/keywestlou/ THE ‘PROTECTED’ FINGER n
L E G A L I T I E S W I T H Louis Petrone
T
he law. Tere is a case for every- thing. Even the finger. Te middle finger. Standing upright and alone. Te finger is also known as the bird,
the gesture, the highway salute, and the Bronx salute. Its wordless meaning is “f--k you” and “up yours.” In April of this year, 35-year-old
Shane Boor was driving to work some- where in Colorado. Boor observed a state trooper pull over another car. As Boor drove by, he gave the Trooper the finger. Te trooper was not thrilled with the
gesture. Boor was later stopped and charged with criminal harassment. Col- orado’s criminal sentence for the charge involves a jail sen- tence of up to six months. Te American Civil Liber-
ties Union got involved on Boor’s behalf. Te ACLU con- ceded that the finger was rude. However, not illegal. ACLU claimed giving a person the finger was protected free speech under the U.S. Constitution. Last week, the Colorado State Police
warranted. But the police officer re- quires retribution. Tat’s life. Te Colorado State Trooper in the
Boor matter was sufficiently insulted that apparently he did not care. And nailed Boor with a criminal charge. Let’s explore for a moment the ori-
gins of the finger. Te extended middle finger is first recorded around 400 B.C. A comedian named Aristophanes enter- tained with crude jokes. More than 2,000 years has changed nothing! He started using the middle finger as a phal- lic symbol in his shows. Te first century A.D. found the fin-
ger in common use in the Mediter- ranean area. Its purpose was to divert the everpresent evil eye which persons believed was always about them. We are considered to be
LOU PETRONE TALK SHOW HOST
presently living in the golden age of the finger. Te golden age having commenced around 1950. Tough still considered one of the basest violations in modern culture, it has increased usage.
Nelson Rockefeller was vice president
asked the court to drop the charge. A back door way of saying the trooper was wrong. I assume the court will. If some- one can burn the American flag with im- punity as a free speech act, most certainly giving a police officer the finger should be awarded the same protection. Let’s get practical for a moment. Te
Boor matter is not the first time a police officer in this country has been given the finger. It happens frequently. Normally, the slighted police officer will proceed to pull the guilty party over and give the offender a ticket for some minor traffic charge like speeding, rolling through a stop sign, or what have you. And in most instances, the traffic ticket is un-
/event/
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www.konklife.com 7
under Gerald Ford. Rockefeller was campaigning for Robert Dole, who was running for reelection to the United States Senate. It was 1976 and people were still upset about the Vietnam War. People in the crowd started giving Rock- efeller the finger for his stand on the war. Rockefeller gave them the finger back. If a vice president can give someone
the finger with impunity, most certainly Boor in Colorado could also. Te other interesting thing is that
Rockefeller was an extremely wealthy man. He could give any one the finger! One of the advantages of wealth. I do not recommend giving any one
the finger. It is insulting and tasteless. But if you do, worry not. Your
Constitution protects you. e
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