Seething.

[cilla4progress]

The filthy ugly "new" neighbors as of the last couple of years - the ones that erected 3 Fuck Biden flags on their storage shed in our peaceful, pastoral rural valley - have now erected Fuck Biden, Gadsden, and other foul signs right along the road. On a school bus route.

Law enforcement won't respond to my request for help. I already wrote in to a community bulletin board and 95% of comments agreed with me that it is damaging to civil society. I am considering a LTTE, but, other than exposing them (and me), what good will it do? I'm taking pics and sending them to my like-minded neighbors.

Any other ideas?

[Walleye]

1. Law-enforcement: they aren't in drag so what's the problem

[MOMFUDSKI]

2. Assuming it

falls under free speech?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

3. I would think so

although there may be some kind of obscenity law that could address it.

I don't let stuff like that bother me personally, but I know that others have issues with it.

[cilla4progress]

4. Wish I couldnl get to your level of

tolerance!

I can work on it...

[wnylib]

47. Your reaction is just what your neighbor wants.

He is diberately provocative with his signs in order to upset people. So don't give him the satisfaction. He gloats every time you express anger over his signs.

One way to deal with it would be to post your own signs on your own property, visible from the road, that have very positive, uplifting messages. They don't need to be about politics. Better, maybe, if they're not. Uplifting, positive messages would emphasize by contrast how ugly and crude your neighbor's signs are. It makes him look small in comparison. And, it could spread a little cheer and inspiration in a world that can use it to balance out the ugliness.

[rsdsharp]

8. Yes. Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971),

Cohen was charged with disturbing the peace for wearing a jacket with a sign saying “Fuck the Draft” in the corridor of the county courthouse. The Court, in a 5-4 ruling, held that the First Amendment prohibited a state from criminalizing display of a single expletive.

God knows what the current Court would do.

[unblock]

5. it's republican for "don't waste your time trying to befriend us"

people like that do the rest of us a favor by outing themselves as bigots, sexists, and intolerant jerks.

don't waste your time and effort on them.

[woodsprite]

9. We went to PA up through Greenville, DE yesterday.

Or "Biden country" as some call it. I saw several "Let's go Brandon" and "Fuck Biden" signs hanging in front of estates, as well as cars w/ bumper stickers. I told my family, "The only thing that does is self-identifies them as assholes."

It started a discussion among us about the Biden/Harris merch. I'd really love to get a Dark Brandon t-shirt, but the only place I'd wear it would be to bed. I feel that with the crazies, labeled merch, including bumper stickers, just paints a target on your back that they would all too willingly utilize.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Reconfigure the signage

[GenXer47]

7. Propert tax records are public info

so find out their names.
Then erect your own sign saying "Fuck (so-and-so)".
Or, dress up in full body armor and go ring the doorbell!

[hippywife]

10. Are they possibly in the public easement?

If they're close to the road, they might be, and depending on where you live, that might be illegal?

[cilla4progress]

20. Looking into it.

Y'all wanna see a pic? Going to take one on the way home.

[pandr32]

11. Perhap it is time to organize a ninja paintball party.

Make it clear everyone is to remain nameless throughout. Have a blast!

[sanatanadharma]

12. Years later the neighbors still remembered fondly, the night of the ...

... chainsaw sign-massacre of 23.

[Tesha]

13. You might want to check with local zoning.

There often are rules about where to put signs.

It would be nice if they could be shamed into removing them, but in my experience?
They have none of that foolishness.

My hackles rise too when I see those - hate him all you like, but don't make the kids on the bus read that every day.

[Sympthsical]

14. What's to report? It's speech

You may not like it, but if it's on their property, there's not a whole lot to be done for it.

First Amendment isn't for the stuff we like. It's very specifically there for the stuff we don't.

[inthewind21]

30. Exactly

[Dave says]

38. I think the use of f'k is an issue

But I’m inclined to lean toward free speech and leave the signs alone.

Now, if it does violate zoning regulations, away with them!

[Sympthsical]

39. Supreme Court quite famously said no

That an expletive in political speech wasn't sufficient cause to restrict it. Cohen v. California.

People weren't this het up when there was Fuck Trump stuff everywhere. Geese and ganders.

[Celerity]

40. Cohen v. California (1971)

In Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971), the Supreme Court established that the government generally cannot criminalise the display of profane words in public places.

[Tesha]

46. Zoning probably can't do a thing about what's on the signs...

however, there may be zoning regulations on the use of signs near the road,.

There was this huge political sign down the road that blocked the view on a corner and the city required it be moved.

I think it's childish and hurtful to lots of people, but it is free speech which the law supports.

[shanti]

15. It happens in California too

Near the beginning of my street is a "Let's go Brandon" bumper stickered pickup, as well as a Trump 2024 banner in their backyard that everyone can see upon entering the neighborhood. The owner is an old white guy. Nobody else but him though, thank God.

[maxsolomon]

16. That's America for you.

Sorry your tolerance is being tested. Probably best not to provoke them with a Dark Brandon sign looking at their property.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. Request for help to do what?

Have you talked to your neighbors?

[cilla4progress]

21. Talk to them??

🤣🤣🤣

[cilla4progress]

18. So keep screaming

"Fuck you" when we drive by?

Or "god loves you"?

🤣

[Tetrachloride]

19. Publicity in surrounding communities... but choose wisely

[Elessar Zappa]

22. There's not much you can do.

Signs fall under the 1st amendment.

[ms liberty]

23. I have often thought that a few flaming arrows hitting their mark would be quite satisfying

But destruction of property is a crime. Better to erect your own counter protest signs, like something that says "Every neighborhood has that one a*****e" with an arrow pointing to his house.

[progressoid]

24. Unless it violates locale statutes about signage, there's nothing to do but go on with life.

[live love laugh]

25. Become an activist and get local signage rules changed.

[Hekate]

26. Dark Brandon has signage too (I hope)

Our only aggressively Trumpy neighbor is an orthopedic surgeon with an in-your-face New Jersey wife. They are currently in quiet mode as regards their signage and nasty flags.

But how I wish we had the below on a yard sign…..

[Hortensis]

27. No clever ideas, but taking them seriously rewards their efforts,

like asking for more, and laughing at them hurts. Strongly recommend making fun of them, as publicly as you care to.

[cilla4progress]

31. Sounds good.

Thanks for the earnest response.

[inthewind21]

28. Law enforcement?

What exactly is law enforcement supposed to do about something on someone else's property you don't like?

[cilla4progress]

29. 1. It's provocative, in the worst way.

2. If it's on county right-of-way it's violative of the law.

If that still matters at all...to anyone.

[Sympthsical]

36. A town in New Jersey recently tried this tack.

They gave up when it rapidly became clear they were about to have their ass handed to them.

The ACLU sided with the asshole with the flags.

We still like civil liberties, yeah?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

37. Some of us do n/t

[inthewind21]

52. Apparently

only when they suit us.

[inthewind21]

53. huh

So are short shorts "provocative"? T shirts that say 0 Fucks given? How about rainbow flags? How about fuck Trump flags? How about a man dressed as a woman or a woman dressed as a man? All of those "provocative" too? Some would say yes to all of those. Be very careful what you wish for.

[cilla4progress]

32. Does this work?

[url=https://postimg.cc/cgLF2mPS][img][/img][/url]




[url=https://postimg.cc/d7b0SHh7][img][/img][/url]

[madinmaryland]

41. Morons! Just laugh at them and ignore them.

They can’t even properly mount a sign to a fence.

[cilla4progress]

42. Awww....thanks.

That helps.

[inthewind21]

54. Work

for what? There are signs all over where I live just like that. It's not what I would put in my yard, but it's not my yard. Letting my idiot neighbors send me into a hissy where I start calling law enforcement on them about their poor taste makes me no better than them. I just smile and wave. When we start acting just like them because we don't like their yard signs or flags or (fill in the blank here), then we become them. I'd rather not. I have bigger issues to contend with, as does law enforcement, than what signs or flags someone else has on their property.

[tritsofme]

34. They have the right to be assholes.

Lucky for you and your neighbors, they let everyone know who they are.

[cilla4progress]

35. Definitely true.

I used to be more tolerant of these kinds of assholes.

Now I just want something very bad to happen to them.

[hatrack]

43. Paintball guns aren't terribly expensive . . .

.

[cilla4progress]

44. I wish...

[Mopar151]

45. Make your own "extra nice" sign, apologizing to passers by, with flowers and a happy saying.

" Please excuse our neighbors. They are working through issues, and are acting out!" A quick example or 2 of stock signage you could incorporate:




Or a DU Smiley!

[Sogo]

48. What the he!! is LTTE?

I googled it, and Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam comes up.

Stop writing in code, people!!!!

[cilla4progress]

49. Letter to

the Editor

[Zeitghost]

50. Ignore it

Move on and don't let it affect your life. Your displeasure is exactly what they are trying to cause.

[Jedi Guy]

51. It's freedom of expression. They have the right to fly those flags on their property.

Law enforcement isn't responding because they know full well the flags are perfectly legal, and any attempt on their part to "do something" would result in the municipality getting sued for violating the property owner's First Amendment rights, and rightly so.

That 95% of the comments from your neighbors agree with you is utterly irrelevant. A letter to the editor will be absolutely pointless, apart from expressing your personal distaste for their choice of expression. Neither of those things trumps someone else's right to freedom of expression under the First Amendment.

Freedom of expression isn't just for expression we like or agree with, and as someone pointed out upthread, I don't recall any hand-wringing about civil society or "won't someone think of the children" when the "Fuck Trump" flags were being paraded around and people were chanting the same in the streets.

The courts recognize very, very narrow limits to the First Amendment, and these flags don't fall foul of those limits and are thus protected speech, however you, your neighbors, or anyone else might feel about them. I would suggest giving up this crusade since it'll go exactly nowhere and they'll just get their jollies from your outrage. Worse, if you goose the municipality into "doing something" your neighbors might get a payday from a lawsuit.

Sometimes the best thing to do when confronted by speech with which one disagrees is to simply ignore it. This is one of those times.

[Prairie_Seagull]

55. This would be kind of a sneeky way to get at least maybe a break on your property taxes.

Indicate the next time you go to pay your taxes that you want to appeal your valuations and your property should be taxed at a lower rate due to sale value being less due to those signs. Someone will come out a generally access what your claim is. it's possible the tax man would be on your side. If you get my meaning.

[inthewind21]

56. Good Luck

With that.