My Free Speech in My Front Yard but Your Church in My Back Yard?
Special Lecture | This course is completed
Dr. David Bisno will discuss with us the present hot and contentious issues in Hanover:
1. How do the town’s Sign Ordinances square with the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of Free Speech (signs on lawns and street right-of-ways)?
2. How do their Zoning Ordinances square with the capitulations that are being asked of the town and its Zoning Board? Are we justified in the expectation that the town’s zoning laws will protect our quiet neighborhoods in the face of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Religious Land Use Act and the desire by some in our community to erect large sanctuaries in quiet residential neighborhoods (ie: Greensboro Rd.) claiming their right to the “Free Exercise of their Religion”?
The historical basis for the federal and local laws will be examined and the results of similar challenges in similar communities will be reviewed.
The morning will be informative, encouraging to some, bothersome to others. Once informed of the facts, discussion by attendees is expected to be lively, civil and relevant. Coffee and refreshments (sedatives and tranquilizers?) will be served.
David Bisno
David Bisno, MD, retired ophthalmologist, has earned degrees from Harvard, the Washington University School of Medicine, and Dartmouth. Following his career in medicine, he has, for the past 30 years, developed and presented a myriad of courses within institutes for lifelong learning here at Dartmouth, across this country, and overseas. He was the founder and developer of our Summer Lecture Series.
Last year, responding to the crisis of October 7th, 2023 in the Middle East, David presented four provocative lectures entitled "Whose Land Is It, Anyway?" This spring, with headlines screaming, our government becoming “more efficient,” the stock market dropping, good folks being fired and those with little expertise being handed the reins, David will discuss with us topics filling the headlines and our homes with concerns. What does it mean that those who have been found guilty are released, those who did the prosecuting are being dismissed, and those to whom we entrusted responsibility are staying silent out of fear of retribution? What are the implications for our country?