South Dakota DMV Wants The MPEACHW Vanity Plate Back!!! NOW!!!

[DeSwiss]

State Looks To Pull Anti-Bush License Plate
By Kevin Woster, Journal staff



RAPID CITY -- Heather Moriah loves the personalized license plates on her silver Prius encouraging the impeachment of President George W. Bush.

The South Dakota Dept. of Motor Vehicles have decided to rescind Heather Morijah's personalized license plates "MPEACHW" because of one reported complaint. The Rapid City residentis the conservation organizer for the West River Office of the Sierra Club. (Photo by Steve McEnroe, Journal photographer)

But somebody doesn’t agree. And that somebody complained to the state. Now, the South Dakota Division of Motor Vehicles is trying to recall the plates -- which read MPEACHW. And if Moriah doesn’t turn them in voluntarily, the state might send law-enforcement officers to pick them up.

Even so, she’s not immediately inclined to cooperate.

“I don’t think I’m going to play,” Moriah said Thursday afternoon. “The plate isn’t in poor taste. It‘s not sexual in nature or pornographic. To me, a political message should not be considered offensive.”

But Division of Motor Vehicles director Deb Hillmer said Thursday that the law clearly gives the state authority to recall the plates and have them forcibly removed if necessary. And although only one person complained about Moriah’s political statement, that’s all it takes to recall a set of vanity plates, Hillmer said.

“I’m following the letter of the law,” she said. “It’s offensive to someone and not in good taste and decency. And the plates are the property of the state of South Dakota.”

more: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2007/05/03/news/top/news02_impeach_bush_plate.txt

*** - The plates are the property of the state??? So what are people doing when they pay the license registration fees? Renting???

Well, since all it takes is one complaint to have a vanity license plate recalled in South Dakota, I'd like to formally issue a complaint that I think the state of Iowa is offensive to good taste and decency. And I want the state recalled.....
:mad:

on edit: we'll keep Iowa for now. SD, get yer ass outta here!!!! :dunce: :hi:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. It's SD, but close

and, well, they probably do have the right to do it.

[DeSwiss]

6. We were out of coffee....

...this morning and that's what I get for trying to post before the 1st cup.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

2. Psst...Rapid City is in western South Dakota, not Iowa

:hi:
(You're probably thinking of Sioux City, which is in Iowa)

[DeSwiss]

7. And I used to be....

...so good at geography in fifth grade. Boy have I lost a lot of brain cells since then......

[LiberalFighter]

14. Doesn't or isn't Sioux City in 3 neighboring states?

By neighboring I mean you go from one state to another without leaving the city.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

15. Pretty much

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.496403,-96.365204&spn=0.178462,0.458679&z=12&om=1

Most of it's in Iowa, but North Sioux City is in South Dakota, and South Sioux City is in Nebraska.

[LiberalFighter]

17. I remember being their for a NAIA College National Wresting Tournament

back in the 70's

[Eurobabe]

3. She should tell them that the M is from her last name

Peach is her nickname and W is her grandmother's first initial. And then tell the DMV to fuck off.

[IA_Seth]

4. Sheesh...

As an Iowan, I am used to my state being confused with Idaho, or Ohio even...

But come on...SD...IA...

We are the epitomy of good taste and decency my fellow DUer..now Tennesee...now THERE is a state worth recalling.

ha ha.

Just kiddin, my mama was born there and I still have good Democratic family down that way.



ON EDIT: Ok, so I see you edited your post, Iowa still kicks ass though.

[DeSwiss]

9. But, but, but....

...yeah you're right about Tennessee. Just let me pack my sh*t first, then you can have it!!!

[NavyDavy]

5. i think all that can afford it in any state get some form of this

plate......piss them off royally

[Rude Horner]

8. What's offensive and not in good taste and decency

is a President who circumvents the Constitution.

I call "bullshit" about that whole, "And although only one person complained about Moriah’s political statement, that’s all it takes to recall a set of vanity plates, Hillmer said". Bullshit.

So if I see a license plate and it says "GoTigers" or whatever, I can say that I'm offended by it and the state will recall the plates? Bullshit. The DMV would laugh me out of their office.

[progdonkey]

10. you have to figure that hundreds if not thousands of drivers have seen that plate...

and only one was so "offended" that he/she/it complained, so wouldn't that imply that the votes are 999 to 1 that the plates aren't offensive?

Of course, that's speculation, but that's also the point: people don't call the DMV to say how awesome a particular vanity plate is--they compliment the driver directly, if anything--so any decision based on complaints is going to be stupid, because there's no way--other than a scientific survey--to gauge how representative that one voice is.

It's the same BS as with complaints to the FCC, where three easily offended idiots can cause a "controversy" because they complained while the 10 million other viewers who weren't offended didn't write it to say they just didn't give a shit.

I think at the very least they should make the complainer's identity public, because it's essentially an accusation of obscenity and a person has a right to know her accusers and to defend herself.

[sshan2525]

11. Find out what the head of thye DMV's plate is and file a...

formal complaint against her. Better yet, let's see if we can get 100,000 or so formal complaints filed and fuck up her world.

[CC]

12. So people in SD that support her should file

a complaint for every vanity plate they see. If it only takes one complaint and doesn't need to break the written rules to be pulled file one on every plate you see. State's charge extra (and make more money) off of vanity plates. They start having to pull all of them and refund the surcharge they might change their minds pretty fast.:evilgrin:

[NewYorkerfromMass]

13. The lawyer quoted in the article suggests that

Patrick Duffy, who works with Native Americans on civil rights issues, insists she has a good case:

"What this means is that every atheist can now wipe out anything that seems to refer to God," Duffy said. "Will vanity plates for members of the armed forces suddenly be declared offensive if they offend a single pacifist? It’s absolutely preposterous."

[LiberalFighter]

16. They will probably make a distinction between personal vanity plates and

special license plates. Special license plates are plates honoring specific groups with a different background from the standard issue plates.

Personal vanity plates being the plates that are individualized with a combination of letters and/or numbers on the same background as the standard plates. The DMV was given the authority to refuse to issue any letter combination which carries connotations offensive to good taste and decency.

They may have exempted or not provided anyone with the authority to reject anyone requesting the special license plates.

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

What someone should do is request a list of all the personalized plates so they can review and consider whether they should also be rejected and demand those plates back too. The state FOIA should make it possible to do this as long as the request does not also include the name and address of the individual with the plates.

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

It wouldn't be out of line to file complaints about the special plates and demand that they be removed from the vehicles. But again, after reviewing the website I find that they don't have many and nothing that I could perceive that is close to being offensive.

Amateur Radio
Commercial Radio
Construction Vehicles
Disabled person
Firefighter
Trailer ID

The others are Tribal License Plates.

They also have a Military Category
Congressional Medal of Honor
Disabled Veteran
National Guard
Pearl Harbor Survivor
POW
Purple Heart
Veterans Plates
Air Force
Army
Coast Guard
Marine
Navy

[Geoff R. Casavant]

18. South Dakotans, your path is clear --

I expect nearly every license plate in the state, in whatever combination of letters and numbers, is potentially offensive as a homophone, acronym, anagram, etc., especially if you punch it up with some tinfoil-hat thinking.

So copy down the license plates you see, come up with some justification for why it is offensive to you personally, and notify the Division of Motor Vehicles. If all it takes is one complaint, no matter how unjustified . . . .

[NewYorkerfromMass]

19. update: The state has backed off

She can keep the plates.