Those of us who follow such things know that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t protect people in Homeowners Associations. The one exception, of course, is if you’re ‘colored,’ whatever that means. There actually is some case law to protect racial minorities and the handicapped. But other tenets of the Constitution? Forget it. Due process? Forget it. Free speech? Forget it.
This latest story comes from a Fort Collins, Colorado resident who put up a Bernie Sanders sign on her balcony. It was OK for a while. After all, it’s a college town and college kids are taught all about the Constitution. They just aren’t told that Homeowners Associations are private corporations in which residents don’t have access to the Bill of Rights.
The new management company at the Baystone Apartments sent out threatening letters, warning of fines of up to $5000 for people who incorrectly display political signs. Once the story ended up in the newspaper the management company cried, “Oops!” But that’s only temporary. As soon as the public furor dies down they’ll start assessing fines all over again.
Long live the First Amendment! Well, that is if you’re not in an HOA! And 20 to 25% of Americans have already surrendered their right to Constitutional protection.
Christmas is a time of joy and worship in the Lucas family. But there’s a certain sadness on Christmas Eve. My mother’s first husband was killed in the battle of St Vith, Belgium, Christmas Eve, 1944. The Nazis had broken through American lines and surrounded troops in Bastogne and St Vith. Our guys were fighting hard, but the Germans had superior fire power and better tanks. Thousands of men died in the Battle of the Bulge.
So I intend, each year, to honor the thousands who were killed, wounded and taken POW on this night 71 years ago through the story of Mathew Whalen, the father of my older half brother. I never met him. But I loved and respected my brother and mother. Through them, I got to know the character and the meaning of this man.
Hoo-boy! I’m not exactly sure how to handle this one except to pass it along.
A former drug company executive who was fired years ago for trying to be a whistle-blower in his own company, is now trying to blow the whistle on his Fort Lauderdale Homeowners Association. The problem is that the HOA recognizes both Christmas and Hanukkah in the HOA clubhouse. Oh, for shame!
Christians and Jews have a long history of respect for each other’s religions. Sure, there have been occasional problems, but Christians revere Jesus who was Jewish. Christians have poured vast amounts of money into supporting Israel. And Jewish scientists have hired many Christian researchers in some of the most important medical discoveries in history. You’ll find many Jews and Christians working side by side at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
In my mind it would be awful if a Homeowners Association didn’t respect both religions at this time of year, Kwanzaa, too, for that matter. How a neighborhood treats people from other religions has a profound impact on property values.
I wrote about this a few weeks ago: Some ladies in an Arizona HOA were forbidden from using the clubhouse to make Christmas packages for needy kids.
Well, outrage must have been a sight to behold, but the HOA has relented and the ladies are back at their customary spot, making those goodies. It wouldn’t have happened without public pressure.
