California has become so ashamed of this great nation and its founding principles that some homeowners’ associations now recoil at the very sight of an American flag.
That appears to be the case in one neighborhood in San Marcos, California, where the HOA has said flags must come down just days away from the Fourth of July.
The New York Post reported Sunday that Amy and Chris Cooke, along with their neighbor Terry Collins, alleged that the HOA has been acting vengefully in the wake of President Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory.
Even prior to the election, the association sent out a letter saying the flag gave a “political or affiliative view” indicating it would “degrade the common area.”
Amy Cooke, 62, commented, “We are outraged, if you want to fly your flag fly it, this is America.”
“We are the land of the free and home of the brave, this is crazy,” she added.
“The American Flag is a symbol of freedom, we know where their brain is at.”
The Cookes have reportedly flown their flag for 20 years in honor of Chris’s grandfather, Alexander Christie, who died fighting in the Pacific Theater during World War 2. As his ship sank, Christie died trying to save anyone he could, being posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Navy Cross.
In the months before the 2024 election, the three neighbors were told by the HOA about flying flags only in “exclusive use” areas.
“Once the members allow use of a common property by an owner to express what is essentially a political or affiliative view in a flag, other owners will want to do the same and the common area will degrade,” the letter read.
These “exclusive use” areas include backyards, rather than “common” areas like the front of the house, but why bother at that point? The intent is patriotism. Americans do not want to hide that they love their country.
Fines for not complying were issued to the tune of $100, with issues like size, being in “common areas,” and being out front of homes mentioned.
Collins has flown her flag for 35 years. She said the neighborhood is patriotic, adding, “We are close to the old Miramar Navy Base, all the Top Gun Pilots lived here.”
She commented on the political dimension the HOA was trying to manifest in its decision.
“Different political opinions should have nothing to do with it,” Collins said.
“We have the ability to hang a flag on our palm trees. I’m buying a giant flag, and I mean giant.” She stated she’s seen neighbors’ flags come down over the months but she won’t budge. “I’m not taking my flag down. They can fine me, $100, $200, $1,000, I’m not paying it.”
She stated the board only has two members who express any patriotism, but their voices are ruled out. The three have a meeting via Zoom with the HOA on Tuesday, but if that doesn’t go well, they’re going to find a lawyer.
Although there is no evidence to suggest outright that the president has anything to do with the decision, the fact alone that an HOA would do this is outrageous.
The New York Post noted that a Freedom to Fly the American Flag Act was passed by Congress in 2005 to keep HOAs from actions like these, but associations may still regulate how it is flown.
The disturbing aspect of this story is that it seems part of an effort to have Americans lose a sense of identity that serves as the foundation for a love of country. A flag is a symbol invoking an array of strong emotions for Americans everywhere who see it.
The HOA in California is not the only power-tripping group of smalltime bureaucrats this Fourth of July.
Fox News reported Saturday that homeowners in Newbury, Massachusetts, were warned about flying their flags, and were told that flags somehow threaten endangered species of birds.
Protected shorebirds supposedly won’t be able to access dune systems or beaches because of them.
It’s a strange and unfortunate time to live when so many actively try to suppress its love of country.
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