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Grow Grass Or ... Go To Jail ?!?

anarchy | anti-government | lawn care | local government | Michigan | minarchists | stupid laws

WOOD-TV - Grand Rapids, MI
WHITE CLOUD, MI — A Newaygo County man could spend another weekend behind bars if he doesn’t take care of his yard.

David Burch says he tried to seed the yard last fall but it wouldn’t take root. This all stems from a contractor who failed to sod the yard in the first place. Now a judge is saying, do the yard or do the time.

“The people who work at the court, at the jail, thought it was funny,” Burch said. “They said there had to be more. I said, ’No, it’s just because I don’t have grass growing.’ They said, ’You’re in here for that?’”
This one’s for all you minarchists out there. Not sure you’re a minarchist? Well, a minarchist agrees that the federal government or “big government” is detrimental to freedom, but that local governments are not only necessary, but beneficial. It’s simply further proof that local government can be just as tyrannical as federal governments and that a police force is just as much a threat as a military.

David Burch was put in jail for the weekend because the grass on his front lawn isn’t growing! Now, you may be thinking that this is about “property values” or that his neighbors are upset that his yard is a mess. Then explain how the following fits that theory:
But when it didn’t grow, a county judge ordered the yard planted. It never happened. Again this April - no sprouts. Then, in jail, an inspiration. Burch is sodding his yard with donated turf.

“He has been working on it,” Ungrey said. “However, he remains to this day noncompliant.”

That is because the backyard must also be green.
(emphasis added)

That’s right, not only must his visible front lawn be planted with attractive green grass, but his back lawn (invisible to all but his guests) must have green grass as well!

If you’re thinki9ng that this was all a mistake, or a joke, then don’t forget to check the last line of the article:
Burch was back in court Thursday. The judge told him he has two weeks to complete the job. If not, it’s another weekend back in jail.
Thank God the government is out there protecting my rights and freedoms by throwing a guy in jail, repeatedly, because he doesn’t have grass in his backyard!

Uhmm, this story is so weird!!

Errr, this story is actually so weird/unbelieveable that I almost didn’t believe that it’s true. Anyway, thanks Aahz for sharing it with the rest of us …

Ivan Tadej (user: “tayiper”)

Referral Link: http://www.senserely.com/referral/7777778

Oh and one more thing...

Oh yes, one more thing: I think that we should know (or IOW you should provide) more details about the whole thing, more details on the context of the situation etc. Because I really doubt that it’s so simple as that judge’s saying: “do the yard or do the time” et cetera.

Ivan Tadej (user: “tayiper”)

Referral Link: http://www.senserely.com/referral/7777778

What details would you like?

Did you read the linked article? Watch the linked video footage? It really is as simple as that. They have a rule, he’s failed to meet the standards of that rule (although he’s tried), so they’ve put him in jail.

Did you read the similar story from Utah where a 70 year old woman ended up going to both jail and the hospital because the police decided her lawn was too brown?

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

Sorry, but you got it all wrong

Sorry mate, but you got it all completely wrong. I never said that you made this stuff up. I just wanted to say that it’s such a weird sory that it sounds almost unbelievable. And yes you’re right, I haven’t read the article you linked nor have I watched the video footage basically because I am still connecting with dial-up, and so I think twice (or better yet, three times) before I start downloading/watching/etc. something from the Internet that might be a too huge file/clip.

Ivan Tadej (user: “tayiper”)

Referral Link: http://www.senserely.com/referral/7777778

I feel for you Ivan, no DSL

I feel for you Ivan, no DSL connection and not yet your own domain name, you’re kind of a hero for living in Europe and surfing slowly. I also understand why you don’t like the idea of having your own domain and installing drupal on it, because if the management of the site is online, with a 56K (I hope for you) connection it is too much hassle to have to wait over 10 seconds for each pages to appear, so it’s better to do a website offline and upload the text files once editing is done.

May you one day enjoy fast internet at home, I hope you had the opportunity to try it weither at school or at friend’s home.

Yeah James, but you know...

Yes James, but you know, it’s all rather my own fault (namely me being too lazy), i.e. I’ve sent the “contract” for the ADSL months ago already, but then there were a few extra complications, like for instance I needed to get a “death certificate” of my grandfather (who died already 20 years ago, lol) to be able to change also the normal telephone provider etc., and I was just too lazy to finally settle it (i.e. to get all the papers, and send them to ADSL provider etc.) all out. So yeah, I could have got the ADSL connection months ago already if I wouldn’t be so damn lazy …

Ivan Tadej (user: “tayiper”)

Referral Link: http://www.senserely.com/referral/7777778

Yes, you could simply do a

Yes, you could simply do a fake one, or open adsl in his name so the phone line and adsl account match. I don’t know how much you get from adsense right now but I know you could do 5 and 10 times more with a fast internet, some domain names (with an account at dreamhost and also a paypal account that last one maybe you already have) and time.

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