Now I have seen everything, you can burn the flag, wear it, drag it through the streets, and jump up and down on it and not get in trouble (ok, I can live with that, this is a country that allows free speech, and I don't believe we should go in for iconicism), but to fine someone for flying an American Flag is just simply preposturous!! Read this article, that just simply has me speechless:
Taken from: http://63.67.107.59/searchdata/36698/news/localfox/20rest.htm
quote:
Old Glory too noisy; homeowner ticketed
BY LAURIE AUCOIN Daily Herald Staff Writer
A Grayslake man was found guilty Tuesday of disturbing the peace for something that has been a part of his Trestle Court front yard for seven years - a flagpole.
Circuit Judge Victoria Rosetti issued a $100 fine and 90 days supervision to Thomas LaBarbera after repeated complaints from neighbors about the noise made by flag clips clanging against the metal flagpole when he flies his American flag at night.
However, the ruling did not seem to deter LaBarbera, who said he has no immediate plans to take down the 3-foot by 5-foot flag.
"The flag's going to stay," LaBarbera said. "And I'm going to sell the house. ... "
One neighbor, Terry Horan, whose property is 16 feet from the flagpole, has said it is difficult to sleep at night with the flapping of the flag and the clanking of the clips against the 15-foot-tall pole. Horan could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Grayslake police say they have received several complaints from neighbors during the past two years regarding the noisy flag.
"We have tried to resolve this problem repeatedly with no success or insufficient success," said Police Chief Larry Herzog. "We were hoping to deal with it without issuing a ticket."
LaBarbera said he is demonstrating his right to fly the American flag - an issue no one is arguing. It's the noise that has caused the flap, neighbors say.
The curious part for LaBarbera is that the ticket he received was for disturbing the peace between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.
"This is not a time when people are sleeping," LaBarbera said. "Trains go by all the time and that doesn't seem to bother anyone."
I saw the interview on TV, and apparently he takes it down every night before 10 pm, and puts it back up in the morning. So I am at a loss how the flag can infringe on someone else's right to sleep?!?! Apparently the radio station there had a thousand people show up at this guys house to support him, and they are raising money to pay for him to fly his flag. What next, no pledge of alleginace in school (no, they are already started contesting that one), no National Anthem at sporting events? Sigh, and people wonder where patriotism has gone to in this country. I would be ashamed to have that person as a neighbor, and tell him to move to another country where he wouldn't have the freedom to be an idiot. And all this with the 4th of July coming up, guess he can't fly it then either... Oh well, my $.02 worth.
On a side not, I personally fly the Stars and Stripes in front of my house (except during College footbal season, then the UF GATOR flag goes up, along with my neighbor's UT flag booo!!! hiss!!, go GATORs, can't wait for College football to start again), in fact, after I started flying it, a couple of my neighbors put theirs up.
Taken from: http://63.67.107.59/searchdata/36698/news/localfox/20rest.htm
quote:
Old Glory too noisy; homeowner ticketed
BY LAURIE AUCOIN Daily Herald Staff Writer
A Grayslake man was found guilty Tuesday of disturbing the peace for something that has been a part of his Trestle Court front yard for seven years - a flagpole.
Circuit Judge Victoria Rosetti issued a $100 fine and 90 days supervision to Thomas LaBarbera after repeated complaints from neighbors about the noise made by flag clips clanging against the metal flagpole when he flies his American flag at night.
However, the ruling did not seem to deter LaBarbera, who said he has no immediate plans to take down the 3-foot by 5-foot flag.
"The flag's going to stay," LaBarbera said. "And I'm going to sell the house. ... "
One neighbor, Terry Horan, whose property is 16 feet from the flagpole, has said it is difficult to sleep at night with the flapping of the flag and the clanking of the clips against the 15-foot-tall pole. Horan could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Grayslake police say they have received several complaints from neighbors during the past two years regarding the noisy flag.
"We have tried to resolve this problem repeatedly with no success or insufficient success," said Police Chief Larry Herzog. "We were hoping to deal with it without issuing a ticket."
LaBarbera said he is demonstrating his right to fly the American flag - an issue no one is arguing. It's the noise that has caused the flap, neighbors say.
The curious part for LaBarbera is that the ticket he received was for disturbing the peace between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.
"This is not a time when people are sleeping," LaBarbera said. "Trains go by all the time and that doesn't seem to bother anyone."
I saw the interview on TV, and apparently he takes it down every night before 10 pm, and puts it back up in the morning. So I am at a loss how the flag can infringe on someone else's right to sleep?!?! Apparently the radio station there had a thousand people show up at this guys house to support him, and they are raising money to pay for him to fly his flag. What next, no pledge of alleginace in school (no, they are already started contesting that one), no National Anthem at sporting events? Sigh, and people wonder where patriotism has gone to in this country. I would be ashamed to have that person as a neighbor, and tell him to move to another country where he wouldn't have the freedom to be an idiot. And all this with the 4th of July coming up, guess he can't fly it then either... Oh well, my $.02 worth.
On a side not, I personally fly the Stars and Stripes in front of my house (except during College footbal season, then the UF GATOR flag goes up, along with my neighbor's UT flag booo!!! hiss!!, go GATORs, can't wait for College football to start again), in fact, after I started flying it, a couple of my neighbors put theirs up.