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South Carolina Seeking To Outlaw Profanity
MBGMorden writes "It looks like in an act that defies common sense, a bill has been introduced in the South Carolina State Senate that seeks to outlaw the use of profanity. According to the bill it would become a felony (punishable by a fine up to $5000 or up to 5 years in prison) to 'publish orally or in writing, exhibit, or otherwise make available material containing words, language, or actions of a profane, vulgar, lewd, lascivious, or indecent nature.' I'm not sure if 'in writing' could be applied to the internet, but in any event this is scary stuff."
Don't think it can't happen. The hysteria-over-liberty mode of thinking that pervades every level of our legal and court system has resulted in significant erosion of all manner of what would, to a sensible person, seem to be rock-solid and unmovable declarations of constitutional rights.
We have seen the right to remain silent turn into the right to be tortured until you say what they want to hear; we have seen the 4th amendment turned into an irrelevancy by nattering idiocy about your papers being in digital form; we have seen the commerce clause turned on its very head; we have seen the establishment of "free speech zones" and other 1984-ish/esque crushing of liberties; censorship is the accepted norm for "solving" disagreements about what we see, say and hear insofar as it might offend some poor, weak-willed moron; screams of "save the children", "terrorists" and "global warming" drive legislators to write, and pass, the most odious, anti-liberty and outright anti-American legislation on a daily basis.
There's no limit to this, either; we have seen the specific directive not to pass ex post facto laws ignored at the congressional level and then whistle right through the supreme court; we have seen the explicit directive of the 2nd amendment's operative clause turned into the most moronic and sophist idiocy about "what is a militia?", a non-issue mined blindly and moronically out of the prefatory clause.
Don't think it can't get worse. Ask yourself instead, why should you expect it to get any better?
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Fuck that shit.
"I guess the moral of the story is, don't paint your airship with rocket fuel." -- Addison Bain
What about Freedom of speech?
... I live here. Damn. Ooops. I mean Darn.
According to the bill it would become a felony (punishable by a fine up to $5000 or up to 5 years in prison) to "publish orally or in writing, exhibit, or otherwise make available material containing words, language, or actions of a profane, vulgar, lewd, lascivious, or indecent nature"
Isn't that a little vague? Now, I don't really know that much about laws, but I did hear once that there's some kind of law in effect that keeps a bill from being passed unless it is specific enough. If a law like that exists, I wouldn't think this bill would meet that requirement.
Either way though, this certainly seems to violate that first amendment thing...
"Intelligence has nothing to do with politics!"
-Londo Mollari
FREE MOTHER FUCKING SPEECH FUCK! Now I have to offset all those caps with some intelligence lower-caps talking.
Obligatory blog plug: http://www.caseybanner.ca/
Well? What is it? You need to define profanity before you can outlaw it.
Frankly I find skinny good looking women who wear too much clothing to be vulgar. I find the number three pronounced as free offensive. I think puppies are indecent
However, I find skinny good looking women who wear next to no clothing - acceptable.
I checked the calendar and today is definitely not April 1st, so somewhere this story must ultimately lead back to an Onion.
There is no -1 Disagree mod. Slashdot.org/faq defines mod options. USE IT.
SECTION 3. Section 16-15-305(A)(3) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(3) publishes orally or in writing, exhibits, or otherwise makes available anything obscene to any a group or individual; or"
This offends me. Go to jail legislators. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.
This is some fucked up repugnant shit.
I know a lot of these guys are hopelessly stuck in the past, but I think being stuck in 1630s Massachusetts is going a little overboard.
It isn't scary, it's stupid. If it ever passes, it's going to get struck down. Tell me, South Carolina, did you elect a pack of retards, because that's the only rational explanation.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Once again as a resident of the 'south'. I'd like to apologize for south carolina. Again.
I think we all need to mail them a letter telling them how fucking stupid this is.
"Obscenity is whatever happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate." - Bertrand Russell
"Of all the strange "crimes" that human beings have legislated of nothing, "blasphemy" is the most amazing - with "obscenity" and "indecent exposure" fighting it out for the second and third place." - Robert A. Heinlein
Slashdot? Oh, I just read it for the articles.
According to the bill it would become a felony (punishable by a fine up to $5000 or up to 5 years in prison) to "publish orally or in writing, exhibit, or otherwise make available material containing words, language, or actions of a profane, vulgar, lewd, lascivious, or indecent nature".
I think the summary would be better served if the added tags used above were present there.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
Are you fucking kidding me?!?
"City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
So this would be pretty much the end of certain religions as we know it. It's kind of hard to tell people to be good when you can't threaten anyone with the D word or the H word.
Because I would break that law in the process.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I for one, welcome or new Taleban^^^^^S.Carolinian overlords.
Sons of bitches just want to oppress self-expression. What impact will this have on music and literature. Do have any idea how many fucking books have swear words?
Un-fucking-believable.
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
The whole state is a drain on the national economy. Goddamn man.
Blar.
Michigan had an anti-profanity passed in 1897. It outlawed cursing in front of woment or children. In 1989 a canoeist was charged with violating the law after hitting a rock with his canoe and releasing a stream of profanities in front of a family.
He was actually found guilty the first time around. The court of appeals though threw out his case and the law. Here though if he had been convicted it would only have been a $75 fine and community service.
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=15992
Don't anthropomorphize computers. They *hate* that.
I am totally fucking for this bill.
They just heard that Blagojevich was coming over on a State business, and they want to cash in.
End anonymous moderation and posting on
Unless S.C. wants to outlaw all language altogether, they're looking at something that's not even enforceable. So they ban your standard fucks, shits, and cunts. Awesome. Are they thinking new euphemisms and curses aren't going to spring up to fill the void? Failing creation of new words, are they going to prosecute the intent behind words used? If I can't express my displeasure about my boss in South Carolina using traditional profanity, will they go after me if I call him a doody-head?
Funny thing about language. It's creative and evolves. Even profanity is changing and twisting meaning - in some (usually male) teenagers today, 'fuck' is used like 'like' or 'um' might be used by certain other groups of people. There may not necessarily be any obscene intent behind the word, and may just be used as filler.
I guess these assholes are going to have to burn down their own fucking libraries.
-Peter
Slashdotters are courageously rebelling against this law by using a lot of swearwords.
Thanks Slashdot, the worlds takes nerds more seriously right now.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
You know, the two testaments and the koran.
Oh and good luck with that.
Personally, I hope to all that is holy that this law is passed, if only for its sheer comedic value.
The scene is right out of some zany kids' movie:
It is a dark and stormy night. The heroic legislators have finally passed a law outlawing all profanity! These heroes came up with a list of the specific words that will never again be used; but, of course, they had to write those words into the text of the law.
The vote passes unanimously. Society is saved! Never again will awful words be spoken! But wait... there is one source of those dirty words still! The law itself is now illegal, because it contains instances of those awful terrible swear words. Black-helmeted police commandos enter the legislature and arrest the legislators who wrote the law in the first place. After all, they printed that illegal profanity.
During the trial, the lawyers are arrested for saying the dirty words that the legislators wrote; the judge is removed from office for violating that law as well. Paralegals everywhere are arrested for preparing legal briefs that contain the dirty words those legislators wrote, and police themselves are arrested for repeating the reason the legislators were arrested in the first place. Newspapers are shut down for "making available" the text of the offending law.
I'll be sitting far, far away, watching the fireworks.
According to this here, that would be something that is:
1. (classical sense) Having to do with ordinary, common people.
2. Rude, uncouth, distasteful, obscene.
Looking up obscene results in:
1. Offensive to the current standards of decency or morality
2. Lewd or lustful
3. Disgusting or repulsive
4. Beyond all reason
5. Liable to deprave or corrupt
This law qualifies at least for 3 and 4. Depending on your point of view, for all of them.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I'ts not even very funny.
Prediction: The real iPhone killer is going to be sex robots from Japan. Think about it.
On behalf of my state, I apologize to all the people who won't be offended because of this dastardly bill. As a result of a law whose level of stupidity will become unutterable upon its passage, the massed retards and mental midgets of the great state of South Carolina will now be forced to forgo the sudden torrents of profanity which have so long served as warnings for their people. Without vulgar language I, for one, can only believe that the subtle enjoinders of "hey y'all, watch this" or "ah can too, hold my beer" will eventually cease to grace the back woods of our beautiful state, lost to the inexorable pressure of natural selection. And for the loss of that unique and precious resource, our legislators should be ashamed.
If you guys _still_ want to secede from the US, I think now we'd be willing to reconsider! Keep doing stuff like this, and it will be an easy decision. You're embarrassing all of us! Yours truly, A Yankee
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
you can't say "fuck the government."
Based on this page Linux F*** Count this must be a bid by Microsoft to F*** KILL LINUX!
You know, the two testaments and the koran. Oh and good luck with that.
You may have something there.
Pass the law and go straight to the supreme court. Do no pass Go. Do not collect $200. If you feel like being part of a landmark case you should head down to the court house and scream profanities until you're arrested. Then file suit and become part of history.
Before you can outlaw it, you need to define it. This must surely require a list of banned words - but how will they publish it? Any attempt would produce a document in violation of itself.
Then there are expressions that contain no profane words but which might, as a whole, be regarded as profane.
Then, of course, people are inventive. If they can't use one word, a substitute will soon appear.
How do these morons get elected?
I can see dens of profanity opening up in dingy rooms where people gather to drink legal liquor and shout illegal vulgarities.
Now might be a really good time to invest in adult bookstores located right on your southern border! Remember, every mind-bogglingly stupid, unenforceable law is also a business opportunity!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
The Constitution supersedes any laws States establish, anybody arrested can simply invoke that it is non-constitutional and have the Feds force The State of South Carolina to set them free and erase the law.
It is sponsored by ONE guy, and it was instantly referred to committee. Why is this even news? There is ALWAYS one guy that wants to stick his penis in the whole to see what happens... why should a group like a state's congress be any different?
For a person reading A Clockwork Orange for the first time, the language and slang might be a bit confusing. I will bet bills like this can get us closer to that point. If certain words are illegal to say, we'll come with new ones that mean just the same.
What a vague law like this does is two folds. It allows such scumbags to control what is and is not allowed in public. It is ok for the taxpayer to pay for the distribution of the ten commandants so a certain christian beliefs can be forced onto the public, or for the public to pay for teachers to sit there and do nothing while students are forced to pray, but not ok for libraries to carry Harry Potter because it is profane.
Second, it allows scum bags to target people they don't like. You don't like the color of your neighbor, turn him in for exposing your kid to profanity. It is simple enough to do.
Just to get an idea if this was the purpose of such laws, or if I was being paraniod,I took a look at the SPLC hate group map. South Carolina has the largest number of hate groups in that area, about one hate group per 100,000 persons. In comparison, the reletively conservative state of Texas has about 1 hate group per 350,000 persons. I am not sure if there is a state with a higher percentage of hate groups.
Really this is likely just another effect of the seating of the soon to be current US president. States like this, and thier white population, has been courted by the republicans for 40 years, rallied by the fear of the person who looks differnt. Times have changed, but the fear mongering has lasting effect.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Didn't we just remove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan for pulling shit very similar to this?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
If you outlaw profanity, only outlaws will have profanity.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
"or otherwise make available"
Yeah, good luck putting forth a bill that would shut down every store in the entire state that sells books.
"from the f@#k-those-f@#king-f@#kers dept."
Ah, Boondock Saints, how I miss ye.
Rocco: Fuckin'- What the fuckin'. Fuck. Who the fuck fucked this fucking... How did you two fucking fucks...
[shouts]
Rocco: Fuck!
Connor: Well, that certainly illustrates the diversity of the word.
As my five-year-old son used to say when he was experimenting with profanity but hadn't gotten the hang of it yet, "Oh, for heaven's fuck."
Stupid f*cks in South Carolina. They need to read Cohen v. California. The U.S. Supreme Court (a more conservative Supreme Court at that) decided this 37 f*cking years ago.
There's this little thing called the 'full faith and credit' clause in the Constitution. Basically, it says that one state has to honor another state's legal covenants - you know, things like driver's licenses, marriages, etc...
But one of the applications of it is that one state will now honor another state's arrest warrants. If you're wanted for robbery in Illinois, you can't avoid prosecution by merely hopping across the border to Indiana.
So, you combine the effects of the Internet and this bad law, and you get a really bad situation. You, posting to your blog in Illinois, can be arrested during a routine traffic stop and shipped to South Carolina, because someone there read your blog, thought it vulgar, and filed a complaint.
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
South Carolina needs to be reminded there's this little thing called the "First Amendment".
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Unconstitutional. Therefor, yet another fine example of where our tax money goes.
My angry comment earlier asides, it does offend me that not only are some of the representatives of my state this conservative, but are foolish enough to attempt to pass a law that is blatantly unconstitutional. In the mean time my college which is a public school was just given a 22% budget cut. I ask how much time, effort, and energy has been spent on this maddening bill from Senator Ford that could have been spent in better ways such as making sure are public universities are fully funded.
Honestly, Officer! I was saying "Hoar".
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
I thought that my legislators were 'World Class' crazy (Utah).
It looks like we aren't even playing in the big leagues.
This level of crazy is a delicate balancing act. You have to be dumb enough to think that this is a good idea, but somehow manage to keep from drowning in the shower.
Is there any way to tell if the responsible parties have indoor plumbing? How do they avoid rain?
Miles
On general principal, this is very 1984-esque. Remove the words (start with ones everyone can agree is "bad") and remove the potential for thought.
On a side note, this attack on our freedoms is coming from someone from the far left this time (not republican).
Biography:FORD, Robert [D]--(Dist. No. 42, Charleston Co.)--Developer; residing at P.O. Box 21302, Charleston; b. Dec. 26, 1948 in New Orleans, La.; attended Grambling State Univ. and Wayne State Univ.; single; Charleston City Councilman, 1974-92; mem., SCLC Staff, 1966-72; arrested 73 times during civil rights movement; Harvey Gantt Triumphant Award, 1991; Legislator of the Year, S.C. Physical Therapy Assn., 1994; Charleston Co. Council, 1974-93; Who's Who Among Black Elected Officials; Who's Who Among Amer. Politicians and Statesmen; mem.: Sen. Corrections & Penology Com.; Jud. Com.; Labor, Commerce & Industry Com.; Banking & Ins. Com.; Rules Com.; S.C. Legis. Black Caucus; Chm., Civil Rights and Affirmative Action Com.; mem., United Methodist Church; prev. serv. in Sen. 1993-08.
I think that between those three categories most instances of "profanity" that people are actually concerned about would already be punishable without having to actually ban words outright.
Using excessive vulgarity in public to the detriment of surrounding folks: Disturbing the peace
Continuous lewd or abusive comments towards another individual: Harassment
Insulting or berating other people to provoke an altercation or verbally assault them: Fighting words
I think that should cover almost all the bases of "public standards of decency" without having to actually make specific words felonious in any context.
This law is unconstitutional, unless it is extremely narrowly tailored.
Fuck that bullshit... that's complete dickwadishness. First Amendment, you fucking assholes! Suck it!
All the swearing was for effect. I hope I got my point across! :)
...but what does that Perl do?
Derek & Clive (a UK comedy duo, from the 60's/70's, played by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore) would absolutely agree with the South Carolina government.
In their excellent piece entitled 'The Critics' Derek & Clive remonstrate against the need for saying words like 'shit, tit, bum, arsehole and cunt':
Personally, I would like to recommend every cunt in South Carolina obtain a copy of the Ad Naseum album. The people there clearly hold the same values, particularly on swearing and religion, as these Brits.
Apparently you need to get a fucking clue and read the god damn constitution, why?
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/bills/61.htm
In my opinion this guy is on drugs if he thinks that either bill can pass constitutional muster. He would make it illegal for families to drive through South Carolina at night with children in the car -- insane.
Creationism was already taken.
There are still many ways states can distinguish themselves, though. Try re-legalizing slavery. Have a governor declare himself the State Duke for life. Totally outlaw alcohol. Declare pi to be 3.0. Require residents to quarter soldiers.
"Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
So you never use anything that the "state" provides, controls, or regulates? Why do I find that extremely difficult to believe?
Ok folks - I live in SC - So I can say with some certanty - CALM DOWN.
.
1) This is just a BILL introduced in the Senate. I don't see anything on the House calendar indicating that it was also filed there, and if there was a SERIOUS push to make this happen, you'd see a similar bill in the house.
2) He submitted this SAME BILL the last THREE sessions. Thats the last 6 years. See session 117, 116 and 115. Quite frankly I didn't go back any further but he may have introduced this same bill before that, too. EVERY TIME this bill has been introduced, it has died in committee.
3) This guy has a terrible clearance rate. ZERO general bills on which he's the primary sponsor have passed in the last few sessions
4) I bet if you look, you'll find this same type of legislation popping up in other state houses or county councils... and dying just as quickly. Someone's always going to try - doesn't mean they'll get anywhere and DOES NOT mean to freak out.
quis custodiet ipsos custodes - Juvenal
WTF?
If I lived in that state as soon as the law was passed I'd sue the writer of the law for publishing profain words.
So South Carolina will have to out law south park but I don't think they can do the same to 24 on fox as fox is too big for that.
Would 4 letter words like 'smeg' be covered ? It is not in the Oxford English Dictionary. What about words in other languages - like merde ('shit' in French), or ãç--ã'æä (google gives me that when I ask it to translate 'fuck' into Chinese) ?
While it *may* be flamebait or trolling, and is also funny, it also deserves a +1 Insightful or two.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
with what you say, but i will fight for your right to say it. -voltaire
From the rather wide terminal aperture of his digestive system, read the U.S. constitution (the part on "free speech") and do something useful with his time in the legislature. I mean, what the frell is this legislation going to accomplish even if it were passed?
I think you're wrong.
I think everyone can agree that this word is definitely bad.
Kevin Smith on Prince
Tell me, South Carolina, did you elect a pack of retards, because that's the only rational explanation.
Well, they did vote for McCain.
I stand corrected. well done sir!
How the hell are they going to ban this from being read in South Carolina, after I type it from Illinois:
Shit fuck Satan death sex drugs rape (thanks Anthrax (that's a band name, not terrorism))
How about George Carlin's seven words? "shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits"?
The FCC won't fine you for saying "ass" or "hole", but you can't say "asshole" on broadcast radio shows. Why the fuck not?
You know, I can almost hear George Carlan rolling in his grave. I dislike the idea of aversion to profanity to begin with because I feel that words in almost every circumstance are nothing more than words, however I am also a debator/forensicator, so I am very used to being highly professional and leaving out any profane terms. But for the sake of argumentation, I am forced to ask, have these senators ever read the first amendment to the U.S. constitution?
How can this possibly be legal? Next thing you know they want us to use the three seashells.
How appropriate, my Captcha for this post is "outrage". :-)
How fucked is the selection process if senators this useless get elected in?
Engineering is the art of compromise.
Who the fuck thought that shit was a reasonable punishment for such a minor fucking transgression? Lemme get this fucking straight -- you can drive 100 miles an hour down the god damn freeway, potentially putting fucking lives at risk, and probably get off with no more than a few days in jail, at worst, but if you fucking swear in the process, you're looking at five fucking years?
What the fuck?
Well, at least they had the foresight to clearly define a standard for determining what is and isn't profanity. And clearly outlined the ways in which this wouldn't constitute a violation of the first amendment.</sarcasm>
Check out the bible. "Piss" and "Bastard" and "Whore" - it'd be worth it just to see all the state-mandated bible-burnings, etc.
Kevin Smith on Prince
This is just another American political distraction. Like religion, abortion, guns, etc. . ., these distractions keep us from uniting on the really important issues like economic power. Move along. There's nothing new to see here.
(Although such an absurd statute would be really expensive to enforce . . . )
While laws against vulgar language are just laws against free speech, laws against profanity go farther, violating the First Amendment's prohibition on establishment of religion.
"Profanity" doesn't mean "rude language" - it means taking something sacred and using it for secular purposes. You can only define that legally if you've defined whose religion's language and concepts get to be sacred, and the US government and its subsidiaries aren't allowed to do that, even if it's only specifying the religion at the level of "Vaguely Western Monotheist" as opposed to some specific organization. Personally I consider profanity to be much more offensive than the words that politicians don't let you say on TV, especially when it's non-believers using it to be offensive, but you're allowed to use profanity on TV.
Also, other religions may or may not care if you swear or curse using their gods' names - Roman polytheism probably approved of invoking the gods any time you were serious about what you were saying. Buddhism probably considers the equivalent not to be Right Mindfulness, but that's not the same as being sinful. And other cultures prefer different kinds of terms to insult people - diseases are popular, but Senator Ford isn't making it illegal to call him a scurvy dog.
It does mean that anybody telling kids to Pledge Allegiance Under God could be arrested, though, as could the people issuing cheap-metal coins that say "In God We Trust" instead of real coins saying "99% Pure Silver"... So it's not a total loss.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Reading the law I don't mind it since it primarily addresses profanity & other offensive materials to minors.
Most of you thought this was address to all people of all ages hence the huge uproar.
I don't know the laws in South Carolina but I know that in California this type laws exist already and most states and Federal law have laws preventing minors from obtaining certain offensive materials (ie porn) and using certain offensive language (ie threats to people).
fuck you and your 1st amendment, we don't need that shit.
Actually part of my religious services involves shouting blasphemy and profanity. The government cannot regulate my lawful religion.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Wait - it's MUCH worse than that:
"...publishes orally or in writing, exhibits, or otherwise makes available anything obscene to any a group or individual;" ...so exhibiting anything obscene to any individual...is illegal? Doesn't that mean that I can't get naked with my g/f?
www.sjbaker.org
No, there's no law that says you can't pass bad laws. Courts can strike down laws that violate the Constitution, or laws (or more usually, parts of laws) that are too vague to be enforceable, but that's after the law gets passed, and usually not until somebody tries to enforce it.
But this law isn't "void for vagueness" - courts, including the US Supreme Court, have allowed obscenity laws that have "community standards" rather than explicit definitions, and Justice Potter Stewart famously said about obscenity "I know it when I see it". This law's sufficiently clear and way over-the-top about what it's trying to prohibit, it's just blatantly unconstitutional.
The real question is why the politician is trying to propose such a law when he should know better. Is he really ignorant enough not to know better (unlikely, but quite possible)? Is he trying to excite his base so they'll give him more money next election? Is he following a promise he made when he was running? Is he trying to get some other politicians to oppose the bill so he can accuse them of being in favor of profanity and obscenity? Or is he just being rude to the public?
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
This will certainly test the amendment not unlike a toothpick tests against a hurricane.
Colin Dean Go a year without DRM
* Robert Ford [D]
Developer
Dist. No. 42 - Charleston Co.
(H) P.O. Box 21302, Charleston, 29413
Bus. (843) 813-1777 Home (843) 852-0777
(C) 506 Gressette Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6124 Home (803) 798-9220
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
There's already a law that would trump this one: the First Amendment.
The bill's been proposed. It only takes one politician to do that. It's been referred to a committee, which is what typically happens to all kinds of bills. The committee hasn't officially done anything with it yet, and unless they vote in favor of it, it's not going to get to the whole State Senate to vote on, much less the other house or the governor. And they're the Judiciary Committee, which sounds like a technically reasonable committee to handle this kind of bill.
So no, not only is "retards" politically-incorrect-but-not-banned-in-this-law language, but there's no evidence that South Carolina elected more than one scurvy Constitution-disrespecting dog of a politician. If the committee approves it, that'd be different. Unfortunately, legislative information websites generally don't say "the committee laughed at the Honorable Senator's bill before crumpling it up and discarding it" or things like that - it takes a judge to really insult a lawmaker on the record.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Welcome to the Union of Soviet Capitalist Republics!
Not quite. We're a common law nation and the courts have defined what obscenity is. Sort of. And it isn't what you probably think.
The Miller Test
Something may be considered obscene only if all three apply:
(1) The average person, applying contemporary community [local] standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest
(2) The work depicts or describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way [specifically defined by applicable state law];
(3) the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. [This branch of the test is based on national, not local, standards.]
~ ~ ~
Profanity is something else entirely. It is going to be covered by the 1st amendment. See Cohen v. California (Supreme Court said that the message "F*CK the Draft" in big letters on the back of a man's jacket was constitutionally protected political speech.)
Justice Harlan's arguments can be constructed in three major points: First, states (California) cannot censor their citizens in order to make a "civil" society. Second, knowing where to draw the line between harmless heightened emotion and vulgarity can be difficult. Thirdly, people bring passion to politics and vulgarity is simply a side effect of a free exchange of ideasâ"no matter how radical they may be. --wikipedia
Basically, if South Carolina's law could conceivably be applied to censor such speech (which, duh, it certainly can) then it will be unconstitutional for broadness, among other things. If this thing somehow miraculously makes it into law, the Federal Courts will not take kindly to it.
A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdikjKefIWc
What happens if I say
"Fack you, you asz, gol dung motherflocker"
I mean come on, how can this be enforced? Can I curse in foreign languages?, What if an English word sounds like a curse in another language, and someone hears it?
Most of this seems to be aimed at prevention of the corruption of minors, and would rely on the subjective interpretation of the judge to determine if one is guilty or not.
..........FULL STOP.
Hey guys, let's completely ignore the discussion and talk about my pet issue instead!
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker and Tits.
"I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
...All holding signs that simply say "Fuck You".
Get this nonsense over with and get it in a courtroom, and out of the hands of idiots.
It's obviously unconstitutional.
Did we not write something a while back called "Freedom of Speech"??? Idiots! Who cares!?
-Steve "The Geek" Hencye
Ron Paul probably has a similar record trying to pass pro-liberty legislation. Success at getting legislation through the gauntlet is not a measure of the quality of the legislation.
Seriously I call dibbs on www.fuck-south-carolina.com
Is it only swearing int the 2nd degree if I write
What the fuk!?
or
What a sh!thead!
---- "Logoff! That cookie shit makes me nervous!" - A. Soprano
I got a better fucking way. Declare all profane words as decent, that way anything you can fucking say is clean. There are no bad fucking words. End of motherfucking story.
He's a Democrat, he's Black and he's from Charleston.
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/members/bios/0606818109.html
"The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
That's one fucking big swear jar. Why couldn't they enact this law while George Carlin was still alive. R.I.P. George you never knew how much you are missed.
Posting because I missed and hit "informative" instead of "funny". Bad moderator!
Mr. Period: Nine is the one that's right by ten!
Nine: One day I will kill him. Then, I will be Ten.
I had always thought that it would be Alabama who would come up with a bill like that. And now this. I feel cheated.
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/members/bios/0606818109.html Arrested 73 times during the civil rights movement.
What I find odd is that almost everybody uses profanity, even those legislators who would seek to ban it.
I bet they cuss like Nixon in private.
Contrary to common belief, most blacks are very conservative. And Senator Ford is Black.
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/members/bios/0606818109.html
"The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
Stupid Asshole me allows this shitty browser to lose what I typed in here, then I re-enter the message but instead of using an external program to store the comment until I could post it, I allow myself to be fucked-in-the-ass a second time and it loses my comment while I'm formatting it. I am typing this in a separate program, I won't get bit a third time.
Here's how the statute is unconstitutional:
There are far too many others to list, but even misdemeanor or fine-only charges have been struck down; a felony law wouldn't stand 30 seconds.
The lessons of history teach us - if they teach us anything - that nobody learns the lessons that history teaches us.
fuck that
there is no way this is a good idea. Paris Island is in south carolina. I defy you to get them not to swear, ever.
Informative gives karma, funny doesn't. Although I usually prefer to use Underrated in those situations.
In the King James version, of course. 2 Kings 18:27
Warning: Link may be Not Safe For Work in some states.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
Fuck that.
Get up!
This countires going straight to heck.
I wouldn't be surprised if either party introduced this bill but at least place the blame for this specific idiocy on in the correct place.
First it says that South Caroline is seeking to outlaw profanity, but then it turns out that it was just a bill that was introduced. So the summary should read 'One or two fuckers in South Carolina want to outlaw profanity and the rest of the legislature will probably bury his bill.'
Oh, yeah... I know:
Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker tits.
RIP Carlin, we need you now more than ever.
Lest we get carried away in the assumptions that seem to have even made it into the tags for this article, let us take note that the sole sponsor of this bill is a Democrat, not a Republican.
A bill introduced != a bill that is passed.
This bill won't be brought to fucking committee, let alone the floor of the General Assembly.
This bill will go no where. Its just some asshole trying to get votes. Learn how politics fucking works, gimps.
Whew! Not Texas for a change. I guess that piece of shit George Bush was enough.
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
What I really want to see in the bill is a comprehensive list of all the words that are banned. While it wouldn't make the bill any more stupid, it would at least make it much more fun to read.
(But wait, then publication of the bill itself would be a felony....oh, fuck it.)
Attention South Carolina Librarians:
In re "Section 16-15-370. (A) It is unlawful for a person in a public forum or place of public accommodation wilfully and knowingly to publish orally or in writing, exhibit, or otherwise make available material containing words, language, or actions of a profane, vulgar, lewd, lascivious, or indecent nature.
Please remove the following material with Dewey Decimal numbers; 000-100, 100-200, 200-300, 400-500 ...
Hmmm. Maybe this would be easier if we said what could stay...
OK, 801-805 are OK ....
Well, there is that one, and that one... Never mind.
Hmmm....
Oh, GOOD, number 623.43 is definitely OK ... well, it would be if you ripped out page 46... and 58... and probably 124...
(aside) Look, just find something, OK, ya sure?
All right, number 234.98 is absolutely OK if you ignore chapter 12... and 43...
Fuck it. Shit, just torch the damn place...
He put his boots up on the table and made a face. "The sig," he smirked. "You can waste your life in search of the sig."
Ha.
Ha ha.
You'd be surprised what instances of profanity some of the people who would support this bill are concerned about. They don't want to hear me say "Goddammit" or "Fuck" when my team fucks up at a football game. They don't want to hear "aw shit" when I drop a bag of groceries and the milk explodes all over the parking lot. And they definitely don't want to have to listen to the type of people who feel the need to use fuck or shit every third word.
Yes, I grew up in South Carolina, I know these sorts of people, and yes they are indeed judgemental and self righteous. Fortunately, there are also sane people there, and most of the time they outnumber the religious radicals.
Not surprisingly the words chink, spick, wetback, kike and nigger are not only legal, but their usage will be encouraged.
typical of slashdot to jump to conclusions.. think it will get corrected?
Re-reading this and trying to understand its base meaning, I believe it is in reference to any sort of public address or otherwise performance which is subject to the Miller Test [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_test] which is NOT protected by First Ammendment Rights. I believe it would be:
1) open to great interpretation
2) have to pass some sort of test to determine its violation
3) must be directed at a group of people.
One case would be any exhibit or performance or assembly whereby the subject matter is considered by an society, to be in offense or directly offensive to another party or group.
Another might be where those who were charged with the violation were to have produced orally or in another material, subject matter that was in appropriate to minors, as deemed by society.
Still another would be assembly by any group wishing to disseminate hate or otherwise offensive material in any area which is deemed public.
I do not think this applies to individuals who would openly and verbally use profanity or offensive language, save that which might be deemed hate language or in communicating a threat.
Think about that angle
INSERT INTO comment VALUE('Doh!') WHERE user='you';
The Dems can try to reinstate the so-called 'Fairness Doctrine' and keep the PC stranglehold on classroom discussion in colleges and universities, and this left-wing echo chambers thinks those are good things.
I agree that this is an unconstitutional law, but so is the 'Fairness Doctrine' and punishing opinions in public schools.
their main university has COCKS on their hats.
too bad this is happening so soon in the year, when the "dumbest stuff of the year" awards are held, this might be overlooked.
Most people who want to rate something as funny actually rate it as either informative or under-rated, because of defective slashmath.
Funny mods, no points. Get 5+1 funnies, and you go up ... zero points. But NOW you're in danger of 6 down-mods, each with a -1 karma hit, So your karma takes a hit unfairly
Do this a dozen times, and an account at the karma cap (+50) can go to zero, even though it received as many up- as down-mods, and should still be at the cap when all is said and done.
Kevin Smith on Prince
Fuck, I am SO glad I moved the hell out of that backwards, backwoods state long ago!!!
So if this passes (completely hypothetical here), in light of Kentucky's recent law and resulting ruling: wouldn't they be able to prosecute offenders from out of state who publish their content in their state?
You think this senator's proposal is funny, sad, twisted, etc. check out what's already on their books. For people seemingly afraid of losing and wanting to protect their innocence they've certainly got quite a lascivious imagination...
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once
No, really?
What is profane?
Seems pretty subjective to me. While I might think the word bastard is 'colorful language', or even a term of endearment depending on the situation, another might find the word to be unspeakably profane.
So, what yardstick is going to be used to measure 'profanity'?
I don't think you _CAN_ measure it, and thus this motion is going to fail.
Huh?
What is the point of going to South Carolina for your honeymoon if you can't say, text, sign, and semaphore "fuck"?
Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
This law is a lewd and vulgar expression of the ignorance of the people who wrote it.
Attention:
Shitcock.
As you were.
My debut novel AMITY now available: http://jeremydbrooks.c
Your Slashdot UID is low enough that you should know how to make links (especially when it show you how right underneath the text box). Fucking moron.
There is no button to make links that I can see in my Safari 3.2.1. I have "Preview", "Quote Parent", "Options" and "Cancel".
Anyone who follows state legislature closely shouldn't be surprised by this at all. While I doubt this law will pass, the number of "feel good" laws introduced by normally straight thinking people who are (mostly) just trying to help society in a given session are amazing.
What's horrifying (to me) is that when a law like this threatens first amendment rights (or other "obvious, and this law will affect me personally, tomorrow" amendments) everyone gets their panties in a bunch, as they should.
But when someone tries to pass a "feel good" law to keep "guns out of the hands of criminals" by making it harder for law abiding citizens to own them, there's only a murmer from those of us who hold the issue nearest and dearest to our hearts. When it comes to the constitution, the second amendment is widely glossed over... as if maybe they just didn't really mean that one. If you think about our gun rights as Americans and the laws that prevent us from exercising them, and imagine them applied to first amendment rights instead... well, you'd go burn down the capitol building (again).
(The same could be said about a few other amendments, especially the 4th, but I've got #2 on my mind)
Fight for all the amendments, they're all there for a reason. The first to delay needing the second, and the second to protect all the rest.
I voted for Obama in the primary, and I voted for him in the general election. That being said I don't believe for a moment that we have attained utopia.
We need the ACLU to fight the hard fights against misguided laws and precedent just like this.
The law it self is profanity, so if it passes lock the author in jail for 5 years!
Posting because I missed and hit "informative" instead of "funny".
Bad moderator!
Not necessarily. I can make a very strong case that he deserved to be modded "informative" because he was informing us that there is one word that is definitely bad.
You moderated insightfully. Good job!
Prevent Windows piracy. Use Linux instead.
Would this be considered profanity?
All you people up there in City Hall,
You're fuckin' it up for the people that's in the streets.
This is a song for the people in the streets,
Not the people City Hall.
All you motherfuckers in the streets it's time to rise up, up up up
Come along children and fuckin' rise!
Lots of times when me and KG are watchin'
All the fuckin' shit that goes down at City Hall,
We get the feeling we should fuck shit up,
Yeah we should fuckin' start a riot.
A Riot!
We have 'em screaming in the streets,
we have 'em tippin' over shit and breakin' fuckin' windows of small businesses,
and settin' fuckin' fires!
and settin' fuckin' fires!
and settin' fuckin' fires!
Hang on folks, the entire state isn't trying to do this, just one jerk: Senator Ford. It hasn't been passed yet, and (even in South Carolina) it very likely won't if for no other reason than that it is obviously UNconstitutional.
P.S. Oh, and I call CRACKPOT ALERT!
or did you mean "hole"...?
Ask Me About... The 80's!
John Spartan; you are fined 1 credit for a breadch of the verbal morality code.
"Fuck me in the goat ass!"
And yet you STILL managed to find your keyboard long enough to type the body of the message. Congratulations.
URLs
<URL:http://example.com/> will auto-link a URL
Important Stuff
JUST BECAUSE THERE IS NO FUCKING "BUTTON" DOESN'T MEAN SOMETHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, EVEN ON SAFARI.
:(){ :|: & };:
So now people will be getting tossed in jail until someone can bring this before the Supreme Court nad get it reversed?
This is blatantly unconstitutional. The standards for profanity have been established by the court. IANAL but it's something to do with the prurient standards of the community. What is profane in South Carolina and Georgia is OK in California and New York.
What would be really nice is for someone to take this before the Supreme Court and get it overturned with a hefty cash fine against the state. A serious fraction of one billion dollars. Something that would make other states and towns think twice before wasting everyone's time and money on frivolous lawmaking.
Do Tourette's get special allowance or do they have to purchase a permit?
(Yes I know not every Tourette's case swears)
Is that a cool word or what?
Right. You don't use a button. You write the markup code yourself.
It's pretty easy.
Sponsors: Senator Ford
Senator Ford: http://www.scstatehouse.gov/members/bios/0606818109.html
Democrat!
Slashdot: Playing Favorites Since 1997
This had to have originated from that walled abortion Bob Jones University in Greenville. Sounds just like the kind of legislation he loves to forward, especially the felony statutes for dating someone within 6 months of being divorced in that area. Or the prison term for being married and sleeping with someone else. Gotta be another Jonesislation........
I am no longer interested in taking over the world, I just want a modest corner of the Solar System
it had been Indiana. That would've been fucking awesome.
Court says evidence is valid despite police error
This ain't no lower court either, this is The Court saying that illegal search and seizure is a-OK if it was an "honest" mistake.
Seriously, I don't know what the hell is going on any more.
Forgot to say, "...in public places" in the title.
This law is talking about areas that are public. And you have to think what can be covered by that....
Can Wal-mart? Can the Wal-mart parking lot?
No to both answers.
Simple way to view it, anywhere your tax dollars pay for upkeep. A court house, a public park, a school are some examples.
--
John Stewart said something on the Daily Show about certain States in our country that should be required to where a helmet at all times.
Everything is lewd.
With apologies to Tom Lehrer.
wtf?
During the run up to the presidential election I vented some frustrations about Fox New's manipulative coverage and blatant bias regarding Ron Paul. It usually started out as a casual comment however, person after person after person it seems began to angrily defend Fox News as the only unbiased news channel that there was. I'm not kidding. I even showed these people some of the mountains of footage out there but they are going to believe what they want to believe. So many people out here honestly believe that EVERY other news outlet in the country is out to get us and that Fox News is the beacon of light among all the world's news.
It's sad. Some of the incumbent candidates around here will remain no matter what. There's so many people around here that would vote Republican if Hitler came back from the grave and ran for office.
Keep in mind, hard core Dems are just as bad. Anybody that has predefined their vote based on a political party is a complete moron.
There's no concept of who the best candidate might be. If you asked anybody in this state one thing about a non-Republican candidate I guarantee they would not have the slightest clue. They don't even pay attention.
I sat down with some hard core Republicans that were insistent that Obama was a secret muslim and were terrified about what he would do in office. Then I told a them about a few of his platforms that I liked (candidate voting and funding transparency website, net neutrality stance, the ACTUAL numbers of his tax plan) and the shocked looked on their faces was unreal. These people actually believed that taxes were going to hit 75% and that all the money was going to be handed out to black people.
So yes. These folks will elect a pack of 'special candidates'.
In Soviet Carolina, Senator Ford fucks you !
What more do you expect from the Traitor State? The Heart of Secession will never be a leader, never be a state to follow. If the US followed South Carolina's example, we'd be a third world nation today. Let them rot in their "moral" filth.
And you can quote me on that.
The courts have explicitly held that swearing in public is NOT an act that can be banned. Indeed, people have gotten off in cases of yelling "Fuck You!" at police officers here on those grounds.
No more Hip Hop for SC listeners: http://www.fleshmap.com/listen/genre_hip_hop.html
only Redneck approved Country allowed from now on: http://www.fleshmap.com/listen/genre_country.html
I seem to recall there was once a famous magistrate who defined obscenity as something that stimulated him.
As he got older, he became quite liberal.
"Cats like plain crisps"
ONLY 30 days in jail? For saying bad words. In what way is that remotely acceptable?
I was just reading the South Carolina State Laws (amazing what you do when you're bored).
Apparently it is quite legal to bonk (sorry, fuck, let's stay with the thread a little, at least) your great grandchildren. And vice versa. It definitely isn't incest.
Hey, I didn't say it was likely. But it's legal.
Even Heinlein couldn't make this up ...
FUCK! I hereby exhibit my freedom of expression.
Thank you for listening/reading/watching.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
See, it has the word "tit" right there in its name. Case closed.
... and then they built the supercollider.
The honorable senator can be reached at RIF@scsenate.org
I found that it was too pedantic to be informative, but just pedantic enough to be funny.
Mr. Period: Nine is the one that's right by ten!
Nine: One day I will kill him. Then, I will be Ten.
Does that include the "n"-word? It is South Carolina.
My point is, whom does it have to offend to be profane?
if(!toilet_paper) roll.replace(new roll);
If these fucking stupid ass lawmakers decide to be fucking assholes and ban a combination of letters, soon people will just invent another god damn combination of letters to mean the exact same motherfuckin thing. Given enough time every combination of 6 or less letters will be banned.
Seriously though, not only is this nonsense, but it opens the floodgates for a lot of things. People always scoff at me when I get outraged by city and state governments trying to impose laws to enact dress codes or ban words. But if you give the government an inch they'll take a mile. First they ban "asshole", what stops them from banning "idiot". First they ban men with boxers showing and women with thong straps in sight, what stops them from banning tank tops or skirts more than 4 inches above the knee? It's not the governments job to watch our filthy mouths for us or to play the fucking fashion police. (had to slip one more obscenity in there)
> s/he
now, who the fuck are we kidding?
Since our language lacks appropriate non-derogatory neuter pronouns, can you offer a better word for this situation where GP does not know the gender of the individual referred to? And please don't say "he or she", as that is incredibly clunky.
I just wish "s/he" were pronounceable in the spoken language...
Either that, or ditch "she" entirely and make "he" neuter.
I'm in favor of dropping "-ess" from job titles for females as well. Linguistic segregation just adds to the sexism problem. If we just called female "waitstaff" (gawd I hate that word) "waiters", we could actually start to undermine one of the cultural bases for sexism.
And before anyone jumps on me for preferring the traditionally "male" terms as the default, I think they're the best way to go because they are already used more prevalently than than the "female" terms, so the transition would be smoother and meet with less public resistance.
Knowledge != Intelligence
God wrote the Bible in King James, it's the only "real" Bible. The Jews just got an early copy.
So you're saying the old testament is the beta version?
Knowledge != Intelligence
I really wouldn't worry about this one because it would be found void for overbreadth because the definition of vulgarity might differ enough between races, religions, and creeds that it would cause gross mis-interpretations. If the overbreadth doctrine doesn't stop it, the first amendment certainly will. Yelling the words "fuck" and "shit" are not the same thing as yelling "fire" in a crowded movie theatre.
Hey man just chill, have a smoke of this man you'll feel a whole lot better, relax man...I mean cut and paste is only a few keystrokes too man No but really, you're just being an asshole here, I mean fine educate the guy but don't abuse him 'cos he didn't know something, sure he could have looked it up but hey... are you perfect?
TAX IS THEFT.
Ok, I don't normally feed the AC trolls, but...
Without taxes to support the fire department, I guess we should just let your house burn down when it catches fire unless you've got a private fire squad. Or maybe the fire department should just send you a bill for their time?
Same goes for driving on public roads (they don't pave and clean themselves, you know), how about we make all roads into toll roads, that ok with you?
Been the victim of a rape/robbery/etc? Tough luck unless you've got a private security force.
Do you like using electricity and eating beef? You might not if you actually had to pay the FULL price.
Want your kids to learn basic literacy, math, science, and history? Better pony up for a tutor, taxes currently pay for that too. Not to mention the whole, "it's in your best interest for that other guy's kids to be educated" argument.
This one might not apply if you're a total anarchist, but wouldn't it be nice if the people making the laws and carrying out diplomatic relations with other countries had some source of income other than bribery or personal wealth? You think lobbyists and "campaign contributors" run shit now? Just wait until the Senators actually rely on them to pay for their next meal.
Unless you're living totally off the grid, growing your own food, using tools and equipment that you manufactured yourself from scratch (or acquired from someone else who did the same), never set foot in a public school, never drive on a public road (you would also need a car that you built from scratch and gasoline that you refined yourself), and are willing to defend yourself from robbers/foreign invading armies all by your lonesome, just STFU right now.
In fact, even if you do somehow miraculously meet the above criteria, just STFU anyway, because the rest of us don't want to live like that.
Ever hear of something called economy of scale? It's way cheaper for everyone to pool our resources.
P.S. Taxes paid for (at least part of) the copper that carried your post from your house to the rest of us. You shouldn't even be posting on slashdot if you truly believe tax is theft, or you're a thief and a hypocrite too.
Knowledge != Intelligence
Everybody likes to make fun of the backwards southerners but expressing obscenity is already a violation in New York with wonderfully vague wording for the convenience of the jackboots and brown shirts.
Section 240.20 Disorderly conduct
A person is guilty of disorderly conduct when, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof:
3. In a public place, he uses abusive or obscene language, or makes an obscene gesture; or
Disorderly conduct is a violation.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
WTF, why is this modded informative?
Hyperbolic, for intended effect.
http://sparkbox.blogspot.com/2009/01/lick-my-stinking-asshole-sc-senator.html
Go ahead.
Arrest me.
I dare you, you motherfucking assholes, you cocksucking alterboy abusing shit-eaters!.
My Human Gets Me Blues.
...but I think the place where they tortured the Dirty Bomber Jose Padilla is in Ford's district.
P.
hey,
names aren't important, just opinions. this one shows up b/c rights are being stripped one by one. it's all fun and games till they start stripping your family right in front of you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVJb_wkI7jk
now i didn't mean stripped literally but after writing it i remember a you tube vid of cops stripping a chick after SHE called for help from police. the guy says it best...could be YOUR WIFE next time! COULD BE YOUR VOICE/RIGHTS SQUASHED NEXT TIME!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riboisae0JY&feature=related more of the same graphic torture our society lives with every day b/c out rights get abused each day
now the ONLY thing I can possibly see making a difference within America is Open Sourced Gov't. One that's actually FOR the people and serves US. Currently we all pay taxes to get pushed around, abused, verbally harrassed, and if you put up a fight it gets WORST!
They'll put you in a cell, strip you down to nothing (so undies and bra are gone), and have the male cops there while being stripped (violation of their own code they are SWORN to uphold!)
b/c they break their own rules and aren't accountable the system ITSELF needs upgrading.
votes should be counted online for things that matter. give everyone /w a social security # a password to the website for voting. stats on how you want your money spent. stats on who you want in office (like the vote for office we currently have but better), votes for rights and constitution (yay spell check, i can't spell it and they can't guarantee it for you atm).
perhaps our gov't is a bit too over protective of us. perhaps being a bit harsh on misterminor crimes. in ANY case you currently dont have a say. you only got blue team or red team (favor the blue personally...lol). then the leaders either blue or red make ALL your decisions for you w/o a second thought.
im sure the majority of people that are smart enough to "sign up" for military service to KILL PEOPLE for their country can make a simple check on an online govt website as to what THEY want from THEIR govt. doesn't mean it'll be counted (much like your votes last election...lmfao) but at least the facts will be open sourced for all to read and see and discuss in an open forum.
think ms vs linux here. do you want a ms govt (current) or a linux one (future, better one)????
ms one has secrets, encrypted stuff and lack of options for consumers. linux costs way less, is more about the code then the bribes, and is editable (try editing your CURRENT govt ppl!!!)
just saying usa/canada needs more open sourced things like this in order to evolve into the next century.
heck, maybe we'll even earn us a true democracy. (don't even say you already have one when crap like this is always going down...like every day)
mod this waaaaaay up guys. i wanna hear open sourced govt talk on /.
We're all fucked.
hey, names aren't important, just opinions. this one shows up b/c rights are being stripped one by one. it's all fun and games till they start stripping your family right in front of you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVJb_wkI7jk now i didn't mean stripped literally but after writing it i remember a you tube vid of cops stripping a chick after SHE called for help from police. the guy says it best...could be YOUR WIFE next time! COULD BE YOUR VOICE/RIGHTS SQUASHED NEXT TIME! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riboisae0JY&feature=related more of the same graphic torture our society lives with every day b/c out rights get abused each day now the ONLY thing I can possibly see making a difference within America is Open Sourced Gov't. One that's actually FOR the people and serves US. Currently we all pay taxes to get pushed around, abused, verbally harrassed, and if you put up a fight it gets WORST! They'll put you in a cell, strip you down to nothing (so undies and bra are gone), and have the male cops there while being stripped (violation of their own code they are SWORN to uphold!) b/c they break their own rules and aren't accountable the system ITSELF needs upgrading. votes should be counted online for things that matter. give everyone /w a social security # a password to the website for voting. stats on how you want your money spent. stats on who you want in office (like the vote for office we currently have but better), votes for rights and constitution (yay spell check, i can't spell it and they can't guarantee it for you atm).
perhaps our gov't is a bit too over protective of us. perhaps being a bit harsh on misterminor crimes. in ANY case you currently dont have a say. you only got blue team or red team (favor the blue personally...lol). then the leaders either blue or red make ALL your decisions for you w/o a second thought.
im sure the majority of people that are smart enough to "sign up" for military service to KILL PEOPLE for their country can make a simple check on an online govt website as to what THEY want from THEIR govt. doesn't mean it'll be counted (much like your votes last election...lmfao) but at least the facts will be open sourced for all to read and see and discuss in an open forum.
think ms vs linux here. do you want a ms govt (current) or a linux one (future, better one)????
ms one has secrets, encrypted stuff and lack of options for consumers. linux costs way less, is more about the code then the bribes, and is editable (try editing your CURRENT govt ppl!!!)
just saying usa/canada needs more open sourced things like this in order to evolve into the next century.
heck, maybe we'll even earn us a true democracy. (don't even say you already have one when crap like this is always going down...like every day)
mod this waaaaaay up guys. i wanna hear open sourced govt talk on /.
You need some new friends.
Quack, quack.
no. plus ungood.
You know what's scary? Maybe the crazies standing by with the ammo boxes are right.
hey, names aren't important, just opinions. this one shows up b/c rights are being stripped one by one. it's all fun and games till they start stripping your family right in front of you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVJb_wkI7jk now i didn't mean stripped literally but after writing it i remember a you tube vid of cops stripping a chick after SHE called for help from police. the guy says it best...could be YOUR WIFE next time! COULD BE YOUR VOICE/RIGHTS SQUASHED NEXT TIME! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riboisae0JY&feature=related more of the same graphic torture our society lives with every day b/c out rights get abused each day now the ONLY thing I can possibly see making a difference within America is Open Sourced Gov't. One that's actually FOR the people and serves US. Currently we all pay taxes to get pushed around, abused, verbally harrassed, and if you put up a fight it gets WORST! They'll put you in a cell, strip you down to nothing (so undies and bra are gone), and have the male cops there while being stripped (violation of their own code they are SWORN to uphold!) b/c they break their own rules and aren't accountable the system ITSELF needs upgrading. votes should be counted online for things that matter. give everyone /w a social security # a password to the website for voting. stats on how you want your money spent. stats on who you want in office (like the vote for office we currently have but better), votes for rights and constitution (yay spell check, i can't spell it and they can't guarantee it for you atm).
perhaps our gov't is a bit too over protective of us. perhaps being a bit harsh on misterminor crimes. in ANY case you currently dont have a say. you only got blue team or red team (favor the blue personally...lol). then the leaders either blue or red make ALL your decisions for you w/o a second thought.
im sure the majority of people that are smart enough to "sign up" for military service to KILL PEOPLE for their country can make a simple check on an online govt website as to what THEY want from THEIR govt. doesn't mean it'll be counted (much like your votes last election...lmfao) but at least the facts will be open sourced for all to read and see and discuss in an open forum.
think ms vs linux here. do you want a ms govt (current) or a linux one (future, better one)????
ms one has secrets, encrypted stuff and lack of options for consumers. linux costs way less, is more about the code then the bribes, and is editable (try editing your CURRENT govt ppl!!!)
just saying usa/canada needs more open sourced things like this in order to evolve into the next century.
heck, maybe we'll even earn us a true democracy. (don't even say you already have one when crap like this is always going down...like every day)
mod this waaaaaay up guys. i wanna hear open sourced govt talk on /.
we used to mock Canadians but it's not really funny any more now that they've beat the dollar (we'll all be illegally immigrating there soon enough).
Quack, quack.
The real problem here is that the legal fees for defending against a felony are going to be in the ~$10,000+ range, or you can just pay the $5,000 fine and go on your way.
I doubt anyone will ever actually go to prison over this, and it will be a while until someone presses it far enough to get the law overturned.
Meanwhile, the state can collect some fines in some tough economic times.
... well, native speakers of the English tongue, I propose setting aside at least $100,000,000 to teach law enforcement, children and parents the swear words of all other countries. If not, then it's obvious that this law is simply meant to persecute honest, god fearing, white folks while allowing foreigners to mock us in their inscrutable ways.
"Common sense will be the death of us all"
But does it run Linux?
Belgium! (although probably not worth posting at this point, as it will be buried too far down. ah well...)
It's not stupid. It's Advanced.
Just say "earmuffs", then you can say whatever you want... Fuck, Shit, Bitch... Cockballs!
the rest of world laughs at you once more ^^
The solution is very simple.
instead of sending your protests send a complete list of everyone you know in SC (including the Senators) with a thank you letter explaining your intention of seeing the listed persons in court before a judge thanks to the new bill and ask if they (the Senator) could help expedite the situation so that no time is lost getting these Felons behind bars.
and also add a list of children you would like to see convicted and ask how to go about that seeing as how ALL children curse and will continue to do so as we all know.
just my 2 cents.
IT Admins Group: Where you decide the content
Time to start developing new curses. I humbly submit "sanford" to replace "fucktard."
Why exactly is this story being tagged "republicans" when the senator sponsoring this legislation is a Democrat?
if i wore a shirt with
Siht,
P's,
Fcuk,
Cnut,
CokcSucekr,
MotehrFcuker
Teats
written on it?
These laws are fun.
or is this just a gimmick to popularize Battlestar galactica and its frak.
They are giving some of the other states that I thought were the most fucked up a run for their money.
ARTICLE I.
DECLARATION OF RIGHTS
SECTION 1. Political power in people.
All political power is vested in and derived from the people only, therefore, they have the right at all times to modify their form of government.
SECTION 2. Religious freedom; freedom of speech; right of assembly and petition.
The General Assembly shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government or any department thereof for a redress of grievances.
Senator Robert Ford
District 42 - Charleston Co.
Contact Address:
(H) P.O. Box 21302, Charleston, 29413
Bus. (843) 813-1777 Home (843) 852-0777
(C) 506 Gressette Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6124 Home (803) 798-9220
It's 3 am here. I'm sure senator ford would like to hear from you about his bill. Feel free to call collect.
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/members/bios/0606818109.html looks like a badaas tho, don't ring his doorbell.
dang it and Poot!
--- This meme is memory intensive
Sounds like you all need to go out and buy the latest copy of the Profanisaurus, subtitled "The Magna Farta". This is the "World's Sweariest Dictionary" compiled by Viz magazine with over 10,000 rude words and phrases.
Should give you plenty of new phrases to use in your protest letters - many of which will not be understood by those in power unless they too resort to looking them up!
Plus this is one of those books which is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud - much like this new law.
Moore's law is not a law. Theory, yes; Predictable trend, certainly; Law, no.
There are some words I wouldn't mind seeing people fined for misusing -- synergy, leverage, paradigm etc. Or is even suit-speak worth protecting?
My answer to the senate would look roughly like this:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=penn%20teller%20swearing#q=penn%20teller%20profanity&emb=0
As presented this is of course an obvious piece of idiot legislation - what else can one say about it? It's not worth wasting more breath than that.
But it should make people think a little about why the democratically elected government of any state would spend time - taxpayers' money IOW - on this kind of idle crap? Most of us are ordinary people - we don't agree with this kind of wasting time on formalized prudery; and neither do the majority of people in the world, whether they live in South Carolina or not, so it sholdn't be possible for this to happen. The reason, it seems to me, is that us ordinary people do not want to take part in democracy - why else do those in power only represent religious extremists and big money?
I'm not convinced that it is because people just don't care as long as they have what they want - I think it is because they have been made to feel hopeless about the whole thing. For a very long time it has looked as if it made no difference what ordinary people wanted - but what the election of Obama has shown, I think, is the power of the internet. The internet has given ordinary people the opportunity to have real influence on the debate; you can get heard if what you say appeals enough to people - you don't need to be rich or famous or know somebody.
And that is probably why so many of those in power want to limit what you can say in public; after all, what is "profanity"? There was a time where eg the word "cock" was an innocent, everyday word meaning "male bird" or "cockerel" - and so on. So who gets to define what is "profane, vulgar, lewd, lascivious, or indecent"? As it stands, it could well cover more or less everything people say if they don't agree with those in power, but I am pretty sure "indecent" won't mean lying to the electorate or being a pompous hypocrite.
The Southern California Profanity Prohibition? Lots of southern-Californians already go over to Mexico on weekends for drinks, drugs and cheap whores.
That bill will give them yet another reason to cross the border: being able to use the F-word liberally.
Jesus! I can't believe what I'm reading. Isn't your country supposed to be the land of the free? The people of South Carolina need to either stand up and fight this bollocks or ship out to other states. Based on the press coverage, here's me thinking it was countries like Iran who'd be doing this sort of thing. How any sane minded individuals can stand idly by and let this thing pass is beyond my comprehension. WAKE UP SOUTH CAROLINA! HELLO!!!
If yes, blame the idiots that voted those representatives into legislative power. What do you expect of a country where over 40% of the population believes that the beginning of the Genesis in the Bible is leterally and factually true?
can I sue the lawmakers using the law they just published?
Actually why stop there, i'm offended at anything that's ever been said, done or published in south carolina for some random arbitrary reason.
There ya go, now convict the whole state of felony, build a huge wall around it and that'll be that.
I'm very concerned about dirty exclamations like "Hell!" and "God!" and "Jesus Christ!", and I think that South Carolina's preachers have been getting a free ride. For too many Sundays, these Christian preachers have been spouting their filthy words in public. It's time for the law to take over the pulpit and return some civility to church.
This will be struck down as a violation of the 1st amendment of the Bill of Rights.
Who hasn't cussed on occasion?
Freedom of religeon also means freedom from religeon.
Geek Hillbilly
All I have to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyxNgnQ9m30
Z
Well maybe we just need to send this guy a copy of the US constitution. He might not even know what the wording it, most people done, there are a lot of things covered in the constitution. We should also send a copy to all the patriot act assholes.
You beat me to it, but Lenny Bruce said it best when he said,
"If you lose the right to say fuck, you lose the right to say fuck the government."
I live here too, and this shit is getting insane.
You can't legislate morality or intelligence.
Oh, the irony.. The captcha was frauds
Someone needs to seriously fix those penalities.
I can pay a $100 fine from my my stash of laundry quarters. 30 days in jail would ruin large portions of my life because A, I'll obviously lose any job I already have at that point, and B, I'd get busted on "have you ever served time in jail" questions during interviews.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Had to wait a few minutes after the Lenny Bruce post, but why the hell does everyone insist on lumping Sanford in with all the rest of the fucked up shit in our state? If you don't like Sanford, fine, but don't connect him with this abortion of a bill. Please take a look at the Cato Institute and read the damn papers. The vast majority of state reps and senators hate Sanford because he is changing the good old boy system, insisting on accountability, and dozens of other changes.
Do you have any clue that Sanford was the only U.S. Representative to honor his pledge to abide by term limits and not run for additional terms? There is a reason Sanford got re-elected as Governor, because shudder to think, he actually act the was he speaks.
Ford is a dumbass, but he is also a politically connected twenty some term black Democrat who gets re-elected because he will listen to the little old ladies who don't want to hear profanity, or the lazy union fucks who want a job for life driving a forklift and making more than engineers, programmers, college professors and a good number of jobs requiring higher education. The reason we may or already havelost the Maersk shipping contract is because of the fucking unions. Thank the god I don't believe in that we are still a right to work state.
'nuff profanity and SC related ranting for you?
For those of you from Canada, this is the equivalent of an MP's personal bill. Please forgive the half assed reference.
By the way, reeeh2000 let me know when the profanity rally is scheduled and I'll join you. See, people of different political persuasions can get together and agree on some things.
I'm a Mac.
I'm sorry everybody. My mom said if I dropped the F bomb one more time there would be hell to pay. :(
"I guess I'm gonna fade into Bolivian."
Not really, I mean, it is a good word describing something which is bad.
Before you scream tautology, I'd like to add that there is also a vast disagreement about what is, in fact, bad. Is bad the new good? When I say, "he's one bad motherfucker, the way he drives that fucking car", what (the fuck, I should add) does that means?
Anyway, language is moot. Words can get meaning from good to bad and in between.
Therefore, profanity is also moot, hence I declare this bad (but not in a good way) law FUCKING STUPID.
Smeg! (Red Dwarf)
Frack! Felgercarb! (Battlestar Galactica)
Can we start a list of SciFi "made up" profanities that we can keep on tap in case SC (where I live, unfortunately) actually manages to pass this smeg?
Please provide references as shown above for the new vocabulary. Bonus points if anyone can provide the translations used in other languages.
all i can say is if it passes, they may as well kiss the construction industry goodbye. (we construction workers are famous for our 4 letter vocabulary!) 5 years in jail for smashing your thumb with a hammer and expressing how you feel about it? VUNDEBAR!
I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.
Holy fucking shit cock sucking ass hole bastards !!!
I just want to add, "Fuck off, South Carolina" to the conversation. Thank you for your attention.
-SaNo
...but odds are that this is not going to fly. I can see in my mind a repeat of Lenny Bruce's bit where he in one of his comedy sets replaced the word "fuck" with "fish" and told his audience that was the plan. He'd make some comments like (while looking at a pretty woman) "Hey Baby, wanna fish?" and other such comments.
It can't go through because as Lenny Bruce proved, you don't have to say the profanity because the person listening will do it for you as long as you put it into context.
Hell! Take a look at British Sci-Fi comedy Red Dwarf. They use "smeg" and you *know* what profanity it's replacing.
"What the Smegging Smeg has he smegging done?" in anyone's mind translates into "What the fucking hell has he fucking done?"
Or "Oh smeg!" is clearly "Oh Hell!"
It's the context. Ban the words and you'll find that the people are putting the profanity in themselves...and you can't legislate thoughts.
As for the SC Government? They can go and smurf themselves for all I care.
-- Wiccan Army, 13th Airborne Division "We will not fly silently into the night"
Robert Ford is a complete flake and is not taken seriously in the SC General Assembly. He introduces these sort of nutball bills all the time. He's also currently running for governor (the election isn't even until 2010), trying to bring back video poker, and probably trying to make contact with the aliens too.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
If we had some incentive to clean up our language?
Let's face it, the steady tirade of profanity has undermined the arts, lowered public discourse, and has reduced our level of civilization. Instead of searching for a short phrase that describes a situation and enriches us, we take the easy road and apply a profanity to any situation that causes us unpleasantness.
Some might argue that profanity is a form of self-expression but in reality it is another cancer eroding at self expression. By encouraging profanity, we lose our ability to communicate genuinely and express ourselves fully, and undermine ourselves as a free society. Just as Orwell's state changed all descriptions of a situation to double plus good, or plus good, so too we now have situations as f----.
Profanity -should- be banned.
This is my sig.
Due to the factual information it contains, just like our posts are both "Offtopic". Neat huh, how words can describe what or how things are?
We have 'em screaming in the streets,
we have 'em tippin' over shit and breakin' fuckin' windows of small businesses,
and settin' fuckin' fires!
and settin' fuckin' fires!
and settin' fuckin' fires!
Do you really need to wonder why these guys get called niggers? There, there's some free speech for you!
Oh, you can't you stand the word nigger?
Well, maybe some people don't like the word fuck either. You can't make a statement expressing your right to be an asshole, without someone else doing the same.
This is my sig.
Okay, are you referring to any specific books?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dewey_Decimal_classes
The general categories those numbers refer to come out as:
801-805
# 801 Philosophy & theory
# 802 Miscellany
# 803 Dictionaries & encyclopedias
# 804 Not assigned or no longer used
# 805 Serial publications
623 - Military & nautical engineering
234 - Salvation (Soteriology) & grace
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
These fucking bible belt assholes are goddam morons! The stupid sons of bitches!
You can view Senator Ford's bill records at: http://www.scstatehouse.gov/members/bios/0606818109.html
2009-2010: 0 of 68 passed (of course, this one just got started)
2007-2008: 2 of 66 passed
2005-2006: 5 of 54 passed
2003-2004: 14 of 63 passed
2001-2002: 2 of 29 passed
I don't think this bill has much chance of passing.
Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. --Nietzsche
...coming to visit.
I'm not tense. I'm just terribly, terribly, alert.
I see it as a good thing, I'm so sick and tired of people swearing, especially in public. This is not a "free speech" thing, it's a common decency thing. Profanity is for people too stupid to come up with something more intelligent to say.
File under T. NEXT!
In one word, unenforcable. Can you actually imagine a cop hauling someone off because they dropped the "F Bomb"? Just because it's a law doesn't mean that people will be arrested or fined for it.
This will look great for him during campaign time.
We've all seen the ads on television that say "Senator Johnson is great; great for the community; great for our state. Senator Johnson sponsored a bill that would 'save the children', and another that would 'fight terrorism' blah, blah, blah."
Whether it passes or not - whether he knew it wouldn't - is irrelevant because once it's introduced it's on the books.
It's typical political incentivized bad behavior, and sadly it's the system "we" allow to flourish.
If you do what you always did, you get what you always got.
Oh wait, is that the same state that makes it illegal for people to publish their laws?
http://fulldecent.blogspot.com/2007/05/intelligence-in-sc.html
-- I was raised on the command line, bitch
What if you just mouth the word without sound coming out, do you get just a half fine?
--JonnyBlog
Holy $h#t! You have got to be f#%*ing kidding me.
No seriously, I can only say that, because if I change the characters to letters I might get nailed for an ex-post facto violation of the law, later.
Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability: without Availability the other two are assured, as is Bankruptcy.
I'd just like to say for the record:
Motherfucking shit goddammit dey tuk ar jobs!
The first amendment protects speech like this. No question about that, and I'm glad that it does.
That said, I've wondered what kind of recourse there would be if somebody kept swearing in front of my kids. Oh sure I'll teach them that it's wrong to use those words, but could there be some consequence for being rude like that?
It is a snack.....
Yeah, my cat ate one the other day. Poor bird.
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth gets you modded -1 Troll
... enforcing this law around any of the Navy or Marine bases in South Carolina!
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth gets you modded -1 Troll
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the Verbal Morality Statute."
At least now you won't have to worry about learning how to use those sea shells now. ;)
Someone needs to convince him that he has to explicitly define what words are profane in his bill.
Then were it to get passed, he and everyone who voted for it could be the first people imprisoned by the law.
Fanatically anti-fanatical
Guess that means that they cant study most books in English classes now.
banning the @ as well?
vulgar
â1. characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste: vulgar ostentation.
2. indecent; obscene; lewd: a vulgar work; a vulgar gesture.
3. crude; coarse; unrefined: a vulgar peasant.
4. of, pertaining to, or constituting the ordinary people in a society: the vulgar masses.
5. current; popular; common: a vulgar success; vulgar beliefs.
6. spoken by, or being in the language spoken by, the people generally; vernacular: vulgar tongue.
7. lacking in distinction, aesthetic value, or charm; banal; ordinary: a vulgar painting. â"noun
8. Archaic. the common people.
9. Obsolete. the vernacular.
So, it will be an offense to use words that are commonly spoken by the general public, words used by ordinary people, words that are popular? Why not just make it an offense to use WORDS?
Violates freedom of speech. 'nuff said! However, I produce facts. Allow me to plagiarize: "Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship or limitation." "The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognizes the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression"." Period!
I like to believe that the intent of the 1st Amendment is that free speech is an absolute. The moment you cross that line for any reason, the absolute has no meaning.
Fahrenheit 451 is a perfect example. The majority wasn't censoring the minority on a large scale like we see in China. It was small groups offended by minute things. They suppressed minor items, a word at a time in the name of decency. Where do you draw the line, and who draws the line?
I know judges have made rulings that indecent material isn't protected, and that hate speech isn't protected. Frankly, I think those judges are wrong.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
If this gets approved it will provoke "pythonesque" situations -- "Stop! Stop, will you?! Stop that! Stop it! Now, look! No one is to stone anyone until I blow this whistle! Do you understand?! Even, and I want to make this absolutely clear, even if they do say 'fuck'!"
Hell no. Oh shit, I just said a bad word. Damn that was 2. Fuck, just made it 3. Crap, I'm in debt up to my damn eyeballs now will all the swearing I just did now. I better stop typing now before I'm homeless.
Every time you call tech support, a little kitten dies.
I think a community reading of Fahrenheit 451 is in order for the people of South Carolina
carefully worded, but i'll take the bait anyway.
Bad
1. opposite of good 2. opposite of bad 3. taking responsibility for something bad 4. posesing the qualities of badness.
1. Jeremia: Hey, it was pretty bad the way you raped my mother
2. Mathulesla: I raped his mother, it was bad
3. Jeremia: My bad mom, I dint know he'd rape you
4. Mathulesla is such a bad
Sue the responsible legislator for being a dumbass, and wasting everyone's time with something that is clearly not constitutional.
I think if we could establish that people in the government had a responsibility to not be stupid it might create some interesting legal pressures.
-- "Oh. This guy again."
Wait, wait - global warming legislation crushes liberty? Security theatre obviously does, but how does environmental legislation do it?
If you're honestly not aware of the liberty-crushing aspects of "environmental" legislation (and not just trolling), then you haven't been paying attention.
It is such a huge destroyer of liberty that I don't even know where to start. Perhaps others will jump in and help; otherwise I'll spend a couple of hours thinking about how to condense it to a size that would be appropriate here, and hopefully post something coherent later.
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth gets you modded -1 Troll
Senator Robert Ford
District 42 - Charleston Co.
Contact Address:
(H) P.O. Box 21302, Charleston, 29413
Bus. (843) 813-1777 Home (843) 852-0777
(C) 506 Gressette Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6124 Home (803) 798-9220
E-Mail Address: RIF@scsenate.org
I;m a fiscal conservative, but when so-called fiscal conservatives push through income tax cuts, that just raise our national debt.
No, they don't. Tax cuts INCREASE tax revenue, as was proved by Kennedy, Reagan and Bush (43).
What raises our national debt is SPENDING, not tax cuts.
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth gets you modded -1 Troll
I fully support people being able to say fuck, shit and damn.
It would be nice though at times if people could restrain themselves from saying those words so often that they're worn out and next to meaningless.
Some irony here in that the folks pushing this legislation would have a fit to know that they and the Taliban agree on something.
Saying "Screw that bill" would be a felony, even though that is not even a violation of FCC rules on public airwaves.
Vulgar is a very low standard, morning radio shows reach that standard often. Not Howard Stern, but just run of the mill local morning radio shows.
This is so unconstitutional even Bush wouldn't support it!
Just because it CAN be done, doesn't mean it should!
I guess they'll have to clear most of the books out of their libraries too. South Carolina has those, right?
^%::&++!
Reminds me of some of the fabulously badly-written C++ I used to see at IBM in the nineties, the sort of thing that would give the preprocessor a hernia and anyone bug-fixing a nervous breakdown.
There once was a word know as "fuck" -
It's banned; from our speech it's now struck.
But on the *up* side,
I won't have to ride.
My only command will be "suck".
So if this law gets properly enforced, it'll basically become economically infeasible to offer internet service in South Carolina?
If so, it seems like a problem that will correct itself when the state gets hit squarely in the pocketbook.
Take care,
Mark
There is a solution...
The inner city people of Charleston, SC.
http://www.ors.state.sc.us/districts03/sen19map.pdf
That's who keeps sending this guy back.
I wish more states would pass such laws. It is such a shame such lewd language is now accepted as normal language. It shouldn't be in PC games for Kids to hear, it shouldn't be in the internet for kids to see. These words add no value and are harrassing, and degrading. Why should I be forced to read or hear people who don't know how to speak. Where are my rights to not be offended?
After learning that no Software Development project can be completed without the use of profanity, South Carolina makes it illegal to develop software within the state.
Free speech does not mean you get to say anything you want. It is about not going to jail for speaking against the government, or disagreeing with officials with out getting harassed. It was never meant to cover or protect depravity or profanity. I don't know anyone who wants to hear or read this trash talk. You can't keep a good job if you use profanity while there. You can't attract a good woman with profanity. Suck it up and learn how to talk without offending everyone around you. Get a moral compass. I am embarrassed that we need the gov't to make these type of laws to protest Kids and others.
That pretty much covers the 'internet too' question the poster posed.
Will they start filtering content? Books, Magazines, Internet...
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Unconstitutional
Federal court will take one look at that and declare it. Violates the First Amendment. The First Amendment does not say that your speech has to clear of vulgarities. Who do these idiots think the Founding Fathers were, Puritans?!?! Please! Those guys cursed like sailors, and is why Congressmen (and I do believe Senators) cannot be held liable for anything said on the floor. If I'm in Congress and on the floor in session and I call you a pig fucker, then that's what goes into the record and there ain't a damn thing anyone can do about it! Well, they can have it stricken, but that takes a lot. I suppose if you go all Ted Stevens and physically wig out, they can remove you from the floor, but it all gets recorded for posterity. JOY! The point is you cannot be civilly or criminally punished for spouting any kind of language in Congress, so why would South Carolina be different? Oh yeah, they're not! Unconstitutional.
You imply, though never come out and say it that this threat is some kind of right wing plot. It couldn't be further from the truth. Free speech zones? Directly resulting from Democratic administration (they set up the first ones), NOW, NARAL to be used against antiabortion protesters. Censorship & record ratings? PMRC ring a bell, Al Gore's wife??
The biggest threats to civil liberties & free speech have come from Feminist, Feminist organizations like NOW, NARAL, the NAACP, certain >cough anti-racist groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center & ARAL, ACLU (ironic? Not really), far left politicians and leftist centered universities with hate speech doctrines (which always seem to crop up right after the wymyn's studies dept is created), and the far left American Bar Association. If you want to go back, it was even womens groups that ultimately launched prohibition & the war on drugs. (Yes, I know some will say Nixon, but you need to go back a little further in history.)
It is precisely because of such drivel as hate speech laws, "hostile environment", hate crimes laws, sexual harassment laws, roadside checkpoints (courtesy of another group you may know "MADD"), the creation of special protected classes and an activist judiciary that will bend the constitution into a pretzel to make it read anything that they want that such a bill as the one presented in South Carolina could actually gain traction & be held as a legitimate state interest. That kind of erosion and redrafting of the constitution into some kind of "living document" where you can make it mean anything you want it to mean happened after years of so called progressive & liberal appointments to the courts.
All of it cheered on as progress by the far left.
Even if they can't get this version through, they will simply try again with something else they think might work, an appeal to say "social justice", or against racism, or against a targeted group (Men, pedophiles, abortion protesters, the religious & churches, boy scouts). I suspect the next version will be hate speech if this one goes down in flames.
People on the left whining about the loss of civil liberties need to take a very hard & long look in the mirror.
And scream profanities in the direction of the state?
Or just put a billboard at the border, saying "You are now leaving South Carolina, thank fuck"?
when Bad is Good??
I said no text
No, some poeple say "bad" to mean good. Michael Jackson wrote a whole song to promote that meaning.
McCollum v. Board of Education (1947) is when the Jefferson letters were introduced into Jurisprudence with the phrase "Separation of Church and State" as well as radical modern requirements for "secularization" that were never implemented in the Founders' lifetimes or apparently intended by their writing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
It was driven by a court packed by FDR, the ruling lead by justice Hugo Black, a Ku Klux Klan member.
Lynch vs. Donnelly (1984) finally corrected this abuse of jurisprudence, repudiating Justice Black's arguments and concluding that you could not take Thomas Jefferson's opinion (who didn't compose the Bill of Rights, vote on it, or have a hand in its ratification short of some letters written to Madison and a few other colleagues while Jefferson was in Europe) from a private letter as the foundation of an Constitutional interpretation that somehow overrides the public actions and publications of everyone else.
No need to yell. And I don't think you would talk this way to someone face-to-face, so why would you do it online?
Those motherfucking assholes have better be shitting me about this wimping pussy language requirement. ...
WHAT FUCKING $5000?
Someone was arrested for having an "obviously fake" driver's license because the cop didn't believe West Virginia was a state.
Its not just cops though...
I knew someone who had an employee ask him if Ohio was part of the US. The employee worked in the mailroom!
A friend of mine lived on Arizona Avenue and was ordering a pizza. The pizza person on the phone asked "How is that spelled?"! My friend said "like the state". The pizza person said "State??"!
Just because it CAN be done, doesn't mean it should!
Really? Don't you remember when bad meant cool? Funny... but worth a 5... that's ?
We do it all the time here in forums.
supermods from penny-arcade to slashdot, moderate language all the time. Tell me the last time you seen +5 (not funny) profanity laced post you seen? (Replying to this does not count).
basically this means we will be deprived of all those juicy lines in pr0n movies shot in South Carolina.
It's just a single fool state senator from Charleston. Nothing will come of this law. Quit overreacting.
From Wikipedia: The "singular" they is the use of this pronoun, where they is used as a gender-neutral singular rather than plural pronoun.