Oregon veteran faces eviction if he hangs US flag

[Old Fart]

http://news.yahoo.com/oregon-veteran-faces-eviction-hangs-us-flag-191254150.html
 
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) — Edward Zivica, a 70-year-old who served in the Navy in the 1960s, faces a hard choice come Veterans Day next week: He can obey the rules and remain in his apartment complex, or he can follow his tradition of hanging the American flag outside his place.
The managers at his subsidized housing project in Springfield, Ore., have given him notice he'll be evicted if he again violates the rules against putting anything on the exterior walls.
That notice came after the flag went up on Oct. 27 for Navy Day, one of several that Zivica marks by hanging it outside the community room near the main entrance. He'd gotten a letter from the management in June telling him to quit.
Zivica was in the Navy's Submarine Service from 1960 to 1967, the Eugene Register-Guard (http://bit.ly/sNKhiN) reported.
The flag, he said, was one the Army sent when his dad, a World War II veteran, died. Zivica says a brother also served, in Korea, as a Marine.
He told the paper he doesn't have many options for housing, so he would knuckle under and sign a compliance notice, which he called "a confession" and "an apology."
But he also said he finds it hard not to hang the flag on Veterans Day.
"It's one of the biggest days of the year for us," he said. "... I guess we'll see what happens."
The downtown apartment complex is managed by St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, which opened it in 2009 with Zivica as one of the first tenants. CEO Terry McDonald said the action wasn't aimed at the American flag as such but rather at preventing a precedent that could lead to more-controversial flags or banners.
"If you're going to live in a situation where there's lots of other tenants, you need to follow the rules that are set up," McDonald told KVAL-TV, which first reported the story (http://bit.ly/vLRh9f).
After residents requested one, management has put up a flagpole. Zivica calls it "flimsy and cheesy-looking," plastic with no lanyard to hoist the flag or lower it to half-staff. The small flag, he said, has faded to orange after less than a year.

[Conan The Librarian]

This sort of thing comes up every few months. Bottom line is that people really need to understand their rental agreements before moving in if they want to do this. Town home communities, apartments, and even some suburbs have strict rules about things like how long the grass can be, what color roof the house has to have, whether kids are allowed, minimum age for adults, etc. If you don't like it, then don't live there. I say take the flag down, then move if it's that upsetting.

[Shu]

I think maybe he should apologize something like this-
I served my country with honor as did many of my family members. I realize I am violating the rental agreement and this is really a contentious spot for you. This is America and you have the right, and legal precedence to evict me for honoring my country and family members who gave you these rights and judicial system. I am happy my family's and many others sacrifices aren't being wasted. I realize America is involved in wars etc most people don't agree with but our sacrifice again allows you to protest or speak out against us. Thank you for letting me serve this great nation and provide you with a means to show your disapproval of its flag and veterans by allowing me to fly it one day out of the year. I apologize for rendering honors to those who have served and sacrificed so that your rental agreement can stand strong and proud.
Respectfully
US NAVY Veteran.

[Spirithawk]

Aparantly the rental agreement states you can't hang anything on the wall. Fair enough. I'd get a free standing pole, put the flag on it, stand it outside my door and tell them to stoop down and kiss my......Well you get the idea!

[briarpatch]

If it was allowed any one could fly a flag. muslim, mexican, etc.
Why dont he get with the rest of the vets and start a donation to buy a good flag pole and a good flag. I would think the complex would allow that. He could be the keeper of the flag.
By the way it sucks he cant fly one, but......

[oneoldsap]

     As Theodore Roosevelt said . There is room for but one flag , the American Flag . The only foreign flags allowed to fly in this country should be at the UN complex in New York ! If you fly a foreign flag in the country that I served , we have a problem !

[Spirithawk]

Wanna bet if it had been a Mexican flag there wouldn't have been a problem?

[briarpatch]

You are probably right Spirithawk.

[lakota]

Wanna bet if it had been a Mexican flag there wouldn't have been a problem?

You can bet there would be a major nation wide head line news media problem if it were asked that it be taken down

[ratdog]

+ 1 on that im with you.

[yellowtail3]

Wanna bet if it had been a Mexican flag there wouldn't have been a problem?

Yeah, I'd take that bet, and almost certainly win. The idea that poor Zivica is being pursecuted because is breaks the rules, isn't credible. Is he in fantasyland? Did he sign a confession? Maybe he thinks he's in the Hanoi Hilton, and the mgmt are The Gooks.
 
Or maybe they've singled out this Veteran because they hate America? Which?
 
If he'd been flying a Mexican flag on Cinco de Mayo, you'd have a whole diff bunch complaining. And when he got told to take that down, no one would bat an eye, and we wouldn't be looking at this thread.

[DANNY-L]

Sucks and just aint right but if he's got to go by the rules he could take all his curtains down and hang a flag over the inside of his windows,year round if he likes or better yet have curtains of the american flag made and hang them with pride. I wonder what country the landlord is from it's apparent it's not ours. personally I'de hang it anyway and if something happens go public if nothing more than self satisfaction.

[powderman]

SPIRITHAWK. YEP. If I were him I'd make sure nobody showed a mex flag on stinko de mayo day. POWDERMAN.