A better guide to public speech

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 04, 2012

~~<p>The American Civil Liberties Union has come down in favor of legislation now before the City Council that seeks to amend the regulations that govern "expressive activities" in public parks. Considering the ACLU aversion to fiddling with free speech, its support tells you that the current rules must need improvement and that there could be a rational basis for the bill.</p>
<p>Just how much improvement became clear last year when Jamie and Tess Meier, a Maui couple, joined in the National Go Topless Day protest and were cited not for the wife's attire — there was no explicit ban of female toplessness — but because they violated the city's requirement for a permit for meetings or gatherings of two or more persons in a city park.</p>
~~

The American Civil Liberties Union has come down in favor of legislation now before the City Council that seeks to amend the regulations that govern "expressive activities" in public parks. Considering the ACLU aversion to fiddling with free speech, its support tells you that the current rules must need improvement and that there could be a rational basis for the bill.

Just how much improvement became clear last year when Jamie and Tess Meier, a Maui couple, joined in the National Go Topless Day protest and were cited not for the wife's attire — there was no explicit ban of female toplessness — but because they violated the city's requirement for a permit for meetings or gatherings of two or more persons in a city park. Login for more...