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DISTRICT COURT STRIKES DOWN ‘I BELIEVE’ TAGS, MCMASTER VOWS APPEAL
The obnoxious pieces of potential automotive bling known as the “I Believe” license plates appear to have finally suffered a long-overdue death as the U.S. District Court for South Carolina ordered the state to halt their creation.
And I don’t think it’s in any way sacrilegious to say, “thank God.”
A federal judge issued a temporary injunction during a court hearing Thursday after opponents said the plates violate the separation of church and state.
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said the case needs to be heard in court. In the meantime, the judge said the Department of Motor Vehicles cannot take any more orders for the plates.
Department spokeswoman Beth Parks said the agency stopped taking orders more than a month ago, after it collected the 400 needed to cover the cost of making the plates. She said they are in production, and none has shipped. [AP]
That decision, however, did not go over very well with Attorney General Henry McMaster.
“I am extremely disappointed in the Court’s ruling, and feel the ‘I Believe’ license tag is completely constitutional,” McMaster said. “I will strongly urge and recommend that the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Corrections immediately appeal this decision to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.”
I don’t know if McMaster ate a little too much of the Jesus pudding while visiting Bob Jones University yesterday or if he’s just pandering to the religious right, but this has absolutely nothing to do with religion.
I’m all about Christianity. I’m all about expressing it. But I’m not all about having more than 100 of these hideous, pointless, state-issued specialty tags.
If you want everyone to know you believe in Jesus or Allah or Xenu, then be my friggin’ guest. But do it on a bumper sticker and quit distracting the single-minded paper-pushers over at the Department of Motor Vehicles away from their much-needed three-hour lunch break.
Maybe he “ate a little too much of the Jesus pudding” — love it.
You’re right, Adam, this smacks of pandering. I wonder how much of our dwindling tax revenues the State of S.C. will spend litigating this crap?
Nice post.
He’s pandering. Next year is an election. Expect Andre Bauer to say a couple of things too.
Last time they did this it cost the state $150,000. BTW, that picture is the old Fla plate. The SC one is different.
Henry McMaster. I mean McFailure earns the WHOA today. WHOA Henry. You cant even get a man who was caught with a 13 year old girl locked in a cellar behind his trailer locked up…..how oh how do you plan on sucessfully doing ANYTHING about this?
oh and just in case anyone wants to look at the facts….the political winds are changing. If God still got folks elected in SC then Huckabee wouldnt have LOST.
God is still very important to us all….but people of SC realize there are things like the economy and a depression forthcoming etc. These things matter…..and Henry is completely incapable of doing anything about either.
wait.. McFogle attacks Mcmaster? Up is down down is up I don’t get it. His checks stop cashing err somethin?
Okay…that’s funny!
[...] federal ruling came after months of arguing over the Christian tags, which feature a cross over a tainted-glass window on a cloudy background [...]