Divining intent from an image.

[beevul]

In anther thread there is discussion of the wearing of the above shirt.

Some say wearing it implies intent to break the law. Some say its a political message.


Thoughts?


(please excuse my silliness on the choices, I am feeling goofy!)

[Mythsaje]

1. Bad poll...

Needed a "I think it's stupid" option.

Well, not so much if you're not a stoner and don't carry anything illegal, but it's REALLY dumb to draw attention to yourself if you are.

IMO

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

2. lol! That was my first thought. eom

[Jed Dilligan]

10. It might not be

If you were wearing the shirt and got randomly stopped, searched, and cited for marijuana possession, you could probably argue in court that you were singled out because of the shirt (i.e., discrimination).

[MrCoffee]

3. it's unprotected speech, but i don't know if it implies intent.

[Truth2Tell]

4. unprotected speech?

Please elaborate?

[Solon]

7. Unprotected Speech? Can you please point to the Amendment in the Constitution that...

forbids it?

[eagler]

5. Someone might mistake you for a Canadian

[zabet]

6. I would not go so far

as to say wearing this shirt implies intent to break the law.
I will say this, wearing it probably means you have already
broken the law.
I say this with the perspective of a 'smoker'. I personally
would not wear the shirt since I feel like it is 'advertising'
for scrutiny by the Police. If it was a NORML shirt, it would
be considered a political statement, in my opinion.

[ljm2002]

8. Okay I am officially in a state of shock!!!

Right now, there are TWO votes saying that wearing a T-shirt with a picture of a cannabis leaf on it is UNPROTECTED SPEECH??? and IMPLIES INTENT TO BREAK THE LAW??? And this is from DUers???

I guess that means the scene in the poppy field in the Wizard of Oz is also unprotected speech. That movie obviously should have been banned, banned I tell you!

Yes, and of course that would mean the Cheech and Chong movies too, are unprotected speech. Should never have been made. Looks like we'll have to burn, burn all copies.

Please. I understand that one might be ill-advised to wear such a shirt in various venues. But that is a different question. This is a picture of a plant. In fact, what if the other side of the plant says "This shirt made from 100% hemp fibers" -- would that change anything??? Remember -- during WWII, farmers were paid by the government to grow hemp, which was essential in producing good strong rope.

Good lord we have gone downhill in this country. We are living in a corpora-fascist-police state of our own making. The Matrix is in our heads, embedded firmly.

I know some will think I am over-reacting. But I've been reading a lot on DU lately, and it really frightens me how some interpret "free speech" these days: basically it amounts to "Sure you have free speech, but be careful what you say." Do you not get it, that we are now putting ourselves on a leash, so the government doesn't have to? What about that is free, again?

[Jed Dilligan]

9. Freeper trolls, don't worry about it. nt

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

11. T-shirt slogans

mean nothing.

Ignorant kids across America wear Che Guevara portrait shirts without having the slightest idea who he was. Do they endorse radical social and political revolution?

Agreed though, that you shouldn't wear a stupid shirt like that when you're holding! I had a friend in college who was always bumming about getting pulled over. I told him to remove the "Sex, DRugs and Rock n Roll" bumper sticker. Dummy.

[hedgehog]

12. Why would anyone object to a picture of a lupine? nt