Opinion: Keep political signs off lawns
By GuestDear Editor:
I have resided in Canton for over 30 years, and I have always been proud that at election time, Canton, unlike surrounding towns, was not littered with trashy candidate signs all over citizens’ properties.
Source: elizabethwarren.com
I had assumed it was a town ordinance banning them. However, I became even more proud of the citizens of Canton when I learned that it was an unspoken honor code of respect for neighbors and property that kept the signs away, not an ordinance.
Unfortunately, in the last several weeks that code seems to have been breached, as more and more elections signs have appeared. I would urge all citizens of Canton, no matter what political persuasion, to return to honoring this code and keep the signs off the lawns.
It is far better to continue to bask in the glow of neighborliness and respect for neighborhoods and properties than to move into the harshness of a town ordinance.
Sincerely,
Annette Pietro
Short URL: http://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=16455
Posted by 
I would like to respond to the letter which observed “trashy candidate signs all over citizens’ properties” in conflict with the longstanding “honor code of respect for neighbors and property.”
The Bill of Rights amended the Constitution of the United States of America to “prevent misconstruction or abuse” of its powers, and to [extend] the ground of public confidence in the Government. The first, and arguably most sacred, of these amendments is that which guarantees freedom speech.
It is downright un-neighborly to insist that I should curtail my rights as an American citizen to comply with someone else’s “honor code” and idea of what is and is not trashy. I honor my neighbors by respecting each citizen’s right to speech in accordance with their values and beliefs, as long as this speech does not inflict harm on others – civility and sense of style do not qualify. When I see the signs on my neighbors’ property – even those with whom I disagree – I am proud and honored to live in a country where this freedom is not only guaranteed, but protected.
Lastly, regarding the implied threat that failure to honor the code could mean a “move into the harshness of a town ordinance,” this is also explicitly prohibited under our Constitution.