Comments on: Pawns with Lawns

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:02:20 +0000

Lawns are the least of it! Beacon Woods is run like a Fascist dictatorship. They have over sixteen pages of rules. If you break any one of them, you face a $1000 fine, and they have two law firms at their disposal to do so. If you don’t pay the fine, then they put a lien against your house. The current board, which has had power for over ten years, insures that nobody but their friends get elected. The board, incorporated as a business some years ago. So they profit from the deed restrictions. The more people they fine or take to court enriches their coffers. These people are the most despicable bastards on earth. They prey on the poorer residents, and profit from it. There is no way to fight them, they have ultimate authority. In case you haven’t figured. I am a resident, and they have gone after me for trying to fight them. They do the same to anyone who challenges them. They find anything to write you up over. The last one, was a rear hedge that was too tall. Instead of being the “proper 5 feet” it was six. The neighbor had some weeds in her lawn. It goes on and on. The latest made the news tonight. A mans Christmas decorations were deemed ” a deed restriction” because he included a small white picket fence, as part of his Christmas display. They demanded he take it down immediately. Merry Christmas, from the Beacon Woods Grinch, Tom Pohl President.

By: Don Hawkins

Don Hawkins — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:34:14 +0000

When asked what people needed to do in order to become “one hearted,” the Hopi urge people to encourage rather than threaten life. They encourage people to insure that their actions benefit everyone rather than giving advantage to a few. They say, “Concern for all living things will far surpass personal concerns bringing greater happiness than could formerly be realized. Then all things shall enjoy lasting harmony. The basic premise is that humans cannot simply make their own laws and enforce them with weapons without regard to natural order. The very means of enforcement violates that order, causing precisely the suicidal situation now faced today.”

Now how did the Hopi know this? Well they saw what was happening and said this is not going to work out well. I wonder what Rush would think about this USA USA USA go team go. Now what the Hopi said is that an old way of thinking, no it’s never be tried yet.

By: Max Shields

Max Shields — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:01:14 +0000

James Howard Kunstler in The End of Suburbia, “lawns are a cartoon version of nature”. Suburbia was created to provide a sense of being out of the city and into the country; “reconnecting with nature”. All the trees were/are eliminated, all the natural flora were/are dug up, and in their place is a manicured lawn of green, a “cartoon” of nature.

By: Ron Horn

Ron Horn — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:57:25 +0000

My understanding is that lawns are a legacy of the aristocratic ruling class, especially in England . They loved their lawns and invented all kinds of games to be played on them such as lawn tennis, croquet, badminton, cricket, and golf.

Today’s favorite sport among the capitalist class and its upwardly mobile wannabes is the grass loving sport of golf. I suspect that golf courses are a major contributor of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides that is used in the US and many industrialized capitalist countries. This class has demonstrated very little concern about the future habitability of this planet with their ongoing efforts to oppose any serious attempt to limit their profit making machinery. I doubt that they would go along with any attempts to curb their fun on these environmentally destructive golf courses.

By: lichen

lichen — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:36:49 +0000

Lawns and grass are hideously ugly and useless; we have no ‘lawn’ here, and the majority of space is used for growing organic fruits and vegetables year-round in a failure garden (because the disgusting imperialist serial-killers should achieve ‘victory’.)

By: Michael Dawson

Michael Dawson — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:41:45 +0000

Good one, Mickey. Thanks for all the excellent statistics. Very enlightening.

By: Lijandra

Lijandra — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:46:51 +0000

Nice article, thank you.

By: Tree

Tree — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:26:45 +0000

Thanks for this article. This is something I think about quite often as I live in a neighborhood where no one owns the land their homes sit on but are required to maintain it. This bugs the hell out of me, by the way.
I have zero patience for the homeowners association/suburban fascists but have to temper this with the reality of my situation. I’ve also dealt first hand with just how ugly these d-bags can get.
One small way I’ve found that helps (and I have a small yard anyway) is to grow vegetables and herbs all around my lot in spaces normally reserved for grass and flowers. I plan to increase these spaces this year, too and am only limited by my small budget.
I know I won’t find solidarity in my neighborhood on this issue but that’s ok as long as I can continue doing what I’m doing and not end up in jail like that poor guy in Florida.

Thanks again for this article, Mickey.