By Thornton Crowe
Censorship has now taken to the sky...
As many of you know, the Constitution is 'my thing,' so when it came to my attention that Ocean City's Mayor, Rick Meehan, had contacted Ocean Aerials in order to cease political banner adverts from flying the skies over the Atlantic, it titillated my interest.
As the torrid tale goes, he spoke to business owner, Bob Bunting, about the voluminous alleged complaints regarding such fly-by ads as "Stop Mad Cow Disease Defeat Hillary," "Stop Hillary" and "America First, Build the Wall" from a plethora of residents and tourists alike. While the OC Council and Mayor claim these are offensive statements on the premise that Ocean City is a "family-friendly" resort town, I find it highly hypocritical, indeed.
A town which hosts such businesses as The Bearded Clam, BJ's on the Water, Big Peckers, the Red Light District Adult shop and Hooters -- all with highly suggestive names steeped in sexuality, to say "America First' as being offensive is absurd. Additionally, if you've strolled the Boardwalk in recent years, it's not uncommon to see scantly clad visitors, wearing less than my wife wears to bed.
Therefore, it seems that it's not political messages that offends but its Donald Trump's message that molests the ever-sensitive Liberals whom believe their First Amendment Right usurps all others with different opinions and/or views.
Apparently, to the OC Gestapo, it's perfectly acceptable for buxom blondes with size D-cup brassieres to parade around "families" in hot pants and tight t-shirts with the word, Hooters, strategically placed to lead one's eye to the feminine form, but to say
Stop Hillary or
America First is considered hate speech. In short, once again, the Democrats have launched some hysterical meme that further quashes others' rights to free speech simply because they don't like what that free speech has to say!
More troubling is local media plays along with the idea that Bunting's acquiescence to this insidious request as being fine. WBOC,
The Daily Times and
The Dispatch have completely disregarded others' right to free speech which has now been silenced by the local regime. Instead of rushing to defend the owner's right to do business as he sees fit, they brush off this abuse of power as a pass.
Not only is this is a dereliction of their journalistic integrity, its an affront to the very premise of free press which is a cornerstone of this country! How dare them not defend all of
our First Amendment rights instead of catering to the local political directives of the pansy leaders in our communities.
Is this what America has come to? The complete obliteration of our rights as guaranteed by the Constitution in order to placate feigned offense?
It seems in Ocean City, Maryland, the answer is: Yes!
While it appears Mr. Bunting did agree to this farce and stopped running the adverts, he has folded to an idiom that permeates our life! With these flights costing $400.00 per fly -- that's a nice chunk of change he's forfeited to placate Nanny State whiners and yet, it's all in vain. Why? Because as I said above, whether the Council and Mayor want to admit it, Ocean City is far from a family-friendly haven.
To me, this family-oriented vacation defense sounds like an obtuse way of saying "censorship!"
To contact the Mayor and Council, go HERE
