[mnehring]

Dude was attacked by a neighbor with a 2x4 and then had a racial slur painted on his garage.. He decided to leave it there so the rest of the neighbors would see what kind of crap goes on in their own neighborhood to shame them.

I guess I didn't see it this way. I was seeing it as he was leaving profanity up, against city ordnances, and against a court order and attacked a woman who was just doing her job.

who the hell is the government to decide it can repaint someones personal property? This was not a health or safety violation.

If the city has a profanity ban for signs and other displays or it has a code of standards, that is a local issue and is Constitutionally protected. The local citizens do have the right to govern their community standards as they see fit. (10th amendment)

[a_different_conservative]

Is the N-word profanity? According to Wikipedia: ‘Profanity can be a word, expression, gesture, or other social behavior which is socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude or vulgar, or desecrating or showing disrespect toward an object of religious veneration.’

Even in Obama’s church I doubt African-Americans are objects of religious veneration.

[timm22]

If the city has a profanity ban for signs and other displays or it has a code of standards, that is a local issue and is Constitutionally protected. The local citizens do have the right to govern their community standards as they see fit. (10th amendment)

Just because something is Constitutionally permissible doesn't mean it is an appropriate activity for state and local governments.

For example, "public" smoking bans, subsidies for the arts, meaningless resolutions against the Iraq war, etc. The Federal Constitution doesn't prohibit these things, and going to a Federal court may not be the right way to stop them, but I think most of us would agree those are not appropriate government activities. Even if it's coming from a local government.