A Kentucky Christian's evangelism along Interstate 65, taking the form of billboards such as "Jesus Died for Our Sins," is considered a nuisance.
-- From "Billboards aren’t ads, but freedom of speech issue" by Bowling Green Daily News 6/18/10
Allen County resident Jimmy Harston isn’t doing any harm by placing religious billboards on his property or anyone else’s private property. He is simply a man who has a strong belief in God.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Department of Highways takes exception. In 2008, it sued to have his signs along Interstate 65 taken down. He has lost two initial court cases, but his appeals are pending.
The Transportation Cabinet cites a law that no billboards should be erected 660 feet from the state highway for the use of profit. They say that Harston is in violation of the 1965 Federal Beautification Act, which says that if a state fails to maintain effective control of outdoor advertising, it could be penalized with reduced federal funding.
But Harston isn’t trying to make a profit from these signs. He is simply using land he owns and others’ land to put up billboards expressing their belief in a higher power.
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