It's rare that I get to quote Atlas Shrugged so I'll just leave this below:

> There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

What's even more worrying in my opinion from the article:

- references to Puritanical punishment seemingly framed in a positive light

- citing of the linguistic/anthropological context of gossip without much further qualification

- the Binaloan authorities' clear lack of understanding of what merits free speech

- the mention of this law being beneficial to upcoming political candidates (of whom public discussion should be encouraged)