# Billboards and the First Amendment **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 4, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524 "2021-12-04T21:56:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/61 "2021-12-08T02:19:46Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > And the porn shop came first, of course. Ahem. Phrasing. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/62 "2021-12-08T02:47:42Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve learned that in 2019 when the sign first went up, the gas station had Sunoco gasoline. When the billboard went up, Sunoco pulled their franchise. I wonder whose gasoline they’re selling now. Mayhaps some strategically planned nationwide boycotts could (eventually) result in a situation where NOBODY wants to send their tankers. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/63 "2021-12-08T23:47:32Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > What I remember about driving through rural PA is the dueling signs- one advertising a porn store and across the way another advertising Jesus. I recall a church in my old city that had a classic “Jesus Saves” sign out front. They were not amused when a grocery store across the street posted a sign that said “Q-Mart Saves You More!” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/64 "2021-12-09T00:27:33Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Chronos is a grown man and doesn’t need you to speak for him. But since you brought up rhetoric the post he made in this thread combined with the complete lack of understanding of the 1st amendment and the concept of self defense it’s doubtful that it’s merely rhetorical. The clear trend is that he interprets legal and ideological language in a way that supports a desired outcome regardless of the logical inconsistencies or definitional contortions required. Care to explain what the Hell you’re talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/65 "2021-12-09T00:28:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Care to explain what the Hell you’re talking about? It’s like word salad that’s been translated into Russian and then back again. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/66 "2021-12-09T00:38:53Z")
Translation: “liberal hive mind bad.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/67 "2021-12-09T05:37:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@octopus](#): > > > > Chronos is a grown man and doesn’t need you to speak for him. But since you brought up rhetoric the post he made in this thread combined with the complete lack of understanding of the 1st amendment and the concept of self defense it’s doubtful that it’s merely rhetorical. The clear trend is that he interprets legal and ideological language in a way that supports a desired outcome regardless of the logical inconsistencies or definitional contortions required. > > Care to explain what the Hell you’re talking about? Does it _have_ to be ABOUT something? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/68 "2021-12-09T18:49:52Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > It’s like word salad that’s been translated into Russian and then back again. Muh Russians!'11!11s > [@Chronos](#): > > Care to explain what the Hell you’re talking about? Sure. You are obviously very well educated and have a highly functioning brain. You also moderate an online forum and are most likely actively involved in discussions concerning the limits of allowable speech. To be ignorant of the status of the constitutionality of hate speech laws in the US stretches the bounds of credibility. So, the posts questioning the existence of so-called hate speech laws in the USA combined with a bizarre perspective on concepts of self defense leads one to believe that you view things through a lens that support a predetermined conclusion regardless of consistency, precedence, or grade school facts. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/69 "2021-12-09T20:02:06Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Does it _have_ to be ABOUT something? Well, it _would_ be a rare but refreshing change of pace. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/70 "2021-12-09T21:58:11Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Sure. You are obviously very well educated and have a highly functioning brain. You also moderate an online forum and are most likely actively involved in discussions concerning the limits of allowable speech. To be ignorant of the status of the constitutionality of hate speech laws in the US stretches the bounds of credibility. This may come as surprise to you, but my high education is in the area of physics, not law. My understanding of the law is only that of a layman, and so it is not surprising that I am sometimes mistaken as to matters of fact concerning the law. As a moderator of an online forum, I do need to have a greater than casual knowledge of the rules of the forum, and those rules do in fact prohibit hate speech. A layman’s understanding of the law, however, is quite sufficient to know that the principle of self defense allows someone who is attacked to defend themself, but does not allow an attacker to “defend” themself against the one they are attacking. Unfortunately, this basic level of understanding is increasingly rare lately, and so multiple recent high-profile court cases have denied both of those obvious points. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/71 "2021-12-10T06:20:55Z")
In southern Indiana, there’s been a porn shop right off of the highway for as long as I can remember. The local church groups have been trying unsuccessfully for decades to have it shut down. Reading into the ordinances a little closer, they discovered that the shop wasn’t allowed to operate with _x_ feet of a religious institution. So one of the local churches bought some land within that distance, and started erec…um…building a second campus of their church on that site. Once it was completely finished, they then appealed to the local government to shut the shop down, citing the ordinance. The government, who had approved the campus being built, then told the church that, since the theater was built first, the request for the shop’s closing was denied. The church was pissed, and said that they would never have built on that location had they known that they wouldn’t get the shop closed. I can’t find the cite now, but I remember one of the government agencies that approved the construction commenting that that’s why they didn’t tell the church ahead of time. They wanted all that money spent in their county. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/72 "2021-12-10T13:55:41Z")
Just off of I-75 in Tennessee is a giant metal [cross](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13551), right next to a porn shop. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/73 "2021-12-10T14:01:23Z")
A bondage play? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/74 "2021-12-10T15:16:35Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Ebbing, Missouri? Go to your room. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/75 "2021-12-10T21:36:02Z")
I wonder if the porn shop gives directions based on it. “Just look for the big cross, once you’ve passed it, turn right.” ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/76 "2021-12-10T23:40:09Z")
iswydt ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/77 "2021-12-13T13:34:37Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > To be ignorant of the status of the constitutionality of hate speech laws in the US stretches the bounds of credibility. We have a lot of Canadians, Europeans, etc. on the board who I wouldn’t expect to have covered US middle school civics. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/78 "2021-12-13T15:32:12Z")
From what I’ve seen, at least half of Americans slept through Civics. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/79 "2021-12-13T15:46:54Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > > [@octopus](#): > > > > To be ignorant of the status of the constitutionality of hate speech laws in the US stretches the bounds of credibility. > > We have a lot of Canadians, Europeans, etc. on the board who I wouldn’t expect to have covered US middle school civics. Once again, we see the typical right-wing challenge: They cannot conceive of anyone who is different from themselves, or has different experiences, or who has a different thought. They tend to be self-centered egotistical. They are primarily all 'Id" with minimal super-ego. They are basically a set of uncoordinated instinctual desires. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524/80 "2021-12-13T17:48:14Z")
Sure. But I was somehow under the impression that Chronos lived in the Midwest of the US. Perhaps I was wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billboards-and-the-first-amendment/955524.md?page=5)