Fascism is alive and well in Butler, New Jersey

phillyburbs.com
Overpass sign urging Bush/Cheney impeachment causes flap
The Associated Press

BUTLER, N.J. – Just like every Monday rush hour for the past three months, an activist group hung a series of large cards calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney on the overpass of a busy northern New Jersey highway.

But the debate about whether the group is allowed to continue posting the cards , which give the Web address to the group’s site, “ImpeachThem.com” , on northbound Route 23 is heating up.

The group claims free speech laws allow it to hang the cards; police say the political message is distracting to motorists; and state transportation officials say the group must obtain a permit to continue the weekly practice.

Stuart Hutchinson, an organizer for the activist New Jersey Impeach Groups, told The Record of Bergen County for Tuesday’s newspapers that “no permit procedure can impede the right to practice speech in the United States.”

The group was told to stop posting the cards in July by borough police. However, police had to relent after they were informed by state police that the group could display the sign on state property.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation told the newspaper that posting a message on the walkway requires a “highway occupancy permit.”

The group said it doesn’t have a permit but will contact the state for further information on the process. An application and permit cost $800.

Information from: The Record of Bergen County, www.northjersey.com

(Original Article)