“A lawyer for defendant James Albert Ernest Togo, 20, told a court in the eastern state of Queensland last month that his client was exercising his right to protest and was not guilty of indecency when he bared his buttocks at a police car last August.”
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/auspac/12/13/offbeat.australia.mooning.reut/index.html
Is it an act of protest or just plain old indecent exposure?
I dunno. I do think it’s a sad world in which public bottoms are considered more obscene than public burning crosses – but I think the vast weight of history is against me.
Daniel
You bet my ass it is!
Depends on the ass.
I think the cop should have turned the other cheek. Crimes like this really ought to be at the bottom of their priorities.
Daniel
Well, if you think of mooning somebody as a statement, then yes, it should be protected.
'course, it’s also within the same rights for everybody there to point their fingers and giggle…
I would hope so. Kinda sad when people get so uptight about seeing a bare ass.
Oh Horror!
How about waving a penis at somebody in public? Should that be protected speech as well?
I hope nobody tells my Uncle Craig about this.
:eek:
Awww… Terrible pun…
Although it has been many years since I have actually seen anybody “shoot the moon”, I must admit I can’t see it as anything more than a rather crude gesture, the slightly bawdier version of flipping the bird… a visual equivalent to a statement such a “oh yeah? well up yours buddy!” … so although I personally have no inherent problem with naked buttocks (and in fact am QUITE FOND
OF CERTAIN PEOPLE’S BARE BUTTS)
… sorry folks, I hit enter prematurely and was not done…
I question the eloquence of such a form of “protest”, and wonder whether it should really be upheld as an example of our rights to express ourselves politically. Not that I think the kid shoulda gone to jail, but why didn’t the lawyer just point out that since thong bikinis are not illegal, bare buttocks showing should not count as “indecent exposure”. Hey man, it coulda just been a fashion statement!
This was also discussed earlier here if anybody is interested.
IMO, it’s a waste of time and money. And it’s quite amusing. I can’t wait to hear the final judgement. It’s just a butt after all 