There’s a controversy brewing in a Louisiana town. A sign in a front yard has made national news and now has a Facebook support page. It’s a sign with a picture of a deployed service member on it and words of support from his parents. The Homeowners Association doesn’t want this in the front yard and now it’s turned into a lawsuit.
Signs to show support for the parents are being printed and sold at $5-$10 a pop for others to place in their yards. They can spend their money how they want, but those amounts would go great in the coffers of established groups that support military members and their families.
So here’s my question. For all these supporters that want a part of a media story, how many have gone to the nearby military installation and volunteered to help out a family with a deployed member? You know, cut the grass, walk the dog or deliver a dinner?
I’d actually be upset if the sign was in my neighborhood. I don’t like it when my neighbors leave their trash cans out for days or have overgrown grass. If one chooses a neighborhood with a HOA, they choose to abide by the guidelines. Our military status or, in this case, family affiliation, doesn’t trump rules and being good neighbors.
They can support their son with a blue star banner in the window, packages, letters, or volunteering on the local base. However, this is their choice and now the lawyers are going to profit.
If all of this energy going into ‘fighting the man’ went into practical support for the military families, that would be saying a lot, though it probably wouldn’t get national attention or this number of citizens involved.
