01/24/07 - Real estate mogul Donald Trump has never been accused on
being unpatriotic, but sometimes patriotism can be carried a bit too far --
at least according to the Town of Palm Beach where he has a modest
residence called Mar-a-Lago.
The Donald likes to fly his American flag proudly, and no one faults him
for that. The town fathers, however, are unhappy with the size of the flag
-- 20 by 30 feet, far in excess of the town's law limiting flags to 4 by 6 feet.
The town requested that Mr. Trump take down his flag, but he refused,
and he has been slapped with a $1,250-a-day fine since January 6. Not
one to take this lying down, Trump has sued the town for $25 million. If
he wins, he says he wants the money to go to returning service members
from Iraq.
The town's attorney, John DeVault, requested the case be moved to
federal court because the lawsuit claims violations of Trump's right to
free speech, a federal issue.
Floridians
and wannabees
