Thursday, January 04, 2007

Wayne's World


This gentleman is Wayne. Wayne Spires lives in Wallsboro. He is 61 and has been sitting in a chair tied to a 68 foot ham radio antenna for 4 days. He says he is not coming down until he gets his way. Rick and Bubba are reporting on their morning radio show that Wayne is from Wetumpka and Montgomery folks would probably say the same. But in Elmore County, Wallsboro is a separate community from Wetumpka. This distinction is important because Wallsboro is unincorporated. That means that if the residents of River Falls, where Wayne lives, wants to pave the roads in the neighborhood they have to pay for it directly rather than via taxes. Now, the reality is that this method is cheaper than paying property taxes over several decades but can mean a lot of money all at once. It turns out that River Falls has a neighborhood association. There are different versions of the agreements reached by the residents of River Falls related to....well, everything. Homeowner's associations provide plenty for us to debate. Should you be able to change the oil in YOUR car in YOUR driveway? Should your neighbor be allowed to have 23 Rottweilers? On and on we could go. It boils down to how much will you pay in dues and how many property rights are you willing to forgo in order to protect your property values. Beyond the debate over homeowner's associations, Wayne's stance (so to speak) brings up other questions. Mainly, is sitting on a radio tower a logical way to resolve differences of opinion? Sure, Wayne will get lots of attention and if he stays up there tonight during the thunderstorms the debate may well be over tomorrow. The publicity will, no doubt, reflect badly on the neighborhood and the association. Some of Wayne's neighbors resent being forced to fork out $1500 to pay a share of paving the roads and they support his protest effort. No doubt others are embarrassed and will avoid Wayne for years to come. Since he has already lost a court case on the issue, the outcome is unlikely to change. But he sure has a determined look.... and lots of gear.

26 comments:

Jamey said...

I've always heard once you're set in your ways that it's hard to change!

Wayne looks pretty 'set' to me!

Roxy Wishum said...

UPDATE--While most residents of the tri-county area were hunkered in the safest room in the house during the torential rain and wailing sirens warning us of tornados this morning, Wayne stayed on his perch! He is one tough dude! Meanwhile his daughter was broadcasting to the world via Rick and Bubba too much info about bodily functions and buckets raised and lowered. I have also learned that the "paving" is actually hauling in loads of gravel and there seems to be a concerted effort to price the owners of the 4 mobile homes located in River Falls out of the area so that lots will sell for more. I am familiar with River Falls because the Coosa Paddling Club owns a lot there which enables us to "put in" at River Falls rather than the Jordan Dam and save lots of flat-water paddling required to get to the rapids at Moccasin Gap. Stay tuned.

Lerra said...

Yeah...I heard his daughter on Rick & Bubba. Definitely TMI on the process of the disposal of his bodily excretions. Anyway, on the subject of homeowner's associations: I can't say much because I have only been a member of one for a few months, but I am a fan of them to an extent. It is definitely nice to be assured that your neighbor can't have 23 rottweilers; however, it would also be nice if we could put whatever kind of storage shed we wanted in our backyard. :-) But all in all, it's like everything else - healthy in moderation.

Sunny said...

Let me tell you a thing or two about Wayne and his plight. As a girl I was introduced to the concepts of personal responsibility and self-determination, the bedrocks of freedom, right? My family bought a piece of paradise at the end of a dirt road around the corner from Wayne Spires and began day by day to carve out and build up a home in the woods where we could see the stars brightly on a clear night away from the unnatural sounds of the ever wakeful modern world. Like Wayne, we just wanted something that was totally ours and we were willing to do all the work for it. We moved in the house when it was only half closed in. The kids, 4 of us, slept on bunks built onto the walls in the inside half. My mom and dad slept in an army tent on the outside half with only a roof and a floor around them. We did this so that my dad could work on the house after his day job as a hardwood floorman.We hauled water from town everyday because the well would not be dug for a while. Everyone had their turn on that project eventually. We bathed in a washtub, cooked on a coleman stove. I remember well how friends would come to raise walls and set the giant windows. My Dad has a knack for finding treasures in salvage yards. These experiences have given me an understanding of freedom that is alien to more people than not in my generation and it is the cause of shallow thinking. The road fees being forced upon this community are but a foreshadowing of the costs that will be required of these people if they do not fight. This is prime real estate for high dollar homes. So someone with Dr. in front of his name comes in, buys up a large number of lots with huge $$ in his eyes, and devises a scheme to get rid of the undesirables. I did not hear the Rick and Bubba show, but I am sure that the FORMula of the show dictated much of the bodily FUNCTION conversation. You take press where you can get it. As for Wayne being an embarassment, never. He is not compromising in his stand for the sovereignty of individuals. Only those brainwashed by collectivism in the world of sameness that is increasingly like invasion of the body snatchers, could possibly trivialize his position. Drastic infringement on one's personal sovereignty requires drastic means of getting people to listen to the common man's side of things. There is no justice within the beaurocracy anymore. Crooks and liars make the rules as they go along and their friends oversee their dealings. Wayne's attorney did not even present his case in court. He took Wayne's money though. The judge's ruling came in 15 minutes without the slightest debate of the fact that the HOA did not exist when Wayne bought his property. As for his actions reflecting badly on the community, hardly. I believe his actions speak of the spirit that is in the kind of people that live there, my dad included. People of principle and character. People that don't shy away from battle even when the enemy may look stronger than they. I am an activist in Sylacauga and I believe you will think differently about Wayne Spires in the coming months as your own personal freedom is taken from you in the form of a national ID card as you become a citizen of the North American Union under police state surveilance. Just in case you think I'm kidding, check it out for yourself. stopspp.com papersplease.org chuckbaldwinlive.com rbnlive.com

It's time to start thinking like an American folks.

Roxy Wishum said...

Thank you, Sunny, for your perspective. It is obvious that you are passionate in your opposition to government and business intrusion. I firmly agree with the notions of personal responsibility and self-determination. However, I also recognize that we live in COMMUNITY with each other and consideration must be given to the effect that our decisions have on our neighbors. I do not personally know Wayne Spires nor Dr. Hayden. But Mr. Spires has been quoted in the Montgomery Advertiser and yesterday's Wetumpka Herald as saying he "joined the landowners association and agreed to help maintain the private roads". His only argument seems to be the kind of legalistic wrangling you are opposed to concerning whether a "landowner's association" is the same as a "homeowner's association". Is Mr. Spires really concerned about the rights and needs of his neighbors--including those yet to build in the area. Sure, if I had built there 20 years ago I would prefer that nobody else buy a lot and move near me so I could benefit from woods and open areas without PAYING for them. Is that realistic? I am concerned about the notion that ALL involved in making and enforcing laws are greedy and dishonest. Yes, many politicians are self-serving. The reason so many of those are elected (and re-elected)is that most of the voters are self-serving. Just because Mr.Hayden has earned the title "Dr." does not make him evil. The fact that he likes the area and bought several lots and wants others to enjoy the proximity to the river can just as easily be seen as self-determination. If he took the initiative to improve the roads when other residents allowed them to deterioate who is demonstrating more personal responsibility? $1500--is that really outrageous? Is that really an effort to force people off their property? Could it be seen as an effort to work together so that everybody in the area can access and enjoy their property? Truth be told, I have less concern about the government tracking where I go and who I talk to than about an "individual" that I did not elect deciding the future of my home and its value because he refuses to cooperate with his neighbors.

Lerra said...

Whoa. Y'all lost me when you got all serious. Can we go back to talking about how he disposed of his excrement?

John of Drones said...

Wayne came down Monday afternoon, after becoming an Internet phenom, thanks to blogs like this. Here's my Google Earth Community landmark of Wayne's tower.

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/editpost.php?Cat=0&Board=currentEvents&Number=746910&page=0&what=showthreaded&vc=1

Anonymous said...

I know Wayne... he's a family friend. He's not a nut, not a guy who seeks attention.. he's a nice guy, the neighbor next door kinda guy. This is all about a middle class guy getting the squeeze... Wayne is a sickly fella (heart condition) and doesn't have much money. This is gonna probably cost him to sell out. My dad gave Wayne the tower he was sitting on. Just makes me mad to think this sorta stuff goes on and Americans accept it with a smile.

Anonymous said...

By the way, Wayne lives on a fixed income, unable to work, and his wife has COPD and is unable to work. $1500 to them is a heap of money. Their medical bills alone are more than $1500 a month. So to answer your question, yeah $1500 is about forcing them out.

John of Drones said...

I obviously don't know Wayne personally. It seems, from what has been said here, that passions run deep concerning the issues involved in this saga.

Wayne put his dignity on the line and, praising the Lord, he faced the tempest from a precarious perch.

He is the stuff of legend.

Sunny said...

Careful, now, your conflict of interest is showing. Oh, what's the name of the person in the HOA in River Falls who represents the kayakers interest? Umm,You know?


[Mr. Spires has been quoted in the Montgomery Advertiser and yesterday's Wetumpka Herald as saying he "joined the landowners association and agreed to help maintain the private roads".]


That is all he agreed to. HOA's are not limited to road maintainance. Not to mention, Mr. Hayden knows nothing about road maintainance. I have video of a meeting in which Mr. Hayden's road maintainance expertice was called into question. He might be self-determined, but I won't go so far as to say he's responsible. The way he is proceeding to head up the so called 'road improvements',in a very short while, he'll be hitting everybody up again to redo the job. It was brought up in the meeting that the resistance to pitching in on the roads was not so much at issue as was Mr. Hayden's assumption that he is now king of River Falls and was the man to oversee everyone's money and the road construction job itself,which he has proven himself to know nothing about.

legalistic wrangling????

Come On!! A landowner's association all of a sudden becomes the same thing as Mr. Hayden's and the kayakers HOA??? In an elitist's dream world! As if by magic one day, the thing that Mr. Spires agreed to that existed for the last 20 years suddenly morphs into an HOA for the asthetics-without-substance automatons who for all intents and purposes will require much more than road maintainance, you and I both know it. Give me a break!

[Just because Mr.Hayden has earned the title "Dr." does not make him evil.]

Mr. Hayden is NOT a nice person. He sprayed weed killer on my dad's dog and knocked down my brother's basketball goal. You'd probably like him. You'd probably let him put a GPS microchip in your arm if he promised to make sure you never had to worry about your property value declining because of trailer dwellers in your midst. He is not a "neighbor" anymore than you are. It is doubtful that he will ever be one unless he succeeds at running everyone out. I guess then River Falls will fill up with stale Stepford wives whose idea of neighborliness is keeping their driveway pressure-hosed and making sure their mailbox matches everyone else's according to HOA standards.

A new neighbor does not come into a longstanding community and make plans in private which involve the resources of everyone and then demand they make their contribution to the project pronto or else a lien will be placed on each property.

[The fact that he likes the area and bought several lots and wants others to enjoy the proximity to the river can just as easily be seen as self-determination.]

Self-determination at the cost of human decency and respect? I guess Hitler was self-determined as well.

[Sure, if I had built there 20 years ago I would prefer that nobody else buy a lot and move near me so I could benefit from woods and open areas without PAYING for them.]

Our property is our property. Our woods contained on our land are ours and we have PAID for them plenty. Your statement sounds as if you assume we don't want neighbors so we can picnic and frollick on empty lots or something. Uhh, No. People like Mr. Hayden would have never ventured out there 20 years ago for fear of snakes and deer. He sees profit at the $expense$ or elimination of people who have worked their whole lives to just enjoy the fruit of their labor in peace.

[when OTHER?? residents allowed them to deterioate]

Hayden is NOT a resident.

[many politicians are self-serving]

Many politicians are globalists.
(globalismscorecard.com)

[most of the voters are self-serving]
Most voters are ignorant of the globalist agenda. If they are self-serving at all it is in the fact that they would rather cast a vote in ignorance or not at all rather than expending the time and brain activity required to get a handle on facts concerning the death of America and the last vestiges of freedom.

[Truth be told, I have less concern about the government tracking where I go and who I talk to than about an "individual" that I did not elect deciding the future of my home and its value because he refuses to cooperate with his neighbors.]

Unbelievable!! You just described what Hayden is doing. Only you actually believed you were describing Wayne. You really have been invaded by the body snatchers!! Double think has seeped deep into your brain. WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. You'll be first in line for the retinal scan or the mark of beast which ever comes first, huh?

I'll be prayin' for ya Roxy. No, seriously, I will.

Sunny said...

I've said enough. I'll say no more but see Wayne's blog.

http://manonatower.blogspot.com/

Roxy Wishum said...

Thank you Sunny for checking back in. You have not identified your self but it is obvious that you are intimately involved in this dispute to the point of posessing a video of a meeting, etc. Please understand, I do not have a dog in this fight. I do not know who represents the kayaker's interest in the association (whatever kind it is) nor have I been in the area for several years. As stated before, I do not know Mr. Spires nor Mr. Hayden. Most of my information came from the interviews with various newspapers. Please be fair enough to acknowledge that the papers only became interested because a 61 year-old man was sitting on a tower. That is obviously by design. At some point somebody in the family said "We have lost the battle in discussions with the association, we have lost the battle in court, our only hope is to win the battle in the news media. How do we attract their attention?" Once the attention was secured, the Spires family had the opportunity to present their argument in full. That being said, what was the result in the paper? Mr. Spires is quoted as saying he agreed to participate in maintaining private roads. He is now refusing to participate in maintaining private roads. Everything else is opinion and perspective. Is Dr. Hayden selfish and greedy? I do not know, maybe. Should the roads have been blacktopped instead of gravelled? Don't know, maybe. Will other "improvements" be coming? Don't know, maybe.

I have not heard all the arguments and do not claim to know all the facts. What I do know according to the article based on an interview with Mr. Spires is that a judge has heard the facts and ruled against Mr. Spires.

Thank you, Sunny, for your prayers. Honestly. I need them. Often I think I am right when others see I am wrong. Sometimes I post a story where I see the humor of human nature and it steps on toes and hurts feelings. I am sorry for that. But I maintain that the issue is debatable and that a man sitting on a chair tied to a radio tower through two tornado warnings is funny.

Ashley @ pure and lovely said...

wow. people are really passionate ab ole wayne. especially when the write novels on people's blogs they don't know...

Lerra said...

4 observations:

1) Jaye: name dropper / Debbie Downer.

2) Sunny: you don't even know my dad, so please don't make assumptions about him. (i.e., he would let Mr. Hayden put a GPS microchip in his arm. Wow.) Oh and sorry about your dad's dog & your brother's basketball goal.

3) Also Sunny: you should get your own blog since you have so much to say.

4) Wow, dad! Your blog is finally famous!!

:-)

Ashley @ pure and lovely said...

lerra!!!! namedropper/debbie downer!!! hahahaha

Anonymous said...

you never know untill you live in our world what it like to live free and never have to worry about your kids been safe because everyone looked out for each other when everyone was at work who every was home took care of the kids we all was safe in in here everyone was happy untill the so called dr came in here

Anonymous said...

This is the land Hayen was trying to gave my mom and dad: http://manonatower.blogspot.com/2007/01/did-they-say-swap-or-swamp.html

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks

Anonymous said...

if everyone knew everything behind all this they would be shocked you they want eveyone out of here so they can make big bucks they dont care if you dont have a place to as long as they get your home and all the hard work you put into it

Lerra said...

HUH???

Anonymous said...

let me tell you a few things about river falls .iv lived out here for about 20 years and wayne is not a nut he is the kind of man i would like to have next door .i knoww that if anyone needs help he is the one everyone gose to.if your lawn mower stop you went to him. and if you needed help on most anything.well sunny you said it all if you could just spend one day out you would know. how we all get along.thanks for you time

wayne said...

I kf4bjt wayne the man that was on the tower. i am a ham opperator been one for 12 years.it not about a tower.
I had a bond for title in 1990 in 1995 they wanted me to join a home owner assosiation i refuse and they agree if i paid my land off i would not be a member.my bond for title was for a land owner.which was never file in court. but my deed and title was file befor a home owner assosiation was started.

Anonymous said...

this is on wayne spires topic i know he is a good man and he needs all the help he can git if there is any one out that can help him and his family please do so . he and his wife are very sick right now and i would like you to keep him in your prays ...yes wayne is well set in his way but it is for his family and the residents of river falls

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