January 24, 2014
Page 45
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
FROM PAGE 43
cy concerns; environmental con-
cerns; fire hazard concerns relating
to untested and non-certified equip-
ment; and inaccuracies in billing,
and other billing issues.
I encourage all citizens to be-
come informed about Smart Meters
and to get involved in writing to our
legislators, particularly in Annapolis.
If our elected officials won't stop the
proliferation of Smart Meters, then
ask them to at least pass law(s) that
allow for Permanent Opt-Out, at no
cost to customers.
Vincent dePaul Gisriel Jr.
Ocean City
Hiding Behind First
Amendment In OC
Editor:
It's disheartening to learn that
neither Ocean City, nor apparently
the state of Maryland, has a law on
the books prohibiting the use of pro-
fane language. I find it equally dis-
heartening that the broad-stroke in-
terpretations of the First Amend-
ment may very well be the reason.
As a former police detective
whose primary residence is in New
Jersey, I'm well aware that a law
does exist in our criminal code pro-
hibiting offensive language, specifi-
cally, 2C:33-2 (Disorderly Conduct)
which reads, "A person is guilty of a
petty disorderly persons offense, if
with purpose to cause public incon-
venience, annoyance or alarm, or
recklessly creating a risk thereof he
... if, in a public place, and with pur-
pose to offend the sensibilities of a
hearer or in reckless disregard of
the probability of so doing, he ad-
dresses unreasonably loud and
offensively coarse or abusive lan-
guage, given the circumstances of
the person present and the setting
of the utterance, to any person pres-
ent." "Public," by statue, refers to loca-
tions including any place where the
public or a substantial group has
access such as schools, places of
business or amusement or any
neighborhood.
This law, whose punishment is
perhaps little more than the legal
equivalent of "spitting on the side-
walk," is nevertheless, enforceable.
Is it routinely enforced probably
not, but can it be absolutely. And
does it pass the scrutiny of First
Amendment broad-stroke interpre-
tations it does. It has.
My family and I have long enjoy-
ed the family-friendly, family-orient-
ed environment found in Ocean Ci-
ty something that sadly seems to
be on the decline in parts of our
home state. I sincerely hope that
folks like Councilman Doug Cymek
and his fellow representatives do
not simply hide behind any broad-
stroke interpretations of the First A-
mendment if and when the prob-
lems of profanity within the town es-
calate.
Ocean City is just too good of a
place to allow that to happen.
Stephen Rusiniak
Wayne, N.J.
West Ocean City
L
ETTERS
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