Cussing is not a crime - Thank fucking God!

You can’t arrest someone for the content of their speech, even if the speech is offensive

Two area people who were charged with disorderly conduct for using curse words have agreed to settle claims they filed against police departments in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties for $19,000 each, according to their attorney.

Attorney Barry Dyller of Wilkes-Barre said the city of Scranton has agreed to settle a claim filed by Dawn Herb of Scranton, who was charged after a neighbor heard her cursing at a toilet inside her home.

Dyller said he also secured a settlement with Larksville in the case of Stephen Kita of Wilkes-Barre, who was arrested after he referred to a police officer as an offensive name referring to a body part. Both settlements include damages for the plaintiffs and attorneys fees.

Dyller said he believes officers in both cases over-reacted to the situations, leading them to file unwarranted charges in violation of his clients’ First Amendment Right to free speech.

“Some may consider these small cases, but I consider them of paramount importance,” Dyller said. “There is no freedom more important than the freedom of speech.”

Herb was charged in October 2007 after Patrick Gilman, an off-duty Scranton police officer, heard her cursing though an open window at a toilet that had overflowed.

A Lackawanna County judge later found Herb not guilty of the offense.

Dyller, who represented Herb in the criminal case, had threatened to file a lawsuit. The city agreed to the settlement to avoid the suit, Dyller said.

— Full Story

Culpeper, VA: Time to decide

Matt Frei makes his final visit to the town of Culpeper in Virginia, a 'swing state'.

He speaks to the voters who he has been in touch with for the past year, to find out what issues will decide their vote.

— Full BBC Video Report —

Local Political Ads

It is obvious that money is an issue this election season, for local politics. I guess it sort of snuck up on them. The polls here in Broward County have been open since Monday and I'm just now getting my first mail flyers (not counting the presidential cards and letters).

I'm quite underwhelmed.

Example: Some guy running for a School Board position. He is the only one that I've gotten anything about. The heavy paper advertisement had so many people on it, you couldn't tell who was running. I ended up going to his website to see which guy it was.

His qualifications are questionable. His parents were school teachers in Broward County. Is that a good thing? He is also an engineer. He has been on the Hollywood Development Review Board since 2004. He thinks that is a good thing? He has one 2-year-old child, so he has no current educational reason to be on the board. Harvard degree in Engineering seems better suited to what he is doing now, but considering the state of things here in Hollywood, it doesn't look like he knows what he is doing.

I think I'm know what I'm going to do. Vote a strict party ticket and let the population that has to deal with everything else, vote for everything else.

Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and Andy Griffith

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

From Bill Maher's "New Rules"

Now that Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy have done what George Bush and Henry Paulson couldn't, maybe it's time conservatives accepted that there's more to Europe than just castles and accordion music. Sarah Palin recently explained proudly that she wasn't one of those kids who graduates college and their parents get them a passport and a backpack and say, "Go off and travel the world." Oh, God, no, that's the kind of thing that could open up your mind.

No, Sarah stayed right here in America and learned about foreign cultures the proper way: by standing on the shore with a pair of binoculars.

You know, the specter of becoming a little more European doesn't frighten me so much because, in the recent crisis, it was the wiser, less swaggering leaders of Europe who came through with a financial plan that might actually work; the plan that George Bush is now doing; the plan he didn't want to do because, a) if it did work, it might threaten his perfect record of monstrous, retarded disasters - that make Armageddon look like a flesh wound - and, b) it was socialism, which he equates with poor black folks getting cheese for free.

But, maybe things have gotten so bad here, the public is finally receptive to the notion that we could learn something from other nations. Europe's currency happens to be kicking our currency's ass. And they cover everyone with health care at far less cost, and beat us in life expectancies. We're 38th in the world in that category, behind Colombia, Morocco and Costa Rica. "USA! USA! USA!"

Europeans are leading the "green" revolution, and their infrastructure is gleaming and efficient, with thousands of miles of high-speed rail track. We have the trolley at the mall that takes you from Pottery Barn to the Gap.

— 10/17/08 New Rules

New Va. pharmacy won’t sell any contraceptives

A new drug store at a Virginia strip mall is putting its faith in an unconventional business plan: No candy. No sodas. And no birth control.

Store follows Roman Catholic teachings; some fear impact on rural women

Pam Semler, of Fairfax, Va., (right) works the register at DMC Pharmacy in Chantilly, Va. on Monday, Oct. 20. The pharmacy bills itself as "pro-life" and carries no contraceptive products.

— Full Story

Stupid is as Stupid does.

Here goes Dingbat Palin with her perverted view of our government:

The Tree is Down!

At 6:55 this morning, as I was pouring milk in my first cup of tea, Economic Tree Service arrived to take down the Dwarf Poinciana tree in the back yard.

My Mango Tree now has full sun and will grow and produce!

The Garden Website is up

My 2008-09 Garden website has been activated. You may visit it at www.vicpier.com/Plunkettgarden08/.

I was going to vote today, however ...

Early on, I had decided to vote early and thought, I would get it out of the way and do it the first day, however ... I heard that there were first day voting machine problems and lines at some polling places.

To top it off, I looked at my sample ballot that came in two weeks ago, and to my horror, the ballot is a big as a Harry Potter book with mumbo jumbo Constitutional amendments, Broward County Charter amendments and elections for people that I assume have no campaigning budgets, because just as in the primary, I have not received a single ad in the mail.

Will try and find some information on the questions that are not worded as questions and vote a solid Democratic ticket.

I guess I'll vote on Thursday. I have that tree coming down tomorrow and I'm working on the raised beds in the backyard. Wednesday, my friends from Naperville, IL will be coming for the day. That leaves Thursday as the earliest to perform my civic duty.

News came on tonight that Barack's grandmother is gravely ill. Sounds like hospice. My thoughts are with him.

It is coming down!

This is a picture of my backyard. It was suppose to highlight my mango tree, however, you cannot see my mango tree because the so called dwarf poinciana tree's canopy is covering it.

Economic Tree Service arrived Saturday afternoon and gave me an estimate of $400 to remove this 42 foot weed. I will be keeping the large pieces of wood, which I can burn in the BBQ pit. All of the canopy debris will be removed by them. It will be removed on Tuesday.

After the delivery of the soil by HD (see posting below) and actually having someone show up and having arraigned to have the tree removed, I laid down to take a nap and slept solidly for 8 hours.

My sleep now, is turned back around which is unfortunate, as I had turn my sleep around so I could be up in the daytime for very dear friend and her husband who will be visiting me on Wednesday. This is something I am really looking forward to.