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War May Suck, But Don't Try To Put That On Your License Plate

January 02, 2014, 12:49 PM

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The website Gawker is having a little fun with a Michigan man's battle to get the vanity license plate "WAR SUX."

Apparently, the state of Michigan has rejected the request, saying children riding in cars shouldn't be subjected to such language. A report on the matter first appeared in a report by  the Associated Press's Ed White.

The issue has turned into a federal lawsuit in Grand Rapids. David DeVarti, a Washtenaw County man, claims his First Amendment rights have been violated by being denied the license plate.  He is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Adam Weinstein of Gawker writes:

Driving on highways is hard. Driving while trying to teach your children good pro-American values and warding off hippies in old Volvo wagons? Damn near impossible. Thank God Michigan is on our side, y'all.

The Secretary State's Office, which is being represented by the Michigan Attorney General's Office, is asking a judge to dismiss the suit.

Ann Sherman, an assistant Attorney General, wrote in court papers, according to AP: 

“And because vehicles often travel in residential neighborhoods, youth may be exposed to license plates from their yards or driveways. 

“Courts have often upheld legislation aimed at protecting the physical and emotional well-being of youth, even where First Amendment rights are concerned.”

Weinstein of Gawker writes:

A succinct but largely vague political statement on a license plate? In Michigan, the cradle of America's driving culture? THE NERVE. We have a fresh, impressionable generation of future expeditionary warriors to nurture in our backseats, goshdammit.

 

 


Read more:  Gawker


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