Court Oks 'Choose Life' Plates

[Egalia]

Unless the ACLU takes the case to the Supreme Court, cars in Tennessee will soon be adorned with "Choose Life" specialty license plates. Given the intensity of the raging cultural, or civil war, one can only hope we don't see any serious road rage.

But pity the poor 'pro-lifer' who takes his/her car to the wrong mechanic.

In a 2-1 decision, the three judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit okayed the "Choose Life" specialty plates, even though the state does not offer a plate with an opposing view. But given the history of violence of the so-called pro-life movement, how many people would be willing to put a "Pro Choice" specialty plate on their car?

According to a story in the Tennessean, the court ruled that the words on Tennessee license plates "are government speech," and the "ourt says Tennessee has 1st Amendment right."

Who knew the Bill of Rights was about protecting the rights of government?

http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2006/03/court-oks-choose-life-plates.html

http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/

[kenny blankenship]

1. Wonder what will happen when they issue the bloody clotheshanger plates?

You know wire coat hanger dripping blood with the caption Never Again!

My body is my property. Your laws end at my epidermis.

[Name removed]

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[eShirl]

2. "Choose Life" implies one has a choice, no?

I thought it was pro-choice

[kcass1954]

3. We've already got this, and it was #8 in specialty tag sales in 2005.

http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/specialtytags/tagsales2005.pdf

You can see a picture of it here. Scroll down to page 6 - the ugly bright yellow one near the top of the page.

http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/all-h.pdf

Edit to clarify that we've got this crap in Florida.

[iamjoy]

6. NOW Wants A Pro-Choice Plate (Florida)

In fact, they are asking people to submit design ideas. The background cannot be bright yellow.

http://www.licensetochoose.org/

I have an idea for a submission, but need to figure out how to do it.

[BloodedOberon]

4. What's wrong?

Why is it a bad thing if anti-abortionists state their views on their cars? Might be aggravating, but...is that all?

[Kerrytravelers]

7. It's wrong if I can't get one that sys "pro-choice."

Why is only one opinion represented on state plates? Or, they could not allow either plate and let us express our opinions through bumper stickers on our cars.

[lindisfarne]

11. Yes, I agree bumper stickers are the far better options. Where will it

stop with the number of slogans the state has to provide on license plates? Of course, if they charge enough, it could generate money (never a bad idea!! and it would divert some of that anti-choice money to the state coffers rather than anti-choise organizations. On second thought, as long as TN makes a big profit on the plates, let them have them!! (but also, let everyone have a plate with their own slogan)).

[musical_soul]

5. None of these plates should be state sanctioned like this.

Gross.

[LiberalPartisan]

9. States make a lot of money from those plates

For what are the funds from the 'Choose Life' plates earmarked?

[Recursion]

10. We had this argument in DC...

...when the DMV allowed our "Taxation Without Representation" tags. Same principle, I guess.

[omenapoint]

12. I doubt anybody would drive around...

with a plate supporting abortion. Choice? Sure, whatever, ok, the choice to abort. Being for life is typically much more palatable to the casual observer than being for the choice to kill a child before it is born.

[Quantess]

13. I'm not so sure about that.

It's your opinion. We tend to view others who share the same opinion more favorably than we view people who have a opposing opinion (if that makes sense, LOL). Especially with such an inflammatory issue as abortion!

Whenever I see a vehicle plastered with anti-choice stickers, I assume that the person is unstable, and probably, a knee-jerk, sanctimonious windbag.

But "Choose Life" is fairly benign. It presumes a choice.
I abstain from bumper stickers, or vanity license plates, myself.

(edited for word choice)

[mwooldri]

14. Does TN have "Kids First" plates to support the kids?

This year I decided to re-tag our cars with "Kids First" plates. The money goes to the North Carolina Children's Trust Fund.

I think that this is a better kind of plate - more neutral - than any choose life plates you can get. In any case these anti family planning guys are great about protecting children up to their birth date, after that it would appear that some of them couldn't care less about families well being.

(On edit: NC doesn't go either way on abortion - yet. But they're all for supporting the kids, especially with a governor who is trying to push for pre-school for every child).

Mark.