A 'YES' FOR 'JUST SAY NO' SIGN

ABILENE - There's no stifling Pat Barber - at least not on his property.

The West Texas attorney won a round in his free-speech fight with Texas
officials when an Austin appeals court ruled that forcing him to remove a
sign from private property along a highway had violated his First Amendment
rights.

Barber had erected an 8-foot-by-16-foot sign along Interstate 20 that read
"Just Say NO to Searches!" A telephone number led callers to a recorded
message telling motorists to "just say no" when police ask to search their
cars during routine traffic stops.

Located about 70 miles west of Abilene, the sign drew growls from local law
enforcement and the threat of fines from the Texas Department of
Transportation. The agency said the sign violated the Texas Highway
Beautification Act.

Barber burned down the sign in 1999, but he said he may put it back up if
the Texas attorney general's office doesn't appeal the ruling.