Semi-Tough Speech Under Assault

[XLFD]

In Gaines Township, just south of Grand Rapids, a Michigan cattle farmer is fighting for the right to display two trailer-sized signs on his property.  The signs have put  Vern Verduin at odds with the leaders of Gaines Township, for whom he has worked as a volunteer firefighter for years.

Volunteer firefighter, at odds with local political leaders, over issues of the law and freedom of speech issues?   Sounds like a familiar template here in western Michigan whether it be me, Pentwater's Deb and Bear Millard or Wayland's Dan Miller.

Why do local politicos mess with the rights and the meaning of the law when it comes to dealing with their firefighters?  People that risk their lives for the community with very little, if any, pay, by doing the insane act of running into buildings to save lives and extinguish fires to save property.  Do City Managers, Mayors, and Township Supervisors really want to tangle with these obviously crazy people who care so much about their community's safety and property that they forego their own?

Here's the latest assault on an everyday hero who just wants to have the freedoms that his country is rumoured to have given them at one point in our history, before his rights got eroded away by zoning boards, legislators, judges and other officials whose duties are clear in their Oaths of Office.

Farmer, township at odds over M-6 signs  with video.

Authorities in Gaines Township, Mich., say the massive signs on Vern’s property violate local zoning codes, which state that all political signs must be contained to 20 square feet.

The two signs, which are clearly visible from the highway, read “Marxism/Socialism = Poverty & hunger” and “Obama’s ‘mission accomplished.’ 8% unemployment. 16 trillion debt,” respectively.

“I felt that things were going in the wrong direction,” Verduin said, adding that he’s concerned about hunger and poverty.

But here’s the thing: According to the same zoning ordinances, Verduin is allowed to display a sign that covers more than 20 square feet if it for the purpose of “selling ideas.” So that’s how he plans on fighting the town.

“You can have a 32-foot advertising sign. I don’t get that,” said the cattle farmer.

“This is clearly a violation of his free speech and free exercise right,” attorney Howard Van Den Heuvel added.

Verduin is also critical of another part of the ordinance that limits when political signs can be posted in Gaines Township — only 45 days before and 10 days after an election. Verduin said he thinks the Township is promoting aesthetic beauty with the ordinance, but he says it doesn’t promote political conversation,”

“I think for the good of the country, political speech is important,” the farmer said.  No one from the Gaines Township Office would comment.

Vern's day in court came yesterday:

Political signs vs. twp case delayed  with video

Judge Steven Servaas was skeptical in court on Friday of the Township's position that a sign that equates communism with poverty is actually political speech.

"My own feeling is that you have to be pretty careful about what you let the government stop you from saying or make you put up a sign this big," said Servaas.

The judge questioned whether the case is constitutional.

Servaas got the Township's attorney Crystal Morgan to agree that even a sign that says "I love America" on a trailer where nobody could see it would still violate the ordinance.

"There is really no provision under the zoning ordinance that would allow a 300-square foot sign that says the message that it says or a commercial message. Other than a billboard," said Morgan.

But Verduin says truck trailers like his routinely carry commercial messages without township interference.

Judge Servaas is giving both sides time to react to each other's arguments and will hold another hearing in about 10 days.

Verduin's case filled the courtroom with supporters.

"It's an important issue and look at the support. I appreciate all these people," said Verduin.

[Willy]

Here's the thing about enforcing zoning codes or any other property code. The folks that must do the enforcing may agree whole heatedly with the message on the truck but their concern is with what the zoning ordinance dictates. What probably happened is that the zoning office received complaints and was compelled to enforce the code no matter how much they may not have wanted to. Most zoning enforcers must go by the letter of the law. The problem is with the ordinance and how it was conceived and worded. There are many ways to get around zoning ordinances and I think Verduin should just paint the message on the trucks because then it would not be a message but would be in essence part of the protective coating on the truck and thus become part of the truck itself. In my opinion this violation will be easy to step around.

[XLFD]

Excellent analysis, Willy, and I think Vern will be successful in court, primarily because a court will be more attuned to the Constitutional rights of free speech over the township's arbitrary zoning code.  I am not sure you can even classify this as a sign, per se, unless you decide to classify all letterings, pictures and symbols on the side of a semi as falling under the same code, even if they are just parked temporarily at a local truck stop.  

[XLFD]

Voilà! In view, Victorious Vern Verduin, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of his village. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition!  Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, the verdict: vindication viz a viz Vern Verduin.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/04/judge_to_g...

[Lisa O'Brien]

 XLFD,

Was it letter V day on sesame street today? But I have to commend you for your vast knowledge of V words.

[XLFD]

I did borrow liberally from the introductory speech of the character known as "V" in the cogent "V for Vendetta" movie, noting that the protagonist in this article was "Vern Verduin" who had a similar situation with his officials that "V" had in the dystopian future portrayed in the movie.  I varied very rarely verbs and vocabulary.

[Willy]

Victory via voices vilifying villains.

X, honestly now, did you use a dictionary putting that clever post together because I needed one to understand some of the words.