Vanity Plate Furor

LICENCE PLATE FUROR

We have seen the vanity plates. Sometimes, they are hard to decipher, but some are pretty clever:

On a Huge Hummer:  “1  M P G”  (bad gas mileage indeed).

On an old beater: “BC MY D4S”  (because the divorce was costly he has an old car).

On a red convertible: “BLONDE”  (it was mounted upside down).

On a white Bronco: “NOT O J” 

But, a Federal Lawsuit has been filed in New Jersey seeking the issuance of the proposed vanity plate: "8THEIST."

The state had deemed it ineligible as it “may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency.” 

This is usually used to stop really offensive plates from slipping through.

But, she was a determined atheist. With religious fervor, she completed an application using the phrase “BAPTIST.”  Yes, the department accepted it.

So she sued, claiming violation of her First Amendment right to free speech and pointing out the both belief and, lack of belief, are protected free speech.

Previously, the president of American Atheists, complained when his application for "ATHE1ST" was denied, and it was granted. This will likely go the same way.

One fellow sued because of the suspension of his vanity plate that said “0INK.” Like many people, I would assume he was just a Razorback fan. But, the plate was one of those with a logo on it, too. Guess what the logo was?   The Fraternal Order of Police! Thus, calling the police pigs was understandably controversial.

Vanity plates do cause some controversy. But they can be worth a lot of money, too.

How about $9.3 million? That is what one guy turned down to keep his unique “F1” plate in England. He paid over $600,000 to get it. Seems like a good investment so far.  

I forgot one: “I SUE 4U”