Call it what you will, this is tyranny and not freedom. Giving the police the unilateral power to punish free speech is not freedom:
MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) [1] – Residents in Middleborough have voted to make the foul-mouthed pay fines for swearing in public.
At a town meeting Monday night, residents voted 183-50 to approve a proposal from the police chief to impose a $20 fine on public profanity.
Supporters say the proposal isn’t meant to censor casual or private conversations, but instead crack down on loud profanity in downtown areas and public parks.
Middleborough has had a bylaw against public profanity since 1968. But it’s rarely, if ever, been enforced, because it essentially makes swearing a crime.
The new proposal would decriminalize profanity, allowing police to write tickets as they would for traffic violations’.
Ef you, Middleborough! It you don’t like my speech, don’t listen to it.