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Posted by Kate Luther Nov 28, 2006 |
Okay, while I'm normally content to just report the news, there are times like this one, where I feel compelled to offer up a little opinion as well. So brace yourselves... this could be a bumpy ride.
Lisa Jensen in Pagosa Springs, CO has been ordered by the Loma Linda Homeowner's Association to remove her peace sign wreath or be fined $25 per day.
Why?
Because some of the homeowners have complained that the peace sign is anti-war and therefore, anti-war in Iraq, which is unsupportive of our men and women overseas. Other homeowners believed it was a sign of Satan.
"Somebody could put up signs that say drop bombs on Iraq. If you let one go up you have to let them all go up," said Bob Kearns, President of the Association in a telephone interview on Sunday.
Okay, so there's the reporting part. And here's my opinion on the whole thing.
Have we really become this uptight? A symbol of peace is a symbol of peace is a symbol of peace. It doesn't mean we're protesting anything. It just means that we wish peace to all. Is that really such a bad thing?
Somewhere along the line, we forgotten why we're here. We've become so concerned with being politically correct that we've moved beyond being polite and sensitive to being downright ridiculous. Instead of the nation of heroes and rebels our country was born of, we've become a nation of victims, always on the lookout for something that might offend. What ever happened to freedom of speech? When did it become okay for our neighbors to dictate how we express our holiday cheer? Its a wreath for crying out loud - its not anti-anything. It is what it is and nothing more.
There are so many other things going on that are so much more important than one woman's wreath and I would expect those with friends and relatives in Iraq to be especially conscious of that fact. You'd think we would welcome wishes of peace and good will. Instead, we slap them with a fine for being unpatriotic. Is this really the kind of society we've become?
So, shame on Kearns for rewarding this kind of behavior and small-mindedness. And shame on those neighbors who made the complaint - did it ever occur to you to ask her about her wreath before jumping to conclusions? Or are you so sure someone's out to get you that your paranoia overrides your common sense?
And as for the neighbors who thought the symbol might be satanic? Please, please, please... get educated before you speak out. Its much less embarrassing that way.
One last but interesting note: the subdivision's rules require that any signs, billboards or advertising will not be permitted without the consent of the architectural control committee and in this instance, the committee concluded it was a seasonal symbol that *surprise* didn't say anything at all. Kearns ordered the committee to force Jensen to remove the wreath. The committee refused. Kearns fired all five committee members.
Hmmm... sounds like Kearns is the one with the problem.