No Profanity Ordinance? Bullshit.

Today I read a news story in The State and WIS that said the Columbia Police Department is going to be enforcing a “no profanity” law within the city limits.

The police spokeswoman said: “If they want to curse, do it in their own home. Why do you have to do it in park where they are other children, other people who will. This, it’s just quite frankly, pretty rude.”

Rudeness is not illegal and no one has the right not to be offended. Furthermore, there is no clear definition of what is considered profane. There is no list of forbidden words, phrases, or subjects available to anyone that I am aware of. Or is it like pornography, we are just supposed to know it when we see it? How can they justify this, or is it just an effort to put up signs to stop people complaining at meetings?

Furthermore, based on the ordinance that they are citing, I simply do not think that someone dropping an F-bomb qualifies as Disorderly Conduct as it is defined in ordinance 14-91, the ordinance listed on the sign.

It shall be unlawful for any person within the city limits to engage in the following conduct, knowing or having reasonable grounds to know that it will tend to promote or provoke a fight, assault or brawl.

Am I to believe that simply cursing within earshot of someone is attempting to provoke a fight? Is that something any reasonable person thinks? The ordinance is clearly NOT about profanity — the term “profanity” does not appear at all — putting that on a sign is an absurd stretch.

A law banning profanity would be unconstitutional, but the law they cite doesn’t even do that! They’ve just made it up!

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No Profanity Ordinance? Bullshit.
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10 thoughts on “No Profanity Ordinance? Bullshit.

  1. 3

    Law: it will be illegal to do anything that provokes an assault
    Cop: we will assault you if you swear
    You can’t swear,
    Q.E D.

    They cite sections 14 and 15, which don’t ban profanity, but not section 16, which does. 16-17-520 bans “blasphemous, profane or obscene language at or near” a place of worship.
    As if one could be in Scarolina without being near a church.

  2. 4

    Considering I want to punch people in the mouth that cuss around my wife and kids, I think the use of that specific law is appropriate. Sure, you have freedom of speech but in context that was more of a freedome to criticize the government without fearing reprecussions thing. I am pretty sure it was intended to allow people to run around spouting profanities. But, our founding fathers lived in a more civilized culture.

  3. 6

    A local law that is probably unconstitutional. I don’t see him advocating a law in his hometown to prevent profanity. Anyway, have a Merry Christmas, I’m one of the Vox ilk, but I’ll be kind. The haters gonna hate, but you’re simply just wrong about the good doc.

  4. 7

    I wanted to respond to your Dec 23 post

    “- Ron Paul is Anti-Free Market”

    “Paul would also be all for open borders and a completely open labor markets, ”

    Ron Paul wants to follow the rule of law. It is the job of the President to defend
    the US borders.

    “- Ron Paul Doesn’t Support Minorities”

    “He called MLKJr day “hate whitey day”.”

    Ron Paul never said that. It is possible that a ghost writer printed that in the RP news letter.

    Ron Paul argues that the Federal Government shouldn’t force a private business how to operate.
    It is a philosphical debate. Are we to say that in 2012, most major businesses would exclude minorities?

    “- Ron Paul is Against Church/State Separation”

    Based on what evidence is he a fundamentalist? Actually, what is Ron Paul’s religion. He rarely mentions it.

    “If people know this about Ron Paul and still want to vote for him,
    that’s obviously their choice, but I can’t help but feel like the only way you could vote for him would be in ignorance or denial of these facts.”

    “He also thinks that public funds should pay for private Christian educations and supports a constitutional amendment in favor of school prayer. Again, not a libertarian stance at all.”

    Where did you get that?

    “- Ron Paul is Rabidly Anti-Choice and Anti-Science”

    He made one comment about evolutionary theory. Yet he has a degree in biology and was a medical doctor. Was he less anti-science before those comments or after?

    You haven’t really given a whole lot of facts just a bunch of half truths and misquotes from the Ron Paul newsletter.

    If you want to talk Ron Paul, please quote from his books or post videos of him during a congressional hearing.

  5. 8

    People will vote for Ron Paul because on his stances on foreign policy, monetary policy, his back and forth between the Fed chairman, his thoughts on the Austrian economists and his willingness to follow the Constitution. And he has been talking about these things for 20 years during his time in Congress.

    You mentioned that he doesn’t support minorities. He will end the Federal government war on drugs, probably dismantle the DEA and immediately pardon any person under Federal courts that was convicted of a marijuana drug possession charge, especially those convicted of using medical marijuana . Minorities are convicted at a higher rate of drug charges, that would greatly benefit minority communities.

    And repeatedly Ron Paul (see the youtube videos) has called Martin Luther King one of his personal heroes.

    It is your belief that “Ron Paul Doesn’t Support Minorities” based on ghost writing from a 20 year old newsletter.

    You called him anti-science yet failed to mention his degree in Biology and barely mentioned his time as medical doctor but did mention a 2 minute youtube video.

    I know you don’t like Ron Paul based on a quick review of stuff you have read online. But those that like Ron Paul’s message, his books on freedom and liberty, his voting record during his 20 years in Congress will not be distracted by these types attacks.

    “Crazy, racist Christian fundamentalist”, “Ron Paul is Rabidly Anti-Choice and Anti-Science”, “Ron Paul is a Little Nuts”, you are on record for thinking that way. Ron Paul graduated from Duke Medical School and was a flight surgeon in the Air Force and he is anti-science…that is interesting?

  6. 9

    Seriously. This is columbia we are talking about. None of the points are valid. Not because they aren’t well argued or intelligently proposed but because you’re applying an X argument to a Y problem.

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