Prompted by this article describing how JOHN316 is being prohibited as a vanity plate in Vermont because it's "a combination that refers to deity", I got to thinking about how the several states go about deselecting various alphabetical combinations on standard-issue plates.
In Louisiana, the format for the license number on a personal vehicle is 3 letters, a space and 3 numbers, voila: "AAA 000". For vanity plates, the state restricts alphanumeric combinations containing "ethnic, racial, vulgar, or indecent connotations which may be offensive to good taste and decency." While I wasn't able to (quickly) find their rules for standard-issue plates, it's a safe bet they're consistent.
The state must have some committee responsible for looking through the combinations and removing the verboten ones so you don't get a plate with an "A" followed by a pair of "S"s; "F" or "S" followed by a "U" and any of "X, C, or K" (or "DI" preceeding any of the latter letters). I would think you won't see any triple "K"s or "X"s either, but I have seen "JAX".
Speaking of JAX, it used to be a popular brand of beer in these parts, and I even ran across a website that sells vintage brewski TV commercials.
So much for pandering to certain audience members - where was I?
There are quite a few rather odd combinations that I've seen with my own eyes that I would've thought would be screened out: JRK (is there a JFK?); GRL (but no BOY); JIZ (honestly, if that showed up for my car, it would be reported "lost/stolen" immediately); JIW (which might give the Vermont DMV fits); and JIF (which seems to tread near the line drawn by the vanity restriction prohibiting "a patented logo").
Did they redline ASP, BOO, CIG, DUI, DWI, FDR, MLK, BRP, FRT, SBD or TOX?
What about real words that might possibly be objectionable to the PC crowd or some other fringe bunch like BUG, CUT, DUX, GIN or NUT, PET, POT or POX?
Would someone in the military interpret certain acronyms like MRE (Meals Ready-to-Eat), FNG ("Fairly" New Guy), RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade) or SOL ("Slightly" Out of Luck)?
The funny thing is, there are some who'd object to putting any/all of those (and many, many more) on their cars and others who'd pay extra to get one.
But what will the Vermont Plate-Notsies do when Mr. Byrne pops up in court with pictures of Official Vermont-Issued Plates containing a digital representation of the deity worshipped by certain people in this country - the number just before 667?
Recent Comments