Re: ordinance

[thansen@moscow.com]

Greetings Visionaires -

Careful examination of the following ordinance brings a couple questions to 
mind.

"Any person who willfully and lewdly exposes their breast(s), in any public 
place, or in any place where there is present another person or persons who 
are offended or annoyed thereby is guilty of a misdemeanor."
 
Lewd: involving or being sexual, conduct that is considered indecent or 
offensive.

The first portion of the ordinance, "Any person who willfully and lewdly 
exposes their breast(s) . . . ", requires that such an act must be willful AND 
lewd.  It begs (and responds to) the question "What is lewd?" by adding two 
more self-defined adjectives (indecent or offensive).  What is indecent or 
offensive to one person may not be indecent or offensive to another.

This ordinance goes on to eliminate that possibility by stating " . . . where 
there is present another person or persons who 
are offended or annoyed thereby is guilty of a misdemeanor."  What this 
apparently states is that ANYBODY who feels offended, or even slightly annoyed, 
by such activity (by anyone) may report it to the Moscow Police Department.

I give this ordinance until the end of the summer.  By then it will be near 
impossible to distinguish between Moscow and any other Pennsylvania Amish 
community.  Maybe we can punish these evil doers with a good old fashioned 
stoning.

Take care,

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho







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