I completely disagree. In a civilized society with the free exchange of ideas, mockery is a highly effective way to draw critical attention to bad ideas. If “being a dick” is your way of describing mockery, or perhaps the subjective notion of an adherent of one particular set of superstitions “taking offense”, then that is not at all a valid metric by which to restrict free speech. Everyone who values liberal civilization and the free exchange of ideas at all should defend to the death, both in principle and in practice, the freedom of an art gallery to display “Piss Christ”, or the freedom of a newspaper to print Mohammed cartoons, or the right of Satanists to put up the exact same kind of public displays as Christians.
The limitation should be on just where you can exercise your freedom of expression if there are intrinsic safety considerations. It’s perfectly reasonable to exclude anything subjectively controversial from (say) a roadside billboard near a dangerous intersection. To the extent that subjectively controversial license plates, or even subjectively controversial bumper stickers, are banned for bona fide road safety reasons, I see no problem with that.
For anyone still wondering, it is optional in Kentucky to have a plate with or without “In God We Trust” on it. They give you an option at the county clerk’s office.
The list is confidential. But since your choice is bolted to the back of your car it doesn’t take somebody full of that thar book larnin’ from the Big City to figure out which you are.
What’s the best way to improve public schooling given to everyone in America? Including folks in the poorer parts of America? Which sadly and no jokingly includes several counties in KY with lousy schools and lousy school outcomes.
That’s not how it works, the standard license plate is available with either the “Kentucky Unbridled Spirit” logo, or with a smaller “Kentucky Unbridled Spirit” logo with “In God We Trust” written under it.
The base price is the same, and the county clerk’s office asks you which one you want when you pick it up. No extra charge for either.
Now, I believe that if you want a personalized plate (e.g., one that says “IM GOD” or whatever on it), those are NOT available with the “In God We Trust” plates - if you want one of those, you take whatever number they have. There is no extra charge for not having an “In God We Trust” plate.
There is a large, large difference between being provocative and being a dick.
Stop conflating “feelings getting hurt” and “doing things with the sole intent to harm others.” There is a huge difference. My aunt who says something that offends my cousin is different from when my cousin insults my mom in an attempt to get me to punch him.
I already explained this in the post you quoted. You don’t need to use strawmen tactics if you have a good argument.
Throw in the mockery, and you’re practically conceding that I’m right.
Actually, I was in a waiting room a few months back and read a little of a tedious British magazine called ‘The Oldie’; a Letter From America type thing stated the writer’s hate for some old girl who sought a place a few months ago on the board of the Texas State Board of Education which certifies schoolbooks and which is revered and followed by many other approvers in other states.
I can’t link, since it’s behind a paywall.
Anyway 69-year-old Mary Lou Bruner worked in Texas Education for 39 years. Obviously she thinks Climate Change is a hoax, Obamacare purposed to reduce the population by 200 million ( no doubt by keeping more people alive ), those popular mass school shootings happen because teaching evolution — “The dinosaurs on the ark may have been babies and not able to reproduce. It might make sense to take the small dinosaurs onto the ark instead of the ones bigger than a bus.” — and that Mr. Obama turned tricks as a gay prostitute in his 20s to fund his drug habit whilst at Harvard.
It is very important to give a voice to women, and to encourage wide-ranging diverse viewpoints.
The fact that she is a woman is unimportant. The important thing is to treat babies, who eat lead paint chips while being dropped on their heads, with respect when they grow up.
Yes, exactly.