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Neighbors Find Obscenity Mowed Into Lawn
ClickonDetroit ^ | September 15, 2005

Posted on 09/16/2005 6:37:00 AM PDT by ShadowDancer

Neighbors Find Obscenity Mowed Into Lawn

Parents Worry For Children Who See Message

POSTED: 3:09 pm EDT September 15, 2005
UPDATED: 5:14 pm EDT September 15, 2005

OMAHA, Neb. -- An Omaha man mowed an obscenity into his lawn, and now his neighbors are upset because they don't want their children to see the nasty language.

The homeowner, who neighbors told Omaha TV station KETV has the last name Miller, cut a two-word expletive into his front lawn after being warned by the city about excessive grass and weeds around his house. The phrase is about 30 feet long across his yard.

"I saw the neighbor's yard with some derogatory statements mowed into the yard," said neighbor Traci Tunzer.

Tunzer said she's been hoping her neighbor would mow the long grass in his yard, but she's upset by the way he decided to mow it. Tunzer said there's a school nearby.

"I have three children, and two of them will definitely know what that says. It worries me," she said. "We don't want our children to be around that kind of stuff."

Down the hill, neighbor Bernie Horstmeyer said he is in disbelief.

"When I first saw it, I saw the big 'U,' and I had to back up just to see if that's what it really said," he said.

Horstmeyer and other residents said the homeowner was warned by the city about excessive weeds and tall grass in his yard. They said the expletive could be his response, or just a prank.

"I don't know if he got turned in (or) why he did it. Or he's just bored and decided to mow it," one neighbor said.

City officials couldn't verify the homeowner's name. No one answered at his front door, and further attempts by KETV to contact him were unsuccessful.

City prosecutor Marty Conboy said little can be done legally about the yard.

"There really is no criminal law that covers these kinds of vulgarities," Conboy said.

Conboy said it would be different if the homeowner threatened city employees by saying the expletive, but on the lawn, it's a passive statement protected by the 1st Amendment.

"As much as you might shake your head at what kind of reasoning is involved, it's not prohibited," Conboy said. "A person who wants to make a statement in public, that doesn't invoke a violent response, is protected by the constitution."

Conboy said he is "disappointed" that someone would use his 1st Amendment rights in such a manner.

City codes dictate that lawns taller than 10 inches can be ticketed, but Parks and Planning officials said that unless the grass that formed the expletive met that criterion, there was nothing they could do to force its removal.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; US: Nebraska
KEYWORDS: lolol
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To: najida
SURE! I've got 1000 sqft, on a big lot, located on a main drag into a major city, my front door is less than 30 feet from morning rush hour traffic, I'm close enough to the stadium that there is no available street parking any time there is any event at said stadium, I have a long very skinny lot, zoned R-2, but the city won't let me put in a granny unit in the back, despite the fact that 75% of my neighbors have one, oh, BTW, the city is building a low income apartment building in the block behind me, it's now tall enough that it towers over the intervening trees and houses (don't worry, though, it's reserved for teachers police and firefighters - or so they told us, and they wouldn't LIE to us would they???? - it's on a medium risk flood plain, in a high risk earthquake zone (thixotropic soil) OTOH, it survived the '06 'quake, it was a badly neglected rental for decades before my ex bought it (she got my old house, I got hers). OH! I almost forgot! It's on a Superfund site.

Contact me for escrow details...

81 posted on 09/16/2005 7:46:28 AM PDT by null and void (If you can read this, you are too close.)
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To: ShadowDancer
Hahahaha, I've done that.

I've broken SIX shovels trying to get weeds out of mine! (Anise has really deep roots)...

82 posted on 09/16/2005 7:49:33 AM PDT by null and void (If you can read this, you are too close.)
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To: penelopesire

Normally I agree. But not cutting your lawn is just nasty. I have little sympathy for these types and those who are real garbage collectors and have parts of cars, appliances, scrap metal, etc... piled all over the place.

Those two types deserve ALL the bad that Gov't can do to them.


83 posted on 09/16/2005 7:49:53 AM PDT by SengirV
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To: Red Badger
> I was being both serious and tongue-in-cheek at the same time. If they don't like the "lawn language" or the high grass, the only alternative is complete regulation by some city or local authority. Here, in Ft. Walton Beach, we call them (among other things) Lawn Nazis...........

Okay, cool. "Lawn Nazis"... that fits.

Out here in the country, the only reason I keep my lawn cut is that if it gets over 8 inches, I run into nests of ground bees and/or rabbits, the next time I mow. The ground bees are nasty little b4574rds, and I feel real bad when I wing the bunnies with the mower blade.

Federalist that I am, I support anyone's right to set up their home and live how they like, as long as they follow the local (community, state) rules. If they don't like the rules, move to where they're more copasetic.

So the fact that this guy is in a regulated area means he's gonna get hassled about his lawn. I am kinda rooting for him, as long as he plays within the rules of the association; but so should everybody else, including respect for private property.

84 posted on 09/16/2005 7:50:20 AM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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To: null and void

What is a granny unit?


85 posted on 09/16/2005 7:51:07 AM PDT by AxelPaulsenJr (Pray Daily For Our Troops and President Bush and the Gulf Coast.)
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To: varyouga
The Culprit: Caught on Cam

86 posted on 09/16/2005 7:51:33 AM PDT by wolficatZ (Higgens - "Zeus...Apollo...Search and Zot!"....)
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To: dayglored
Federalist that I am, I support anyone's right to set up their home and live how they like, as long as they follow the local (community, state) rules. If they don't like the rules, move to where they're more copasetic.

And that's the bottom line. People who move into a neighborhood with covenants, lawn rules etc... and then think they have a right to just disregard them are akin to those who sue to have the pledge removed from public schools etc.

87 posted on 09/16/2005 7:53:46 AM PDT by kjam22
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To: anonymous_user

A Drive-By Round-Up


88 posted on 09/16/2005 7:54:00 AM PDT by TX Bluebonnet
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To: MineralMan
Live and let live.

Unless BTK is the local code enforcement dude...

89 posted on 09/16/2005 7:54:25 AM PDT by ErnBatavia (Cindy, ya shoulda stuck with "offshore drilling" as your cause)
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To: ArrogantBustard
> For all you DU-dwellers and your circlejerk fantasies about messing up your neighbor's lawn:... "Warning - No Trespassing. Violators will be shot; Survivors will be shot again"

You got THAT right. ;-)

90 posted on 09/16/2005 7:55:10 AM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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To: TX Bluebonnet

Round up works good... but if you know anybody with a chemical license that can get full strength Paraquat.... well Paraquat makes Roundup look like candy.


91 posted on 09/16/2005 7:55:29 AM PDT by kjam22
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To: null and void

What's really scary is I have even done the trimming with scissors thing. LOL. We have an electric edger, a gas powered weed whacker and a gas powered blower, all of which I refuse to use. I have no idea why, I just prefer to do things manually when I work outside. One time last year my grass clippers broke and I did the trimming, front and back, with house scissors. Jesus, I sound like a freak. Hahahaha


92 posted on 09/16/2005 7:56:00 AM PDT by ShadowDancer (Stupid people make my brain sad.)
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To: ShadowDancer

Bet your yard isn't 175' x 175' like mine.


93 posted on 09/16/2005 7:57:21 AM PDT by AxelPaulsenJr (Pray Daily For Our Troops and President Bush and the Gulf Coast.)
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To: dayglored

I think this guy's problem was with a city Lawn Nazi, not an ASSociation. Even here, they are a little more lenient. Grass is allowed to be 18 inches or less.........


94 posted on 09/16/2005 7:58:36 AM PDT by Red Badger (BLAME = Democrat .......BALM = Republican.........Which would an evacuee choose?......)
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To: ShadowDancer

Hun,
I have a butcher knife that I use when I work outside. Best tool I have.


95 posted on 09/16/2005 7:58:48 AM PDT by najida (So, I said to myself -Self, I really think shrimp heads in the flower pots as compost is a bit much!)
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To: MineralMan
Bad idea. Advising someone to use roundup on someone else's lawn is just a bad idea.

Alas, you're right. Salt is much cheaper.

96 posted on 09/16/2005 7:59:47 AM PDT by anonymous_user (You gotta be passionate about something. I guess.)
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To: TC Rider
Here's how a neighborhood should work.

Exactly! We meet all the neighbors whenever it snows.

97 posted on 09/16/2005 8:02:21 AM PDT by anonymous_user (You gotta be passionate about something. I guess.)
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To: kjam22

I have a friend who got some Velpar to remove invasive bamboo in his backyard. He didn't read the directions (of course) and applied it 2 or 3 times because it wasn't working. THEN he read the directions which said it was water activated. When it finally rained, it took out the bamboo, part of the neighbors yard and a neighbors tree. That ground was stile for about a year.


98 posted on 09/16/2005 8:02:57 AM PDT by TX Bluebonnet
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To: AxelPaulsenJr
What is a granny unit?

Also known as a mother-in-law cottage, a small second house on the same lot as the 'big' house.

I had hoped to put in a 2 br cottage and rent it out, doing my bit to help relieve the city's chronic housing shortage, and make enough to cover the mortgages. (And cover more ground so there would be less to mow!)

99 posted on 09/16/2005 8:03:06 AM PDT by null and void (If you can read this, you are too close.)
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To: Red Badger
> I think this guy's problem was with a city Lawn Nazi, not an ASSociation. Even here, they are a little more lenient. Grass is allowed to be 18 inches or less.........

You're quite correct -- it's the city. My error.

Wow, 18 inches. If my grass got that long, I'd probably find more than just ground bees and rabbits next time out with the hand mower. Probably need to get the tractor and field mower for that...

100 posted on 09/16/2005 8:03:52 AM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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