Land of the free?

[Frenchy]

Wow fined for Flying the Stars and Stripes in the US of A!!! this should be good!

It seems Donald Trump's latest display of patriotism may be too much for this chic oceanside town.
Trump has been cited by Palm Beach officials for hoisting a large American flag atop an 80-foot (24-meter) pole outside his lavish Mar-a-Lago estate and club.
Town officials said the real estate mogul has violated zoning codes by putting up a flagpole taller than 42 feet (12.6 meters), for not obtaining a building permit, and for failing to get permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has until Nov. 27 to apply for the necessary approvals or face a Dec. 21 code enforcement hearing that could result in $250 (€200)-a-day fines.
"You don't need a permit to put up the American flag," Trump said Tuesday. "The day you need a permit to put up the American flag, that will be a sad day for this country."
Trump said it is too soon to comment on how he will respond to the threat of fines.
Lee Hanley, vice chairman of the town's landmarks commission, previously said the 15-by-25-foot (4.5-by-7.5-meter) flag makes the town look like "we have an Okeechobee car dealer," referring to a strip of auto dealerships along Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
Trump responded in a letter last week saying that "anyone who objects should not, in my opinion, hold a public office of any kind — at least not in this country."
The flag appeared outside the Mar-a-Lago estate on Oct. 3.
PALM BEACH, Florida It seems Donald Trump's latest display of patriotism may be too much for this chic oceanside town.
Trump has been cited by Palm Beach officials for hoisting a large American flag atop an 80-foot (24-meter) pole outside his lavish Mar-a-Lago estate and club.
Town officials said the real estate mogul has violated zoning codes by putting up a flagpole taller than 42 feet (12.6 meters), for not obtaining a building permit, and for failing to get permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has until Nov. 27 to apply for the necessary approvals or face a Dec. 21 code enforcement hearing that could result in $250 (€200)-a-day fines.
"You don't need a permit to put up the American flag," Trump said Tuesday. "The day you need a permit to put up the American flag, that will be a sad day for this country."
Trump said it is too soon to comment on how he will respond to the threat of fines.
Lee Hanley, vice chairman of the town's landmarks commission, previously said the 15-by-25-foot (4.5-by-7.5-meter) flag makes the town look like "we have an Okeechobee car dealer," referring to a strip of auto dealerships along Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
Trump responded in a letter last week saying that "anyone who objects should not, in my opinion, hold a public office of any kind — at least not in this country."
The flag appeared outside the Mar-a-Lago estate on Oct. 3

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/...ag_Dispute.php

Story Highlights

• Officials in Palm Beach, Florida, vote to fine Donald Trump $1,250 a day
• Trump fined over flying flag on 80-foot pole at Mar-a-Lago
• Trump filed $25 million lawsuit against city, refused to take down flag
• He says city officials "should be ashamed"
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WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Officials in the ritzy coastal town of Palm Beach have voted to fine Donald Trump $1,250 a day for flying a large American flag atop an 80-foot flagpole at his lavish club in violation of town codes.
Code enforcement officials have accused the 60-year-old real-estate mogul of violating zoning guidelines with a flagpole taller than 42 feet, for not obtaining a building permit, and for not getting permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has refused to take down the flag. He has also filed a $25 million lawsuit against the town arguing, in part, that officials are selectively enforcing ordinances and that flying the American flag at his Mar-A-Lago club is a constitutionally protected expression of free speech.
"The town council of Palm Beach should be ashamed of itself," Trump said Thursday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "They're fining me for putting up the American flag. This is probably a first in United States history."
Trump's club hoisted the 15-by-25-foot flag atop the 80-foot pole at the sprawling waterfront site on October 3. The town had given him until November 27 to remove the flag or apply for approvals.
"I think Mr. Trump, the property owner, picked this fight. I think he's been provocative," said Martin Fried, a member of the town's Code Enforcement Board.
Officials voted Thursday to fine Trump.
Trump said he wouldn't pay any fines and would keep the flag flying.
"It's all up in the court," he said. "It'll be a long time, unfortunately."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/19/tru...ref=rss_latest

[kimbercdp]

I hope the voters of palm beach can find the right lever on election day and vote Lee haney or who ever put lee haney in office, OUT OF OFFICE!

[LorDiego01]

I really want the Cubans to see the flag. That would be neat.

[jdlv4_0]

I really want the Cubans to see the flag. That would be neat.

I am in total agreement, what a crock of _____!

[whoshisface]

I didn't vote because none of the options suited me. I think Trump should apply for a building permit. It's not about the flag to me at all. You need a building permit to put up a flag pole, that's the reason. I could imagine some nitwit making a mistake and the flag pole falling and killing someone. Not that I think this one is ever going to fall, it's not like Donald is going to screw up putting a flag pole in the ground, but rather someone else could.


Now as to rather or not there should even be a law limiting the size of an AMERICAN flag, well that's just silly, the bigger the better.

^I'm changing my mind on this one. I have a rule, think of the most ridiculous situation when it comes to exploiting the law.

Say I bought a home next to yours and I legally tore it down and leveled the ground. Then I put a 1500 foot high pole with a circumference of 100 ft smack dab in the middle so that you end up staring at a huge freaking pole besides your house. Would you like that? I don't think so...

[billamj]

Say I bought a home next to yours and I legally tore it down and leveled the ground. Then I put a 1500 foot high pole with a circumference of 100 ft smack dab in the middle so that you end up staring at a huge freaking pole besides your house. Would you like that? I don't think so...

If I put it up on my property? I'd say tough shit! I'll complain about a number of things, but not the flag. They should just deal with it and shut up!

[ChamberedRound]

It's private property. Trump should have the right to put up a flag pole, flag, security fence, gun turrets, armed guards, howitzers, a beat-up truck on blocks, a statue of Zeus, leftover golden toilets from the Taj Mahal's Penthouse in Atlantic City, and anything else he wants, wherever he wants, within his property lines.

[whoshisface]

That's the heart of the problem of property rights.

I buy a house with a view of the lake and some douche buys some place near me and constructs a 1000 ft wall made up of dried cow shit and now I have no view and it stinks.

You have to measure the rights of each property owner against each other. No one needs a 1000ft wall of cow shit. Now if you want to put up a normal fence that's fine. Say you have a stream going through your property, should you be allowed to divert it into you own personal lake, disrupting everyone else's stream? How about disrupting ground water? Should I be able to angle all of my runoff directly to the side of your house and flood you out? How about if I decided to leave my water hose on just to flood your yard. The property rights of one must be measured against the property rights of others.

Let just say it's not an American flag Donald feels like flying, now he chooses to fly a rainbow flag. Do you want that next door? Okay so you say Donald won't do it but what about the next guy that buys that house....


Now I don't really understand why these people have a problem with it, and I'm thinking they don't really, they just want him to get a permit for his work.

[KeithPA]

That's the heart of the problem of property rights.

I buy a house with a view of the lake and some douche buys some place near me and constructs a 1000 ft wall made up of dried cow shit and now I have no view and it stinks.

You have to measure the rights of each property owner against each other. No one needs a 1000ft wall of cow shit. Now if you want to put up a normal fence that's fine. Say you have a stream going through your property, should you be allowed to divert it into you own personal lake, disrupting everyone else's stream? How about disrupting ground water? Should I be able to angle all of my runoff directly to the side of your house and flood you out? How about if I decided to leave my water hose on just to flood your yard. The property rights of one must be measured against the property rights of others.

Let just say it's not an American flag Donald feels like flying, now he chooses to fly a rainbow flag. Do you want that next door? Okay so you say Donald won't do it but what about the next guy that buys that house....


Now I don't really understand why these people have a problem with it, and I'm thinking they don't really, they just want him to get a permit for his work.

+1

Although, if you want to put a 1000 ft high wall of shit infront of lake erie, I won't object.

I wouldn't be surprised if Trump looked up the town ordinance and purposely bought a flag that is bigger than allowed by the ordinance. He could simply apply for the permit pay the $20 or whatever and put the flag up. It's not an issue of the flag. Trump is making this an issue, they had to city councilman on saying they would have given him the permit. But Trump refused to apply. He's just trying to keep his name in the news as he always does.

This story isn't about banning the size of the flag, if he would apply he would be granted the permit. This is just about him trying to say in the news. Thats it.

I voted for #1, he can make the flag any size he wants, just apply for the permit. Our pool house has to have matching siding to our house per subdivision bi law. I don't think this is a big deal.

[billamj]

I find it very interesting that two people who have been known to take the "keep the government out of my business" tack are now siding with the government on this one. It is on Mr. Trumps property and since we can all agree that it is not harming anyone it is none of the governments business what size it is. End of story.