Yes, indeed, certain Homeowners Associations are actually doing unannounced mandatory inspections for hoarding. Among the items not to be hoarded are books! Scary, isn’t it?
I have to make a confession here. I hoard books. I still own just about every book I ever read. None are piled on the floor, but my shelves are packed. Somehow, I just thought my grandkids might someday wonder how their old grandpa got the nutty ideas in his head for some of the directions in life he took.
These words were once penned by one of the mightiest men in our movement. Understand, of course, there are still miles to go before we sleep. But read, Dear Friend, and take heart.
An ancient police axiom says, “Bad police work makes for bad case law.” A parallel in journalism is, “Careless writing makes for bad libel law.”
Somehow, you’d think some semblance of that wisdom would get through to some of the 335,000 Homeowners Associations in our country, especially those who’ve been well-described as “the lawn nazis” or the “condo commandos”. In many such neighborhoods people don’t talk to each other or have folks over for dinner.
Maybe that’s why so many state legislators are beginning to pay attention and talk about enacting laws to tap down the “little hitlers’ who seem to enjoy causing pain and distress among their neighbors.
Yep, nobody’s guiltier than this long-time reporter. So many times over the past four decades the real import of a story has just sailed over my stupid fuzzy head.
But it’s fun to be a witness when a reporter suddenly has that head-thunking moment when he or she realizes that they’re actually reporting on a story that has real national significance!
You just can’t imagine how much these 5-star reviews on Amazon lead to increased book sales. Thank you so much! It really does help get the word out. I appreciate the support more than you know. And I’ve promised that for every six books I sell, I can ‘bomb’ a legislator of your choice with a book and a handwritten note saying, “Your Constituent, ______ ______, insisted that I send this book to you.” So far, I’ve kept to that promise!
