Proof of Free Speech in AmeriKa

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Starting Friday, Tennessee drivers caught with obscene or patently offensive bumper stickers, window signs or other markings on their vehicle visible to other drivers face an automatic $50 fine.

The law also includes movies other drivers can see playing inside of vehicles, including adult films.

Tennessee code 55-8-187 had allowed judges to decide on a fine from $2 to $50 based on their opinion.

Democratic State Representative Gary Moore, of Joelton, however, co-sponsored a House bill to stiffen the fine after he got several angry calls from constituents.

Yes, it is true, the democrats are all about free speech and protecting our "civil" rights. And of course, the clowns in the black robes will decide just how free your speech shall cost you all based upon their opinion.

"When you get into crossing the line so to speak you do not have a right to impose your speech on other people," he said.

He also suggested people report vehicles to the police if they view something on someone else's car that they think is obscene or patently offensive.

"What a constituent can do is take a license number down and turn it into a police department," Rep. Moore said. "Then the police department can handle it from there."

Drivers have the option of fighting a ticket in court to let a judge decide if they really were in violation.

I honestly wasn't aware that a bumper sticker imposed anything on anyone, but then again, im just a stupid citizen.
Oh and lets not forget the request to "narc" on your fellow citizens. We all know cops are way to busy robbing, kidnapping and killing people to be bothered to enforce this law without help.
Oh, but on the lighter side, you do get the opportunity to "fight" it in a court, presided over by a clown in a black robe.

www.wkrn.com...

If I see a "Call 911" sticker on a police car I might find it offensive. Does that fall under this law?

Who watches a porno while driving? I think if this was the case then I suspect then something more than driving is happening i.e indecent exposure

This could be very bad for the people of Tennessee, what of their truck nuts and naked lady mud flaps?

But seriously should we not draw a line somewhere? The government making such a vague law saying 'anything possibly offensive could result in a fine' is beyond ridiculous. Once again government having problems with self-expression of the individual. I thought Democrats supported self-expression?

Wow, how outrageous. I may have to take a spin around TN and get ticketed, just to fight this outrageous law. How dare these lawmakers take TN tax dollars and squash free speech like this.

I have an idea, don't like what you see?

Quit gawking!!

Hey, that seems pretty cool.. NOT. So now your community will be out spying on you for obscene stickers..

Police State w/ the help of the public. free...

What exactly does it mean to "impose ones' speech on another"? I'd really like to ask that man WTH does that mean???

People are nuts!

reply to post by NuroSlam


Proof of free speech is demonstrated by the OP's radical use of the English language.

2 Questions:

1. What does this mean? "Impose Free Speech"...Is speech not meant to be imposed? That is what speech is. Speech is used to impose your view on another and to express ideas, opinions etc.

2. Who decides what 'offensive' is? 'Obscene' can be different from one person to another. A little old Christian lady might find halter tops obscene. Many do not.

It looks like it will be left up to the police to judge as to what is offensive and obscene. They will decide what free speech is and whether you have the right. If they don't like it, you get a ticket.

Decide to fight the ticket and then what? Possible lawyer fees? Loss of work hours? Like always, people will pay in order to not be inconvenienced by using their free speech in opposing the ticket.

Money grab for a broke state?

Well, I suppose if you had a bumper sticker like "Put down your chopsticks and drive a Ford" or "Follow me to the Watermelon Liquidation Center (with accompanying Samboesque picture)" or "F*#& your Ford (with the guy pissing on it)" are what this sort of legislation supposedly targets: hate speech, profanity and pornography. Not because you don't have the right to say or wear such things, but because you don't have the right to shove it in people's faces all day long (ie., in 30 minutes of traffic and redlights from A to B - a conservative estimate of any given person's driving time).

Now, that being said, it's Tennessee and I suspect that there will be a lot of calls about Stars and Bars bumperstickers and Obama wearing a tribal bone thing through his nose, as well as truck nuts and lady mudflaps (as another poster suggested). And this will certainly rile up that crowd to no end.

However, the more sinister aspect would be the silencing of protest bumper stickers (under which the Confederate flag could certainly fall) as well as 9/11 was an inside job, Give peace a chance, I support the troops: bring them home, Coexist (with the religious symbols), Stop killing animals: Go Vegan, etc., etc.

I find this murky at best. Who decides what is acceptable speech and do we really have time to police every aspect? Or, contrarily, wouldn't it just be better to say that all signs and stickers, suction-cup Garfield, random stuffed arm out of trunk, half hockey-puck in broken-window sticker, baby-on-board, these-are-the-members-of-my-family novelty stick figure set and all other accessories and accoutrements on a vehicle be prohibited because of their ability to distract. Then, we'll have to attack signage on the roadsides, texting, eating, make-up, smoking, drinking (anything), listening to music, listening to the news, billboards, traffic signs (possible???) and - naturally - video screens in the car. Perhaps driving with a passenger is also distracting or harmful.

Maybe it's just the driving itself.

End of the day, this means that both the Jesus fish (Conservative Jesus freak) and the equal rights sticker (Liberal Homo); the Confederate flag (Racist) and the American flag (Pro-war Republican) will all come into question as "offensive" speech, because I guarantee that there are people out there who will read into your whole personality whether you have anyone of those things on the back of your car.

I think I will tell my friends in Tn to plaster their vehicles with the one that reads "If you can read this , You're too damn close" and let them see how it flies. How soon till it becomes illegal to attempt to follow the law? OOPs already is for some. Poor old Constitution, on life support and wheezing from it's tobacco past.Slowly losing it's mind and forgetting why it even was brought into being. But don't put that on a bumper sticker in Tennessee
seed

And of course it`s your word vs theirs - they can always claim you`ve been watching porn in your own car while in reality you may not have any device in your car to play it...