>>http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/02/03/964781/citizen-activist-grates-on-state.html
>
>practiced engineering without a license
>
>sheesh
>
>I hope this makes all the local news media and the national news media. Let's punish folks for being intelligent and taking the initiative. Either they got engineering acquaintances to do some of the computations and didn't get charged for it (but the work would probably have been signed in that case), or they did on their own (kudos to them). I guess they should have made the report look "sloppy" but then it would probably have been ignored entirely.
>
>Why doesn't the DOT have the engineers they hired review it? What on earth do they normally do when citizens submit their own reports that aren't as proficient? Just totally disregard them?

The way I read it:

- anyone, not just engineers, can petition your DoT
- there is no limitation on the quality of petitions submitted. One would think, the higher, the better
- the work was never claimed to be that of a professional engineer

Lacy's complaint does not address the content of the petition at all. It's a direct attack on Cox - ad hominem - despite his protestations to the contrary:

"Lacy said his complaint "was not an accusation" against Cox. "I'm not trying to hush him up," Lacy said."

Fool.

IMO the group that has to be *really* careful here is the state engineers licensing board. If they uphold the complaint I believe they will be in direct violation of the US federal First Amendment - freedom of speech.