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Editorial: Guest Editorial: A Native`s Case for Florida Hometown Democracy
October 3rd, 2009

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October 1st, 2009

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September 17th, 2009

Editorial: Great Expectations
September 2nd, 2009

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August 6th, 2009

Editorial: WUFT-FM to Delete Music for Cedar Key
July 28th, 2009

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July 9th, 2009

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July 6th, 2009

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June 25th, 2009

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June 12th, 2009

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May 27th, 2009

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March 23rd, 2009

Editorial: Membership Appeal
February 20th, 2009

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January 10th, 2009

Editorial: 2008 and Some Fearless Predictions
December 30th, 2008

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Editorial: The Obscenity Conundrum

Editorial: The Obscenity Conundrum

Editor

Obscene, adj., based on the Latin word for filth. 1. offensive to one`s feelings, or to prevailing notions of modesty or decency; lewd. 2. disgusting; repulsive.

Complaints from citizens of Cedar Key about allegedly obscene signs have inundated city hall recently. The stimulus of the complaints is the name of a yet-to-open restaurant on Dock Street. The complaints are an echo of complaints about the name of a chain of restaurants called Hooters. The name Hooters as well as the local instance have been judged to be insulting to women, disgusting and repulsive.

Debates about obscenity arise from content of radio programs, newspaper cartoons and works of art. Deciding what is legally obscene depends on "one`s feelings or prevailing notions of modesty, etc." Gainesville radio station Rock 104 includes the Lex & Terry program, a nationally syndicated show, in which Lex and Terry use presumably simulated sounds of flatulence and recommendation of giving women physical abuse. This passes for entertainment and airs despite complaints from Floridians. On the international scene, a Danish cartoon depicting Allah caused an outcry and death threats from offended Islamic people far from Denmark. These examples demonstrate the difficulty in getting a consensus of what is obscene. Locally it is hard, globally it is impossible.

The U.S. Supreme Court has great difficulty in deciding what is obscene. The Cedar Key City Commission plans to have the obscenity issue on the agenda of a meeting in the near future. The current sign ordinance may or may not be adequate to limit the contents of commercial signs. If the ordinance is unenforceable then it should be modified.

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