Brickbat: Let Us Swear Allegiance to a Land That's Free

Bartow, Florida, code enforcement officers have begun warning residents they must remove "God Bless America" signs from their homes. Many residents put the signs up to celebrate Independence Day, and officials said they were willing to let the violation of the city's sign ordinance slide for a little bit. But they say enough is enough, and if residents don't take down the signs they could face fines.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

This is what happens when you elect a secret Muslim for president!

[Copernicus]

Peak Retard is a many-headed beast.

[Swiss Servator, Zurichmania!]

Some would say a Hydra of Derp.

[Suthenboy]

Code enforcement officers who enforce codes enacted by city council members who are elected?
I wonder what could be done about this.

[Suthenboy]

I looked it up. 62% of the population is associated with evangelical churches. That seems like a population that would be easy to stir up with this. Go to the churches and howl about how the godless city council members need to be fired. I bet within a month those code enforcement officers would be charged with weedeating and maintaining all those God Bless America signs.

[sarcasmic]

"That's a nice tax except status you've got here. Be a shame if something happened to it for talking politics to the congregation."

[Rich]

Ken Wiggins, a certified code enforcement officer for Bartow, said he and another officer began leaving door hangers this week, notifying 20 residents that the signs would have to go.

"Door hangers"? You mean, *signs*?!

[Swiss Servator, Zurichmania!]

They had to post a sign to take down the sign.

[pan fried wylie]

Fighting fire with fire.

Accordingly, the local fire department will also be switching to flamethrowers instead of hoses.

[Old Man With Candy]

Montag?

[Pope Jimbo]

Don't worry. These guys are on the way!

[AlgerHiss]

"Ken Wiggins, a certified code enforcement officer for Bartow?"

Certified? Are you freaking kidding me? There is a certification for this little jack-wad? It is amazing the amount of smoke that must be blown up the ass of a government worker.

By the way, Wiggins, let's not forget another of your "code enforcement" brethren: Dennis Lynn Rader.

[Cyto]

This is a pretty contrived "controversy". The city has an ordinance against temporary signage in the yard - which they don't enforce if you put a sign up for a couple of days, only if you leave it for months. They are not enforcing it based on content. They gave the residents an obvious way out - replace your temporary sign with something permanent that says the same thing, such as a yard flag.

It should be pretty simple to get the ordinance changed if folks really don't like it. But instead we hear a bunch of false-outrage whining about how much they love their country. That's eleven orders of stupid.

I'm very much on the side of "it is your yard, do with it as you will", but these idiots are on the wrong side of every sub-issue here. Just take your stupid sign down, talk to your councilman and mayor and if you really, really feel that it is so important to have a "god bless america" sign in the front yard, go build a permanent one in compliance with local codes. It'll give you a nice way to express your outrage and patriotism at the same time while you "show the man" that "you ain't gonna take it!"

Or you could leave your lame little sign up and force the city to fine you. That'll really show them!

[Scarecrow Repair]

You start with the assumption that polce powers are good, and that what people do with their own property is somebody else's business. You probably go along with the idea that someone who paints their door red and lowers their neighbors' property values is the neigbors' business.

Tell me: if your neighbor improves his property so much that your property value goes up, do you pay him as much as you would have wanted in punishent if he had lowered your property value?

[Zeb]

if your neighbor improves his property so much that your property value goes up, do you pay him as much as you would have wanted in punishent if he had lowered your property value?

Actually, if my neighbor did that, I'd want him to pay me for the increase and property taxes. If you don't intend to sell your home, having the value go up is a liability at least as much as it is a benefit. (Not really, people can do what they want with their property. But I think it nicely illustrates how stupid the "keeping property values up" justification for zoning and code enforcement is.)

[Scarecrow Repair]

Thank you! I hadly ever bring that up because most people can't get past the first part of it.

[Cyto]

You start with the assumption that polce powers are good, and that what people do with their own property is somebody else's business.

Huh? I think I said the opposite of that.

I'm very much on the side of "it is your yard, do with it as you will",

Yup, the exact opposite.

I'm saying these guys are idiots for pretending to be all butt-hurt that the city won't let them display their patriotism. That clearly is not the case. They also have a plethora of remedies available, the worst of which (bitch about a made-up anti-patriotism issue and leave the sign in place) is the one they've chosen.

[Scarecrow Repair]

You say they should follow the police power rules, talk to their representative to change the police power rules, and generally suck it up to their betters.

Those are not remedies for abuse of the right to control your own property when you don't affect anybody else.

[Cyto]

You don't have to acknowledge the thief's right to steal your stuff in order to acknowledge the gun that he has pointed at your head.

[Spartacus]

Bartow would be considerably improved by continuous signage along the road that blocks the view of what a turdhole it actually is.

[Stormy Dragon]

I'm torn here. Obviously people have a right to put "God Bless America" signs on there house.

On the other hand, people how actually do put "God Bless America" signs on their houses make me want to vomit.

[Finrod]

There's no Nazi like a code enforcement Nazi.

[kevrob]

I'd like to see a local atheist or agnostic libertarian confront the local council about this. "I don't agree with the `God' sentiment, but they have TWO 1st Amendment rights being violated here!" - Or words to that effect.

Kevin

[Steve G]

Sing it, sister