I mentioned this new religious license plate in Florida before, and now it looks like it’s closer to reality. I don’t object strongly to it — it’s optional, and people who want it have to pay an extra $25 — but some of the arguments against it are embarrassing, and the arguments for it are even worse. There are a lot of variations of the slippery slope being thrown around.
Rep. Kelly Skidmore said she is a Roman Catholic and goes to Mass on Sundays, but she believes the “I Believe” plate is inappropriate for the government to produce.
“It’s not a road I want to go down. I don’t want to see the Star of David next. I don’t want to see a Torah next. None of that stuff is appropriate to me,” said Skidmore, a Democrat who voted against the plate in committee. “I just believe that.”
What? So the objection to a blatantly Christian plate is that it might encourage those Jews in Florida to brag about their religion on their cars? Is Judaism that offensive?
There is a better example of what kinds of interest groups the state might have to accommodate: the ACLU suggests that this could open the doors to KKK plates. That’s definitely much more offensive than driving while Jewish, but still…on giving it a little thought, I don’t think I’d mind if the hateful idiots of the KKK all labeled themselves, and paid the state for the privilege.
Simon, of the ACLU, said approval of the plate could prompt many other groups to seek their own designs, and they could claim discrimination if their plans were rejected. That could even allow the Ku Klux Klan to get a plate, Simon said.
But then there is the usual Christian hypocrisy. These plates are going to be offered selectively, only to groups of which the Florida legislature approves. Guess who’s left out?
Bullard, the plate’s sponsor, isn’t sure all groups should be able to express their preference. If atheists came up with an “I Don’t Believe” plate, for example, he would probably oppose it.
That’s the way, Bullard old boy; stop the slide down a slippery slope and replace it with an official state sponsored religious preference.
Virgo: You may think you’re sitting pretty, but there’s a really ugly test cross with a triple mutant in your future.
That’s definitely much more offensive than driving while Jewish,
Have you spent a lot of time behind the wheel in Miami?
Can I get a Flying Spaghetti Monster plate?
Hypocrites, as usual. Myself I’m against it… I know they pay an extra fee, but I doubt that these license plates only cost 25 bucks to produce. Who paid for the (very ugly) design? I hope it wasn’t the state.
You can’t put the preference on one religion. That’s wrong. I think that at this point… florida folks should allow multiple designs, or even allow folks to customize their plate. Their fault. They opened the door, now they have to be fair to everybody!
Can I be the first to sign up for the “I Don’t Believe” plate?
Pretty please?
thank you kindly …..
Long time lurker, first time poster. Just wanted to say love you, love your blog.
If I can get one that says “IN FSM” I will have it the first day it comes out.
Thats what bumpers are for! My fundie town is SO fundie that they don’t ‘get’ the large red A or the silver FSM on my pickup. What pisses them off is this one: The only bush I trust is my own.
gilacliff @ #2:
You beat me to it. Openness to the FSM is the ultimate test of religious neutrality (as opposed to, say, thinly disguised Christianism). While were at it, don’t you think the cephalopod that adorns the end of PZ’s horoscope looks suspiciously like His Noodliness?
Wow, see now, I didn’t see anything wrong with the plates. If people want to express their religion of choice, good for them. And I’m totally down with a star of David, or whatever symbol Muslims use, maybe a Buddha, a Vishnu would be cool. But then this idiot had to go there, he had to say he wouldn’t support atheist plates. Wow, way to jump off that high horse into a big pile of ironic shit.
What about a plate for the nihilists?
It would read, “I Don’t Care.”
I’d just deface a regular plate and say come and get me coppers. It’s not like they’d notice anwyay, what with over 100 different plate designs in Florida to choose from.
Off-topic, but someone claiming to be Mike Halett, the guy who cannot tell the difference between a bunch of rocks and a “fossil” of an imaginary dragon, has just “replied”. On first reading, my favourite bit (spelling as in the original):
2 + 3 = 7, therefore he’s found a dragon fossil. Or something.
I wonder if Florida would sell SeaZorian Dragon plates?
I love when Christians open the door and something walks through it and bites them on the ass. “Its unfair to not let us be free to express out backwards beliefs”. Then “Its unfair you let those atheists express their heathen beliefs”.
I’m against the idea. If everyone made their own plate, or the DMV offered a service where you could choose from a gallery of designs or you could upload your own (non-offensive, non-hate) design, then fine. I think official proselytizing should not be allowed, and this does the opposite. If people can choose an xtian symbol, they should be able to choose any religious symbol. I wonder if they build a xtian DMV, could they charge extra for the same service. I know that’s a bit hyperbole, but this just feels funny. I don’t like it. Like Patricia said at #6, that’s what bumpers are for. Get a sticker.
Aren’t the funds paid for the plates being funneled to religious groups? That’s what concerns me; specific religious charities are having funds raised for them by the government.
Those who really need more Jesus paraphenalia on their car should just cut the middleman and buy a bumper sticker.
I’m against the idea. If everyone made their own plate, or the DMV offered a service where you could choose from a gallery of designs or you could upload your own (non-offensive, non-hate) design, then fine. I think official proselytizing should not be allowed, and this does the opposite. If people can choose an xtian symbol, they should be able to choose any religious symbol. I wonder if they build a xtian DMV, could they charge extra for the same service. I know that’s a bit hyperbole, but this just feels funny. I don’t like it. Like Patricia said at #6, that’s what bumpers are for. Get a sticker.
the article also mentions:
Earlier this year, a legislative committee was shown an image of a “Trinity” plate that showed a Christlike figure with his arms outstretched. It and two other plates were voted down.
But, but, but Ben Stein done tol’ me Chrischuns jes’ love them Jews.
Please excuse the double post. Something weird happened with the connection.
Best. Horoscope. EVAH!
True that’s what bumper stickers are for.
Okay, then I think… Fuck the damn designs. Get a neutral plate. Make it white. Or green. That’s it. Nothing else. Write the state, the fucking number, and get fucking done with it. this is dumb.
I am against it. Next thing you know they will have plates like this:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/image/senators.gif
Does allowing crosses on license plates create a “public forum”? If so, then FL should get their asses kicked in court when they turn down the first non-belief or FSM plate design.
(Disclaimer: IANAL, and everything I know about American church-state separation I learned over at Brayton’s place.)
And I don’t get today’s horoscope. Is this an obscure genetics-geek joke? Does “Virgo” have a technical meaning beyond the obvious one?
We’re on the same wavelength today, PZ.
I Believe
@ #11
If that guy is Mike Hallett, he can’t spell his own name.
I grew out of bumper stickers when I was 20 years old. For the most part, they’re tacky and unbecoming. We have one for the Current (obviously) and a little round one in honor of our dachshund. Political bumper stickers (from the right or the left) make me roll my eyes. Maybe on our next car I will make the case for a Darwin fish.
Funny story, actually. My parents bought a car a few years ago; it ran wonderfully and was a great little car, but there was a Jesus fish tucked away in an inaccessible spot. They considered quite a few options for getting it removed, but ultimately let it be. I always wondered if people thought of us as this huge fundie family.
In Alberta (that’s in Canada, for the conservatives that post here), the plates are a plain ol’ white with red lettering, with a stylised wild rose next to the name of the province.
Now, we’ve got lots of Christians in this province, none of them (obviously) show their faith through their license plates, and God hasn’t sent a single hurricane to indicate his displeasure at our lack of taillight tithing.
Hey, Representative, two things:
1) You might not have noticed, but there are a good amount of Jewish voters in Florida. Most likely they’ll now let you know this come the next election day.
2) An Islamic license plate probably wouldn’t have a Torah any more than Christian or Jewish plates would have a Bible or a Talmud. Try a crescent and star instead. Hmmm, hateful and ignorant. Funny how those so often go hand-in-hand.
Am I the only one getting strange looks as I practically strangle myself with laughter? And no one in my office gets it. Keep the horoscopes coming!
Well, if nothing else, Christians sure don’t seem all that shy about broadcasting their bigotry.
Now, of course, I want an “I Believe” license plate and a bumper sticker beneath it reading “Jesus was yard art.”
Then again, with Christian tolerance being what it is and all, perhaps it’s best to leave that little dream to myself.
Update on the similar situation in Indiana: Its Supreme Court dismissed the ACLU suit and basically said that it’s just alright to subsidize Christian license plates. The ACLU is appealing, of course, but I become increasingly anxious to leave the state.
I can’t wait to get my “Your religion SUX!” plate.
Speaking for myself, I consider these plates a public service for other drivers. I always give the car ahead of me a lot of extra room if it has a fish dingus on its trunk, because I know Jesus is the driver’s co-pilot and He can’t drive worth spit — especially when He’s wearing those flip-flops.
Am I the only one who is skipping over PZ’s blog posts and reading the horoscopes first?
I hope this feature sticks around for a bit (I may even steal it for my blog)
The only thing that perturbs me about this policy is that it shows Florida’s obvious religious bias, even choosing religion over the treatment of veterans wounded in combat. Florida is one of the few (I don’t know of any more, but I also don’t want to make an incorrect generalization) states who offer no incentives for registration for Purple Heart recipients. I was shocked to find out that Florida does not allow for any discounts or exemptions for such veterans in the purchase of their license plate. Upon arriving at Andrews AFB enroute back home on my medical evacuation from Iraq, a gentleman from the VFW gave me a brochure that outlined the benefits I would receive as a combat wounded veteran, which stated that many states offer discounted registration rates to those who have earned that medal, and still other states offer plates that are free of charge, and renewable every year – also with no charge. By no means do I presume to expect such special treatment, but in the state of Florida, if you want a tag that displays the fact you earned a Purple Heart, you have to pay not only the regular fee (in the range of $40+), but also an additional vanity plate fee of $25 dollars. While on the surface this may seem fair, I in no way see it fair that they choose to pursue this policy for purely economic reasons. I asked a DMV official in Florida why this was the case (no registration incentives for the wounded), and I was told that there are simply too many veterans and Purple Heart winners in the state to have such a policy – it would deprive the state of much-needed revenue. Though it makes marginal economic sense, I stand against the idea that the state should deprive wounded vets of a widely accepted privilege of their sacrifice on the grounds that the state would not take in as much money. It boils down to the fact that the state government collectively believes that these sacrifices are not as important as the money that vehicle registration normally brings in.
I sincerely hope that this does not come across as self-serving or arrogant, but it is my firm belief that – where the majority of the country has realized that such people have given up a great deal of their physical and mental well-being for the benefit of the governments of this nation – it would be prudent of our elected officials to recognize these citizens’ prior sacrifice and restrain from compelling them to sacrifice even more in the financial arena for a right they have fought and been disabled to defend.
Sorry about that… I know this was a bit OT, but the registration process in Florida, being a former resident of that state, is a topic that evokes disgust within me every time I see it brought up in conversation.
This reminds me of something. I once heard somewhere that in CA it’s still legal to make your own plate provided it is the right dimensions, etc. Probably not true, but it would bring up some fun possibilities.
I’m happy with my Save the Manatees plate.
This is the same state that just passed a bill in the House “modeled on the Academic Freedom Act suggested by the Discovery Institute”. AKA “Teach the Controversy” AKA Wedge Strategy.
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2008/04/another-change.html
I do not need this right now! Oh, well. Off to the semester’s last class period. (YAY!!!!!!)
This is the same state that just passed a bill in the House “modeled on the Academic Freedom Act suggested by the Discovery Institute”. AKA “Teach the Controversy” AKA Wedge Strategy.
Oops, sorry for the double post. I guess this one makes triple.
@#25: to quote Demetri Martin:
“A lot of people don’t like bumper stickers. I don’t mind bumper stickers. To me a bumper sticker is a shortcut. It’s like a little sign that says ‘Hey, let’s never hang out.'”
Charlie H. Crist! Whatever happened to the biblical teachings of keeping your faith under wraps, being humble and all of that?????
I’m not a big fan of military action, but I’m completely baffled when governments fail to support their veterans financially. It seems the ultimate hypocrisy.
#37 Dennis N wrote:
It was actually the Senate that passed the bill; it now goes to the House. I posted the video from Capitol Update of Florida selling out their children’s future here:
Pay close attention to Sen. Ronda Storms. Can anybody say “zealot”? I thought you could.
It’s not the slippery slope argument so much as the First Amendment’s public forums argument.
The State, by permitting some public expression of personal views, on this state-mandated communicative space, is bound to not discriminate among the views (“viewpoint discrimination”). The question, then, is (a) Can you specify anything you want on the license plates (with obvious exceptions for nonprotected speech, such as obscenity & libel); and (b) if not, then how does the State pick and choose which speech to “prefer” by creating the templates or infrastructure for this speech? I don’t personally see an easy, constitutional way for the State to offer, for instance, “We heart the pope” and not “We heart our imam.”
In other words, (1) to whatever extent the State is involved in preselecting a message to the exclusion of other messages, to that extent the state is violating the First Amendment’s speech clause by discriminating in public forums; and (2) to whatever extent that preselected message is Christian, the State is violating the First Amendment’s establishment clause by fostering a particular religion.
FYI, the link you have for “There are a lot of variations of the slippery slope being thrown around.” goes to a not very funny traffic accident in Philly.
I’m still somewhat curious about the story you meant…
Sorry for the derailing, but I’ve noticed something while browsing the web — “Expelled” has a google Ad or two. For those who don’t know, google ads are “pay per click”.
You see where I’m going with this…
It’s just something to do that allows you to have a clean conscience. It’s almost like prayer, except there IS a few cents impact, at least, as opposed to no impact at all. Click away.
And share your google searches that bring up their ad. They pay different amounts for different search terms.
Sorry, Pittsburgh.
My bad. I figured the Senate was the more prestigious and elite institution. It must be scary to think how dumb their House is. How dumb do you have to be to fall prey to the exact thing we’ve been screaming would happen next, didn’t we say, beware! “teach the controversy”?!
Mac @ #25:
What exactly was the “inaccessible spot” inhabited by the J-fish? (I can imagine an inaccessible spot or two where they might go, but I don’t want to be toooo disrespectful . . . .)
The LA Times seems to have juggled around the content at that url — I’ve replace it.
Love the horoscopes… Hey good news; if you ever get out of sciencing you can always fall back on astrology!
Eamon Knight, #22
Yup — genetic crosses in Drosophila are done with virgin females. :)
Thanks for the fix!
Now that I read it, I at first wanted to say that I was OK with the offering of religiously motivated plates (even with the knowledge of Bullard’s bigotry), but reading throughn I noticed that all the custom plates have a designated beneficiary, like charities.
So, who’s sponsoring this?:
That’s right, Floridians: This money will indirectly go towards religious activities in school.
We don’t have to wait for the atheists to propose their own plate, Florida legislators already crossed that church-state line.
How about an official State of Florida PZMyers liscence plate with an image of a squid (or octopi (or cuttlefish (the ugly little things confuse the hell out of me anyway(but they do taste pretty good if they’re breaded and deep-fried)))) smack dab in the middle of the plate?
stogoe in #14 above asks: “…Aren’t the funds paid for the plates being funneled to religious groups? That’s what concerns me; specific religious charities are having funds raised for them by the government.”
EXCELLENT point, stogoe, I hadn’t thought of that ’til you mentioned it. In Texas that is the case…I have a special plate with my alma mater logo on it (Texas A&M), and part of the proceeds goes to the general scholarship fund. There’s also a Library one that puts money into the general education fund that helps make additional funding available for school libraries in Texas.
So if the “I believe” Florida plate proceeds are funneled in part to a religious charity, that’s a constitutional no-no.
I also share the concern of others here about the state being in a position of appearing to endorse one religion over another or atheism. It just shouldn’t go there,and avoid the whole mess.
I agree that all states should subsidize the Purple Heart license plates to all qualified veterans who had their blood spilled or even lost body parts in military service. Florida is being downright disrespectful in stiffing its veterans that way, many of whom are economically disadvantaged, especially purple heart winners, who may be on some form of permanent disability.
Brownian #26 above writes:
“In Alberta (that’s in Canada, for the conservatives that post here), ”
That’s where the conservatives are largely clustered in Canada, too, for those who didn’t know. Alberta–the Texas of Canada.
It’s screwy stuff like this that has me considering Law school every now and then…seems like more and more fungadelical f*cktards are becoming lawyers and judges these days–and in law it all seems to come down to what a judge thinks, as the primary consideration; and so there needs to be more secular humanist types, deeply ingrained in constitutional law, who need to shore up the resistance to this madness. I wonder how solid an American legal education is anymore these days anyway…it’s been getting more twisted and Orwellian out there since 9/11 (though the “War on Drugs” [tm] paved the way to our current civil liberties meldowns).
Might be better to study law in Canada, before too long.
I dunno.
I know, I know. It’s our great shame, too. Wasn’t there a study or series of studies that correlated the stupidity of a region with its mineral wealth?
Heh, Missouri did away with Highway adoption signs for awhile because the KKK wanted one and they denied them. KKK sued and won. So they pulled everyone’s sign.
Personally I wish they’d kept the KKK sign. It let me know where to dump my trash out the window.
http://writ.lp.findlaw.com/hilden/20010308.html
We’ve got the signs again now, and I can’t remember if they eventually allowed the KKK to get one or rewrote the law somehow.
Plus i think license plate notes are associated with the driver, not the state so the arguement in the article linked above doesn’t really apply.
Why is Bullard such a douche?
brokenSoldier,
Nothing “self-serving or arrogant” about at all. Like Brownian I cannot fathom how such callousness is not reviled and decried from the rooftops. “Support the troops”, my arse!
I’m not an American, but Denmark has lost soldiers in Iraq (and Afghanistan), too.
You have my sincere admiration. I could never do what you’ve done. (But I’m rather jealous of your good posts.) I felt very relieved to escape the draft.
Usually these special interest plates come with a bigger price tag, and money is sent from the state to the charity or organization they represent. So which sect would be cashing in on the “I believe” plates?
Is this a bypass once again of the separation of church and state?
Here’s an idea. You get one of these “I believe” plates then put a bumper sticker next to it in the same font that reads “this religion is a bunch of nonsense” and see what happens. That would be worth the $25 right there.
#21–those crazy Canucks can’t evens spell “Goat.” Jeez.
ice
While I agree with you… I am not quite sure that is what she meant. Granted it sounds outrageously bigoted, it may not be. I have had a few times myself arguing against religion (in an appropriate setting. I don’t force it on my friends, that sort of thing) where I sounded like an ass by accident. She may be Roman Catholic, I am…or WAS. But she just uses an horrible example. She could be an awful racist. I guess I just give the benefit of the doubt here.
Maybe she meant to reference two religions, instead of a single one twice. I do not know an over abundance about her. Unless she is overtly religious I will give her the benefit of the doubt, like I would anyone else in the situation.
Either way, I love the site. I read it every day and learn something. Unfortunately I just never grasped the whole punctuation and sentence structure thing. Do with me what you will.
Something that concerns me that I haven’t seen mentioned – while this is blatant preference of one religion over others and, by way of Bullard’s comments, religion over non-religion – my trouble with it is that it is a state venue being used, no different than a courthouse wall showcasing the 10 Cs. You can put all manner of “speech” on a courthouse wall (and license plates), but it can’t be used preferentially in regards to religion.
PZ seemed OK with this, in part because it’s money out of the driver’s hands, and the state is not, as Jefferson said, “picking my pocket.” But would this be OK if all government platforms were available in a Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist, etc version? Go pick up any form from your local or state agency – should there be one adorned with crosses, one with a star of david, etc? Even if you had to request this separate form and pay to use it, should the government be in the business of appeasing your religious preferences?
Put it more dramatically – what if your local commission set up separate podiums for public comment? Xians over there behind the one with the cross, Jews over here behind the one with the star… atheists and others get a plain one. Again, assume the separate use has to be paid for. Appropriate?
While this may feed into PZ’s slippery slope complaint, my purpose is to point out that principals matter. If the most extreme example above is inappropriate, so is the most inocuous. If we wouldn’t accept a plaque on a courthouse wall that reads “I Believe” next to a Christian cross, why accept it on a government-issued license plate?
Talking to police and HP officers about plates a common thought is that it has gotten hard, and looks to be getting harder if this one goes through, for the law to identify the state and legitimacy of the plate.
One old timer commented that before these advocacy plates became available it was easy to identify the state the plate was issued by quickly and at a considerable distance. Now, not so much.
Many of the commentators here are right, Florida can’t do this and then turn down an atheist plate. The Summum case that’s up at the Supreme Court right now will help clarify this area of law (if it’s decided right!)
“It’s not a road I want to go down. I don’t want to see the Star of David next. I don’t want to see a Torah next.”
I don’t think Jewish people are real big on labeling themselves.
Update on the similar situation in Indiana: Its Supreme Court dismissed the ACLU suit and basically said that it’s just alright to subsidize Christian license plates. The ACLU is appealing, of course, but I become increasingly anxious to leave the state.
Somebody on this smart list can find a link somewhere I’m sure. Swallow anything you’re drinking – you aren’t going to believe this…on the way in from the farm I heard a snippet of a news cast over the radio about a new law being pondered to stop people from hanging false bull testicles from their bumper hitches in … you guessed it:
Florida! HAW!!! This must be some cosmic day, horoscopes and false bull testicles.
Please tell me thats bull puckey.
I’m sorry to report that I have a few friends who don’t quite get why I’m opposed to religious – primarily Christian, of course – encroachment on government entities and concerns. They get all binary on me, like I must “hate” Christianity simply because I object to “under God” in the Pledge, to “In God We Trust” on the currency, and to nonsense like this, in which elected officials start talking, in all seriousness, about which religious beliefs would be appropriate for display on a state license plate.
Holy Mother of Pearl.
I support the proposed law. Everyone knows that only real bull testicles can confer masculine bovine power to a 4×4.
I support the proposed law. Everyone knows that only real bull testicles can confer masculine bovine power to a 4×4.
One of the “joys” of growing up with a large-animal veterinarian was finding bowls of rocky mountain oysters in the refrigerator. They were for my uncle, but damn, they’re just not appetizing to look at.
Yes, it’s true… you can question evolution, but you may not have FAKE bull testicles hanging from your vehicle.
http://www.local6.com/news/15913338/detail.html?rss=orlpn&psp=news
To see a pair – http://maremare1225.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/replica-bull-testicles-cause-debate-in-florida/
Why don’t they just let everyone make their own liscense plate with an image they select? Just like those newfangled custom credit cards you see these days. Is it just that hard to let people put anything they want on a liscence plate as long as it is not within a narrowly defined profane? This way the state doesn’t have to worry about supporting only Christian, or only Pastafarian, or only some cult some crazy guy comes up with.
Now, I really long for some of that ol’ timey religion. You know, where they worship phalli. Imagine that symbol on a license plate!
I live in Florida, and the thing about the specialty license plates (as they’re called) is that the bulk of the extra fee ($25 in this case) goes to whatever group introduced the plates. So the manatee plate’s fee goes to the Save the Manatee Club and so on. Well, we have the Choose Life plate, which goes to an adoption group, I believe. Now, do we need a state-sponsored incentive to get people to give to some religion? I think if people want to give, they pass a collection plate on Sundays. If people want to advertise their faith, there are plenty of bumper stickers and magnets for that.
Thankyou #74 Mark Mayfield for the links to the false bull testicles problem…I laughed so hard my bulldog started barking.
That gives me an idea for a Virginia Is For L♥vers plate…
Apparently, if you have sex on the organ, you’ll definitely have a baby
I wonder if a plate bearing that would confer the same power on the back seat?
@#1: yeah, that was my first thought too. (really though, it’s not “driving while jewish” it’s “driving while old.”)
but seriously. i think they “i don’t want to see other religions supported” is worse, because that’s a kind of dangerous governmental preference, which the first amendment was specifically written to avoid.
the government issuing optional religious license plates is questionable to begin, but if they’re going to do it, they have to allow other religions to have their plates too. and probably anti-religious commentary too.
Really, though. States should leave plates entirely free of any and all variations of religious and irreligious themes. That’s what bumper stickers, Jesus fish and other magnets, spring-loaded suction-cup hand-waving thingies, window decals, and middle fingers are for, dammit.
Kevin at #59
According to snopes, Missouri renamed the KKK-sponsored stretch ‘Rosa Parks Highway’.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/rosapark.asp
I have to agree with Kseniya: no state should issue more than one design of license plate. I don’t care that the “specialty” designs benefit worthy charities; they make it harder to determine at a glance exactly which state issued the plate, which is the entire purpose of license plates!
License plates are on the car for identification, not vanity, purposes. Each state ought to issue one plate with a simple, clear, unique design (like New York State’s plate, which features the Statue of Liberty – it’s instantly recognizable). If the state DMV also wants to assist charities or honor veterans, let them issue a series of car magnets or bumper stickers instead of specialty plates.
My favorite bizarre specialty plate remains the Alabama Atomic Nuked Veteran design.
Actually, aside from that callous and peculiar turn of phrase, Alabama’s plates aren’t too bad. They have a tawdry “God Bless America” which I guess can’t be helped, and a pro-life design, but at least the latter benefits adoption services. But most of their specialty designs are a pretty restrained concept: you get a generic plate and a decal to stick on it, so there’s a fair consistency of design except in a square on the left side of the plate.
This just in:
#74:
The obvious question to me, as I was reading the article, was whether the proposed ban would apply is you had real bull testicles on your vehicle. Nobody seemed to consider that.
And as for the Florida Senate being the “more prestigious and elite institution”:
“In Alberta (that’s in Canada, for the conservatives that post here), the plates are a plain ol’ white with red lettering, with a stylised wild rose next to the name of the province.
Now, we’ve got lots of Christians in this province, none of them (obviously) show their faith through their license plates, and God hasn’t sent a single hurricane to indicate his displeasure at our lack of taillight tithing.”
But Brownian, we have had several tornados in Alberta since the current unChristian license plate design was adopted.
That’s fine but, for the record, you’re agreeing with something I didn’t quite say. I was suggesting that states decline to offer plates with religious or irreligious themes – and I do mean irreligious, not secular.
For example, up here in Massachusetts, we have the Red Sox plate, which… errr… crumb. Never mind, that’s kind of a religious theme for some people. Uh… ok, there’s a “Save the Whales” theme, a “Cape and Islands” theme, a “Firefighters Memorial”, a “Conquer Cancer”, and about a dozen others. None of those raise any religious issues.
Your point about identification is reasonable, though. I don’t feel compelled to argue for or against it. :-)
To follow up on what Katrina wrote – this is from the staff analysis of the bill (HB 401) in the Economic Expansion & Infrastructure Council –
Faith in Teaching, Inc., has not met the application and statutory requirements to pursue legislation for the “I Believe” specialty license plate. Applicants are required to submit a scientific survey performed by an independent survey firm indicating that 30,000 motor vehicle owners would purchase the proposed plate at the increased cost. DHSMV rejected the survey submitted by Faith in Teaching, Inc., for reasons beyond the control of Faith in Teaching, Inc. 1
1 Upon review of the independent survey, DHMSV determined that a random sample survey was not conducted and that respondents from past surveys were used as part of the current survey. Letter from DHSMV to Mrs. Carla E. Mallen, Faith in Teaching, Inc., February 6, 2008.
whole analysis at http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=h0401b.EEIC.doc&DocumentType=Analysis&BillNumber=0401&Session=2008
So how’d this turkey ever get off the ground???
Completely OT, but couldn’t resist. With “Kelly (like that not-so high end tire brand) Skidmore” for a name, I “wouldn’t want to go down that road”, either, especially if it involves slippery slopes…
I think Florida only has rear license plates. If so, we should be able to come up with a similar looking mock I Don’t Believe plate that can be placed on the front of the car.
@74, 87
I’m not that good on bovine anatomy but surely;
You get the bull balls at front and behind…
a big pile of BS. (esp. Sen. King)
And besides, all bumper stickers translate to one thing;
The driver in front it an idiot.