Florida legislators will soon be deciding whether to authorize a license plate option with a gigantic cross on it that reads, "I BELIEVE."
Regular Strollerderby readers may be wondering where the parenting angle is in this post. Here it is: I'm a parent, and I'm pissed.
I mean, when did we learn about the separation of church and state? Fifth grade? Earlier? It's a pretty basic concept. You'd think that politicians - with all their education and experience and everything - would get it, no problem. Yet still they continue to propose these bills that are in clear violation of it.
If the bill passes, Florida would become the first state to offer a license plate with an explicitly religious symbol (that isn't part of a university logo). You might be wondering what other religious symbols Florida drivers could choose, if they were so inclined. That's right, the answer is a big, fat, zero. Because everyone knows that Christians are the only people who matter.
Howard Simon, of Florida's branch of the ACLU, put it a bit more eloquently when he noted that approval of the plate "sends a message that Florida is essentially a Christian state . . . [It] gives the appearance that the state is endorsing a particular religious preference."
Which, let's face it, it would be.
The plate would also almost certainly precipitate a boatload of discrimination lawsuits, as diverse groups from Jews to the KKK could argue for their own license plates.
Passage of the bill is by no means a sure thing, as it faces opposition even from other Christian pols. The good news for Florida drivers anticipating the new plate is that, even if it dies in the Senate, there's always the "Choose Life" plate, which has been available for the better part of the last decade.
AP Photo
