Friday, November 16, 2012




Mont. man challenges law banning offensive speech

The Montana Supreme Court could be left sorting out which profane words are OK to hurl at someone as it weighs the case of a man who argues a sexual slur he used against a public employee is constitutionally protected speech.

Randall Dugan of Belgrade used a sexual slur with a Gallatin County Victim Assistance Program worker during an October 2009 phone call, after the worker said she would not help him obtain a protection order against his children's mother, who was to be released from prison. He then hung up.

Dugan was convicted under the state's Privacy in Communications law, which prohibits the use of electronic communication to offend another person with obscene, lewd, or profane language.

Dugan's public defender Kristen Larson argued the state law is overly broad and violates free-speech rights in both the Montana and United States constitutions.

She argued that Dugan did not call with the intention to harass, but only used the slur after becoming exasperated with the call.

Source


9 comments:

Bird of Paradise said...

Repeal all liberal leftists speech codes sue the pants off all places that bar conservative speakers but still allow liberal speakers

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Obvious violation of the First Amendment, which makes no exceptions simply because you use electronic devices to convey your message. If the medium mattered, we'd be unable to use anything but unamplified speech and moveable-type printing presses to convey "protected" speech.

Anonymous said...

The United States Constitution in no way guarantees that you will not be offended. It does guarantee freedom of speech, which too many Liberal judges are all too willing to compromise.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the US also has problems with "free speech" as much as the UK, even with so-called constitutional protection(altho' the UK has some equivalent common law protection). It seems both are rather theoretical rights - much like in/on "Animal Farm"!

Anonymous said...

"Political correctness is a far greater threat to our freedom and liberty than is terrorism..."

Go Away Bird said...

Political Correctness is a form of socialism annon 4:22

Anonymous said...

I'd say use the law against the left. If they want to impose drackonian laws, lets get offended. The ordanance will cut both ways. I'm a firm believer of an eye for an eye. As Sean once so elliquently stated, 'if they bring a knife, you bring a gun, if they put one of your guys in the hospital, you put one of his in the morge; that's the Chicago way!' Conservatives has been playing too nice; it's time to play Chicago politics.

Kee Bird said...

I say that all those universities whos student of stupidity sign petitions to bar conservative speakers need to get the pants sued off them and name all those jerks who left their signatures on these petitions as defendants in the suit see how thess spoiled little snots like that