Offend someone with your bumper sticker in Tennessee and you could get a $50.00 fine.

Fined for expressing your freedom of speech?

Whats next? First they tell us if the picture we post in Facebook offends anyone then we will get fined. Now they are jumping that same fine over to bumper stickers. Next thing you know they will tell us what clothes to wear, how to walk, how to talk. I'm sorry but, I thought I left high school a few decades back or was that just me dreaming I left? Anyway, I am sure that the ACLU will have a field day with this one.

reply to post by mustangill


Lol facebook and bumper stickers? Do I get paid for getting offend?

Not really sure how they think they can fine someone without a 1st amendment implication involved. In this scenario, I would support the ACLU going after any law that tries to prevent an expression on a bumper sticker.
I see once again the thought police are trying to make a comeback.

I've got an 'Obama Sucks' sticker, does that offend anyone?

I live in MS however, just got to remember to cover it up with my 'Honk If You're Horny' sticker if I decide to head that way.

All about the money, seems like the only one offended would be the police if you actually get a ticket, who else is gonna call in a bumper sticker report, sounds like more a harassment charge should be put on the person thats offended

Fined for a bumper sticker?

And fined on Facebook? How do they fine you on facebook? Is that not a meeting place for people with no actual friends in real life? But 5000 online friends!!

So my sticker "gays and Muslims should make-love together not war" is going to far then?

Pure madness these days.

I had a one-off bumper sticker made for me amny years ago which said, "God, save me... from your Followers". I used to find all sorts of notes under the windscreen wipers when going shopping.. some of them were very graphic about what they were going to do to me. Some people tried to peel the sitcker off.. some put there own Fish sticker over it... lol at all of that.

If a sticker has offensive swearing on it, then I'm okay with it having to be removed, but that's about where I draw the line for the written word bumper sticker.

As if there wasn't already enough evidence that the USA is turning into a police state. What a joke this law is.

How can this even be remotely legal to fine people for a bumper sticker? Is there anyone in that state that actually supports this insane idea?

Since when could they control bumper stickers on our car? Is this violating your freedom of speech? You're damn right it is!

Your car, your stickers, your paint color, your car seat covers and floor mats.

If I ever got fined for a bumper sticker I would fight the fine tooth and nail just to prove it violates my god given freedom of speech which is what America use to be known for.

May as well make it illegal to publish your opinions.

They should just make a "Disagreement Law" whereas if someone ever 'Disagrees' with your public opinion, you shall face a penalty.

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Another driver who wished to not be identified told Nashville's News 2 he believes the law is odd, but thinks it could help protect children from inappropriate images.

Hmm. Started out okay, but ended with good moral, although it did not contain much thought. Overall, I disagree. On the $2-$50 penalty scale, I think this deserves a $10 fine.

Representative Moore said in his opinion the law does not violate any constitutional protections, including freedom of speech.

Disagree. $50 fine.

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Just in: Geico now has great Opinion Insurance plans available with great, low, fixed annual rates starting at just $50, and no deductible - basically the cost of one opinion violation. Now, you can express yourself as freely as you want without breaking the bank.

Gotta love those guys at Geico, always thinking ahead for their valued customers.

Originally posted by BeyondPerception
May as well make it illegal to publish your opinions.

They should just make a "Disagreement Law" whereas if someone ever 'Disagrees' with your public opinion, you shall face a penalty.

These days that's in essence the way it is with what is considered harassment. God forbid we use some tolerance because someone might be offended.
I'd assume we could forget about making such laws and handle this type of trivial thing like adults but I'd be wrong. lol

reply to post by Xcathdra

So no more political bumper stickers? "Obama 2012" will be predictably offensive to many people.

For that matter, since the article from the link mentions "...markings on their vehicle visible to other drivers" as potential offenses, It's possible to make the case that any foreign model car could merit fines. Some people only buy American, some people are easily offended, there must be some overlap between the two.

I miss the eighties.

reply to post by Heros_son


Yeah as I was saying its bogus, and will not pass constitutional muster, either at the State level nor the Federal level.

As Police, we cant have our peace disturbed, as the courts have said we must have a thicker skin because of our jobs. I would imagine it will also include this ridiculous law at some point as well. Allowing someone to have the ability to be offeneded by something on their car, to stop them and cite them for that, is going to far.

This entire law is a bad idea, and the people behind should be smakcked in the nose with a rolled up newspaper and have their faces rubbed in the constitution to teach them their lesson.

I'm offended by people who take offense.
*cha-ching*

Seriously, is this what political correctness has lead us to?

WE can't get offended when the Westboro Baptists chant their hate at the funerals of heros.
WE can't get offended when muslims preach their anti-american hatred.
WE can't get offended when when government tells us to pay more of "our fair share" in taxes.
WE can't get offended when they dump crosses into jars of urine.

But have a "Don't tread on me" bumper sticker?

Something tells me, I'm going to be offending alot of people.

reply to post by mustangill


ok a couple of points

1 ` Tennessee code 55-8-187 ` dates back to 2006 - so we ca rest easy , knowing that 5 years of this law have not brought chaos and totalitarianism to Tn

2 any discusion would be greatly aided by actually reading the statute

i shal quote the relevant bits :

To avoid distracting other drivers and thereby reduce the likelihood of accidents arising from lack of attention or concentration, the display of obscene and patently offensive movies, bumper stickers, window signs or other markings on or in a motor vehicle which are visible to other drivers is prohibited and display of such materials shall subject the owner of the vehicle on which they are displayed, upon conviction, to a fine of not less than two dollars ($2.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00). "Obscene" or "patently offensive" has the meaning specified in § 39-17-901.
Here are the definitions from § 39-17-901:
(10) "Obscene" means:

(A) The average person applying contemporary community standards would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest;
(B) The average person applying contemporary community standards would find that the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct; and
(C) The work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value;

(11) "Patently offensive" means that which goes substantially beyond customary limits of candor in describing or representing such matters

having read it , you need to understand it - or read the opinion of an honest scholar who does

i shall take comfort that the opinion of Eugene Volokh mirrors my own , namely :

` this statute does not give licence for one single individual to take offence and anything they disagree with , rather the " obscenity " must fall into one of several categories definded in the act and be deemed by a judge to be ` offensive to a civilised majority `

read mr volokh`s opinions here or google the opinions of other lawyers

*delete*