State and local governments are within their rights to enforce basic community standards for public behavior. If they see a man walking down the street rubbing himself in an obscene manner in front of young girls, they don't need to let him keep on doing it until he's been tried and convicted by a jury. They can haul him in on the spot and let him plead his right to "express himself" in court at a later date. Same deal with these out of state activists.
I rather suspect that there are existing LAWS being broken in that case. What would be the charge in this one?
My views of this issue (abortion) notwithstanding. I feel it was very much within these troopers duty to act as they did (except for the verbal issue). This vehicle was displaying scenes which are VERY distracting, if not downright discusting, and therefore are a traffic hazard.
No matter what your views on abortion are, you don't have the right to cause others to die in traffic accidents to further your views.
The abortion issue has always, and probably always will, create heated, even violent reponses from both sides.
What is wrong with asking these people to cover their signs while on a public road to eliminate the possibility of creating a trafic accident? The men driving the truck sound like they felt their rights to do as the pleased superceded the right of the rest of us NOT to be endangered by their causing a dangerous situation on the road.
I for one feel the troopers were doing their duty by asking the signs be removed. The troopers stepped over that line when the verbal issues arose, but we all know that people who actively demonstrate for a cause they feel strongly about are often confrontational in their attitudde towards ANYONE who disagrees with them.