members that disagreed with him in order to push through the threat.
Seems to me that there's more of a personal grudgematch going on than anything else.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Whoever think's a peace sign is a satanic symbol obviously has a few loose ones knockin around the old cranium. Either that or they're warmongers.
As for the people who claim to have children in Iraq, they above all people should be the ones crying out for peace. So their children can come home...
Santa... I know you're up there, I've been really good this past year, please give me the means of which to destroy humanity. It'd mean less work for you every christmas. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to finally retire after 2000 years...
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Santa's been at it for 2000 years? Is he Jesus's ghost or something? Figures he'd relocate as far away from the Romans as possible...
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Last I checked, Santa had only been in business for the last eighty years or so, building on the work of his antecedants over the last few centuries...
...But nowhere near two millennia.
--Jonah
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Now I know that Yanks are (collectively) no more or less stupid than the rest of us, but bugger me if you lot don't love advertising your stupidity when almost everyone else has sense enough to keep it shtum.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
For the December picture of our Tallulah calendar, we're going to have her standing next to an aluminium pole, and see how many people understand the joke.
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
Well, after the whole incident had spread around like a wildfire, the association relented and said they won't be fining her anymore. The association state this whole situation was due to miscommunication. I was laughing when I read that because I don't think anyone really believes that.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Said "miscommunication" being that the homeoqnwe was unclear that she was supposed to keep quiet and be bullied by this current dick of a president.
I hope she counter-sues his ass off- or at least gets him removed from his "office".
Posted by HopefulNebula (Member # 1933) on :
On a similar note (please ignore/redact/write angry letters about their incessant use of person-first construction, but anyway):
A Littleton family was forced to sue their homeowners association because the Southbridge II Property Owners Association has refused to provide a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act to approve a standard privacy fence designed to protect their eight-year-old son who has autism.
Fletcher Illig is an eight-year-old child with autism, which causes him to be unable to speak. Fletcher is extremely active and curious, and as a result, runs and wanders from his family's home when something outside his home and yard sparks his interest.
Even with a high level of supervision and extra security measures - such as door locks, a fence, and a global positioning system monitor - Fletcher still escapes his home and yard, jeopardizing his health and safety. Fletcher's doctor and therapists recommended that his family build a standard six-foot cedar privacy fence that Fletcher is unable to see or climb over. Despite this, the Illig's HOA refuses to approve the fence, and have instead placed a number of impermissible conditions for the fence to remain.
"Fletcher's fence is identical to over 100 fences in our neighborhood," said Jean Illig, Fletcher's mother. "Even our next door neighbor has an identical fence. I can't believe they are putting HOA bureaucracy over the safety of my son."
"The Fair Housing Act requires homeowners associations, such as Southbridge II, to provide reasonable accommodations and permit fences like Fletcher's," said Carrie Ann Lucas, the Illig's attorney. "The fact that there are so many identical fences demonstrates that approving the fence is a reasonable accommodation."
The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition is Colorado's largest statewide cross-disability organization run by and for individuals with disabilities, with over 3000 members statewide.
The Illigs are also represented by Fox & Robertson, P.C., who were lead counsel in the recent landmark nationwide class-action settlement against Kmart.
The lawsuit seeks approval of the fence, unspecified damages for the plaintiffs and attorneys' fees.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: As soon as the homeowners' association owns my house or gets zoning laws changed, they can have the right to tell me what I can do on my property.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
The simple solution is of course to not belong to it.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Is that even an option? I don't know what the Homeowners association is since I don't think we have that kind of thing in Canada. But here we have to go to city hall and get a building permit of we want a fence or toolshed or something. Basically you pay a little money and you get a permit unless your building plans are in conflict with zoning laws.
As long as what you plan to build is safe, and doesn't conflict with the Zoning laws, I don't think anyone should be able to deny you the choice to build it. If your neighbor didn't want you to put up a deck because it got in the way of his satellite signal or something, would you bow down to him? Or tell him where he can shove his satellite dish?
Yet more proof that "People Are Stupid".
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
We just have complicated planning laws in the UK, no Homeowners associations.
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