The HV HOA/flag flap

Unless you don't read any papers (even the freebies) or watch your local TV news (shame on you!), or unless you're on a summer-long vacation (send a postcard!), you've heard of the Great Flag Flap of 2006 going on in Highland Village.

A woman living in an HV neighborhood with an HOA has planted a few dozen small flags all around her front yard, and she wants to keep them there as a permanent display. The HOA says "whoa - that's going beyond a seasonal decoration (like Christmas lights) and now you need to get HOA approval before you make such a permanent change to your home's appearance." Lady says she doesn't need HOA approval to display the Stars and Stripes, any which way she wants.

I'm all for the American flag. In fact I have a 20-foot flagpole with a 4x6 flag hoisted above it. It's up 24 hours a day for parts of the year, and I have it lit at night. We have an HOA too in our neighborhood, so when I wanted to put up the pole back in 2000, I sent a letter to the HOA board asking permission. At first, my request was denied, but rather than calling the newspapers and TV stations, I called up a board member and found out what the concerns were. As soon as I sent along some additional information, including a map of my front yard where I wanted the flag to go, and as soon as they saw I had a place in mind that was setback from the street, and once they envisioned how it would be appropriately scaled next to my house, they gave me the green light.

So I don't have much sympathy for the HV lady, who put up her display without asking, and who now doesn't appear to want to apply for that approval. Sometimes HOA officers in some neighborhoods like to play king or queen and overstep their authority. But most times, they just want to keep the neighborhood looking its best.

My question for her is ... if she didn't want to abide by an HOA's rules, why did she move into that house in the first place?

What do you think? Is she taking this too far, or do you think I'm crazy?