NC: Free speech? Put a plate on it

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has managed to block North Carolina from issuing license plates with a “Choose Life” message because the state legislature declined to also issue “Choose Death” plates.

U.S. District Judge James Fox didn’t put it that way in his Nov. 28 injunction, but he did agree with the ACLU that the absence of an opposing plate violates the First Amendment. The problem arose because lawmakers refused to authorize the “Respect Choice” plate that Planned Parenthood wanted as part of its ongoing culture of death.

The ruling prompts the question of whether every expression allowed on a license plate must be accompanied by a contrary view, sort of a Fairness Doctrine for motorists.

North Carolina offers an “In God We Trust” plate. Can’t you see the state ACLU director coming unglued while stuck in traffic behind that? The lawsuit practically writes itself, with blather about “separation of church and state” and a lack of respect shown for Satan.

In Virginia, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offers an AFL-CIO plate with the slogan “Union Labor,” but drivers can’t purchase a plate for “National Right to Work” whose headquarters are visible from the Beltway in Northern Virginia. Maybe the Right to Work folks just have not gotten around to applying for theirs.

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