Welcome to the continuing saga of my out of whack back. I desperately needed some food, and my back has been improving so I set out to go shopping. Even though I live on the second floor I took the elevator down, why? On my first attempt to leave I hurt my back on the stairs. I should have known better; I did the same thing the day before. Why was there a second attempt? I got to the front door and realized that I wasn’t wearing a mask. I hate being an idiot. I’m an idiot but I’m not stupid I wasn’t planning on carrying my groceries; I have a wheeled shopping bag. Thanks to that I managed to get to the store, do all my shopping, and get out without a twinge. Then I had to get on the bus home which meant living the full bag onto the bus. That hurt but less than it would have a few days ago. I hardly screamed at all. I managed to get off the bus without hurting myself. I was rewarded for my efforts with delicious food. Instead of my usual Sunday live streaming I listened to the Met game. I can’t believe I have not been doing this all along. I love baseball. The Mets won 4-0.
The shopping came in lieu of the day’s Donut Walk ™. I got my donut on Saturday. I forgot my earbuds which let me be more aware of my surroundings, I found myself looking at license plates. I’m making a list of all the ones I find; the only rule is that I only do this when I’ve walked someplace; no going into Manhattan and spotting people there on vacation or business. I have always enjoy looking at the mottos the states put on their plates. There’s a great Bill Morrissey song about New Hampshire’s, Live Free Or Die. It’s from the point of view of a convict having to stamp out plates with that taunting motto. New York recently switched from The Empire State to Excelsior. That’s not a tribute to Stan Lee, you’re getting that backward; Stan is from New York, not far from where I live, and the state’s motto has always been Excelsior, it means Onward and Upward. I see a surprising number of plates in the area from North Carolina, they had a great one, First in Flight, a tribute to the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. Yesterday I saw their new one, In God We Trust. On the same block I saw cars from South Carolina and Alabama, they both also said, In God We Trust. Yes that is one of the mottos of the United States. What’s it doing there? States celebrate themselves on their plates, not the country. No state’s plate says the older US motto E Pluribus Unum, by an act of congress that has appeared on the US Seal since 1782. Even more interestingly these states, all of which were part of the Confederacy, just recently made this change. It was coordinated. It’s no coincidence that these are three states where the Christian Right controls the legislatures. This is a political statement. The Supreme Court would probably not allow them to have Jesus Saves on their plates. The use of In God We Trust on currency has been challenged on First Amendment Establishment grounds and was allowed because the court declared that it was such a cliché that its been stripped of all meaning. I get annoyed at atheists that harp on it; it’s not substantial and it turns people against atheists. It creates and us and them attitude. I am more upset at the states that put In God We Trust on their license plates. It also creates and us and them dynamic, and as an atheist I’m part of them. Putting it on the plates is like a gang tagging a neighborhood. It’s an assertion of control. This is our turf.
This was not grandfathered in like on coins and bills, this was done now, at a time of great political and cultural divisiveness. Could you imagine a state putting Reason not Faith on a plate? That’s my creed. I would never suggest it as it goes against the beliefs of so many others. It’s one thing for me to say that empiricism is a better guide to actions than religion, it’s another for that to become the official state motto. Alabama, North and South Carolina did this as an offensive move in their culture war. I object when some on the left use inflammatory rhetoric like “Abolish the police,” even when I think I agree with what they really mean. Maybe, I’m not sure, as the movement is not about specifics, but showing colors. The politicians responsible for the license plates hold the national government in contempt. This is them showing colors. They did this not despite the fact that it excludes people but because it does.
Have other states done this? Have any states that never reputed membership in the United States done it? Have other former members of the Confederacy? I’ll accept In God We Trust on money for the reasons that Supreme Court stated. It’s not ideal but it’s not worth fighting a culture war over. The only place In God We Trust belongs is on a sign, right above All Others Pay Cash.
Late correction! I fooled myself, I went to find a picture of an Alabama In God We Trust, license plate and found that’s not what it says. This picture is from the Alabama Department of Revenue official website.
Wise Madness 