Florida drivers can order more than 100 specialty license plates celebrating everything from manatees to the Miami Heat, but one now under consideration would be the first in the nation to explicitly promote a specific religion.
The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words “I Believe…”
If the plate is approved, Florida would become the first state to have a license plate featuring a religious symbol that’s not part of a college logo. Approval would almost certainly face a court challenge.
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.
It’s amazing how many endless loops the “faithful” construct.
This separation of church and state becomes a NON-issue IF and ONLY IF the state will print license plates for any oganization that requests them. If there is no problem printing FSM plates, Islamic plates, etc, then the state is being equal to all. The moment the state tries to decide WHICH religion it will support over another they cross the line.
#81–thorndike ((Oh, so tempting that nickname))==I’m thinking the same as you, but would like to find a lawcase on point “because” there is a concept of something being unbiased on its face or original intent, yet still biased and illegal in its effect.
I can see a line of argument that allowing all vanity to be displayed is illegal if it coerces a person to get religious plates in order not to be singled out for a helping of good christian love?
That is the rule in much of racial discrimination laws, and I could see the argument for it here. I am also a bit leary of the Government having free speech rights. They don’t. Only we the people do.
Wikipedia does have a section on specialty plates, which these are.
http://tinyurl.com/6e3a87
Here are a couple of relevant paragraphs from the above link, leaving in the note about a missing citation:
I think Bullard is going to have a problem keeping any requests off the plates if this goes through. He should keep Pandora’s Rule in mind, “never open anything you did not close yourself.”