Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Why I don't have bumper stickers on my car

This is just appalling. The article is entitled, "Woman gets $100 ticket for BUSHIT bumpersticker" and it starts off this way:

Denise Grier is a nurse at Emory University hospital in Georgia.

On March 10, she was driving home from dinner when a Dekalb County police officer pulled her over.

"At least initially, I was just surprised because I hadn't done anything wrong," she says.

"When he approached the car, he had his hand on his weapon, and I was in my nurse's uniform with a stethoscope around my neck. He asked for my license, and then said, 'Any idea why I stopped you.'"

"I said no."

"'You have a lewd decal on your car.'"

Grier says she immediately thought that one of her kids had put something nasty on her bumper as a joke.

"But then he mentioned the Bush sticker," she says. That one says: "I'm tired of all the BUSHIT." (This story was first reported by Joe Johnson of the Athens Banner-Herald.)

Grier says she told the officer it wasn't lewd, and that it was clearly a political statement. When he insisted it was lewd, she said, "I'm not going to discuss this any further. Just give me the ticket." Which he did.

Under "offense," it says: "Lewd decals."

The ticket is for $100.

Grier has no intention of paying it.


The ACLU is representing her. I'm proud to say that I send a monthly pledge to the ACLU. Here's a comment off of Smirking Chimp about this story:

The problem with fighting for your rights is that the right-wing cop is not put out even when he/she loses because he/she is working on your dime. You, on the other hand, must go out of your way to defend your Constitutional right to free speech.

This is why everyone should support the ACLU, whether you appreciate their stand on every issue or not. It is not the Constitution that protects your rights it is lawyers that are willing to take a stand in court.


I so agree.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous1:37 PM

    I don't have much money, but this is why I am so glad I re-upped my ACLU membership last month.

    Oaktown Girl

    ReplyDelete

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