| If you get out and drive around town at all you have | | | | people that it is okay, at least in Georgia.Despite the |
| surely seen all kinds of different bumper stickers | | | | victories by these mentioned above and many others |
| ranging from just a timid "Virginia is for Lovers" to "I | | | | there are a lot of states that have laws similar to the |
| hate Bush" and many variations between. We see | | | | one below:According to the law in Tennessee, "the |
| parents displaying stickers stating they are proud of | | | | display of obscene and patently offensive movies, |
| their child like the "my child is an honor student" ones, | | | | bumper stickers, window signs, or other markings on |
| and conversely the negative parody, "my kid beat up | | | | or in a motor vehicle which is visible to other drivers |
| your honor student". What you may not know is that | | | | is prohibited and display of such materials shall subject |
| many states have statutes prohibiting certain kinds of | | | | the owner of the vehicle on which they are |
| statements or illustrations. Is this a violation of our | | | | displayed, upon conviction, to a fine of not less than |
| rights under the First Amendment? Let's take a look | | | | $2.00, nor more than $50.00." The state defines |
| at what is being said.The U.S. Supreme Court has | | | | obscene like this:"(A) The average person applying |
| stated that "the government may not prohibit the | | | | contemporary community standards would find that |
| expression of an idea simply because society finds | | | | the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient |
| the idea itself offensive or disagreeable and the fact | | | | interest;(B) The average person applying |
| that protected speech may be offensive to some | | | | contemporary community standards would find that |
| does not justify its suppression."Regardless, there | | | | the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive |
| have still been many situations where individuals have | | | | way, sexual conduct; and(C) The work, taken as a |
| been cited for the language or illustrations displayed | | | | whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or |
| on their vehicles. One woman in Florida who had the | | | | scientific value |
| famous four letter word for intercourse stated three | | | | (11) "Patently offensive" means that which goes |
| times on a sticker was cited but the charges were | | | | substantially beyond customary limits of candor in |
| dropped because the word was not being used in a | | | | describing or representing such matters.I have to |
| sexual context.A man in Georgia displaying the | | | | agree with what the Georgia court concluded their |
| infamous "_ _it happens" statement was fined $100 | | | | ruling in the case mentioned above, a statement |
| by a local jurisdiction, he took the case to the | | | | from Benjamin Franklin, "Everything one has a right to |
| Georgia Supreme Court citing that the law was | | | | do is not best to be done." So, in plain English, just |
| unconstitutional and they sided with him saying, "the | | | | because we have a right to do it doesn't mean we |
| peace of society is not endangered by the profane | | | | should. Use some common sense in what you display |
| or lewd word which is not directed at a particular | | | | on your car.Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre |
| audience." This seems to state that as long as you | | | | Florida. |
| aren't directing your remark to a specific group of | | | | |