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The Boston Globe

Opinion

opinion | jeff jacoby

Vulgar speech can’t be banned, but it should be curbed

By a vote of 183-50, town meeting members in Middleborough last week approved a bylaw making public cursing a civil offense and authorizing police to enforce the ban by fining offenders $20. Town Hall may find it hard to collect on those fines. But their concern with enforcing public standards deserves better than the eye-rolling mockery it has been getting.

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