Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 23:55:40 -0500

From: "Barry A. Popik" Bapopik[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: Vanity Plate Speech



This is from the New York Post, 24 November 1997, pg. 5, cols. 2-6:



NYSEZ 671BAD WRDZR

UNFIT4 LICENS PL8S

DMV bans cars' vanity profanity

by Gregg Birnbaum



ALBANY--The state Department of Motor Vehicles has banned more than 650

vanity license plates--everything from ASS to ZBALLS--as unfit for public

consumption, the Post has learned.

The never-before-revealed roster of outlawed license plate combinations

is full of vicious racial and ethnic slurs, curse words and lots of sexy

stuff.

(...)

Legend at the DMV also has it that someone tried to get the plate

HOOKER, but was sent packing because it's slang for prostitute.

It turned out Hooker was the driver's family name, one that traced back

to a well-known Civil War general, Joseph Hooker. After a court battle, the

HOOKER plate was approved. But it has since been put back on the taboo list.

DMV officials insist that banning certain plates is not a free-speech

issue.

"You don't have the right to use the F-word on a license plate," Filieau

said. "You can buy a bumper sticker if you want to do that."



WHAT? No "F-WORD" on a license plate! Wait'll I tell that to--

Here's a list from the newspaper:



Ethnic and racial:

JAP, JEW, JOO, KKK, NAZI, MAFIA, MAFEA, SSMAN, PISANO



Sex-related:

BRA, CARNAL, DIGSEX, EAT (C'mon! My mother could've driven to "eat"--ed.),

FORPLY, GAYGUY, GAYLIB, HOOKER, HORNY, INLUST, INHEAT, KISSIT, LUVSEX,

ORGY,

PERVERT, PIMP, PLAY ("Play" is banned? They like "work"?--ed.), SCREW, SEX,

SEXY, SEXHOG, SEXPOT, STUD, SUPSEX, TURNON, 10INCHES



Offensive words:

ASS, SOB, HELL, OHEL, PISHER, PSTOFF, PISS, BITCH, NOSHT (No shit, but this

could be someone who likes to nosh--ed.), BRDSHT, VOMIT, TOILET, TOYLET,

STUFIT, BASTARD, KISSOFF, CRAMIT



Sacreligious:

GOD, IMGOD, JESUS, UBGOD, GODGOD, HEYGOD, OMYGOD (I like that--ed.), UJESUS



Police and government:

COP, DMV, FBI, KOP, FDNY, FIRE, NYCPD, DEPUTY, KGBCIA, OINKPD, PIG, POLICE,

POLIZE, PQLICE, TOPCOP, USARMY, USGOVT, USMAIL, USNAVY



Other:

DRUGSALE, KILLER (Sorry, O. J.--ed.), JUNKIE, SUICID, PHU, DUPA, OUTS, MOX



This concerns my job--I know of some others. The state issues MD

(doctor) and DDS (dentist) plates and handicapped number plates, and it's

illegal to have anything that looks like them (MD123 of DDS123, for example).



I once gave a hearing to a person who had the plate 96TEARS. He

performed on that original song, "Ninety-Six Tears"--his only hit. He was a

really nice guy, but I found him guilty. I thought he was gonna cry....