Standard-Examiner: Ogden Swears Off Obscene and Profane Language Ban

All's well that ends well, we guess

Good news for fanciers of the First Amendment (and common sense), as the Standard-Examiner reports this morning that Ogden City Public Services Director Jay Lowder's proposal to outlaw obscene and profane language at city parks and recreation events has been unceremoniously  deep-sixed:

• Ogden swears off obscene and profane language ban

Here's the money quote:

[Chief Administrative Officer Mark] Johnson said that while various legal experts have told the city the ordinance was, in fact, constitutional, the decision was made to drop it and look for other ways to curb poor sportsmanship.

“We were concerned with how the ordinance was being interpreted in the public and the reaction we got from that,” he said.

“We decided it would just be easier and create less headache for the city council if we dropped it and went about things another way.”

Translation:

The passage of this vague and free speech unfriendly ordinance would inevitably invite strong legal challenges which the beleaguered Ogden City taxpayers could not well afford to defend, especially by means of bizarre legal theories cooked up by Ogden's so-called "legal experts."

All's well that ends well, we guess.

Update 8/25/12 8:12 a.m.:  The Salt Lake Tribune's all over the story too:

• Dropping an F-bomb in Ogden still OK