So, this means I have the right to tear down every Sears poster I see because it offens me. Right?

The story does not indicate which party the DA was considering prosecuting.
"No one's going to disrespect my president (Obama) in my town" I'm guessing this is taken out of context, as he and his policies deserve little of it.

There are clear rules set by the town for political signage. The question is, did this sign fit into those parameters?

I wonder how he would of felt if it was that same sign, but had George Bush's name on instead of Obama's name a few years ago, my guess he would of just kept his mouth shut.

That was the nicest sign many on the left held up about President Bush. Most had blood, a noose or a target.

Oh good! Someone finally see the illegality of attaching signs to phone poles. Does this mean Mr. Sears will now go around town removing all other signs attached to them? ie: month old yard sale signs, we will sell your house in 7 days or buy it from you, lose 50 lbs in 2 weeks, lost cat/dog/mind, etc. etc. etc.

If the Red Sox have Red Sox nation what does Obama have?
No disrespect intended.

I agree, the thing is in bad taste, and is HIGHLY offensive to my Jewish friends, and therefore is offensive to ME. If the people were there HOLDING the sign and not affixing it to anything, there is nothing to be said. But if it is, in fact, illegal, then yes, I would support the effort to take it down because of its offensive nature. For the record, I'd also support the removal of yard sale signs (or fines for those who don't remove them after their yard sales).

I left out the fact that NONE of us are exempt from being offended.

Just another reason to vote for Miceli. Sears and his wife dont have the right to take down the sign there are other ways to have it removed.

@southie... if there is a pole in front of your house, with a bunch of signs all over it, making you cringe to see it in front of your lawn, would you remove the signs? Would you call law enforcement to remove the signs (since they're illegal)? Just curious.

What if it were a "Sears for State Rep" sign? (sorry, I couldn't resist). :-D

Also it wasn't in front of her house so that theory doesn't make sense.

They put up that poster to provoke a response. They got it.
They tore it down, so their objections would be heard. They got it.
(Its being heard by the AG and DA) Both parties should thank
everyone that ever protected this nation and the free speech
they are both using. Welcome to America. Like these events or not
its part of the freedoms of this great country. Imagine what would have happen to either party...in say Syria. I shake my head at both sides.....but will continue to protect your rights to do so.

Regardless of whether or not anyone was offended by the sign, and regardless of whether or not it was illegally posted, no one other than law enforcement officials has the right to confiscate that sign.
As a selectman, Mr. Sears should know that better than anybody. What troubles me about this story is not the offensive material being disseminated by a bunch of LaRouchePac morons, it's the fact that an elected town official either actively or passively abetted his wife in committing an illegal act. The Sears' had no right to touch that sign. If they were offended, tough luck, the First Amendment protects everyone's right to free speech, not just the rights of those you agree with. And if the Sears' thought it was illegally posted, they clearly knew where the police station was. They should have simply reported it to the authorities and stayed out of the way.

This is what scares me most as we contemplate switching to a town council form of government. If the power rests in the hands of a relative few, it is much easier for those few to abuse the power. If the power is left in the hands of many, the diversity of opinions will police this process and prevent abuse.
This incident is a timely future snapshot of what could happen if we let a few people operate under the supposition that they are more important and more powerful than the rest of us. "MY president in MY town?" Who died and put you in charge of town hall and the oval office?
Sears says he was "pretty sure" the sign was illegally posted, so he and his wife jumped the Tewksbury Police Department's authority and took it down? I I'd like to think that our elected officials would be more than "pretty sure" about something before they go all vigilante on us.

The TPD were never going to take that sign down. There are illegal signs on poles all over town that the TPD drive by everyday. I'm sure you've all seen them: "work at home" loose weight" etc. Tewksbury has a very backwards mentality towards zoning. Ever wonder why Main St. looks the way it does ? I applaud anyone who takes down these illegal signs.

Bill in the story above it says the sign was on a pole. I saw these people about a week before this and they had a large 6x3 or so poster board standing in its own type of stand on the sidewalk and someone that saw this incident said there was no sign on a pole just a small table and that large sign. So i was wondering if you could clear this up.

Sears disregarded their constitutional rights of freedom of speech. Even though he may disagree with their political statement, it does not give him the right to take their sign. What he did is considered larceny. We do not need that from a selectmen. I feel he needs to step down from his position. He also needs to be prosecuted. If someone else did what he did, they would be charged. I guarantee it! He is not above the law.. sears, you disgust me!

So... I didn't thoroughly read all the comments above, so maybe it was covered, but, what are the rules for signs on telephone poles? I've attached a yard sale sign on a telephone pole with zip ties in the past (I did it with zip ties specifically so I could remove it and reuse it easily) for a day or two then taken it down after. I never would have imagined I could get in trouble for that...

I'm not sure you'd get far prosecuting a guy because his "impulsive" wife grabbed something and took it straight to the police station. But I agree that the LaRouchePac people had their constitutional rights violated. Hey, my wife can be impulsive too, but it's usaually more along the lines of buying things I don't think we need to buy, not stealing things I don't think she should steal. I think I'd draw the line there.
Makes me wonder what might happen if we send this "dynamic duo" to the state house.

Why is anyone surprised? This is the same guy who the Ethics Commission is investigating because he advertised his law practice at a televised selectmen meeting. He is the champion of the wacky TewksburyIssues crowd and he is finally being exposed.

Bill, thank you as it was told to me the sign looked like it was leaning up against the pole but the person i spoke to wasn't sure if it was attached to it but said it sure didn't look like it was.The one i saw a couple of weeks ago was free standing on the sidewalk on RT38 in lowell.

"Sears also said he found the visual of a poster of a black man on a pole resembled "a lynching" and was inappropriate for the center of Tewksbury.." Really??? This is just a stupid comment. Just stupid!

I get the feeling he came up with that after the fact because it sounded good and helped justify taking it in the first place.

"Noblesse Oblige" is a European aristocratic view of "law" prohibiting attacks on sitting monarchs and nobility. Rightfully, this idea was completely rejected by the founding fathers, hence the First Amendment. Once you tolerate arbitrary and capricious censorship, ESPECIALLY of those holding power, you are complicit in taking us down the road to dictatorship. For 8 years, I despised and publicly fought against everything that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney represented, but never once did I even consider quashing anybody's right to defend them in any public assembly.

Ripping off a political sign and stealing it? You've got to be kidding me!

Never again? Are you people kidding me? Give me one example of President Obama interring tens of thousands of American citizens in concentration camps for the sole purpose of engaging in mass murder. Don't like him or his politics. Whatever. You're entitled. But to compare him to Hitler is disgusting.

Thanks, Kate. I agree 100%, and I'm not an Obama fan. People have the right to be misguided and spread their propaganda, just as I have the right to not like it, and criticize it. However, I wouldn't dream of taking it out of the owners hand and running away with it.

Could we all just stop the "I am Offended" crap. I am 45 years old and I am seeing this get worse and worse. first we cant say Merry Christmass then our kids can not pledge their allegiance to the flag and now someone is "offended" by a picture of obama depicted as hitler? I work for a girl who's mother is Jewish. last year her mother comes into the shop and hands me a cookie, packaged in foil, with some star thing on it and says "happy hanukka" I said thank you, ate the cookie and went on with my day.Shouldnt I be offended? I am Catholic. Are you offended when the history channel shows a documentary on hitler? I dont like obama (or hitler for that matter) but these people seem to think there is a connection and that is their right

Hi Bill, I had said very early on that no one is exempt (or protected by the constitution) from being offended. I don't expect to be free from offense, and I don't expect that nobody would be offended by things I say/do either. I would venture to guess that a lot of Obama supporters WOULD be offended at their candidate being depicted in such a manner, and that is their right. Some people aren't offended, and good for them too!

As for receiving a cookie as an act of good will, you ask "Should I be offended?" My logical answer is, no. But if you or anyone else is offended, it's their right. Just as it is the right of the person to offer you that cookie. However, comparing receiving a cookie as an act of expressing good will to calling someone a Nazi is a VERY different thing. A reasonable person thinks cookie=yummy, nice and this person likes me; Hitler/Nazi = disgusting, vile, and I am hated. No comparison there.

I don't think that anyone on this board has said that offensiveness, in and of itself, should result in banning. That goes for Merry Christmas, pledge of allegiance, handing out cookies, LaRouche calling people nazis, people using the N word, people using the R word, etc. etc. etc.

Just because people CAN doesn't mean other people have to like it. It goes both ways.

I'm not discrediting anyone... My thoughts are that they are not doing anything to bring people to any understanding at all but turning people away because of the tactics they use. AGAIN, I'm not saying they don't have a right to USE those tactics. I just don't see how they're useful. Look at the LaRouche PAC vs the Tea Party and you tell me which is attracting more people. They both have similar agendas, but one is seemingly more effective.

Steve says, "people having this discussion instead of fighting for the survival of this nation are completely idiotic and suicidal" - the article is about a derogatory poster and whether or not it is, in fact, derogatory, inflammatory, offensive, etc. and whether or not rights were violated. I don't "discredit" LaRouche, I choose to "dismiss" them. I don't like the way they do things. Call me and others ignorant all you want. If the goal is to get people to "see the light", they're failing. They get publicity for themselves. Period. It's like those green peace people. They go and invade oil rigs and put signs on them. What good does that do? It gets people talking about how crazy the green peace people are.

Assuming that people aren't having conversations about the fate of the country (off line, with "real" people) based on ON TOPIC responses to an article is "completely ignorant" and isn't fair.

My attack wasnt on you specifically it was on the idea that a multiplicity of days can be spent on "who hurt whose feelings" without at any point elevating the discussion to something that wasn't completely inconsequential... And like the American Revolution, the majority most likely won't "see the light" because they believe in popularity over principle.

Steve is right that there should be more talk about the reason for comparison

I believe it is because obama is at best, a socialist and at worst, a communist. I also thought that most people knew that 4 years ago, so I could be wrong

I think the point is that Obama is a Hitler, not a Stalin. What i gathered from speaking to them and from my own research is that they believe that the policy direction from the healthcare to the NDAA, is toward dictatorship. I know the Lybia war was a great example of usurping the legislatures powers to declare war, and the NDAA is a breathtakingly bold cancellation of the most important part of the bill of rights, the right to a trial. But even before signing the NDAA into law he was setting that precedent by assassinating American Citizens without a trial in Yemen [and most likely other places], one of the 3 [known] Americans who was individually targeted by President Obama's drone operators was a 16 year old who was born in Denver. A good portion of the drone warfare which Obama is currently engaged in is not even reported on, and it is primarily being carried out by a special group of military contractors called the JSOC who are not beholden to any form of judicial or legislative process.. I would say their picture might say a lot more than most would like to confront..

I am not a supporter of President Obama, in fact I presently work day and night to remove him from office. I am a proud supporter of civil behavior. There must be limits on what we say and do. When it is clear that the main pupose of a controversary is simply about being offensive, this raises flags that should be investigated. This type of behavior does not change hearts and minds. We must find better ways to express ourselves. Self control wins argument not mass hysteria. If someone places a sign in public view with the intent to insult the entire population it is troublesome. This was or should be a slap in the face to the entire community. The town should consider asking that the sign be taken down until approved. Approval of a rapid response team. (fight it in court if you disagree wirth the decision.) Extremist make it difficult for those that want victory tied to the presentation of ideas. How low do we have to go before all citizens scream enough. This is a hate sign, meaning that it serves no useful purpose. We should find a better ways to express ourselves. Acts like this could put the President back in office. They raise emotions, but are not productive.

Enough time and effort on this one too....
Go to the polls and vote him out. There is no way he will beat Jim Micelli in the State race, based on Jim's perfromance for our town and the region over the years.. His wife never stole signs from Cain's when the issues were hot and heavy in the Wilmington days!
Arrest the wife and charge her with stealing the sign... she admitted it to the PD..
Proper channels for proper solutions, no one is above the law! (even if you are offended)

Respectfully, this is not a “freedom of speech” issue, but a “compliance with a By-Law” US Supreme Court in City Council v. Vincent upholds a municipality’s right to regulate temporary signs, including political signs, to control clutter along the roadways.. Under Tewksbury’s By-Law 5270, LaRouche’s sign is a "temporary sign" which must be “specific in nature to announce an event Yard Sale Signs, Ballot Issue Signs" "Impeach Obama" is not "specific in nature to announce an event."

By-Law 5271:"Temporary signs which do not comply with these By-Laws may be authorized by a special permit by the Board of Selectmen for private, non-profit charitable organizations." LaRouche’s organization did not apply to the BOS for a permit.

Had BOS granted it a permit, By-Law 572 requires that "signs shall be located on private property." Whether a telephone pole is “public” or “private property” is moot. It is not “a minimum of 10 feet from the edge of the pavement.” “Said sign shall not exceed 6 square feet." This one was 15+ square feet. "Said signs shall not obstruct traffic sight lines." It blocked the driver's view where the Congregational Church driveway exits onto Rte 38.

In sum, this sign did not comply with the Town By-laws. The Selectmen had not authorized by a special permit. I take full responsibility for removing from the public way a temporary sign not authorized by the By-Laws voted by the citizens at Town Meeting.

Doug Sears

I loved Don Ordway's post from 2/10 at 12:40pm. Speaks volumes. Not for nothing, If I, or anyone else posting here, had been the one to take the sign down it would not have made it to the papers / Patch as any type of news. I have never been a supporter of Obama, still.. to put up a picture of our Commander and Cheif like this is not only showing that you ride the "wacky train" in your daily commute through life, but is also a slap in the face to everyone who is and has served in the military.

Freedom of speech is one issue but derrogatory visual aids is another.
Truth in advertising is paramount but how many advertising campaigns are truthful?
The people of this country by consensus allow anybody to say anything, basically. Sticks and stones, as it were.
The current administration is based on more lies than you can shake a stick or throw a stone at.
Whose president is Obama? Is he really a president? If legal process arrives at the conclusion allowing the continuation of a fraudulent administration because the legal process has been infiltrated by traitors committing treason on a daily basis are we subject to those rulings as final?
These are the things revolution is made of if the people have the guts to rise up and throw the traitors out. If we look the other way then we deserve the tyranny we get from traitors.
Currently I expect most people don't know the truth about this administration, but even if they did would the situation be made right?
When this country was under tyrannical rule the Revolution threw the tyrants out and created the U.S. Constitution; which at this very moment is being threatened by extinction. Are there enough patriots to protect it now and defeat the oppressors?
Time will tell, people.

ok Doug, and you knew all of these by-laws and measurements right off the top as soon as you saw the sign?
I thought the original story was that your wife got out to defend her president, and you got out to make sure she was safe. Now we have all these laws and by-laws and measurement coming into play. I am not sure why it wasnt reported that way to begin with

Hey, Doug,
Im sure you and your wife knew those bylaws exactly before she she stole it from those people. Why didn't she/you just take it down and give it back to those people and inform them of the bylaw before you brought it to the station? Also, I don't see you two driving around town removing all the other "illegal" signs on telephone poles and bringing them into the police station. You're as fake as a 3 dollar bill

Holliston Patch 2/6/12

I am a resident of Holliston and felt moved to write a letter today regarding something I saw downtown.

As I drove through town on the way to pick up my children at school, I passed Middlesex Bank. In front of the bank a table with a big "Stop Obama" sign was set up. I absolutely believe in freedom of speech, and if you want to "Stop Obama", that is your opinion and you are entitled to it.

What I found profoundly upsetting was that the picture of President Obama's face was altered with a Hitler mustache. I think everyone reading this knows what a Hitler mustache looks like. My children, 14, 11 and 9 can identify a Hitler mustache. As far as I am concerned, and I venture to guess most of Holliston, if not the United States, looks at Hitler as the most heinous of criminals. A murderer who committed unspeakable acts. To have the President of the United States' picture defaced in such a manner is, in my opinion, extremely disrespectful and disturbing.

For the first time in my entire life I called the Holliston Police to complain. I was told very kindly by one of the officers that "unfortunately their was nothing they could due unless the group took up over half of the sidewalk - 1st Amendment rights."

As I said, I am a firm believer in the 1st Amendment and the freedom of speech, but I do not think that this is the appropriate way to get the point across. I do not like to see this in my town, or to have my children see.

Erika Perone-Bailey

Doug, that is an excellent example of someone who saw the same sign and was upset and reported it and acted appropriately.

This sounds like a night and day difference than how you wrnt about it. I'm sure you posted that to show an example of other people being angry but hopefully you can learn something from it too.

Sears,
Bu you posting that letter, you are only making you and your wife's actions look even worse.
Move along to your next blunder.

La Rouche folks are back today -- same place -- bannered up -- but not on pole!

So

So -- did you miss your chance to tell them how they stand for all you and your family hold near and dear in this democracy of ours?

or how you defended on this blog their right to hang our president's moustached image on a pole?

or did you let the moment pass you by?

Less is more, Doug.

I know, Bill. My bad.

But it was tempting to recognize that the sidewalk warriors have their free speech rights protected -- as always -- in Tewksbury, and that like all other citizens, they can abide by the by-laws.

Not that it matters, but this is March 8th and so many weeks later the LaRouchers still have not removed the hulahoop-sign-frame from the telephone pole in front of the Congregational Church. A curious social phenomenon/silent-commentary.

This near exact event happened to my wife and I today, when we went to our local post office in Beaumont, CA. On the sidewalk was an older woman with a table set up and the picture of Pres Obama depicted like Hitler attached to it. She had her propaganda ready for distribution. We told her she was disgusting and shouldn't be disrespecting our president in this racist way. Kudos to the sears for taking the poster. We called police and they did respond and checked her out. I assume she had proper permit to be set up on sidewalk. The disrespecting of our president sickens us and makes logical debate of issues facing our country impossible.