Police take away anti-Romney yardsign from man's lawn

Can the government suppress your speech anytime it wants? I ask this because an Officer Short of the Keene, New Hampshire Police Department, illegally took a Romney campaign sign from a James Walters. The sign, which Walters wrote over to mock Romney, was on his property. The sign was his property. There was absolutely no proof that Walters illegally acquired this sign. Simply, Officer Shorts illegally suppressed the speech of Mr. Walters, without any evidence that it wasn't Walters sign.

Short demanded a receipt from Walters showing the sign was actually his. I have had a number of campaign signs and I currently have a Tammy Baldwin for U.S. Senate sign on my front lawn, but I never have been given a receipt for a sign. Most signs I have gotten free, though I did pay$5 for the Baldwin sign. These aren't moon rocks the campaigns give away. It isn't that hard to get a campaign sign, and once it is yours, you can do anything you want with it.

Officer Short also stated that the New Hampshire Attorney General demanded that the Keene P.D. have the sign removed. I hardly believe that the A.G. of that state cares about a campaign sign, let alone has seen it. The cop is probably not telling the truth. Short ended up removing the sign, so I guess the police can suppress your speech.