I logged on to a iste on tourism in Branson, Missouri.
Turned out to be a “trap” site–once logged on, I couldn’t get off.
So I favored them with a remark advising them to “be fruitful & multiply”, but not so politely.
I forgot to remove the phone number from the form.
So today, some broad phones my Mom (I rent from my folks), & thretens to call the Attorney General’s Office (US or Missouri, I dunno) because “it’s illegal” to use bad language in a E-mail.
“It is illegal to use bad language in an E-mail” ???
I’d think that we would have heard more about this law, if it existed.
IANAL, but profanity is protected as free speech. Laws which ban swearing are routinely declared unconstitutional when prosecutors try to enforce them. In fact, an anti-swearing law was just invalidated here in Michigan not long ago. If (and this is a big “if”) such a law exists, it is blatantly unconstitutional, and will be invalidated the first time they try to enforce it. I think that you can safely tell that webmaster to go fuck himself, his mother, his father, and his little dog too
What is supposed to be wrong with profanity on the phone? I used to know a lady who worked as a relay operator for the deaf. She told me that their official policy was to key in word for word whatever was spoken, no matter how profane. If the reply from the TTY party contained profanity, she was supposed to speak it to the hearing party without modificartion. She said that if the conversation got really raunchy (or if any operator refused to translate the profanity), she was permitted to ask that a supervisor take over until the call was finished.
This was a few years ago, but I can’t imagine that rules have become more strict since that time.
You mean that it’s true? :eek: Not that I use profanity in phone calls or e-mails, but I have never heard of it being illegal. What are the punishments? Like I said, recently a guy in Michigan was convicted under an old law that makes it illegal to use profanity in front of a child. An appeals court threw out the law as unconstitutional, and that was that.
And any “trap” website deserves to be shut down by any means necessary. That is just dishonest :mad:. You should tell the guy (politely, this time) that he has the ethics of a sleazy pornographer, and that Branson, Missouri has lost any tourist revenue that you and all your friends might have been thinking of bringing there.
You most certainly can curse on the telephone, especially if the party you’re swearing at called you. Otherwise, the jails would be full of people who receive calls from telemarketers. Reeder needs to come back here and explain his comment.
Now, continuosly calling someone up over and over agian and swearing at them, that is harassment. But it has to be repetative.
Threatning language is one thing, and like I said, if you were to continously call someone up and swear at them, that’s another.
But simply using profain language is protected speech. If it wasn’t PG, PG-13, and R rated movies would all be banned. This has recently been proven in court. They can pass all the laws they want, but they won’t pass constitutional tests.
In my scenario it would have to be you calling me. Me saying $#@ you, and then hanging up. When you whine to the authorities that you called some guy and he swore at you and hung up on you, and you want him charged with a crime, better wear ear plugs. Their laughing at you might deafen you.
'Course, if I were to call you, over and over again, swearing at you, then you’d have a decent case.
Also, according to you I cannot legally call my brother up and tell him a dirty joke, even though he wants to. And then theres phone sex. Both obscene and profaine.
The law you’re refering to is about harassment. And for it to be harassment it has to be repeatative. Telling someone one time to go blankety blank is not harassment.
You can swear wherever you want to whoever you want, it’s not illegal as far as I know. I’m sure the Attorney General’s Office has far better things to do then lecture someone about profanity in emails. I suggest you tell them to suck a fat one
