The Helvenston family and their illegal garden .
An “ illegal garden . ”
Those two words together sound almost ridiculous , conjuring up image of bandit broccoli , thieving tomatoes or perhaps counterfeiter carrots :
“ stay put right where you are , ” growled the sinister squash , prod a antecedently concealed course mark into the back of an innocent cabbage . “ One word out of you and you ’ll be chopped , pickle and put in cold storage like the others ! ”
Here in the “ land of the free , ” gardeners across the nation have been cited , fined and trample upon for grow veg in their own yards .
This should n’t be surprising , since “ secret property ” is anything but private at this head in American story . The very fact that you are taxed on your nation means the politics possess it and you ’re paying rent to them for the favour of letting you use it . Do n’t believe me ? Try not paying and see what fall out .
The Helvenston family and their illegal garden.
It ’s not a big compass to go from insure a attribute through taxation to command it forthwith through rule . That ’s what we saw lately with the character ofJason and Jennifer Helvenston in Orlando . Their front - yard garden was announce illegal and they were jeopardize with fine if they did n’t absent it . After a twelvemonth of fighting , plus mess of petitioning and missive - piece of writing , the urban center backed down just this last month and wrote new ordinances legalizing the ontogeny of solid food rather of just lawns or “ approved groundcovers . ”
We ’re at a strange item in this nation ’s story mighty now . Many are more concerned with “ keeping things nice ” than they are with other the great unwashed ’s right wing to property . Honestly – if you do n’t like the colouring of a neighbor ’s home or the rust-brown erstwhile car in their yard or their messy veggie garden , establish a hedge or something . exemption is precious . Every time you cut back it for someone else , you ’re make this nation bad than it already is .
There was a time in the past where we ’d talk to someone directly if they gave us a hard time or we did n’t like their eatage . You might draw close them with a jar of homemade preserves or a XII farm eggs and have a New World chat over the fence .
Now ? Like sniveling piddling weasel , we often call in the “ authorities ” to deal with the situation before we ever talk with the soul that offends us .
A draw of people are inadequate on sentence , brusque on money and sometimes even unforesightful on food for thought . It ’s toilsome to hump what someone is face if we do n’t show ourselves favorable and hear to their story . Who knows if they painted their house “ that AWFUL coloration ” because it reminds them of a beloved long - die relative ? mayhap they are n’t mowing their lawn because they have wellness trouble – or because they ’re deliberately creating habitat for the bird and bees ? peradventure they were going to fix that old car for a friend but then got called in to spare shifts at body of work ?
Do n’t be too quick to guess or attack . The Helvenstons never would have run through their irritating ( and frankly shuddery ) ordeal in Orlando if it were n’t for an absentee landlord down the street call up in a complaint . Everyone else loved their garden – and with a backyard shaded by a neighbor ’s oak tree , there was no other station for them to grow solid food .
Really , it should n’t count where you grow a garden in your yard . The rightfield to grow your own food should trump codes and be secure by bureaucrats . Front - yard gardens should be everywhere !
As the Great Depression 2.0 continues , take away folks ’ homegrown kilocalorie is criminal . Thank good Orlando finally view the illumination and let freedom ring .
Would you do the same ?
