Foul-talking shopper stirs up a tempest at store in La Marque

Houston Chronicle ^ | Sug. 14, 2008 | PEGGY O'HARE

[Cincinatus]

If all storms had a name, this one would start with the letter F.

As Tropical Storm Edouard closed in on the Texas Gulf Coast last week, a storm of a different kind was brewing inside the sporting goods section of a Wal-Mart store in La Marque. It started with the F-word.

And now a 28-year-old single mother must go to court if she wants to fight a ticket for using profanity.

[Cincinatus]

Seems strange to me that a Fire Dept. employee is empowered to enforce public profanity codes. But what do I know about the law?

[bboop]

Good for him.

[DJ MacWoW]

I'm so tired of hearing the "F" word that I don't care who gave her the ticket.

She then protested, telling him she was having a private conversation with her mother

Private conversations are held in private, not WalMart.

[SengirV]

She’s such an F^%$# C$%^@

[pgkdan]

I say good for him. I hear the ‘F’ word all the time out in public now. It’s sickening. It’s almost always young adults or teenagers and they say it loudly, sometimes every other word. Glad to see someone get busted for being crude and profane in public.

[rawhide]

Decker is certified by the state of Texas as firefighter, peace officer, fire investigator and fire inspector. His fire department uniform also says "investigator,"

[ladtx]

She then protested, telling him she was having a private conversation with her mother

Private conversations are held in private, not WalMart.

Exactly. So many people are really rude to strangers and even their family anymore. I'm 62 and still would never use that word around my mother.

[DJ MacWoW]

You can hear it in any mall in America, from kids. I hate going shopping.

[Cincinatus]

Decker is certified by the state of Texas as firefighter, peace officer, fire investigator and fire inspector. His fire department uniform also says "investigator,"

Yes, I read the story. I still think that his jurisdiction was questionable. I sense more Barney Fife in this incident than Joe Friday.

[ConservaTexan]

Perplexed by who the man was — his badge said "fire department" — Fridge offered a scant apology.-------------

"When I got outside, I saw he was a fire marshal — I saw his car. I said, 'You're not even a cop!'

If she didn't see he was fire marshal till she was outside, how was she "perplexed by who the man was" inside the store before she apoligized?

[Hacklehead]

The foul-mouthed slut should pay the fine.

[FrdmLvr]

I was like, 'Dang.' I looked at my mom and said, 'They're all ----ing gone," Fridge recalled.

To her mother???? Now I can see why she's an unwed mother herself. Momma didn't raise her right. And now she's using the "f" word to her mother and in front of her two year old.

[conservativeharleyguy]

"...And now a 28-year-old single mother must go to court..."

Why is this relevant? Are we supposed to feel extra sorry for her?

It seems as if this appelation is thrown out there more and more these days. Usually as an excuse for something dumb or lazy (or dumb and lazy).

IMO, as a "single mother", she should try twice as hard to be a positive example to her 2-year old daughter.

[eastforker]

I wonder if she said all the copulating batteries are gone if she would have been arrested. So, who determines what speach or words is vulgar and doed the government have any business getting involved. I think this is a bunch of crap, ooops, can I say that?

[DieHard the Hunter]

Brilliant! I hate hearing swine talk in public.

[Ezekiel]

La Marque Fire Chief Todd Zacherl said Fridge made such a scene in the Wal-Mart that night, disrupting the peace, that Decker had no choice but to act. "She cussed him, she cussed everybody. By now, we have a huge group of people looking," Zacherl said.

It's going to be the foul-mouthed Furby defense... she only said "Hug me":

Cursing Furbys pulled from U.S. Wal-Mart store

[DJ MacWoW]

Using vulgarity in everyday speech is one of the things that contributes to moral decay. I'm heartily sick of subjective attitudes. There really is right and wrong.

[weegee]

Maybe she had an extra set of copulating batteries in a hand-held magic wand “personal massager” at home?

[camle]

what a low-rent pig!

what an example she’s setting for her kids. and why did her mom not correct her pottymouth?

[weegee]

I wonder if this event hadn’t happened at Wally World, if we’d even be hearing about it. Say it happened at a table or in the serving line at Luby’s.

Surely the area surrounding Houston must’ve had at least one similar charge in the past 2 years.