# Colorado condo nazis tell woman to remove peace wreath-she tells them to suck it **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 27, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903 "2006-11-27T03:38:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/21 "2006-11-27T14:40:47Z")
They can take away my peace wreath when they _pry_ it from my _ **cold, dead fingers!!** _ ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/22 "2006-11-27T14:55:03Z")
[QUOTE=FinnAgain] Is anybody else put in mind of the _X Files_ episode with the garbage monster? [/QUOTE] I loved that episode. As I once saw someone write (I think it was somewhere on Slashdot), HOAs are the last bastion of facism in America. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/23 "2006-11-27T15:10:34Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Depending upon her homeowners covenant, she could very easily lose in court. [/QUOTE] And she said that she “doubts they will be able to make her pay.” I think they will easily be able to get her to pay; by filing a lien on her house, as most likely allowed in the HOA regulations. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/24 "2006-11-27T15:22:25Z")
Jesus, what an ugly wreath. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/25 "2006-11-27T15:27:27Z")
I think the court case will revolve around whether or not the HOA president/asshole can fire the committee because they disagree with him. I don’t know the rules of the Association, so I can’t predict anything about it. In any case, fuck him and fuck all HOAs. (Go ahead, pun away.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/26 "2006-11-27T15:29:32Z")
I’m very disappointed that there were no actually Nazis involved. I feel I was misled. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/27 "2006-11-27T15:34:04Z")
[QUOTE=Hamlet] 40,000 quatloos on the new comer! [/QUOTE] Now _that_ is good. 🙂 [QUOTE=FinnAgain] Is anybody else put in mind of the X Files episode with the garbage monster? [/QUOTE] Every time this subject comes up, my friend. Every time. [QUOTE=Dewey Finn] And she said that she “doubts they will be able to make her pay.” I think they will easily be able to get her to pay; by filing a lien on her house, as most likely allowed in the HOA regulations. [/QUOTE] I agree, and somewhere I have filed away a news account of a family forced to sell their house at auction because they accumulated more than a certain percent of the value of their house in liens. After it was sold, they still somehow had negative equity, and had to declare bankruptcy. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/28 "2006-11-27T15:36:24Z")
Hey, if somebody objects to this message, they are welcome to express their own opinion (e.g. by displaying a big plastic Jesus dressed in camo robes and carrying a bandolier and machine gun). ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/29 "2006-11-27T15:38:15Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] I’m very disappointed that there were no actually Nazis involved. I feel I was misled. [/QUOTE] I suggest you put up a sign about it. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/30 "2006-11-27T15:41:51Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] This woman would very likely lose a court case if her HOA agreement is that broad, and approval of any displays or signs is ultimately up to the ego-tripping petty tyrants who gravitate to these positions. [/QUOTE] While it’s unclear from the story, it seems that the HOA had let slip clear indications that they’re objecting based on the perceived political message of the wreath. If so, they’re dead meat if the matter ends up in court. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/31 "2006-11-27T15:55:21Z")
I can’t wait for this egregious, politically correct violation of free speech to be skewered on Fox News’s Tongue Tied: Dispatches from the Culture Wars. What? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/32 "2006-11-27T15:58:15Z")
[QUOTE=wring] I suggest you put up a sign about it. [/QUOTE] I don’t live in a condo so I can put up anything I want. I just choose not to. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/33 "2006-11-27T16:02:22Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] I don’t live in a condo so I can put up anything I want. I just choose not to. [/QUOTE] I guess I should have used the smiley. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/34 "2006-11-27T16:02:52Z")
[QUOTE=Steve MB] While it’s unclear from the story, it seems that the HOA had let slip clear indications that they’re objecting based on the perceived political message of the wreath. If so, they’re dead meat if the matter ends up in court. [/QUOTE] Why? You can get fired for a political bumper sticker on your car in the parking lot of a private business. Political speech is not particularly protected. This isn’t a government organization. This is a private organization that the homeowner agreed to abide by. Despite any other provisions in the HOA I’m sure there is one that says the president of the association has final say in all matters. The only legal argument would be if there was discrimination due to race, religion or sex. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/35 "2006-11-27T16:03:54Z")
[QUOTE=wring] I guess I should have used the smiley. [/QUOTE] Why? I didn’t use one either. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/36 "2006-11-27T16:09:19Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] Why? You can get fired for a political bumper sticker on your car in the parking lot of a private business. Political speech is not particularly protected. This isn’t a government organization. This is a private organization that the homeowner agreed to abide by. Despite any other provisions in the HOA I’m sure there is one that says the president of the association has final say in all matters. The only legal argument would be if there was discrimination due to race, religion or sex. [/QUOTE] I agree w/this assesment. My dad spent a good ten years trying to sue his HOA over their practices. Never got him anywhere. It’s a private organization, their internal rules are their own. if ya sign on the dotted line, it’ll be the last signage you have complete control over. \*\*Loach \*\* - fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/37 "2006-11-27T16:11:09Z")
I’ve been to Pagosa Springs, I have relatives in Pagosa Springs, and the only thing that surprised me about this story is that someone down there has enough money to pay HOA fees. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/38 "2006-11-27T16:12:21Z")
[QUOTE=Askia] Can’t blame the entire homeowner’s association. According to the article, when five members of the board voted that the peace wreath was no big deal, the board president – Bob Kearns – FIRED them all. Somehow guessing this guy is not a liberal. [/QUOTE] I’m trying to figure this one out. Condo boards are elected by the membership in my experience. The board president normally has no power to hire/fire board members. The woman will probably lose. HOAs have a long track record of findings in their favor. Judges don’t want to open the door for endless lawsuits against them, as it would mean the demise of such organizations. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/39 "2006-11-27T16:29:06Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] I’m trying to figure this one out. Condo boards are elected by the membership in my experience. The board president normally has no power to hire/fire board members. [/QUOTE] The president can’t fire the board members as board members, but in all likelihood the HOA charter says that the committee members serve at the will of the president, and so he can indeed fire them. The only time I lived in an area with an HOA, we had a real nazi heading the architectural control committee, and so I got myself elected to the board just so I could persuade the rest of the board to turn over interpretation of the AAC’s job to the HOA’s attorney, not the AAC chairman. The board president was able to fire the AAC chair as a committee member, but not as a board member. (And everyone cheered when the bitch sold and moved out!) ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903/40 "2006-11-27T16:30:38Z")
[QUOTE=Steve MB] While it’s unclear from the story, it seems that the HOA had let slip clear indications that they’re objecting based on the perceived political message of the wreath. If so, they’re dead meat if the matter ends up in court. [/QUOTE] Why? If the HOA’s committee has the authority to request the removal of any signage or decoration that they feel is disruptive, and they are given that degree of latitude in the HOA contract then it really does not matter what their motivation is. They do not have any sort of “Constitutional” obligation to protect freedom of speech or any thing else. We strongly value rights in this country, but we also strongly value contracts. And when you willingly sign away certain rights in a HOA contract the courts typically hold you to that, and the suggested remedy is to move. I’m not a big fan of HOAs and I’d never live somewhere where you have to be a member of one to buy a home in that subdivision. But strictly speaking most disputes with HOAs are matters of contract law, and typically the petty fascists who run HOAs follow the stipulations of the contract brutally to-the-letter which is why HOAs are so rarely successfully litigated against. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-condo-nazis-tell-woman-to-remove-peace-wreath-she-tells-them-to-suck-it/381903.md?page=3)