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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Tom Writes:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>No, no, no, gc - You may file Don Huskey's complaint under "the
totally objective scrutiny of team Huskey/Opyr/Hansen" all you friggin'
want. I personally don't really care. You can go as far as filing my portion
of this action under "Hansen Hates Wilson", "Asshole Hansen is
Pickin' on 'Just Call Me Comb-Over' Courtney", etc. etc. I don't care. It's
a simple matter of the Moscow City Zoning Code. If you are aware of ANYBODY in
violation of the code, PLEASE feel free to sing along with us, ok? If you
really feel that this is all a matter of religious persecution, file a
statement with the MOscow City Council to that effect, or do you lack sufficent
quantity of the proper genetalia to do so. The bottom line is: If somebody is
subletting their residence without the proper permit, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW.
You remember the law, dontcha? That's the stuff we are ALL required to abide
by.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Me:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>I think there is a mild problem here—perhaps for both sides in
the debate—with respect to the role law actually plays in our town, or
any <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place>
town. I think there is probably a fair chance that a significant portion of us
have technically violated law or code over the last five years in some way and
to some degree. This might include jay walking, going over the speed limit,
making some innocent tax calculation mistakes, engaging temporarily and
ignorantly in an activity contrary to city code (perhaps because we are
accustomed to a different city’s code), etc. This is why there the
difference between a litigious culture and a non-litigious culture is so
practically important to all of us. I would propose (in my own stupidity to
make a point) that law is most effective in a culture somewhere in between;
perhaps this middle ground is secured when folks are educated in the law and practice
a professionalism that often seeks legal counsel, and yet also understand that
litigation, or filing and pushing through complaints, is usually not a
‘win’ situation for anyone and a last resort. This is why I think
we should all be concerned about the general equity at issue here. Do we want
to endorse and encourage a use of the law that might come and bite us next
year? Keep in mind, anyone can file a law suit about anything anytime they
want. This becomes particularly problematic when it is an attorney doing this
over a personal gripe. I have felt the teeth of this latter scenario myself:
just make bogus claims, keep filing things, deceive your opponent into a
default judgment, and then enjoy the negotiation money as your opponent spends
his parents’ inheritance on attorney fees so that he can finally go on
with life. It is possible to abuse the law, whether you have the facts and the
correct interpretation of law on your side or not. This doesn’t happen
often here, but it is perhaps a bit more frequent in <st1:place w:st="on">Southern
CA</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>If we suspect there might have been a murder, then it makes sense to
start turning up rocks to find a culprit and have the law do what it is
supposed to do—enact its own vengeance so that we don’t try to enact
our own. But residential code serves a different purpose. This is perhaps why
the city will wait until a particular complaint is filed before they would
enforce some aspects of the code. If folks are living in harmony with one
another then there is perhaps not usually reason for enforcement. For example,
if there is a code with respect to exterior lighting on my house (e.g. wattage
limits and direction of lighting), and I break that code because of some cool
lights I just bought at Costco, then I would sure hope that it is my neighbor
who files a complaint after first talking to me about their concern, and not
someone who doesn’t like the philosophical stances I take on my web
site. I think this opens the question of ‘standing.’ <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>In sum, I think that the question of standing should be considered by
the city if it is legally possible for them to do so, while at the same time
giving those who filed the complaint full opportunity to defend their
standing. From my point of view, I have heard good arguments on both sides.
And yet, I must still go back to a previous post of mine and say that all of
this will be in vain if the underlying issues potentially motivating this are
not addressed in more sufficient fashion. Perhaps <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PersonName
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Christ</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:PersonName></st1:place> and NSA would like
to finally offer a humble stance in this community before the FBI and Southern
Poverty Law Center make another trip.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>My Two Cents<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Michael Metzler <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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