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Woman sues NJ over "8thiest" license plate refusal

 
 
 
Phineas Flapdoodle

Phineas Flapdoodle

New member
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
7
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
Basic Beliefs
Secular Humanism
The story appears here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...plate-request-rejected-suit-article-1.1761477

What hypocrisy! A "Baptist" plate would be acceptable, but the absence of religion, is not. New Jersey's dept of transportation, must be filled with Bible-thumpers.

I think a lawsuit is quite appropriate. I am just wondering just how many states would we find the same thing happening? Maybe a license plate "movement" would be worthwhile?

Things that make one go hmmm!

peace
Stephen
 
Those special license plates are called "vanity plates." It would be nicer if the DMV would issue plates with numbers and letters on them for the purpose of identifying the automobile and not in the side business of vanity. They could also be nicer to the general public in most cases.
 
arkirk said:
Those special license plates are called "vanity plates." It would be nicer if the DMV would issue plates with numbers and letters on them for the purpose of identifying the automobile and not in the side business of vanity. They could also be nicer to the general public in most cases.
Click to expand...

DMV, nice? Hmmmm.

I did get a "vanity" plate....for my son's car. He loves it, and I can remember it easily in an emergency. Before that, they seemed like the sort of thing my father would write off as hopeless indulgences, like car radios and clocks and such.
 
A friend of mine's father had (maybe still has) NCC1701.

Yeah, vanity plates are silly, but so are a lot of other things people find amusing/enjoyable. It also gives the DMV a bit more money, which is a good thing since the #1 reason DMVs tend to suck is that they are underfunded.
Censoring vanity plates is fraught with difficulties though.
 
travc said:
Censoring vanity plates is fraught with difficulties though.
Click to expand...

Why? You just appoint some bureaucrat to do decide what is "tasteful and decent" and they do it.

My guess is the state would assert it's their license plate, not yours and you have no particular right to express yourself freely on it.
 
Wonder if they would let me have

4nik8

Many years ago on BITNET relay chat, a friend had that handle. They made him change it, so he went to 4nik7
 
dismal said:
Why? You just appoint some bureaucrat to do decide what is "tasteful and decent" and they do it.

My guess is the state would assert it's their license plate, not yours and you have no particular right to express yourself freely on it.
Click to expand...

So when one private citizen points out that another private system has said something racist, that counts as "suppressing free speech," but when Big Government decides that atheism is offensive and refuses to allow people to have atheism-related vanity license plates, this is perfectly OK?

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.
 
arkirk said:
Those special license plates are called "vanity plates." It would be nicer if the DMV would issue plates with numbers and letters on them for the purpose of identifying the automobile and not in the side business of vanity. They could also be nicer to the general public in most cases.
Click to expand...

Just a side note to commend my DMV for being awesome. They are quite remarkably awesome. They will help you with your paperwork, and if you come in without papers from your insurance company, they will call them up for you and let you wait for a FAX while they process the rest of your paperwork. When the line is long, they send out a worker to "work the line" and check people's paperwork to help them have it right before they arrive at the window.

I decline to renew online because I want to patronize the office and make sure they don't get closed. <3


That said, the vanity plates are a fun way to get extra money from people - why not. But I do object to the special plates, it should be restricted to what the letters say, not special "wildlife" or "prolife" or "NFL" plates, IMHO.

The 8theist one has no reason to be denied. :( Although maybe they are thinking it's a cannibalistic dig at religionists? Like the guy who got the "Kids First" style plate and got the vanity numbers, "EAT THE" and they objected to that.

4nik7 is hilarious!
 
travc said:
A friend of mine's father had (maybe still has) NCC1701.

Yeah, vanity plates are silly, but so are a lot of other things people find amusing/enjoyable. It also gives the DMV a bit more money, which is a good thing since the #1 reason DMVs tend to suck is that they are underfunded.
Censoring vanity plates is fraught with difficulties though.
Click to expand...

feature.jpeg
 
Underseer said:
So when one private citizen points out that another private system has said something racist, that counts as "suppressing free speech," but when Big Government decides that atheism is offensive and refuses to allow people to have atheism-related vanity license plates, this is perfectly OK?

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter what you or I think is OK.

The government says what is OK.
 
Tom Sawyer said:
See, finally you're coming around.

It's nice to know that our posts here do make a difference.
Click to expand...

I didn't say this was a good thing.

But strangely if you are always enthusiastically empowering mind-numbed bureaucrats to make decisions for everyone you get more decisions from mind-numbed bureaucrats that you have to live with.
 
dismal said:
I didn't say this was a good thing.

But strangely if you are always enthusiastically empowering mind-numbed bureaucrats to make decisions for everyone you get more decisions from mind-numbed bureaucrats that you have to live with.
Click to expand...

Well, if that's what the bureaucrats tell us to like, it's our duty as productive citizens to support their decisions.
 
dismal said:
I didn't say this was a good thing.

But strangely if you are always enthusiastically empowering mind-numbed bureaucrats to make decisions for everyone you get more decisions from mind-numbed bureaucrats that you have to live with.
Click to expand...

Ah, so this is your fault because you want the police to come when your family is attacked, and by your "logic" that means that all actions by any government official are beyond reproach. Boy your not only built a slippery slope, you really greased it up with a load of mind feces.
 
renujepe.jpg


This is the plate I got for my son's '70 Mark III ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





Indiana has suspended the custom plate program due to a lawsuit brought by a police officer who, for three years, had "0ink" on his personal vehicle (in reference to police being called pigs) The BMV declared it inappropriate and denied his renewal last year so he sued and now, no one can get a new custom plate.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/19/indiana-halts-vanity-license-program/2570557/

A friend of mine in HS tried to get NE1469 but was denied, no lawsuit was filed :)
 
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In the early 90's I was searching for a used car to buy. One that I test drove had "chronic" as the plate. I was vaguely aware it was a marijuana reference. The guy selling it thought it was some bonus feature. I just saw it as an invitation for police harassment.
 
dismal said:
travc said:
Censoring vanity plates is fraught with difficulties though.
Click to expand...

Why? You just appoint some bureaucrat to do decide what is "tasteful and decent" and they do it.

My guess is the state would assert it's their license plate, not yours and you have no particular right to express yourself freely on it.
Click to expand...

That is the argument they should make but I'm not sure it is a winning argument before a court pertaining to vanity plates.

See Mary Lewis v. Wilson, 253 F.3d 1077, 8th circuit court of appeals; Perry v. McDonald, 280 F.3d 159, 2nd circuit court of appeals; and
 
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