A 350-pound man is tied, naked and spread-eagled, to the
roof of a Ford Explorer.
It's just another commute in
North Carolina.
The public nudity was intended to protest the price of gasoline. The
protesters' destination was the state capitol, but "the driver got lost," the
Raleigh News & Observer reported. Mothers driving children to school phoned
911, and the naked man "sent police scrambling to restore order."
The driver was charged by police with "aiding and abetting indecent exposure."
And the big guy strapped to the car? John "Big Flash" Hartnett was charged
with indecent exposure, disorderly conduct and "violating a city ordinance
against riding on a car roof," Police Captain D.S. Overman told the
Raleigh News & Observer. "Everybody's upset about higher gas prices," he
observed, "but there's a better way to handle it."
But shed no tears; life goes on for these brave North Carolineans. Facing
criminals charges, the radio station staffers organizing the event moved on, promoting an
enchanting evening at their "Second Chance Prom" with Rick Springfield. Tickets
are $40 per person plus a service charge.
This story sends many messages -- about public nudity, North Carolina, and the
people who drive SUVs. And, come to think of it, about stupid radio
stations. But one hundred years from now, people will shake their heads in
wonder at a time when fat men couldn't ride through the streets of their own
town, strapped naked to the roof of an SUV, without facing criminal charges. I
think this should be an issue in the next Presidential campaign.
