Fucked Family Values
"It would be far fetched to argue that the Fuck family has not made its way into mainstream society," argues Colorado public defender Eric Vanatta on behalf of a boy who swore at the principal after getting caught smoking in the boys bathroom. Vanatta defends the boy with an exhaustive study of the "F-word" in these court papers posted on The Smoking Gun.
Donít miss Vanatta's chart comparing 'net hits on Fuck (24,900,000), Fucking (24,700,000), Fucker (735,000), and Mom (9,040,000). Then thereís the bottom line: "...not whether Fuck is a desirable or attractive word, or whether a juvenile should be calling his principle a fucker or a fucking fag..." but whether "the use of the words fucker and fucking...amount to criminal conduct in this particular context."
Our hardworking public defender wisely points to Cohen v. California, 1971, which allows speech (even "vulgar" speech) so long as itís not likely to lead to violence on the part of the person itís directed at. Vanatta highlights the relevant passage from the Cohen v. Cali Supreme Court decision: "...one manís vulgarity is anotherís lyric. Indeed, we think it is largely because governmental officials cannot make principled distinctions in this area that the Constitution leaves matters of taste and style so largely to the individual." (Sometimes you just gotta love those Supremes.)
Epilogue: "Sadly," The Smoking Gun reports, "Vanatta never got the chance to argue his motion before a judge. Because ten days ago he cut a plea deal that deferred prosecution of his client for four months--if the kid stays out of trouble during that period, the charge gets dismissed."