Keep your government hands in our business

[kinvore.livejournal.com]

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend in the States, where we honor the men and women who died in military service. You'll see all kinds of patriotic fervor during this time, hell even PBS gets involved, but I'm not by any means complaining. Then we get stuff like this:

A property management company is under hot water for telling a tenant that after Memorial Day he has to take down an American Flag that he has on display in his window.

Here's what gets me:

Dawn Price said she now works to amend the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005, which states no "condominium association, cooperative association, or residential real estate management association" may stop someone from flying the American flag. The law, however, does not apply to renters.

First I'm amazed we even have such a law to begin with, and I'm even more amazed that they want it even more intrusive. I thought conservatives didn't want government telling business what to do? Did these tenants not read their contract before signing it? Shouldn't we let the market decide if this is a good business practice?

It just seems like an example of glaring hypocrisy. Freedom is a double-edged sword, and sometimes it means having to tolerate things you don't agree with.

Comments

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

So, it depends on where the flag is flying. Is the landlord renting the use of the outside of the building (if that's where the flag is)? Is the flag just displayed in a window?

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Check the article--it seems the flag is *inside* the tenants living space, hanging up *next to* a window.

Landlords can't tell you what kind of curtains to put up, can they? So why is this diff? It's inside the space the individual is paying for--I don't get it.

[rasilio.livejournal.com]

As I noted elsewhere, yes they can tell you what kind of curtains to hang

[dwer.livejournal.com]

that would be because curtains aren't political speech.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

OH SNAP!!

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

This isn't prohibited action against speech, because it's not the government doing the prohibiting. Which is why the guy doesn't have a claim under the Constitution. Whether you think it SHOULD be unconstitutional is a different matter, but the law is not what you think it is.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

The government exists to protect people's rights from being trampled by other people. Renting an apartment is not a blank check for the landlord to enforce at their whim.