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Editorial from today's Las Vegas Review-Journal:
"Jul. 10, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
EDITORIAL: Hoe, hoe, hoe
Have you heard the one about the vegetarian in Colorado (or pick a state) who wanted to advertise her chosen lifestyle by purchasing a vanity license plate?
But when she applied at the state Department of Motor Vehicles, her request was denied. She couldn't understand what was so objectionable about a plate reading "ILUVTOFU."
We'll pause while you figure it out.
At any rate, vanity plates have become more and more popular over the years, often causing headaches for the watchdogs at the DMV who aren't supposed to let anything "offensive" get by. But even if a plate survives that initial vetting process, that's no guarantee it will last. Many states -- including Nevada -- will order a driver to return a personalized plate if just one anonymous caller complains or one DMV bureaucrat changes his mind about its real or perceived meaning.
Las Vegan William Junge found all this out the hard way.
From 1999 until 2006, Mr. Junge had a license plate that read "HOE." It was his homage to his 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe -- "TAHOE" was taken -- along with a plate style that featured a Lake Tahoe panorama.
Shortly after he renewed the plate in 2007, he received a letter telling him to turn in the plate or risk losing his license and registration. Seems some pencil pusher at the DMV had discovered that the boys in the hood use the term "ho" -- without the "e," by the way -- to describe something other than a lake.
Most people would quietly acquiesce. But Mr. Junge fought the DMV edict -- and on Wednesday the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in his favor.
The decision is a victory for common sense. Mr. Junge had his plates for seven years without incident. The DMV overstepped in this case, acting in a completely arbitrary manner with no just cause except bureaucratic whim.
Perhaps whoever made this decision down at the DMV should be forced to adorn his or her vehicle with Nevada plates reading "DUM S." The DMV Web site says the moniker is currently available."
