# Woman curses overflowing toilet, might go to jail. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058 "2007-10-17T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mark\_Ryle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8dc957/32.png) [@Mark\_Ryle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Ryle)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/1 "2007-10-17T18:21:35Z")
In Scranton, a woman might get 90 days in jail / fined $300 for shouting profanities at an overflowing toilet while inside her home, [here](http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18920981&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6). Dave Barry’s comment [here](http://blogs.herald.com/dave_barrys_blog/2007/10/fascism-in-west.html). ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/2 "2007-10-17T18:31:07Z")
Too severe. Try 30 days in the hole. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/3 "2007-10-17T18:32:13Z")
If that lady was in the South and followed some of the more genteel cursing methods currently being evaluated in a neighboring thread, do you think the outcome would be the same? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/4 "2007-10-17T18:44:27Z")
“her potty mouth”? “the obscenities hit the fan”? The Times-Tribune knows how to send these nuggets through The Pipes. #2, I am happier than a pig in shit that I live in the country, because I’ve been known to let loose a string of verbal diarrhea in the direction of my clogged toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/5 "2007-10-18T01:59:50Z")
It’s worth noting that this only ever got anywhere because the listener was an off-duty cop who called his on-duty mates, who of course were going to support him. And that he only called them after HE told HER to “Shut the fuck up”, which was certainly done “with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm". If he escapes without a reprimand for wasting public resources it’s a travesty, but IMO he should be charged with the identical offense. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/6 "2007-10-18T13:34:06Z")
Can you face criminal charges for [screaming at a toilet](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3742811)? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/7 "2007-10-18T14:02:41Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] Can you face criminal charges for [screaming at a toilet](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3742811)? [/QUOTE] Oh shit. When I go to the bathroom in the dark, I have what I thought was an irrational fear of something coming out of the bowl and biting my hoo-ha. Just great. ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/8 "2007-10-18T16:02:45Z")
Someone sent me that link earlier. We decided that she should only be punished if she was screaming libel about the toilet ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Ryle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8dc957/32.png) [@Mark\_Ryle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Ryle)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/9 "2007-10-18T16:40:17Z")
[QUOTE=Askance] It’s worth noting that … … he only called them after HE told HER to “Shut the fuck up”, IMO he should be charged with the identical offense. [/QUOTE] I like this statement, by Mary Catherine Roper, attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, at the end of the article: > [@](#): > > You can’t prosecute somebody for swearing at a cop or a toilet. We bring one of these cases a year and sue some police departments because they do not remember that they are not the language police. Yesterday I asked the mods to change my OP title to _Not the language police_ but they never did. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/10 "2007-10-18T16:48:27Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] Can you face criminal charges for [screaming at a toilet](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3742811)? [/QUOTE] Stupid woman. Plumbers charge a _fortune_ for snaking out a drain and here it was being done for free and what does she do? instead of being happy, she screams! :rolleyes: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/11 "2007-10-18T18:01:53Z")
[QUOTE=lobstermobster] Someone sent me that link earlier. We decided that she should only be punished if she was screaming libel about the toilet [/QUOTE] Wouldn’t it technically be slander? And, while I’m not a lawyer, it seems clear to me (based just on the article, of course) that there was never any intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm. Oh, unless you count telling the off-duty police officer to “mind his own business,”…after he already told her to “shut the fuck up.” :rolleyes: Who’s intentionally causing a public inconvenience? ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/12 "2007-10-18T18:28:38Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] Wouldn’t it technically be slander? And, while I’m not a lawyer, it seems clear to me (based just on the article, of course) that there was never any intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm. Oh, unless you count telling the off-duty police officer to “mind his own business,”…after he already told her to “shut the fuck up.” :rolleyes: Who’s intentionally causing a public inconvenience? [/QUOTE] alright slander. I mean you cant just shout just shout character defaming lies about the toilet. What if that toilet wanted to run for public office? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/13 "2007-10-18T18:32:08Z")
[QUOTE=lobstermobster] What if that toilet wanted to run for public office? [/QUOTE] Given its usual contents, I think it’d be uniquely qualified for the position. ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/14 "2007-10-18T18:34:26Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] Given its usual contents, I think it’d be uniquely qualified for the position. [/QUOTE] baaaa-zinnnngggggg I was timing that one. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/15 "2007-10-18T18:40:20Z")
[QUOTE=lobstermobster] baaaa-zinnnngggggg I was timing that one. [/QUOTE] Always glad to be of service. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/16 "2007-10-18T19:49:09Z")
[QUOTE=lobstermobster] What if that toilet wanted to run for public office? [/QUOTE] It would be caught with men in the bathroom pretty much all the time. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/17 "2007-10-18T20:14:31Z")
Haven’t we already determined that the First Amendment does _not_ give us the right to shout “Shit!” in a crowded bathroom? ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/18 "2007-10-18T20:22:26Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Haven’t we already determined that the First Amendment does _not_ give us the right to shout “Shit!” in a crowded bathroom? [/QUOTE] gigi’s was better. keep trying, babycakes ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-curses-overflowing-toilet-might-go-to-jail/423058/19 "2007-10-18T20:24:53Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Haven’t we already determined that the First Amendment does _not_ give us the right to shout “Shit!” in a crowded bathroom? [/QUOTE] How about “Bombs away!”?