Saturday, December 08, 2012

Wealthy NYC suburb makes it illegal to hang laundry outside since it looks 'low class' | Mail Online

Wealthy NYC suburb makes it illegal to hang laundry outside since it looks 'low class' | Mail Online: Residents of a wealthy village near New York have been ordered not to hang their laundry outside their homes as it makes them look 'low class.'

The board of Great Neck on Long Island has passed a law which makes it a criminal offense to use a clothesline in front of your home.

The punishment if they are caught is a fine of up to $1,000 or, in severe cases, 15 days in jail.
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Too much like Appalachia for a rich suburb on Long Island?

Friday, December 07, 2012

What's ahead for community associations in 2013 - chicagotribune.com

What's ahead for community associations in 2013 - chicagotribune.com:
"Owner aggression. Owners are increasingly vocal about their rights and wants. Some are well-informed about association operations and expect boards to act properly. Others promote personal agendas or disregard the rules. Be prepared for complaints, challenges and even lawsuits.

"Board members need to make sure they are operating in accordance with the law and governing documents," said Arlington Heights-based association attorney Charles VanderVennet. "They also need to maintain ongoing communication with owners to let them know what they are doing and why, and to draw lines of responsibility. An association is not a democracy, and some owners don't accept that."
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I agree with the basic idea of this paragraphs, but in what sense is this "owner aggression"?  They are "increasingly vocal about their rights and wants"? They are "well-informed about association operations and expect boards to act properly"?  That is aggression?

Obama supporters fear their rent will rise after manager makes threats | News - Home

Obama supporters fear their rent will rise after manager makes threats | News - Home:
"A Colorado Springs apartment manager threatens to raise the rent of anyone who voted to re-elect President Barack Obama."
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The right wing hissy fit continues.

Thursday, December 06, 2012

the Citadel : A Community of Liberty

the Citadel : A Community of Liberty
"The Citadel is a developing community of Patriots in the mountains of Idaho who believe in Jefferson's Rightful Liberty and have chosen to live amongst one another, who have sworn their Lives, their Fortunes and their Sacred Honor to defend one another and Liberty."
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And who think..."Economic collapse is imminent. Disruptions of Just-in-Time supply lines will lead America into chaos. Violence along racial, ethnic, religious and economic class lines will bring forth famine, disease and a fundamental reset of life in America...The Citadel will have between 3,500 and 5,000 households within the walls, with a single gate permitting access. The Citadel is not to be a closed society, instead a refuge for genuine Patriots who wish to live without neighbors who are Liberals and Establishment political ideologues,"

So they have decided to make their own fortress community in the wilds of Idaho.  Good riddance. And I suggest that they take along the following reading material:

The Masque of the Red Death, by Edgar Allen Poe, which talks about some fictional people who tried that strategy.


Threepers Creepers: On Far-Right Fringes, the Exodus to the Woods is Under Way | Crooks and Liars

Threepers Creepers: On Far-Right Fringes, the Exodus to the Woods is Under Way | Crooks and Liars
"Now that they've lost their election and are seeing their political future circling down the drain, a lot of folks on the political right are drowning in despair and retreating even further into the cocoon of non-reality they've created for themselves. And that response is especially acute on farthest fringes of the Right, where the militiamen are stocking up for the Obamacalypse."
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Bye.  And thanks to Mystery Reader for the link.

Kane County Chronicle | Geneva homeowners association dispute yields progress

Kane County Chronicle | Geneva homeowners association dispute yields progress: GENEVA – Defendants in a court case between a Geneva homeowners association and a bank say they are hopeful that the two parties will reach a resolution with the help of a judge by mid-January.

The case between Old Second National Bank and the Prairie Ridge Townhome Owners Association was presented before a judge for the first time last week, and since then, both parties believe they have moved closer to a resolution.

The dispute is about which party – the bank’s third-party manager or an elected homeowners association that formed last year – is in control of managing fees from the subdivision’s homeowners association.
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Only in Privatopia can a case like this occur: where the jurisdiction's managers and vendors claim they and not the governing board are in control.

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Susan Reinhardt on tacky Christmas yard decor | The Asheville Citizen-Times | citizen-times.com

Susan Reinhardt on tacky Christmas yard decor | The Asheville Citizen-Times | citizen-times.com: I have some wonderful neighbors in my middle-class Fairview subdivision. I also have a homeowners association, a governing body I don’t consider human, but more like a Big Brother, watch-your-back organization that in the last couple of years has siphoned my savings like a decent vein at the Red Cross bloodmobile.

We needed a new road, our asphalt being pot-holed and raggedy. I have no reason to gripe about the “patchy” job done, since I did not attend one meeting.

Putting my current homeowners association into perspective, this group pales in comparison to the evil rulings of past experiences I’ve had while living as a single mother in a couple of condos.

One association even required us to use a certain type of vertical blinds, measuring a precise length and width, I kid you not. That was during the time I accidentally bought a patio home in a retirement village, my youngest neighbor in her 90s.

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Columbia residents propose new legislation - baltimoresun.com

Columbia residents propose new legislation - baltimoresun.com: According to the group of residents proposing the new bill, which includes two representatives from the Alliance for a Better Columbia and the president of the Maryland Homeowner's Association Jeanne Ketley, the purpose of the alternative legislation is to make CA more like traditional homeowners associations, of which all residential lien-payers are members.

"We are not asking for something that will make us stand out or different," said group representative and Oakland Mills resident Bill McCormack. "In fact, CA, as it is structured now, stands out and is different. In this case, we want to be like everybody else and adopt a structure that is tried, tested and true."

"When we are supporting CA through the lien fee, we need to have representation. That's critical, that is how we do things in America."

Monday, December 03, 2012

The Occidental Weekly : Taitz loses court case to Occidental over Obama’s records

The Occidental Weekly : Taitz loses court case to Occidental over Obama’s records:
According to the court observer, Judge Marginis did comment on Taitz’s quality of evidence when she presented a folder of it to the judge.
“You should know that evidence is not stuff printed from the internet,” Marginis said, responding to Taitz’s continued argument after he made the decision to quash the subpoena and award $4,000 in sanctions to Occidental College.
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True. And that is a general lesson not just for birthers, but for the many other people who like to make up their own wackadoodle legal theories and head off to court with them. That sort of thing can become expensive when the judge throws out the case.  There is a lot of room to be creative with the law, and that is a good thing. We need to have people exploring the outer limits of civil liberties and rights, for example. But making up your own law and then trying to live by it is a dangerous thing. People who claim they don't have to pay taxes and refuse to recognize the federal government, or people who keep insisting that the president was born in Kenya, need to wake up and join the real world.