For The Record: F**k Is Free Speech ... Even In Texas

I often make fun of Texas, and Texans, on this here blog thingy, but I understand that there might be one, or more, rational, sane, people living in the Lone Star state and, lo and behold, I found one … Karen Fonseca.

Last week, Troy Nehls, the sheriff of Fort Bend County, Texas, posted to Facebook about Karen Fonseca and her truck. He suggested Fonseca should be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after his office received complaints about the sticker on her vehicle:

“F**K TRUMP and f**k you for voting for him!”

And, ironically enough, the day after Nehls post, Karen Fonseca was arrested on an outstanding warrant on fraud charges from 2015.

Sheriff Nehls, who is considering a bid for Congress in 2018—and he screams Texas politician with his ten-gallon hat shoved firmly up his ass—deleted the Facebook post, though Karen Fonseca wasn’t about to delete her sign. In fact she added to it:

 “F**K TROY NEHLS AND F**K YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM.”

Fonseca’s attorney, Brian Middleton, says Nehl’s actions were an intent “to deny [Fonseca] of her First Amendment right to freedom of speech.” Fonseca is now considering a civil rights lawsuit against the sheriff. 

Facebook exploded with people defending Fonseca’s right to Free Speech, with the ACLU of Texas saying:

“You can’t prosecute speech just because it has the word f*ck in it.”

Nehls is now saying he supports Free Speech, and tried to make it clear that he didn’t arrest Fonseca for that window sticker—even though it seemed a little too coinky-dinky:

“I think now it would be a good time to have meaningful dialogue with that person and express the concerns out there regarding the language on the truck.”

Fonseca says the sticker has been on her truck for eleven months and no one had said a thing about it until Nehl’s posted his “outrage” on Facebook:

“No matter what race, religion, or belief you may have, we are all equal. Not any one of us is any better than anyone else. Everyone’s voice should be heard. And I’m just one person.” 

For now, both stickers remain on her truck. 

Sidenote: when I first heard this story, and before I heard Fonseca’s name, or learned this happened in Texas, my very first thought was:

“Anne Marie! What have you done?”

And then I thought:

“F**k that!”

And finally:

“F**k _____.”

Mother Jones