TexasCHLforum.com

marksiwel wrote:Supreme Court Rulings, also see the words of Thomas Jefferson.
That should explain separation of church and state for you.

Honestly, if I wanted to put the Holy Image of the flying Spaghetti monster on my CHL would you have a problem witht hat?
for more info look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wooo Pastafarianism!...

Now I'm hungry for italian :/

dicion wrote:

marksiwel wrote:Supreme Court Rulings, also see the words of Thomas Jefferson.
That should explain separation of church and state for you.

Honestly, if I wanted to put the Holy Image of the flying Spaghetti monster on my CHL would you have a problem witht hat?
for more info look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wooo Pastafarianism!...

Now I'm hungry for italian :/

You would eat the lord!

oh wait...

I'm gonna try and steer this to somewhat of a forum-related discussion. Regarding the vanity plates that are available here in TX...we have a huge selection to choose from, including organizations like Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts, college and pro sports teams (including out of state teams ), environmental groups, wildlife preservation, and our favorite...TSRA. So what the supreme court has said is that, as individuals, we have the right to express ourselves as we see fit, but when it comes to extending that expression to vanity license plates that simply say "I Believe" (implied as In The Lord), THOSE are not allowed on a military base.

So, what is next? I can't express my personal beliefs in my yard at Christmas? Last time I looked, our money still said "In God We Trust". Is that going away next? I feel as though I'm being asked to tone-down my proud Christian heritage because it offends someone that practices Muslim beliefs, and...well frankly...we're scared of them.

When that 1A right goes by the wayside, rest assured that the 2A rights are next.

Well, I tried to steer it back on course...oh well.

There is no such law regarding "separation of church and state"

No, there isn't. However, the unwritten doctrine is embedded in the common law.

casingpoint wrote:The above Christian oriented license plate has been banned by a federal court as unconstitutional.

Maybe they can get that judge to overturn the laws restricting alcohol sales on Sundays.

Dudley wrote:

casingpoint wrote:The above Christian oriented license plate has been banned by a federal court as unconstitutional.

Maybe they can get that judge to overturn the laws restricting alcohol sales on Sundays.

Excellent point.

I am a Christian, but I've never understood the notion that some things are "unacceptably sinful" on Sundays, but "tolerably sinful" on other days of the week. The "blue laws" were in effect in Arkansas when I was a kid, and no stores could be open on Sunday before noon, and only then if they sold necessities like groceries.

I don't believe that something should be illegal just because it's sinful. That's the very essence of the separation of church and state.

I don't have problems with vanity plates for a school.

I don't have problems with you putting a Nativity scene on your lawn or at your local church.

I am not stopping you from expressing your religious preference.

I have no problem with phrases like "In God We Trust". Some folks may not trust in God, and some folks may not be religious in its most literal sense but still believe in a Supreme-being, or God.

I believe that anything associated with the government that serves ALL the people of this country should not display any religious icons. Government does not need religion, and religion does not need Government.

RocTrac wrote:It's a Vanity plate, I feel discriminated against for not being able to express my religious beliefs. Now what you gonna say? It is freedom of religion. Not freedom from religion.

Are you a white male? ...nobody cares what you think

Dudley wrote:

casingpoint wrote:The above Christian oriented license plate has been banned by a federal court as unconstitutional.

Maybe they can get that judge to overturn the laws restricting alcohol sales on Sundays.

But that would lead to drinking! Think of the children!

Texas is a strange place, you can get an AR-15 in less than 30 Minutes, but you cant get a bottle of booze after 10 (?) on Weekday or pretty much at all Sunday.
Not to mention the dry county boondoggle that is the DFW Area. If you live in Coppell, you gotta drive to Dallas or to Lake Dallas to get a bottle of hootch.

Purplehood wrote:I agree with the court. There is nothing to stop you from putting a big sticker of a cross on your car. No need to do it on a state license plate which might imply to some that a particular religion is state-supported.
Keep the government on your license plate and the religion on your bumper-sticker.

Agreed. Having said that I think personalized plates are asinine to begin with.

Purplehood wrote:
I believe that anything associated with the government that serves ALL the people of this country should not display any religious icons. Government does not need religion, and religion does not need Government.

Oh my, our favorite trooper(zing ) is right yet again.

frazzled wrote:

Purplehood wrote:
I believe that anything associated with the government that serves ALL the people of this country should not display any religious icons. Government does not need religion, and religion does not need Government.

Oh my, our favorite trooper(zing ) is right yet again.

Yikes! Trooper. All I can think of when I hear that term is the old show, "F Troop".

Wait.. There's TSRA Plates?!

Why was I not informed???

Man.. now I have to choose between that, Radio Operator (once I get my license), and a few others...

pdubyoo wrote:

Purplehood wrote:I agree with the court. There is nothing to stop you from putting a big sticker of a cross on your car. No need to do it on a state license plate which might imply to some that a particular religion is state-supported.
Keep the government on your license plate and the religion on your bumper-sticker.

I can see your point, but how would that effect "college" vanity plates like Baylor (Baptist) or SMU (Methodist) or TCU, etc etc? A person with said vanity school plate might just really like their sports team, and may not even be an alumn or affiliated with the denomination that the school represents. Are we going to say that, since those plates are affiliated with Christian churches, that they are banned as well? I'm just curious, at what point does the "discrimination pendulum" swing the other way? Oh boy, I can hear the flame torches lighting already...

The Texas plates you mentioned are "Specialty License Plates" for which you pay an extra fee. The South Carolina plates were no-additional-fee plates, implying at the very least a state sponsorship of that viewpoint. That's how we can have the Baylor, SMU & TCU plates here without running afoul of the First Amendment.