Neighbor two doors down is anti-smoke nazi

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If you could get some supporting letters from some of the experts here it might help. Post photos (if you haven't already), and people can write letters saying that the installation looks fine, etc.

I'm a n00b at woodburning (mostly), but I've seen plenty of bureaucratic battles like these. It sometimes takes a bit of "outside concern" to make sure they go by the book. Also, write down or record every incidence of harassment; you have to let them dig their own grave a bit to clinch your case.

From personal experience, I can say that having others on your side is less stressful than fighting it out alone.

The ones that don't have a case are usually the most obnoxious :).
 
Offer to take them on a fishing trip....
 
all I can say further is you folks have way more patients than I do as I would probably not be able to resist the urge to toss in some green wood when the wind shifted to the right er I mean wrong direction.
 
crazy_dan said:
all I can say further is you folks have way more patients than I do as I would probably not be able to resist the urge to toss in some green wood when the wind shifted to the right er I mean wrong direction.

The heck with green wood , how about some nice toxic lead painted wood or aresinic pressure treated wood, a few aluminum cans ,for alhimers desease, some plywood with toxic glues, & some stained & finished old furnature pieces & a couple of old tractor tires. That would fix them all. Then sell your house & move to another state with no neighbors.
:coolgrin: :vampire: :coolmad: :snake:
 
Maybe you should print this thread and leave it in his mailbox.
 
I surely appreciate your replies - this stuff just drives me nuts.
What's worse is now I'm going to have to make sure the dog is always on leash, I get a permit for every project I do outside, etc, etc,
I'm sure once they don't get their way with this issue, they'll be looking for every possible opportunity to "get back at us" in some way.
 
Too bad you can't just find a nice little farm house in the country with some land and leave the jerk behind...
 
well, the reason we live here is it's on a lake - and we really like the water lifestyle in the summer - (I spent months restoring an old 'glass ski boat)
I have a rental property 8 miles away with a pole barn where I work on cars and the like -- what I hope to do is sell two properties and buy one....
when we find one with a large enough lot for a barn (or an existing barn) on the lake --- the problem is with Michigan's economy and housing crisis - we likely couldnt' get what we paid for our house...
so, we're 'stuck' for now.
 
Got it, so for now: kill them with kindness, tell them what they want to hear and do what you want to do. Find out where you actually stand from and absolute legal point of view and keep dancing around the issue until you can get to where you want to be.

There are a lot of wood burners in this world; and we all love it just as much as those folks love to be a pain in the butt.
 
Too bad you can't just poop him in the nose but you can't. That is just what he needs. I have dealt with #$$holes for a living all my working life and based on all that I would say just stay away from him. This is how you wear him down! First make sure that your smoke is bothering no one else that you can reasonably find. Make sure like others have said not to give him any ammunition like green wood in fact be as considerate as you can. Yea I know it hurts to be nice to idiots doesn't it. You should make up some sort of log book and go around asking everyone you know nearby to sign it that they haven't been bothered by your burning to their knowledge. Start recording each and every instance of you being bothered by or because of this guy, the town , association, whatever. Try if you can to get a witness if possible each time and record their name. Keep that log in some form of bound journal and keep it up to date. Personally I would not even talk to the guy at all. If he challenges you in any way just tell him you aren't going to deal with him and walk away immediately. Don't say anything for a parting comment and of course record the incident in your log. That of course goes for phone calls too and again just say goodbye and hang up immediately. I know it really hurts but believe me by not being drawn into an altercation you will send his bloodpressure sky high and make his frustration almost unbearable. SAY NOTHING PERIOD just walk away.
What you are doing aside from driving the guy nuts is building your case for whatever he will dream up down the road. If nothing else you are creating a legally admissible record showing what an agitator he is and what a reasonable, decent VICTIM OF ALL THIS UNFOUNDED HARASSMENT you are. The key word here of course is victim which is so in vogue the last 15 years. Its foolish but hey any port in a storm so why not use it for you if you can. You will be setting this guy up to look like what he is, a chronic irrational complainer. Once you have done that you will have the authorities on your side or at least sympathetic to your plight if you have to file for a restraining order.
Authorities are quite experienced with these sorts as they are constantly bombarded by their recurring complaints. A local village cop near me once told me that the vast majority of the complaints in their years police log had been filed by the same nut job. I think it was something like 250 out of 300 roughly, every long hair that walked by on the street, stranger in town ect. I believed it since I worked with the guy for many years and he was really erratic much of the time and since he carried a gun for a living downright dangerous. Dangerous or not just remember to be nice or better yet avoid the guy so that he looks like the donkey not you. Yea I know its so damned hard when you just want to go pop him in the nose...........................Give it a while and he will probably move away.
 
I've got a neighbor just like this I have been dealing with for 22 years. I've had the state police, DEC ,zoning, and building inspector at my place about every 6 months during the 22 years. I used to hate it but now I love it ! It has turned into a game for me. Little does he know I have several files of him using town equipment (he's a town employee) to plow his drive and landscape his front yard. Also have pics of him trespassing on my property( gotta love game cameras). Pics of his wife dumping wood ashes and cat litter on my property. Pics of his pickup in his yard loaded with asbestos siding and used motor oil .Pics of said siding and oil dumped on a back road nearby.And to top it all off his father (behind my property) who doesn't give me any grief ( but I wouldn't hesitate at playing this wildcard when things get real ugly) has cleared and farmed about 3 acres of my property AND installed a septic system on my property.One of my first experiences with him involved zoning. I got a lawyer and my lawyer said " go to the zoning meeting and play it cool, when the meeting is over (no matter what the outcome) go home and do what you want to do with your property but get it done FAST, if zoning visits you give them my # and tell them your pockets are deeper than the townships pockets and have their lawyer call me". I went to the meeting and my varience was denied ,they said I couldn't open a business like I wanted in this area .I did what I wanted anyway ( building and access -the whole 9 yards) and zoning never said a peep. Recently he made some bogus complaints to the DEC and I had to meet several times with them to appease them. They kept asking for more meetings and I got sick of their run around so I called their bluff. I told them to fine me if they were going to or leave me alone. It's been almost a year and I haven't heard a word.

Bottom line is if you know you're right (your township supervisor said you were)just lurk in the shadows collect your ammo and when he pulls the last straw come out with both barrels blazing. I gaurantee he will hang him self sometime ( be patient it will happen just don't let him know what you're up to), just have your camera ready at all times. If you really want to have some fun get a game camera and hang it from the side of your house(if he asks tell him its a sprinkler timer) pointing towards his and let the games begin. You'll be surprised what happens when you're not home or not looking out the window.
 
Save the pencil necked sucking up for the fairies on the block. Tell this bastard that if he doesn't wind his neck in you'll punch his lights out. End of story.

Yes, Scotland is a slightly wilder place than America.
 
You really have to stress the fact that when there is no NG -no electric, that people really do freeze to death!!

If they can`t comprehend that , then these neighbours aren`t real people!! For whatever reason, they think they will live forever,and that just ain`t so. Therefore,take comfort in the fact that you are not dealing with real human beings. These are futuristac people living in a fururistac world that doesn`t exist? It is a fantasy world~~

On a personal basis, and I ain`t kidding, I would just tell them to "go and f%$#@ themselves! I just have no tolerance for people that live in a "fantasy world".. These are the same kind of people that will bow down to those that call us "infidels", and all we have to do is what the dictator dictates.... CRAP!!







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How did we get to the point in this world where all you have to do is be offended by something in order to try and push somebody else around?

If you're legal and within your rights, I say keep burning. I'd have as little interaction as possible with the neighbor, and maybe humor the local government people a little bit, but they probably already know that this deal is a waste of time.

-SF
 
pict said:
Save the pencil necked sucking up for the fairies on the block. Tell this bastard that if he doesn't wind his neck in you'll punch his lights out. End of story.

Yes, Scotland is a slightly wilder place than America.
YA !!!!!!!!! What he said !
 
Two problems come to mind with that approach:
1 - maybe the jerk-off complainer is bigger, and stronger.
2 - do you really want to get locked up because of the jerk-off.

Usually, when I'm combative I regret it. I'm learning after a lifetime of living to discipline myself to stay calm and always take the high road.
Easier said than done. I'm still learning.
 
milner351 said:
wow!

you'll have to tell me more about this game camera!

They always seem to be on sale in SPortsmans Guide, Cabellas , Dicks, Gander mountain places like that. and use regular film. How about the little computer jobs with the CCD almost see in the dark technology. Those are dirt cheap nowdays. I was wondering how you would hook something like that up myself..
 
Put a battery in. Strap it, velcro it, tie it, tape it. glue it to some thing or hold it for all I care and wait for some one or thing to trip the motion sensor and BINGO caught on film night or day! Guilty as charged !!!!!!! It's as simple as that.
 
"asking everyone you know nearby to sign it that they haven’t been bothered by your burning to their knowledge."

It can be difficult to get people to sign a document like this, as they will naturally be wary to sign. You can simply ask them their opinions on the subject while trying not to influence them. Then later on just write down what they told you in your journal and date it.

A "mediation" session might be a good thing if you are good at that game. The trick will be to insure the topic remains that of addressing the problem of being harassed by these people.

But then these "tribunal" type sessions can be kind of ridiculous. I participated in one in which I was able to catch out the other party in several falsifications and lies but the arbitrators didn't really seem to think that important.
I guess it's a gamble. You would have to find out the biases of the mediators and such. Often they want people to meet half way, which seems fair on the surface. However if someone stole $500 from you and the arbitrator suggested he give back $250, would that be fair?
 
woodjack said:
Two problems come to mind with that approach:
1 - maybe the jerk-off complainer is bigger, and stronger.
2 - do you really want to get locked up because of the jerk-off.

Usually, when I'm combative I regret it. I'm learning after a lifetime of living to discipline myself to stay calm and always take the high road.
Easier said than done. I'm still learning.



yeah, amend my previous suggestion. save the 18 year old scotch for yourself, keep the ol' BP down, and remember you can hire a large ugly Mexican (bosnian, sicilian, whatever) for a six pack to take care of contingencies. the high road. yeah baby.
 
ketoret said:
woodjack said:
Two problems come to mind with that approach:
1 - maybe the jerk-off complainer is bigger, and stronger.
2 - do you really want to get locked up because of the jerk-off.

Usually, when I'm combative I regret it. I'm learning after a lifetime of living to discipline myself to stay calm and always take the high road.
Easier said than done. I'm still learning.



yeah, amend my previous suggestion. save the 18 year old scotch for yourself, keep the ol' BP down, and remember you can hire a large ugly Mexican (bosnian, sicilian, whatever) for a six pack to take care of contingencies. the high road. yeah baby.

Great advice. Let me know your inmate number and I'll send you letters when I get a chance. Man, I'd love to see the look on your cell mates face when you tell him what your in for. "I just wanted to burn some wood".

My point - don't get drawn in to the jerk-offs drama. It will boomerang.
"Serenity Now".
 
woodjack said:
ketoret said:
woodjack said:
Two problems come to mind with that approach:
1 - maybe the jerk-off complainer is bigger, and stronger.
2 - do you really want to get locked up because of the jerk-off.

Usually, when I'm combative I regret it. I'm learning after a lifetime of living to discipline myself to stay calm and always take the high road.
Easier said than done. I'm still learning.



yeah, amend my previous suggestion. save the 18 year old scotch for yourself, keep the ol' BP down, and remember you can hire a large ugly Mexican (bosnian, sicilian, whatever) for a six pack to take care of contingencies. the high road. yeah baby.

Great advice. Let me know your inmate number and I'll send you letters when I get a chance. Man, I'd love to see the look on your cell mates face when you tell him what your in for. "I just wanted to burn some wood".

My point - don't get drawn in to the jerk-offs drama. It will boomerang.
"Serenity Now".


"and creatin' a nuisance." - Arlo Guthrie, speaking from the group W bench, kid, alice's restaurant
 
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