It is amazing to me that in this country, where freedom reigns(yeah right) we can have this type of situation. Again I can only say...stand up America and fight for your freedoms...because one by one they are slowly being taken away and threatened. The government is creeping ever closer to your bedroom door and before you know it, they will be there and you will have no way of getting them out. Put the locks on now and be pre-emptive. Fight back now before it is too late...many a great nation and empire has gone the way of the USA and it won't be long before future civilizations(if that is still the right word) will be looking back at what was once the USA and asking where did it all go wrong?

A West Scranton woman could face up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $300 for allegedly shouting profanities at an overflowing toilet while inside her Luzerne Street home.

Dawn Herb, whose potty mouth caught the attention of an off-duty police officer, was charged with disorderly conduct recently, prompting her to fire off a letter to the editor and vow to fight the charge.

“It doesn’t make any sense. I was in my house. It’s not like I was outside or drunk,” said Ms. Herb, who resides at 924 Luzerne St. along with her four young children. “A cop can charge you with disorderly conduct for disrespecting them?”

The obscenities hit the fan when she battled her overflowing toilet around 8 p.m. Thursday, she said.

Although Ms. Herb doesn’t recall exactly what she said, she admitted that she was frustrated and let more than a few choice words fly. Unfortunately, it was near an open bathroom window.

“The toilet was overflowing and leaking down into the kitchen and I was yelling (for my daughter) to get the mop,” she said. “A guy is yelling, ‘Shut the f--- up,’ and I yelled back, ‘Mind your own business.’ ”

Her next-door neighbor, Patrick Gilman, a city police officer who was off-duty at the time, apparently had enough of Ms. Herb’s foul mouth and asked her to keep it down, police said. When Ms. Herb didn’t stop, he called the police.

Patrolman Gerald Tallo responded and charged Ms. Herb with disorderly conduct.

The citation accuses the defendant of using obscene language or gestures “with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm or recklessly (creating) a risk ...”

“There was no intent to do anything,” Ms. Herb said. “I just feel so violated and irritated ... I don’t even have a criminal record.”

Efforts to reach Patrolmen Gilman and Tallo were unsuccessful.

Scranton Public Safety Director Ray Hayes said if anyone feels they were unjustly accused, they can address it before a judge.

“At the end of the day, the opinion that counts is of the magisterial judge,” he said. “It may be something open to interpretation. The officer has his own and this person had the opposite opinion.”

The use of obscene language or gestures is an offense under the state criminal code. But cursing at a police officer isn’t a punishable offense, said Mary Catherine Roper, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union based in Philadelphia.

“It cannot be the basis for a citation. You can’t prosecute somebody for swearing at a cop or a toilet,” she said. “We bring one of these cases a year and sue some police departments because they do not remember that they are not the language police.”

Contact the writer: kmontone@timesshamrock.com

©The Times-Tribune 2007

Another example of Freedoms being trampled in the US It seems as though every day I find at least one article about someone here in the US trying to limit the freedoms of someone else....when will we wake up and take a stand?

Today it is someone else...tomorrow it could be YOU!!!


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Went to a Tori Amos concert last night. This was my fourth time seeing her live. It was, as always, incredible. Her concerts are not only musically fulfilling, but spiritually uplifting. There is a sense of community among her fans and when she performs it's like being with family and friends. If you ever get the opportunity to see her live, I would highly recommend it.

This was not the way I wanted to start my blog, but life has given me no other choice. My ex-wife, after 12 years of joint custody of our 13 year old daughter, has decided to sue for Sole Custody. I am re-married and have 2 other daughters(ages 7 years and 10 months old) Needless to say, this has caused a lot of emotional and financial stress on our family. We do not want to lose Tori(our oldest) and she doesn't want to go. She wants things to stay as they are, with her mother and I having joint custody(the only thing she has ever known) We have contacted a lawyer and the fee for her services is quite high. She needs $5000 and that is a sum we just don't have. We have a little over $2000 of it so far from friends and family but need help with the rest. Below is a link to a donation fund we have set up to raise the money. Please make a donation if you are able. We know times are tough and finances are tight. We also have an Ebay store where you can make purchases and all of the money raised there will go towards this fund as well. The store can be found at www.toriasbooksandmusic.com

Here is the link for the donation fund:


Thank you in advance for your help. Our family is very grateful!!!