The Buckeye State: High and Hungry
Well, you have to admit that it would be the perfect cover for drug runners.
Police in Tennessee, in a black SUV and in full body armor, pulled over an elderly couple because they had a marijuana (or so the cops thought) bumper sticker on their car. In fact it was a buckeye leaf – the couple are Ohio State Buckeye fans. The cops then ordered the couple to remove the bumper sticker, even though the woman had already explained it was a buckeye, not marijuana.
Now, through the miracle of modern investigative journalism, I searched the Tennessee criminal code to see what laws were being broken by having a picture of marijuana on your car.
Well, glory be. At least that’s still legal in Tennessee. It’s against the law to require your children to pick up trash along the highway on Easter in Tennessee, but by gawd, you can display pictures of marijuana or buckeyes, dammit.
Thanks to Carl for the heads up.
As a Wisconsin Badger fan, I would generally support the removal of a rival Big Ten team bumper sticker by police officers, or other vandals. However, for something like this to happen to a Big Ten team in Tennessee Vols territory, I find the situation outrageous.
1The cops felt like idiots, or should have, so they take out on the couple. I hope they were only told to remove the sticker, not forced to do it right then and there.
Gotta agree with the lady involved: “It’s just amazing they would be that dumb,” Bonnie Jonas-Boggioni said.
2Ever been to Tennessee?……….nuff said
3Isnt a traffic stop technically an arrest? They should sue.
4The saying goes that cops have the best grass. These guys just didn’t want to be fooled again.
5If you click on the first link and scroll down past the buckeye leaf photos, you find a list of other dumb-*** things recently done in Tennessee. It’s like part of the worst of Texas broke loose and drifted northeast. On the other hand, this is the land of the Scopes trial, so maybe part of Tennessee broke loose and drifted southwest.
6@Rhea, yes rather. Both Sam Houston and David Crockett served in Tennessee before leaving for Texas. Mr. Crockett apparently invited the others to go to hell (consigned them?) instead in a famous quotation. We got the best, they kept the rest, and now WE have dam’ Cornyn and Cruz! Go figure – how the mighty have fallen!
7Once again demonstrating that Tennessee law enforcement doesn’t know its grass from a hole in the ground.
8migawd! this is the worst those cops have to worry about? have they ever heard of a “reduction in force”?
9Y’know, I think the part that confuses me the most is that these police officers think that someone carrying marijuana in their car would advertise it by putting a bumper sticker on.
I’m fairly sure that most criminals carrying something illegal will specifically try to *not* advertise that fact.
10I loved Tennessee when I lived there, and met some wonderful people. But I do have to say, once a police officer asked to see my driver’s license after I had skidded on an icy road (no other car involved) and he was very suspicious and gave me a ticket because I had an “organ donor” identification on the license. He said I wasn’t allowed to “alter” the license.
I told him the county DL office did that with my permission, but he wasn’t going to fall for that story.
11Apparently, Tennessee has a law outlawing “obscene and patently offensive” bumper stickers passed in 2011. It also applies to images from videos in your car that can be seen from other cars. According to the article I read, http://www.wkrn.com/story/15009792/stricter-offensive-bumper-sticker-law-takes-effect, folks are encouraged to write down the license plate numbers of offenders and submit them to the local police. It’s an automatic $50 fine and, presumably, they can also make you take it off. Given the vagueness of “patently offensive”, I’m amazed this law hasn’t been challenged.
12Reminds me of the story told in a sales meeting once upon a time where a salesman told of being stopped for speeding. When the officer asked him where he was going in such a hurry, he replied, “Officer, I’m just trying to make my quota, just like you.”
He got a ticket.
13Being a former Michigander, I despise all things Buckeye. Even so, I have to say those are some dumb ass cops.
14Hey, hey, hey, this native Texan has been in the Volunteer State for the past 13 years – apparently, my family and others sent their share of fools to Texas with Davey Crockett – “You can go to hell, I am going to Texas”.
This is NOT the biggest idiocy going on around here, believe me. I Tweet continuously about the #TNLeg and the Evangelibaggers – latest: get rid of workers’ comp and CARRY YOU GUNZ EVERYWHERE, no property rights for YOU~yep, we are just having big fun right here in Music City, USA~
15Lyntilla,
I guess you are forcing me to go find the most offensive;y tacky bumper sticker I can and put it on my car…I park under the Metro Nashville courthouse, so it will HILARIOUS to pass all the cops and see if I get harrassed. Will go to tackybumperstickers.com and see what I can find – will update~
16Well, at least we did manage to get the “Choose Life” license plates tossed, they did NOT want the PRO-CHOICE plates to outnumber the Evangelibagging license plates~seriously…..
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