To The Editor:
I have read
with great concern the joy expressed at the striking down of Ladue's sign
ordinance by the Supreme Court. What a
catastrophe! Yard signs, and especially
political signs, are an eyesore and a nuisance. They have become the crutch of political organizations that do
not want to talk about the issues.
As a candidate
for County Commissioner here in St. Francois County, I have called for a
moratorium on the use of political signs.
I have not, and will not, install one single political sign, not even in
my own yard. It is absolutely
ridiculous to see ten or more political signs installed at one location, or to
see every house on a street have one candidate's signs.
I think it is
time that the Supreme Court stop legislating.
Legislation is the responsibility of Congress, the States, and local
governments. How is the banning of
political signs a violation of the First Amendment? Does the Constitution state that there exists the fundamental
right to install signs? No. The Constitution guarantees the
"freedom of speech." In other
words, American citizens have the right to criticize the government. The banning of political signs does not
remove one's freedom of speech, it merely eliminates a media for exercising
this Constitutional right. If Ms.
Gilleo was so concerned about the Persian Gulf War, why didn't see write
letters to local newspapers? Why didn't
she contact the media? Why didn't she
distribute handbills to other concerned citizens? Ladue's law in no way infringed upon her right to express
herself. She, however, wanted to
infringe upon Ladue's right to govern itself.
All societies
have rules. Truly great leaders work
within the system. That's what makes
our country different from all other countries in Earth: our citizens and leaders are bound by laws,
and those who break the laws are punished.
Since Ms. Gilleo seems to have no concept of laws, I think it is an
insult to the citizens of Ladue for Ms. Gilleo to be running for public
office. If Ms. Gilleo is truly a
concerned citizen, she should withdraw immediately and apologize to the people
of Ladue for the turmoil she has created.
Michael H. Schrader, Farmington