Unbelievable Florida

Once again, Florida is like a deformed, useless clubbed appendage on this nation.

Florida drivers can order more than 100 specialty license plates celebrating everything from manatees to the Miami Heat, but one now under consideration would be the first in the nation to explicitly promote a specific religion. Praise the lord!

The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words "I Believe." Rep. Edward Bullard, the plate's sponsor, said people who "believe in their college or university" or "believe in their football team" already have license plates they can buy. The new design is a chance for others to put a tag on their cars with "something they believe in," he said. Sorry, friend-o, but when was the last time you heard somebody pray to U of Miami? You're a little confused between support and belief.

If the plate was approved, Florida would become the first state to have a license plate featuring a religious symbol that's not part of a college logo - an approval that would almost certainly face a court challenge. Just take it from the free speech and personal rights mavens at the ACLU. Their Florida chapter clearly points out the problem with the state manufacturing the plate is that it "sends a message that Florida is essentially a Christian state" and, second, gives the "appearance that the state is endorsing a particular religious preference".

This terrible idea has even rankled other Jesus-lovin' members of the legislature. Rep. Kelly Skidmore said she is a Roman Catholic, who believes the "I Believe" plate is inappropriate for the government to produce. "It's not a road I want to go down. I don't want to see the Star of David next. I don't want to see a Torah next. None of that stuff is appropriate to me. I just believe that," she said. She stopped short of praising the Nazi war effort and discussing the Zionist conspiracy, a road she would have gone down.

And this isn't the first time a Florida license plate design has created religious controversy. In 1999, lawmakers approved a bright yellow "Choose Life" license plate with a picture of a boy and girl. It raises money for agencies that encourage women to not have abortions. That generated a court battle, with abortion rights groups saying the plate had religious overtones. But it was ruled legal, and about a dozen states now have similar plates. No "Choose Death" plate was ever offered, which I think is a shame.

A "Trust God" license plate was proposed in Florida in 2003. It would have given money to Christian radio stations and charities, but was never produced. Earlier this year, a legislative committee was shown an image of a "Trinity" plate that showed a Christlike figure with his arms outstretched. It and two other plates were voted down.

Another problem clouding the issue is Florida's specialty license plates require the payment of additional fees, and some of which go to causes the plates endorse. That's cool if you want to support wildlife or firefighters, but what about secular institutions? A plate approved in 2004 displaying the motto "Family Values," funds Sheridan House, which provides family programs but also sees its purpose as "sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Bible" and "information about the Christian faith". This will clearly be used to bolster the pro-Jesus plate-rists.

Piggybacked on the bill creating the "I Believe" plate, an "In God We Trust" plate to benefit the children of soldiers and law enforcement officers whose parents have died would come about. It also could face opposition as a violation of the separation of church and state, though an Indiana plate with the same "In God We Trust" phrase was challenged by the ACLU, but courts so far have deemed it legal, arguing that it is comparable with other specialty plates.

Back on the side of reason, the ACLU said approval of the plate could prompt many other groups to seek their own designs, and they could claim discrimination if their plans were rejected. Never mind those awful Jews, think about the ability for the Ku Klux Klan to get a plate. Or don't. Bullard, the plate's sponsor, isn't sure all groups should be able to express their preference. If atheists came up with an "I Don't Believe" plate, for example, he would probably oppose it. Y'see, that's how the bible-thumpers in the panhandle state roll - liberty, justice, and equality for themselves, because they're clearly right when everybody else isn't. Remember that little episode called The Crusades 800 years ago? How can you be wrong backing Jesus?

Florida, why isn't it enough for you to be able to force your religious beliefs on my eyes by displaying your Jesus fish, seagulls, crosses, praying Calvins, Ιησους, WWJD symbols and stickers on your car?