Quote :

"90 year-old Colonel Van Barfoot now has until Friday, December 11, to reach a compromise with his homeowner's association over the flagpole from his yard. This according to an attorney representing the Sussex Square neighborhood association. Since this saga began, it's been played out on the radio from Washington D.C. to Boston, but many believe what is happening to this true American hero is tarnishing the image of Richmond. Barfoot lives in the Sussex Square community in western Henrico County. He moved there in July, and was ordered to remove the flagpole from his front lawn when he flew the flag on Labor Day, and again on Veterans Day. The homeowner's association doesn't explicitly forbid flagpoles but they must be "aesthetically appropriate". Short flags are allowed on porches, but Barfoot says that's not the way he was raised to respect the flag. "First of all, it's not dignified, and it shows you got it in the half mast position... you can walk around here and I'll bet you the American flag is hanging out in the rain, nobody ever checks it", says Barfoot. Family members say he's the most decorated American combat veteran alive. Barfoot has been awarded more than 20 medals, including the Medal of Honor, The Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, The Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. Wounded in combat three times, Barfoot fought in World War II and in Vietnam. And he has the support of a lot of people, including Senator Mark Warner. Warner says he's outraged Barfoot's neighborhood association wants him to remove the flagpole from his yard. Barfoot says he will take it to court."

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-veteran-flagpole,0,2550197.story

In this mans opinion, I don't purchase land so suburbanite yuppies with meaningless lives can tell me what to do with it, but I'll accept the fact that some people find value in them . . . but in this particular situation, THE HOA CAN GO FUCK ITSELF WITH A GODDAMNED SANDPAPER COVERED FLAGPOLE!

12/4/2009 10:01:22 PM

ok, i will pass this on to the interested parties.

12/4/2009 10:03:19 PM

Fuck themselves with said flag pole?

12/4/2009 10:04:29 PM

^ my thought exactly

12/4/2009 10:05:27 PM

I've never much cared for the idea of an HOA. I understand the good that they theoretically can do, but the problem is that you usually end up with people running them that don't separate reality from power-mongering. The instant the HOA gets enforcement powers is the instant they become too much trouble.

12/4/2009 10:07:48 PM

Here is a shot of him in WWII:




and the text of his Medal of Honor citation:

Quote :

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 23 May 1944, near Carano, Italy. With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot (then Tech. Sgt.) moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers. Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks. From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank. As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety. Sgt. Barfoot's extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers."

12/4/2009 10:09:00 PM

Those WWII guys were hardass. I've known it for a while, but I've never actually read a summary like that.

12/4/2009 10:11:59 PM

I hope that HOA gets shut down on this

12/4/2009 10:12:39 PM

^^^ what a fuckin day!

12/4/2009 10:21:39 PM

I'm not a man. After reading that....I am no man.

12/4/2009 10:23:16 PM

^

12/4/2009 10:25:21 PM

This is why I hate HOAs.

12/4/2009 10:58:51 PM

This guy is amazing.

What sucks is that in the next few years there won't be anymore living WWII veterans alive.

12/4/2009 11:57:06 PM

^ yea, it sucks.

this organization http://www.honorflight.org/ started bringing vets to the WWII memorial in DC for day trips, so they could see the memorial before they died.

i've been at national airport when they've come in - pretty amazing

12/4/2009 11:58:57 PM

Very cool.

My grandfather flew cosairs in WWII in the Pacific. He passed a way over a decade ago now though.

12/5/2009 12:02:17 AM

My grandfather flew in B-24s in WWII. He passed away in 06

12/5/2009 12:02:52 AM

My grandpa never really talked about his service in WWII, but i know he had a buttload of medals and served in both the pacific and in europe.

I feel like the end of the medal citation should have something like, "after moving the wounded men to a position of safety Barfoot had sex with both your grandmothers, beat a grizzly bear to death with his bare hands, and rode off into the sunset on the back or a giant blue ox."

What this man did was incredible, and that HOA board will be out on their ass in the next election, especially after they lose in court.

12/5/2009 12:08:50 AM

Took the track off a fucking Tiger tank. That alone must have been a crack shot.

12/5/2009 2:13:03 AM

Quote :

"hile returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety"

thats just shy of a mile, no small feat with 2 wounded. He would be an incredible person to have a talk with

12/5/2009 2:16:03 AM

you and your math

12/5/2009 2:19:10 AM

there are 1,760 yards in a mile

[Edited on December 5, 2009 at 2:21 AM. Reason : comma]

12/5/2009 2:20:49 AM

nevermind

12/5/2009 2:22:27 AM

What? They're harassing this guy? I grew up between two military bases, and two of my history teachers in high school were retired Marines. I remembered this guy by name when studying WWII, he was in the goddamn TEXTBOOK as one of the most well-known "heroes". The guy teaching the class knew him, and said he was one of the most humble and respectful men he'd ever known.

This guy's badassery is just up and beyond.

12/5/2009 2:23:33 AM

Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005

Quote :

"The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 (Pub.L. 109-243, 120 Stat. 572, enacted July 24, 2006) is an Act of Congress that prohibits real estate management organizations from restricting homeowners from displaying the Flag of the United States on their property. Legislative history The Act was introduced into the 109th United States Congress on January 4, 2005. The sponsor of the bill was Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, and was co-sponsored by 13 other members of the United States House of Representatives. June 27, 2006: The bill was passed in the House of Representatives by voice vote. July 17, 2006: The bill passed by unanimous consent in the Senate. July 24, 2006: President George W. Bush signed the bill into law."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_Display_the_American_Flag_Act_of_2005

Hmm, I guess the flagpole itself is the "problem."

PS: I think the OP listens to the Bill LuMaye Show.

12/5/2009 5:17:00 AM

I hate HOAs, I fucking hate them

12/5/2009 8:51:18 AM

Dude fuck that HOA they need to be brought down a notch or two. My grandfather, who passed away two months ago, was infantry in WWII and stayed after the war to help with the occupation. I am sure he and all of the other WWII vets are rolling in their graves right now.

12/5/2009 9:04:37 AM

this guy would've pwn at xbox if he was born 80yrs later

12/5/2009 9:06:39 AM

simple solution: Don't move into a community with an HOA if you don't want to follow their rules.

12/5/2009 9:37:21 AM

what wasn't mentioned in that article is that all land is considered community property and that all he really bought was the house and maybe the footprint of the house. There are a couple "communities" out here that are like that, so I know where they are coming from and how the HOA is technically right. This is a very small gated community and an appropriate compromise would be to let Barfoot handle flag duty on a communal flag pole.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=37.612895,-77.628464&spn=0.001647,0.003473&t=h&z=19

12/5/2009 9:58:10 AM

Though they are technically "right", they should still allow the man to put a flag pole up if he wants. Hell, if the man came and told me he was putting a flag pole in my yard I would say yes sir.

12/5/2009 4:10:13 PM

see my former statement

12/5/2009 4:11:41 PM

^^^ agreed, technically the HOA is in the right. If the HOA and the law agree that the pole must come down then, yes, it must come down.

comma however

They're still a bunch of uptight, cockwhores who should quite frankly feel privileged to live anywhere near this man. I understand that technically every man is equal under the law, but if this particular individual was a politician or simply one the wealthier homeowners there he'd probably get a pass and with far less justification.

12/5/2009 4:14:46 PM

HOA's typically = uptight, cockwhores

again, see my former statement. dude knew what he was getting into when he decided to buy a house there. the fact that he is a hero doesn't change things.

12/5/2009 4:17:19 PM

"Grandpa, this flag only has 49 stars on it."

"I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I recognize Missourah!"

12/5/2009 4:19:31 PM

^^ Not totally:

Quote :

"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/news/local/article/POLEGAT02_20091202-091201/309031/P0/

Which reinforces my feeling that the HOA should be repeatedly bludgeoned with a steel framed 1911 for their asinine behavior.




^

12/5/2009 4:20:44 PM

Quote :

"was infantry in WWII and stayed after the war to help with the occupation get with more german chicks"

12/5/2009 4:20:50 PM

^ one of the coolest nights of my life was spent at a Waffle House listening to two D-Day veterans talking about banging French chicks after they liberated Paris.

12/5/2009 4:23:22 PM

^ I have also heard epic stories of banging chicks after liberating Paris. But then all the panty removing factors are there: you've rescued them, you're manly, you're foreign, and they're french.

12/5/2009 4:53:22 PM

Um. . .you could still "epicly" bang chicks in Europe in the 1980s--it didn't even require the likes of the liberation of Paris and all. I can attest to this.

Though I'm sure the liberation of Paris was quite the aphrodisiac. And I'm not even joking.

12/6/2009 1:48:04 AM

There's banging a pretty good looking girl easily, and then there's you and your buddies all getting two or three girls a piece in a hotel that used to cost a few thousand a night but is now half blown up.

12/6/2009 1:57:17 AM

Quote :

"UPDATE: Deadline dissolves in Barfoot flag fight A homeowner's association said today it will drop threatened legal proceedings against Col. Van T. Barfoot over the Medal of Honor recipient's refusal to get rid of a vertical flag pole. "The Sussex Square Homeowners Association Board has agreed to withdraw legal action previously announced for Friday, December 11, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.," U.S. Sen. Mark Warner announced this evening shortly after 6. "I think this is about neighbors helping neighbors," said Alexandra Bowen, a lawyer who until today was representing Sussex Square Services Inc., the homeowner association board. Bowen said she is no longer involved in the dispute. Barfoot, 90, faced a deadline of Friday to remove his flag pole or face unspecified legal action. On another front today, U.S. Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th. introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives resolving that any recipient of the Medal of Honor be permitted to "properly display" the flag from the recipient's property. While the resolution notes that Barfoot, who lives in western Henrico County, was ordered by his neighborhood homeowner's association to remove the pole, the resolution does not specifically state that using a pole is the manner to properly display the flag. The homeowner's association has no prohibition against flying the flag but objects to Barfoot using a pole. It was not immediately clear what action might be forthcoming from either the homeowner's association or Barfoot."

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/FLAG09GAT_20091208-192802/310291/


Don't really think the Federal Government needs to be poking it's nose in HOA business, but I'm glad they backed down on this one.

Quote :

"Um. . .you could still "epicly" bang chicks in Europe in the 1980s"

You are a sad man if you equate 1980s Europe with Paris in 1944. You and your buddies romps with proto-EuroTrash simply don't compare.

12/9/2009 12:31:05 AM

Holy shit Eric Cantor - That just seems like a bit of an overreaction

12/9/2009 6:40:24 AM

I can't believe they're fucking with a guy who basically crammed the plot of all the Call of Duty games into one day. The guy could be Bill Brasky's dad.

[Edited on December 9, 2009 at 7:09 AM. Reason : and I bet Brasky still says "Yes, sir" whenever he tells him to do anything]

12/9/2009 7:09:15 AM

now i hope this guy wins, and i hate hoas as much as the next guy. . . .

but we shouldn't be drifting towards having some warrior class that has special privileges that others don't. that's not how this country works.

12/9/2009 8:12:27 AM

I think we should just ban HOAs

12/9/2009 9:30:00 AM

the HOA doesn't have a problem with the flag, they have a problem with it's residents putting big ass poles in their front yards.

dude can just fly his flag off his front porch like the rest of us. he just feels like he can break the rules because he's a war hero.

12/9/2009 9:31:39 AM

^he didn't break any rules. there was nothing in the HOA's by-laws saying flagpoles couldn't be used.

[Edited on December 9, 2009 at 9:33 AM. Reason : .]

12/9/2009 9:33:12 AM

but I am quite sure there is something in their bylaws that says they have the right to ask you to remove obstructions on your property that they feel negatively effects the overall appearance of your property.

if enough neighbors complain, an HOA can ask you to remove just about anything that you add to your property.

[Edited on December 9, 2009 at 9:36 AM. Reason : a]

12/9/2009 9:35:12 AM

Quote :

"I think we should just ban HOAs"

This

12/9/2009 9:38:06 AM

My GF works for a company that manages the HOAs of about 50 different communities. She deals with this bullshit every damn day. Some of them are cool as shit, and you can do pretty much whatever you want. Other's call in multiple times a day with complaints such as "my neighbor's car has a doghnut tire on his car and shouldn't be allowed to park that in his driveway" and "I can see my neighbor's garden hose from my porch, can you please ask them to move it to the garage".

keep in mind that most HOAs consist of residents of the community that run and are "elected" to the board. if residents disagree with bylaws, there are several steps they can take to have them changed. They can do anything from taking a petition and presenting it at the board meetings, to running for the board themselves at the next election.

[Edited on December 9, 2009 at 9:44 AM. Reason : a]

12/9/2009 9:40:31 AM