Discussion: Justices Hear Free Speech Dispute Over Texas' Refusal To Issue Confederate Flag License Plates

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Discussion for article #234587

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I cant wait to get my “War of Northern Aggression” plate!

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“many Texans who believe the flag is a racially charged symbol of repression”

It absolutely is so let your freak flag fly. Let the racists advertise who they are.

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Let these traitors have their plates. I’ll know exactly where to aim.

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I think it would be extremely hard to allow this, or else it opens the door to the state issuing all sorts of plates with all sorts of hate things on it. These folks already have the right to put whatever they want on the car, I am not sure that the state has to comply with every request.

The only thing that makes it harder on Texas is that they have Confederate stuff and historical pride stuff involving it. So the state already sanctions it in some ways…

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National pride? State pride? That is the flag of negro slavery. The short lived government that flew that flag had a Constitution that read “negro slavery” was forever. It could never be amended and no State had States rights to end "negor slavery.

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If we were talking about a personalized message on a personal plate honoring the confederacy, I could see the free speech angle and would probably agree that it should be allowed. But like the state government is arguing, a license plate isn’t a bumper sticker it is something issued by the state to show that you have licensed/registered your vehicle. It seems rather inappropriate for the government to issue such an official “document” with a sigil meant to commemorate/honor what is at best a symbol for traitors responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of loyal American soldiers and at worse a symbol for traitors responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of loyal American soldiers and racists dedicated to white power.

I suppose that they opened themselves up to this a little by allowing any sort of organizational personalized plates. So I guess it would depend on if they have allowed any other plates with a political component to be approved. Although personally I think the appropriate response would be to discontinue any political plates as opposed to allowing the Sons of the Confederacy plates. It isn’t the states place to be making political statements on official “documents.”

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My guess is that this is all about money. I bet the revenues from people buying personalized plates is a help to the department of transportation bottom line. Otherwise, here’s a simple solution: stop allowing personalized plates!

If some ignorant rube wants to show their southern pride by slapping this thing on their car, let them buy a bumper sticker.

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So a Muslim asking for a depiction of the twin towers under attack and falling is a-okay, then?

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Where are the satanists on this one? I can think of all kinds of things that should be OK if a confederate battle flag is sanctioned. From a governmental point of view, it’s not just the flag of bigotry and slaveholding, it’s the flag of armed insurrection. It’s essentially “Kill the people who issued this license plate.”

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I am a Virginian and rather astounded that Texas–of all states–hasn’t long ago approved the Sons of the Confederate Veterans’ request for specialty plates. We’ve had them for a long time now (a decade, if not longer?). Though my family lineage leads right to me being a ‘son’ of Confederate veterans, I, personally, don’t care to have this specialty plate. Yes, I am a proud Southerner, but not about that part of our past–I’m glad the North won the ‘War of Northern Aggression.’

That said, I think this is more of a free speech issue. Like I said, this isn’t something I want for myself (yes, I do feel some offense, but that is me personally and it does not affect me otherwise), but I do believe others should be able to purchase and use these plates if they so desire.