Medal of Honor winner, 90, ordered to remove flagpole

[megimoo]

"Time To Load Up The E mails to Henrico County community's homeowner association."

Col. Van T. Barfoot, one of the country's last-surviving Medal of Honor winners, is under the gun from his Henrico County community's homeowner association.

In a five-paragraph letter to Barfoot that he received yesterday, Barfoot is being ordered to remove a flagpole from his yard. The decorated veteran of three wars, now 90 years old, raises the American flag every morning on the pole, then lowers and folds the flag at dusk each day in a three-corner military fashion.

In a priority mail letter, the Coates & Davenport law firm in Richmond is ordering Barfoot to remove the pole by 5 p.m. Friday or face "legal action being brought to enforce the Covenants and Restrictions against you." The letter states that Barfoot will be subject to paying all legal fees and costs in any successful legal proceeding pursued by the homeowner association's board.

Barfoot lives in the Sussex Square community in far western Henrico; its board of directors rejected a plea from Barfoot in July to approve the pole, disallowing the fixture on aesthetic grounds.

There is no provision in the community's rules expressly forbidding flagpoles, Barfoot's daughter said. But she said the board ruled against her father's fixture and ordered it removed in July, deciding that free-standing flag poles are not aesthetically appropriate. Short flag stands attached to porches dot the community.


http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/ne...091201/309031/

[noonwitch]

If you want to have a big flagpole, it's best not to live in a community with an association and the rules that go along with it. I wouldn't want to be the guy whose job requires him to go out and tell a 90 year old WWII vet that he can't have his flag there, and this is coming from a professional baby snatcher.


It's kind of weird-my mom lives in a condo development, where one of the residents puts up holiday displays on land that isn't even his to claim. If I were a native american, I would be very offended by the representation of my people in his Thanksgiving display (think Cleveland Indians' mascot/old WB cartoons). He's been putting it up for 20 years, and I'm pretty sure it's against the association's rules. I think nobody there really wants to deal with him.

[Jfor]

If you want to have a big flagpole, it's best not to live in a community with an association and the rules that go along with it.

Except for the fact they don't have a covenant in place restricting flagpoles.

[Rockntractor]

I would remove the flag pole and reinstall it in a rather awkward place!

[megimoo]

I would remove the flag pole and reinstall it in a rather awkward place!

Fill up their mail box instead.That usually gives them grief especially if some local newspaper get a hold of it !

[Swampfox]

Homeowner's Associations can pretty much do whatever they want to maintain the neighborhood the way they want it. This is why I'll never buy a condo....ever.

[Eagle]

I would remove the flag pole and reinstall it in a rather awkward place!

Do you mean something like up the association presidents ass!?

[BSR]

at 90 years old, a veteran of 3 wars and a medal of honor recipient this man can murder puppies and stuff them with dead kittens for all I care.

Allow me to be the first to say to the homeowners association "fuck off". You haven't earned the right to tell him what to do.Especially if there is no provision against it in the rules.

[AmPat]

I believe that pressure can be applied to the HOA and let them have a special vote. My bet is that the majority will tell the HOA to lay off. This probably is a complaint from a liberal troublemaker who wants to mold the neighborhood to his liking. I can't visualize the majority of neighbors taking issue with this.

[Last Samurai]

Sounds to me like there are a couple of NAOB (National Association Of Busybodies) charter members in that HOA.

An above poster noted that they were probably "Liberal".... probably correctly.

Seems to me that the standard mental picture of what used to be the hallmark of a Liberal (i.e. openminded, let everyone do their own thing, et al.) has been replaced by the "New Liberal". Typically of a mind set that precludes acceptance of any other way of doing things other than those espoused by the Lib mentality.

It's rather like asserting it's either MY WAY OR NO WAY! Most one sided, selfish and NOT condusive toward the peace, harmony and kum ba yah that the Libs try to tell us they believe in attaining.

It's more like spoiled children.... I want it my way and I want it NOW! (Also known as The Veruka Syndrome.)

LS