"The whole issue here is that people are trying to get the state to endorse their religion, and that’s wrong,” said Dr. T. Jeremey Gunn, director of the A.C.L.U. Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. “It’s almost as if there’s insufficient support, and they have to go to the state to get it."

“While I do, in fact, ‘believe,’ it is my personal view that the largest proclamation of one’s faith ought to be in how one lives one’s life,” Mr. Sanford wrote on Thursday in a letter to Glenn F. McConnell, president pro tem of the Senate and a fellow Republican.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/us/06lic...;pagewanted=all

I see this as Constitutionally wrong period-no debate.

As much as I don't like it, I think the plate should be allowed. After all, it is going on personal property.

But the plate is state property.

If people want to advertise their faith, fine. That's why we have bumper stickers and little fish things. People who feel the need to kick it up and advertise their faith on their license plates are looking for at least the implication of state sanction for their religion. Again, fine with me as long as I have the option of paying the extra $30 and getting an atheist plate and my partner has access to a Buddhist one. Actually, he'd need a Shinto one too. But offering that kind of choice would ruin the whole thing for the fishy folks.

the problem is, the plates are coming from a state agency.
Unlike bumper stickers and the fishy things... the plates are made, distributed and maintained by a government office.
Hence, they're treading on the wall between church and state

if they were just novelty plates.... that would be fine and nobody would say boo

No, I agree. The point is that they want THEIR religion on the plate and no other and would freak at the suggestion that all religions and atheism be giving equal rights here. But you are totally right in that the discussion is or should be academic since license plates should reflect no religion at all.

I would get a Satanist plate just to fuck with them.

You'd want to be tight with someone at an autobody and paint shop if you did that. Maybe you could get a repeat customer discount.

Nah, I'll just get me one of those 4wD redneck pick-ups with reiforced steel bumpers, and paint ''RoadRage'' in dripping red letters down the sides. Oh yeah, and a gun rack in the rear window too.

Slap on a couple of bumper stickers like, "Security by Smith and Wesson" and "My Rottweiler can eat your honor student" and you'd be ready for them.