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February 13, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
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February 7, 2012
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Dec. 5, 2005
/ 4 Kislev, 5766
Good sense makes good neighbors
By
Mitch Albom
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
As someone who has written that government property is no place for religious symbols, I might surprise you with this next sentence. When it comes to your front lawn, it's your god and your grass.
I say this because near where I live, a controversy recently arose over a Christmas display. The Samona family of Novi, Mich., had put a collection of large plastic figures on their front lawn, including Jesus, Mary, Joseph, even Santa Claus.
Then a letter arrived from the management group of the subdivision demanding the Samonas remove the Nativity part of their display.
They were told it violated a rule.
"I don't know who complained, but somebody must have," Joe Samona, the family's 16-year-old son, told me in a radio interview last week. "They said they'll fine us, and we said go ahead, fine us all you want. … They have no right. They are not the government. This is not about separation of church and state, either, because they are not a state."
For 16 years old, he's pretty astute.
And he wasn't alone. When the story made international news, howls of protest came pouring in.
And very quickly, the neighborhood "authorities" changed their tune. They apologized and said the Nativity scene was fine.
Jesus is safe, at least on that block.
But the story brings to light a larger issue about what rights neighbors have to dictate how you keep your property.
I am going to anger every homeowners association president here, but I have to say I never liked those things. To me, they often end up being run by people with too much time on their hands and too big a sense of their own power.
I am not against the idea of a neighborhood chipping in for, say, snow plowing or neighborhood watches or even a block party. It's when these groups turn into the Property Value Police that I get worried.
Because let's face it. When a neighbor complains about another neighbor's paint color or awnings or front-lawn display, it usually has to do with one thing: the value of his own home. Everyone is so crazed that his or her "property value" might go down. "You're affecting my property value!" We have come to view making a fortune off our real estate as some unalienable right.
But tell me something. How many potential buyers decide not to buy your house because the guy next door flies a big American flag on Veterans Day? Or has Mary and Joseph on the front lawn at Christmas?
It's a neighborhood, remember, not a sanitarium.
Besides, what these worried homeowners associations often overlook is this: The neighbors paid for their house, too. They worked hard. They wrote the checks. And part of what they get for owning the house not leasing, not renting, but owning is the right to determine how it looks and how they want to live in it.
I'm not talking about running a crack house in a cul-de-sac. I'm not talking about leaving broken windows or burned-out porches.
But not liking a paint color or a building material or a religious symbol is your problem. Not theirs.
The Novi case is not isolated. You hear stories about such disputes all the time now particularly during the holiday season. We need to lighten up. And we could all learn something from the 16-year-old Samona, who told me about a woman he saw near where he lived, who took out a prayer rug and began to pray.
"She was expressing her faith to herself," he said. "She did not interfere with anybody. She did not make trouble with anybody. She was peaceful, so I went on my way."
Out of the mouths of babes.
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© 2005, THE DETROIT FREE PRESS
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