A merica has a strong history of civil disobedience. From Patrick Henry and our founders defying the monarchy of England, Frederick Douglass and the fight against slavery, the brave women of the suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, and hundreds of other battles, Americans have fought to assert the freedoms promised in the Bill of Rights are guaranteed to every citizen.
Our federal courts, headed by the Supreme Court, have taken a very dim view through the decades of efforts to limit the freedom all Americans have to express their views. That includes freedom of expression and displeasure of their own government in the public square.
Political signs are political speech. Even the densest of Americans understand this principle. The courts have struck down numerous efforts to limit signs. They have said in layman’s terms that first and foremost, restrictions on signs have to be content neutral.
No government, if challenged, can attack or place limitations on just political signs. Singling out and squashing one type of speech, especially political speech, is clearly discriminatory and any ordinance doing such is so clearly a ridiculous effort that one has to seriously question what concept of America the current crop of politicians in Marlboro were taught. Try banning open house signs or for sale signs or garage sale signs.
Courts have said a “reasonable effort at compromise” must be taken to protect the individual rights of Americans. Does anyone think the Marlboro Township Council members have come anywhere near to compromise on an issue largely of their own making by limiting the number of signs and locations of said signs?
The ordinance (prohibiting the placement of political signs on public property) as adopted by the Democrats on the council and Mayor Jonathan Hornik is unconstitutional. It suppresses voter turnout.
If history is any lesson, laws passed by politicians have to be reasonable for the average citizen to obey. This is why Prohibition was ineffective. Law-abiding citizens want to obey the law. We revere the rule of law and break nonsensible ones reluctantly.
While many citizens may cheer not seeing a month of election signs, many others see what the threat of any government censoring their right to political speech in the public square can do. It is dangerous to give politicians that much power. It is careless to trust politicians who are in the business of consolidating and increasing their power and control.
The elections are coming. Political signs will go up on private property and on public property. I will support a lawsuit to fight a group of lawmakers who have forgotten that their job is first and foremost to protect our way of life and our liberties.
Shame on the Marlboro Democrats for supporting this. I encourage Marlboro residents to vote Republican or independent for at least one to two election cycles to explain to our current crop of overlords that we do not care what party you are in — your actions are anti-American in spirit.
I don’t care what your supposed intentions were. With the passage of this ordinance, you have relinquished your authority to make decisions on behalf of your citizenry in a fair and just manner. I will support every challenge to this and encourage all residents who care about the future of Marlboro and America for their children’s sake to protest this action. Dr. Richard E. Goldberg Marlboro