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 Linda Thomas
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Truck nuts - obscene or free speech?

May 8, 2012 @ 3:18 am (Updated: 3:35 am - 5/8/12 )

For the second time in a year, a motorist has been ticketed in South Carolina for displaying a replica of testicles on a vehicle.

I first saw "truck nuts" on a vehicle when I attended my nephew's graduation in North Dakota. They're fake bull testicles made of plastic or metal that drivers hang on the back of their pickups to make a truck look more manly. I was told they've "been around for years" and no one else gave them a second glance.

TruckNuts

Some find them funny, while others find them offensive, prompting at least three states to try to ban them.

In South Carolina, a Spartanburg County sheriff's deputy stopped a truck Sunday evening after noticing the truck nuts on the rear bumper. The incident report says the driver removed the display after being stopped but he was arrested for driving without a license. He was also given a warning ticket for having an obscene display.

That's happened before in South Carolina. Last July, a Bonneau woman was ticketed for having a similar display on the back of her truck. That case is to go to trial in municipal court, but it's been delayed three times.

The most recent case in South Carolina is fueling debate over whether the car decorations (I'm trying not to write truck nuts again) violate state indecency laws and if attempting to regulate them infringes on freedom of speech.

In the past, lawmakers in Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and Florida have proposed legislation to ban these types of decals and other explicit bumper stickers.

By LINDA THOMAS

AP contributed to this report

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (38)


  • Add A Comment

  • mikey1 wrote...
    OBSCENE
    May 8, 2012 9:18 am
    WHAT I FIND OBSCENE IS (THE 2012 OBAMA BUMPER STICKERS)
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • g33k wrote...
    I'm gonna
    May 8, 2012 9:55 am
    put b00bs on the front of my truck and then hang a vagina off the back.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SONAR GOD wrote...
    Cash
    May 8, 2012 1:46 pm
    I'd pay money to see that.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MK wrote...
    Options
    May 8, 2012 10:04 am
    I've seen them in different colors (probably plastic) and the photo with this article has them in chrome. How come no one makes them in brass?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • artimus wrote...
    g33k
    May 8, 2012 10:04 am
    Don't bother - there's already one behind the steering wheel.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • kata wrote...
    viva la entrepreneur
    May 8, 2012 10:40 am
    *lol*
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dori monson fan wrote...
    slipery slope
    May 8, 2012 11:56 am
    what if someone wants to display two anotomically realistic replicas of nude people engaged in sex acts in the bed of their truck? i am in favor of parents having the freedom to not have to have their kids see obscinities on the way to school. i like the no nuts on display law.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • fourstringfuror wrote...
    .
    May 8, 2012 12:21 pm
    So male genitals are no big deal. Got it. Can I put the female counterpart on the bumper of a Prius?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Steve Dallas wrote...
    Truck Nuts.....
    May 8, 2012 12:25 pm
    Truck Nuts... Truck Nuts...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • JustAnotherFish wrote...
    Ahh-merica. Land of the Free*
    May 8, 2012 1:41 pm
    *Subject to approval, restrictions apply. Freedom not available in some areas. Offer may end without notice.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • NWGUY wrote...
    but I'm offended! (boo hoo)
    May 8, 2012 1:57 pm
    you can't do that, it's just not right, what about the children?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • NWGUY wrote...
    but I'm offended! (boo hoo)
    May 8, 2012 1:57 pm
    you can't do that, it's just not right, what about the children?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Truck nutz
    May 8, 2012 2:19 pm
    I got a big pair swingin on my Prius.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }