Politics - Our Disappearing Civil Rights

I'd love to say "unbelievable," but sadly, this is becoming too common. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that an Ohio man has been ticketed by police for posting an Impeach sign.

Police ticketed Egler for unlawfully advertising in a public place because he put up a free-standing sign near the intersection of Haymarket Parkway and Willow and Main streets.

Egler said the officer who cited him July 25 asked: "Why don't you put the signs in your own yard?" Egler said his response was that he's a taxpayer and views the public space very much as his yard.

[...]

Egler said that when he was stopped in Kent, he asked the police officer how his sign differed from Realtors posting signs on public property saying "This way to the house for sale." He said the officer asked, "You don't know the difference?" but never explained what it might be.

Columbus attorney Bob Fitrakis, Egler's lawyer, said there is a difference: The real estate sign is commercial speech, and Egler's sign is political. Commercial messages do not have anywhere near the legal protections that political speech does, he said.

There you have it, mister pleeceman. Ticket the realtors, if you want, but leave the citizen's right to free speech in the commons alone. He'd better not lose his job, or be further harrassed over this.

There you have it, my fllo Mricans. How long before the lot of us are in Gitmo, if we let this sort of thing go on? ITMFA!

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