Msg # 245   
Date: 30 May 91  01:02:05
From: Christopher Baker
  To: All
Subj: a call for letters
____________________________________________________________________________

Mr Arnold Leo Via has been trying for years to obtain a personalized license
plate in his home state of Virginia and has been repeatedly denied said
plate. The most recent denial on 24 Apr 91.

When Virginia only allowed six letters on their plates, Via applied for the
plate: ATHEST. he was issued said plate. spotted by a 'born again', it was
reported to the Virginia DMV as 'offensive'. Virginia has an enlightened law
that disallows any personalized plate that is offensive to even one person.
his plate was revoked.

he protested. he lost.

when Virginia went to seven letter plates, he reapplied for ATHEIST. he was
denied by the 'review committee' as being offensive because of a restriction
against references to a deity or religion. the DMV sent him a blank
application and told him to pick another plate. the DMV accused him of
engaging in "merely a continuation of your unsuccessful effort to retain your
prior personalized license plate which DMV revoked several years ago on the
basis of its policy [deity or religion] stated above".

the letter continues: "It would be completely inconsistent for DMV to approve
your new request; the meaning is the same, with the only difference being the
fact that Communiplates [personalized in Virginia] are now available with
seven letters. The DMV policy against references to a deity or religion is
long standing, and that policy has already been tested in the courts. We have
decided not to modify either the policy or DMV's determination that your
request violates the policy".

the bureaucrat that signed the letter to Via was Daisy L. Dulick, Manager,
Titles and Registration Division.

since when, did atheists get a 'god' or become a 'religion'? [sheesh]

the Virginia DMV presently has a 'banned' list of over 21,000 [yes, that's
thousands] words on file according to local newspapers. so much for freedom
of speech in Virginia, i guess?

this fight started in 1982. it continues. Mr. Via requests letters of protest
and request for sanity in public policy be sent to: Donald E. Williams,
Commissioner, Department of Motor Vehicles, 2300 West Broad Street, Richmond,
VA 23269.

carbon copies of letters should also be sent to American Atheist HQ at: P.O.
Box 140195, Austin, TX 78714-0195, for reference.

thanks.

TTFN.
Chris

p.s. BTW, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina [wait till
Jesse Helms finds out!], and Washington have issued ATHEIST on license
plates. Texas and Idaho have issued ATHEST [they only use 6 letters] and
Kentucky issued one with NO GODS in 1988. what about your state?

C.

--- D'Bridge B1046/00R
 * Origin: Rights On! - Free of Religion! - Titusville_FL_USA (1:374/14)
SEEN-BY: 102/901 103/903 109/120 114/15 374/14 3610/98
PATH: 374/14