Sunday, October 09, 2005

Dickie's Quickies

You know things are bad for Miers when Bork Borks you.

A Montreal math teacher spent her evenings working as a prostitute. Her checkbook balanced out perfectly.

A 4th circuit court judge decides that dirty dancing is OK for professionals, but don't try it out for your personal enjoyment. Since the link requires registration, I post the whole thing below. I used bugmenot to get to it.

Dirty dancing is not a form of speech protected by the U.S. Constitution, unless you are a professional, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., decided that the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech does not apply in the case of Rebecca Willis, a resident of Marshall, who was banned from attending public dances at a community center because of her "provocative" moves.

"Most forms of dance, whether ballet or striptease, when performed for the benefit of an audience, are considered expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment," Judge William Traxler wrote for the panel, affirming a lower court's decision. "Willis, however, was not a performer in any meaningful sense -- she was simply dancing for her own enjoyment."

Willis' dancing style, including gyrations and "simulated sexual intercourse" with a partner, was "sexually provocative," prompting the ban by dance organizers, lawyers for the town said in court documents. Willis admitted her dancing was "exuberant and flamboyant," but argued the town had no right to throw her out of the event.

Marshall's prohibition of "lewd" dancing is a legitimate use of government power, no different from banning alcohol or requiring restaurant patrons to wear shoes, and because such activity is not protected speech, Willis cannot challenge the ban on First Amendment grounds, Traxler said.

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