The picture above is a specialty plate being considered in Florida. It would be the first specialty plate in the US to promote a specific religion.
I think it’s fine, so long as other religions are allowed specialty plates, too. I can’t imagine their argument against allowing that, but you know they’ve got one already. Something like “Christian plates are OK because Christianity is the correct religion.”
No surprise, the ACLU’s on top of it:
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,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
Florida Rep. Kelly Skidmore has some common sense:
“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 [those other religions that I am not a part of] are appropriate to me,” said Skidmore, a Democrat who voted against the plate in committee. “I just believe that.”
Fair warning, Florida: If your Christian plate is approved, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster WILL seek our own plate promoting Pastafarianism.
Pastafarians, let’s start designing the plate now. Please send me your submissions!
Pastafarian DeeLawn’s design:
Pastafarian Kevin’s designs:
I live in florida and I would purchase one of the FSM license plates.
I think that integration of religion into state affairs is horrible.
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Lets us know the e-mails of said people who are in favor of it, so we may bombard them with lofty cannonballs made up of e-mail, demanding a FSM plate.
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Has anyone taken the poll on AOL’s story and noticed the results? Apparently not all religions should be allowed on a license plate, just Christianity. We looked into it a bit more…:
http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/other-claims-in-question/christian-license-plate/
Wow.
-Ted
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That FSM sample plate needs a pirate ship on the horizon, and I don’t think that one noodly appendage under the “SAMPL” needs to be that long. Other than that it looks great.
Now you just need an Alaska plate so I can see them around here.
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ya know, i used to think that utah was pretty extreme, religious-wise, but even it has stuck to putting skiers and tourist attractions on its license plates. I can safely say a move to put a Mormon symbol on the plate would go nowhere, seeing as how even the Legislature (90 percent lds) knows there are some lines not to cross.
Or maybe Mormons in utah are just more secure. Constant reinforcement is the realm of the insecure. What scare Florida Christians, one has to ask?
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I like Pastafarian Mike’s design.
I would be thrilled to see a FSM plate if anyone from florida comes to my home town to participate in the Tarpon Rodeo this summer.
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I can do you one better.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0320/SEC08056.HTM&Title=-%3E2007-%3ECh0320-%3ESection%2008056#0320.08056
That’s the link to the Florida statute describing the process for getting a specialty plate in Florida. $60k sounds like a lot, but I think there are probably enough Pastafarians out there to make it happen. Anyone who seriously wishes to pursue the FSM plate, please feel free to email me at estnod at gmail.
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Too funny. What will the lunatic fringe think of next? Why stop at license plates? Why not christian images on drivers’ licenses? The older I get the more disgusted I get….
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I live in Florida too!!! I WANT ONE! I like Pastafarian Mike’s, but shouldn’t it be mountains and a midget instead of the ocean (or maybe beer volcanoes and a stripper to the side)? Please do send them in, I will go get this plate as soon as it’s available.
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I would love to see if you could get those into more places, like ontario Canada or anywhere possible, that would be awesome.
keep up the good stuff.
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The sample plate should have said NOODL
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Indiana already has a standard-issue religious license plate that was recently upheld as Constitutional in a circuit court lawsuit from the ACLU. They’re appealing, of course.
We could use a push for an FSM license here, too, if anyone’s interested.
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I’m in WI and I want a FSM plate too.
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I live in Orlando and am planning to push for a FSM plate if any religious plate gets approval. Florida already has an anti-choice specialty license plate (http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/specialtytags/miscellaneous/choose_life.html) so there is some precedence for religious intolerance here.
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I live in FL, I cannot stand Ronda Storms and all her self-righteous crap. She is constantly pushing her own religious agenda, as you may have seen in the news, she has been pushing a bill in the senate (with a counterpart in the house) called the “Evolutionary Academic Freedom Act” (read: makes it legally ok to teach ID) And when asked if other religions could have a plate, they said they would not support such a bill- oh the hypocrisy of it all.
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Cleetus-
I agree. The older I get the more disgusted and cynical I get, and the less hope I hold out for humanity. If it wasn’t for spaghetti and wine on Friday nights, I’d be looking for a nice high bridge to jump off. I’ve been avoiding Florida for about twenty years (ever since a certain ex-spouse moved there), and lately it seems that there is an active campaign to keep thinking people out through sheer revulsion. This license plate idea is absolutely intolerable, and helps to showcase the complete lack of public awareness of the basic tenets America was supposedly founded on.
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S-Monkey – good article.
.
I could see this leading to sectarian wars. The (certain brand of) Christians put out a license plate, then all the NY Jews who retired to FL get up and demand plates, followed by Catholics, and then with things looking like all the other religions would be pushed out they’d all demand plates, but the certain brand of Christians would say no, so people would start stealing the offending plates, get arrested, claim religious persecution, followed by vigils, and counter vigils, then life-long neighbors would do Jesus donuts in each other’s lawns, swap the battery terminals on their golf carts, throw dish soap in each other’s pools, then Charlton Heston would come back and give everybody guns and the shooting would start, churches would get blown up, militias would form, Jeb would not be able to control the militias, organized crime would exploit the situation and make even more money, and with our troops away saving Iraq and Afghanistan, and trying to intimidate Iran and Syria, He (FSM He) would have no choice but to intervene with a little earthquake that would separate FL from the continent, after which FL would then sue for independence, which all the other 49 state would immediately vote unanimously to allow (mostly because they love their Truck Nutz), but only after we move the space program to Edwards AFB, and then we’d offer FL’s star (on our flag) to Puerto Rico, if they would have us, or maybe we’d just auction it off to the highest bidder. So now the real question is, how much do you think we’d get?
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I would MOVE to Florida just to buy and display one!
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God, doesn’t the state of Florida have better things to do? Like mess up a Presidential election or something?
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Does anybody in Florida remember the First Amendment to our Constitution?
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Truly disgusting
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Isn’t a large portion of Florida’s population actually jewish? How do America’s retirees feel about this? Bet they’re not welcome in Bocha…
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Indiana already has a plate that reads In God We Trust as an optional “specialty plate.” However, The plate is not subject to the $15 plate fee associated with other special plates. To my understanding the ACLU has lost the first round of a lawsuit over the matter…
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Important Update!
From the Associated Press: “COLUMBIA, S.C. — A license plate with an image of a cross in front of a stained glass window with the words “I Believe” could be available to drivers in South Carolina under a bill that has won key approval in the Senate.
The Senate gave the bill second reading on Tuesday and agreed to give the proposal automatic final approval Wednesday and send it to the House.
Florida legislators considered adding the same tag in their state, but the plate was not included in a license plate bill passed by lawmakers Tuesday.
The American Civil Liberties Union said last week the plates would give the appearance that Florida is a Christian state and is endorsing a particular religious preference.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353464,00.html
Help us, FSM! We loyal South Carolina Pastafarians need the assistance of Pastafarian Mike.
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Doesn’t FL need to worry about screwing the Dem’s out of another election? Don’t they relize the next one is in November? Or maybe they already have the faulty machines ready…
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Attention people in SC and FL. See your doctor immediately and get a CAT scan, with contrast, of your brain. If he/she detects gray matter, leave the state immediately!
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I could see putting one of those on my front bumper, except that CA has taken that spot already.
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Only in the USA!
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Ooooh boy. This is like round two of the ID-in-schools plan that shoved our religion into the limelight in the first place. Don’t people ever learn?
I like the licence plates, though. Especially the “Florida: it sucks cuz it’s hot” one. If this thing does go through (FSM forbid) we should have a vote on which of the licence plates we want to send to the Florida government to make. I’d vote for that one myself.
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I’m in Florida and I would really REALLY love an FSM license plate!!! (even a fake one to put on the front bumper) I vote for the first one, Pastafarian Mike’s design! As for the second one… Florida is great because it’s hot :P and Florida is spelled wrong.
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I like the first FSM Plate
But if Christianity (and other major religions) is getting to the point where they’re actually going to attempt to convert tail-gaters…
Well… why don’t they just call it another damn crusade and get it over with.
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I think there is a requirement of so many signatures and a cash bribe. I can help with a signature. Ramen!
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My brother and I agree that Kevin’s 1st design is awesome
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YES YES YES Dark Morning!
Did you hear that Mr. Henderson?!?!
FSM plates for the front! I’m in North Carolina and we don’t have front license plates! I’d love an FSM plate for the front of my car!
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Why? Aren’t bumper stickers enough for anyone anymore?
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I don’t want to be difficult, but look at the second FSM liscense plate down! They spelled Florida wrong!!!!!!!!
Florida is spelled F-L-O-R-I-D-A, he spelled it Flordia F-L-O-R-D-I-A. I just want to point that out so someone can fix it!!!
May I point out that most of our hatemail has similar bad spelling, we might want to take the high road and fix it that way the fundies don’t realize pirates are bad at speeling either.
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hai guise
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3479/nooooooooooooo3ca7.gif
What do my fellow Pastafarians think?
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Aha.
Funny thing is, I /live/ in Florida. xD
I wanna see some FSM license plates!
That’d be the shitt. :]
I’d get one ASAP. :D
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I used to regularly go to Cearwater to visit my parents. That’s where old Canadians go before they die. I had never seen so many churches in my life. That is outside of the Scientology city core. blending religion and state is a definite no-no but it’s a-comin’ baby! There’s gonna be a religious war soon. Choose your side carefully. Me, I’m going with intelligence. You know I’m already beat, don’t you? The fanatics and fundamentalists have no compunction against shooting anybody who doesn’t think like they do. Heck. They’ve been doing it for years!
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omffsm i cant believe i spelled florida wrong! haha oops!
=(
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dudes, i came across this site when the ex-guitarist of my band told me he had converted to pastafarianism.
at the time it sounded rather stupid, i must admit, but upon reading the articles on this site, i must say, although i’m not sure i “believe” myself, i truly do support what you guys are doing here, and if you need support in the whole license plate thing, i will truly help you out in any way that i can.
RAMEN!
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I’ll contribute to apply for an FSM plate in FL, and I don’t even live there anymore. Must get my siblings to send me the Letters-to-the-Editor from down there, they’ve got to be hilarious. An FSM plate was the first thing I thought of when I heard about this. It’s also way past time I joined and supported the ACLU. Even when they defend people I don’t like, they’re a useful institution.
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how funny lol
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It’s Florida, for His Noodly Goodness’ sake! It MUST be a pirate fish! :D
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Pirate fish!
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As a Florida resident, I would be appalled to see religous license plates. Unless, of course, that religion is Pastafarianism. Who needs those other religions, huh? Kelly Skidmore is such a genius.
Let’s hate Jews, everyone! They’re different!
Honestly, I just can’t bear seeing religion being publicized for everyone to see. When people talk about religion or politics, they only want to start arguments.
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The same situation has arisen here in South Carolina.
It will take 400 people subscribing to get force the state to adopt an FSM license plate.
The proposed plates are great! Pastafarians across South Carolina, lets get united and proclaim the
power of His Noodly Appendage.
Talk it up, write it up in letters to the editor, and proclaim the Truth of FSM!
We Will Have Our Plate!
Sam
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America is a CHRISTIAN country. Our grant grant parents are CHRISTIAN.
Follow our parents. What is wrong with that plate.
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America is NOT “a CHRISTIAN country”, charlise mather, regardless of what McBush says! Read the fricking Constitution of the United States if you’re confused on that point. I know you WANT it to be, but that’s not the same as it BEING so. Worship privately as you see fit. As far as being like our parents, one of my grandmothers used to brag about the time they ran the Mormons out, and a few others held surreptitious gatherings with white suits and hoods, and guess what religion they affiliated with. I don’t want to follow that, and I don’t want my country to become that.
…
Much of my family has been mainly Pastafarian for generations, though mostly underground due to the religious bigotry and intolerance of our fundamentalist Islamic governments. Oh, wait a minute…that’s the South Asian / Middle Eastern branch of the family. Here, it’s people who think America is a christian country.
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Meanwhile, I was hoping the basic premise behind this thread, that of religious license plates, was somebody’s excellent idea of a joke. Time to websurf…oops, I guess it’s serious, I saw it on FOX News, and on some reputable news sites also. Unbelievable.
…
In that case, I vote for the top Pastafarian plate shown, though I too might prefer a pirate ship silhouetted against the rising sun. Yes, the rising sun on the ocean, a fitting symbol of the wave of religious and political tolerance and freedom I feel certain will soon spread over our land!
…
As for anything else: The Flying Spaghetti Monster said it, I believe it, and that settles it! RAmen.
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Makes me want to move to Florida. Almost!
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