DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm David Greene. In Middleborough, Massachusetts a slip of the tongue can now cost you 20 bucks. Residents yesterday voted to give police the power to impose fines for public profanity. There've been complaints about swearing downtown and in public parks. The American Civil Liberties Union says Middleborough might be violating free speech rights. No word on the town's plans if their fines are struck down. I prefer regulating the old fashioned way: by using soap. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.