Army dad told prayer flags have to go
January 11, 2012 at 8:14 am in Hudson Star-Observer
A Hudson man is refusing to take down the Buddhist prayer flags he attached to the exterior of his rented townhouse the day his son left for basic training in the U.S. Army. Continue Reading
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I bet if it was a Recall Walker sign they wouldn’t complain…
What harm is it doing? Our association will only act if there is a valid complaint from a neighbor- did anyone complain? or are the old guys on the association driving around looking for stuff to do?
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When you sign the lease agreement you are required to abide by the rules in that agreement. Take it down or move.
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Wow, Chad and Brett4 are a couple of pansies. I sure wouldn’t rely on those two when my liberties are being tread upon. If the association rules and the lease violate the Constitution, boys, then the Constitution wins. The Buddhist flags look fine to me. I say Mr. Chering should stick to his guns. Go, man, go!
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Why is that people with no knowledge always have to start name calling online? Probably because they have no argument and because if you did it in person you would end up in rough shape. Anyways, on to your pitiful argument. I must have missed something in the constitution because I don’t remember reading that you can put religous items anywhere you please. Now I know you have never read the constitution and are just throwing around a silly argument so please have some facts and legal basis if you are going to act like you actually have some to stand on. I’m all for personal rights and liberties. This article had nothing to do with either. They live in a house with an association that created a set of bylaws. If you don’t want to live by them then you either try to get them changed or you move somewhere else.
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brett4 & Chad – any “contract” or “agreement” is determined unlawful if it infringes upon constitutional rights. You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to agree with it. But this is protected under the 1st amendment.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Your dear landlord cannot issue contracts or set rules that violate discrimination laws. Federal and state law prohibit discrimination by landlords based upon religion. Obtaining and holding housing without unlawful discrimination is a civil right.
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Read the article: His landlady told him that the association’s rules say nothing can be attached to the exterior of the townhouses.
This has nothing to do with religion
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They actually ban pink flamingos in my bylaws. By your linkage I guess they are discriminating against people over 60 from Florida. Your political correctness is asinine.
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Since when was “housing” one of the rights given to us in the D.O.I.? Maybe its right there next to health care?
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They are renters. They do not own the property and can not do as they please. They signed an agreement to follow the rules. It’s a no-brainer.
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Sometimes it’s more than about rules. The board has every right to ask that the flags be removed, no doubt about it. But, I think there are always exceptions to the rules, and people with common sense should be able to readily define a legitimate exception without opening a can of worms. This is a legitimate exception. But, the renter should make the proper appeal, not act as though he has a right to put up the flags, because the fact is he doesn’t.
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Here’s the problem…..the way the story is written it leads you to believe that he was only asked to take down the prayer flags and not the American Flag. If the rule states that nothing can be on the exterior, then all flags, Christmas lights, windchimes, and all other decorative ornaments must go. The association can’t have it both ways. If his neighbor can have Christmas lights, but he is asked to take down the Buddish flags, then that is discrimination.
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Krista, you are making my point. We expect to see certain things in certain places. I’m pretty sure there have been Christmas (holiday) lights at the association since day one. That’s not a matter of right or wrong, but reality. Holiday lights are hung by Christians and non-Christians and have become a cultural past time. Mr. Chering is doing something out of the ordinary for the association. The request to have the flags removed has nothing to do with religious discrimination, and as a devout follower of Jesus I hope they decide it’s okay for him to hang them.
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Sorry Ron, they aren’t “Holiday” lights they’re Christmas lights. Your political correctness won’t change the fact there are Christmas trees, Christmas parties, Christmas break and Christmas lights. The Holiday is Christmas!
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“the association’s rules say nothing can be attached to the exterior of the townhouses.”
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Rules is rules- follow them. and yes- if they have lights on the OUTSIDE of their townhomes, they should be “cited” too. There are rules for a reason. Mainly being that in modern Amerika, you cant rely on your neighbors to be upstanding, semi-orderly people… Cleatus could move next to you and decide he wants his 83 trans am up on blocks in the front yard. There are RULES to avoid this crap. Most people dont like one ore more of these rules but the only way to avoid themis to buy your own house, in a area without any rules- yes, even some neighborhoods have rules….
It seems that this is pretty clear cut to me, all this “civil liberties” stuff is a bunch of garbage… So what your flags are “religious” they violate the bylaws- they arent making them take them down BECAUSE they are religious….
I also find it odd that they get put up when his son went to boot camp- in the story they say the buddists dont want to harm anyone, yet the kids goes off to a place that basically teaches this….this all is very odd to me…
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Even though I agree in principle with what you write, it doesn’t mean we can’t attempt to be proper neighbors. It seems we have too many extremes of over-regulation or lack of respect. Rules won’t fix that, and unless people set examples of how to react to a problem neighbor we’ll only dig deeper holes. Putting aside the strange component of Buddhism/military son, It would seem reasonable to make the request – the flags are no big deal, but his response is to defy the order and claim discrimination. That’s more the problem than the rules or him wanting to hang some flags from his garage.
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Word.
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OK, how about the Cincinnati landlord who had a “whites only” rule for the swimming pool? She was just trying to keep hair chemicals out of the pool so it wouldn’t get cloudy and be a problem for all the tenants. Rules are rules, right? If a black family doesn’t like it they can move, or just not use the pool. No problem. Funny — that rule was found to be illegal racial discrimination. Seems to me a rule that does not allow this Buddhist family to display their prayer flags is illegal religious discrimination, especially when the landlord is allowing Christmas lights, Christmas wreaths, and American flags on the townhomes.
http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-panel-sticks-white-only-pool-sign-ruling-151624022.html
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This is an example why reasonable discourse in this country has been and is in peril.
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“the association’s rules say nothing can be attached to the exterior of the townhouses.”
No one is saying they can not display their flags. They could attach them to their car, display them indoors or wave them on poles. They just can not attach anything to the exterior of the townhouse.
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This is the very first time I’ve ever run across Buddists making the news over a religious issue.
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It’s not a religious issue, it’s an association rules issue.
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If NOTHING can be attached to the exterior of the townhouses and it’s true tenants can hang Christmas decorations, it sure sounds like discrimination to me.
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I am off to hang my “jesus” gonfalons…., and a couple hot pink, 12 foot crosses…and if the association says anythong about it, its discrimination….
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Christmas decorations are not religious. They are made in China, sold at Walmart and are not mentioned in the Bible once. What does the association rules say about Christmas decorations?
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“Christmas decorations are not religious.”
Now that’s just silly.
I suppose flags and bunting and fireworks on Independence Day aren’t patriotic either?
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Where in the Bible does it say anything about Christmas decorations? I know some non religious people that have the most decorated houses in town. It’s just a tradition that really has nothing to do with religion..
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If Christmas has nothing to do with religion then why does every bleeding heart get all worked up when someone mentions or says Merry Christmas in a public place?
Next thing you know you’ll be calling Christmas a greeting card holiday.
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Fireworks are patriotic? How so?
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The association rules, for the Lighthouse Villas, state that nothing can be ‘permanently attached’ to the exterior of our buildings…now, I am not sure how they have the flags attached…but I don’t think they are permanently attached. I say, let them keep the flags up to do what they intended- to bring their son home safely. Once their son returns home safely, they can remove them. We have an American flag up at our townhouse and we have never been asked to remove it. I think it’s completely unfair…most likely the association had no idea what the flags were for. They probably assumed- like I did- that it was a ‘party’ banner of some sort. I say, let them keep them up…it’s doing no one any harm.
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Exactly, Kendra. It’s doing no one any harm.
And it’s doing one family some good. Maybe more than one.
What about the yellow ribbons that have been plastered all over the countryside and allowed to fray and bleach out? They have no religious connection, but no one seems to complain about them, do they?
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Looks like a used car lot.
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Everyone has a right to their own opinion. I am not sure who on this blog lives in the complex; however I do and even if it does look like a used car lot (which I don’t think it does) it’s still doing no harm. I noticed the flags once when passing by and, until this story ran, I had no idea the flags were still even there. Also, our by-laws were written by the builder who declared bankruptcy a few years back; they were never re-written by the homeowners association- there are many things in our by-laws that need to be looked at. I say, religious or not, tacky to others or just out of the ‘norm’- I do not mind them being up and will never see the damage a set of flags causes.
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I was the original president of this association and I can tell ya the people who run the show now are being dinks about this. There were by laws on what storm door you could attach to homes too, but no one threw a fit if it wasn’t the exact model. There are rules on picking up dog crap, but that never happened, yet you’re still allowed pets. Some people have a bunch of cars parked in the drive way that need to be worked on. They make the area look ghetto, yet they do nothing. So how is this any different. The current president needs to make a choice, either enforce all of it or none of it. You can’t pick and choose. If I was still in charge, I’d let it slide. It’s not harming anyone, and I’ve got better things to do. Maybe they should concentrate on figuring out how they are going to pay for new roofs and other exterior maintenance. Considering they wasted a lot of money on other crap.
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Logan, it sounds to me like the current president is just another ‘big fish in a tiny pond’. Might be time to lose that loser?
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I am glad I don’t live there. Sounds like no one follows the rules and when they are told to do so they have a fit. Might as well eliminate all the rules.
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give an inch….
Of course the correct thing to do would have been to go to the association and ask if he could put them up first, give their meaning, and most likley been given at least temporary permission to hang em high-for whatever reason.
God/budda/FSM (pun intended..) knows that nobody want to “trample the rights” of any possible religion and its wares…unless its a cross…then by god its gotta come down…
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