Profane flag flying criticized

In last week’s Thermopolis Independent Record’s “On the record” section, there was a call regarding a profane flag flying but the deputy determined that it can remain up due to First Amendment protections. While the United States Constitution protects our freedom of speech, there are limits on obscene speech. The Wyoming Constitution also guarantees Wyomingites the right to free speech. However, obscenity is an exception.

Wyoming Statute, WY Stat § 6-4-301, states “Obscene’ is material which the average person would find: (A) Applying contemporary community standards, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; (B) Applying contemporary community standards, depicts or describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and (C) Taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”

The flag in question does not display “FJB”, as reported in the newspaper. The flag displays the full text, “F**k Biden”.

Everyone is entitled to their political beliefs. I firmly support the US Constitution and the Wyoming Constitution, but I do not believe that the public needs to read obscene profanity while driving on a reasonably busy county road, nor do the children waiting at the bus stop adjacent to this property need to be subjected to this. Most adults in our community understand what FJB denotes. Why not fly that flag? There is nothing explicitly obscene in that. Our culture is losing sight of common decency and civil discourse. We need to do better as a whole.

Respectfully,

Kathy Sorensen