If you ever find yourself lost, listening to a Boston sports team, and/or talking politics with someone from the People’s Republic of Cambridge, better make sure you’re not anywhere near Middleboro Massachusetts:

By a vote of 183-50, the townsfolk of Middleboro, Mass approved a law that imposes a $20 fine for public swearing.

The good news? Public swearing used to be a crime, now it’s merely a ticketable offense.

The bad news? The townsfolk also approved the actual enforcement of  a $300 fine for smoking marijuana (a law they approved in 2009). Talk about “harshing your mellow“!

Oh, and they’re also considering a $50 fine for shoveling snow into a public street. (Actually, I like this suggestion – as long as the plow driver doesn’t wait till I’m done shoveling my driveway to plow the snow on the road back into it – #@$!&^$!)

So, if you live in or are visiting Middleboro, Massachusetts make sure you’re somewhere private before venting your displeasure: Because while we all know that Freedom of Speech isn’t “free”, in at least one sleepy little New England town it’s actually a revenue-generating device.

Thanks for reading!