A woman's breast cancer is in remission. She applied for a vanity plate
for her vehicle FCANCER, which was issued a couple of months later. Five
months after the plate was issued, the DMV recalled it for "perceived
profanity".

Her federal lawsuit against the state has survived the motion to
dismiss.

https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-delaware-cancer-dover-117cc217c5c60d07a36ddd2e432fc508

In article <tci75r$32gpm$2@dont-email.me>, Adam H. Kerman
<ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

> A woman's breast cancer is in remission. She applied for a vanity plate
> for her vehicle FCANCER, which was issued a couple of months later. Five
> months after the plate was issued, the DMV recalled it for "perceived
> profanity".
>
> Her federal lawsuit against the state has survived the motion to
> dismiss.
>
>
> https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-delaware-cancer-dover-117cc217c5c60
> d07a36ddd2e432fc508

First, I'm happy it's been going so well for the driver.

Second, it's well established that license plates aren't the property
of the driver, but of the issuing authority. Of course the driver
intended you and me and everyone to read it as FUCK CANCER, but the
state isn't tolerating it.

This is why God made bumper stickers. I'd be very upset about this if
she'd had a bumper sticker that said FCANCER and some highway cop
stopped her and gave her trouble for it, but that's not the case here.

On 2022-08-05 12:43 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> A woman's breast cancer is in remission. She applied for a vanity plate
> for her vehicle FCANCER, which was issued a couple of months later. Five
> months after the plate was issued, the DMV recalled it for "perceived
> profanity".
>
> Her federal lawsuit against the state has survived the motion to
> dismiss.
>
> https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-delaware-cancer-dover-117cc217c5c60d07a36ddd2e432fc508

While the "F" in "FCANCER" might be offensive in some contexts - for
example "FJBIDEN" - who are they imagining is offended in this case? The
only thing being disparaged is a disease and diseases can't take offense.

--
Rhino

On 2022-08-05 7:12 AM, A Friend wrote:
> In article <tci75r$32gpm$2@dont-email.me>, Adam H. Kerman
> <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>
>> A woman's breast cancer is in remission. She applied for a vanity plate
>> for her vehicle FCANCER, which was issued a couple of months later. Five
>> months after the plate was issued, the DMV recalled it for "perceived
>> profanity".
>>
>> Her federal lawsuit against the state has survived the motion to
>> dismiss.
>>
>>
>> https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-delaware-cancer-dover-117cc217c5c60
>> d07a36ddd2e432fc508
>
>
>
> First, I'm happy it's been going so well for the driver.
>
> Second, it's well established that license plates aren't the property
> of the driver, but of the issuing authority. Of course the driver
> intended you and me and everyone to read it as FUCK CANCER, but the
> state isn't tolerating it.
>
> This is why God made bumper stickers. I'd be very upset about this if
> she'd had a bumper sticker that said FCANCER and some highway cop
> stopped her and gave her trouble for it, but that's not the case here.

A guy in Nova Scotia had his vanity plate taken away from him after
nearly 30 years because it said "GRABHER" and someone saw it and
complained. A single complaint was all it took. The car owner was NOT
happy and explained to the licensing bureaucracy that "GRABHER" was his
LAST NAME, not a suggestion that people sexually molest women. The
bureaucrats refused to relent. He took the matter to court. He lost. He
appealed the court ruling. He lost again. He moved to appeal that
decision to the Supreme Court of Canada but they refused to hear the
appeal. Finally, he decided to stop fighting and get a different plate.
But then he had a professional sign painter paint something designed to
look just like a license plate (but bigger) on the tailgate of his
pickup. Naturally, this fake license plate said "GRABHER".

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/nova-scotia-court-of-appeal-dismisses-grabher-licence-plate-case-1.5559587

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a photo of the fake license
plate on the back of Grabher's pickup but I saw it in a story several
months back.

-
Rhino

> Rhino
>
> Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a photo of the fake license
> plate on the back of Grabher's pickup but I saw it in a story several
> months back.

Let not forget the Founding Father of the Canadian Vanity Plate Liberation Front;

https://www.motor1.com/news/305293/assman-denied-vaniy-plates/

On 2022-08-05 8:36 AM, Ed Stasiak wrote:
>> Rhino
>>
>> Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a photo of the fake license
>> plate on the back of Grabher's pickup but I saw it in a story several
>> months back.
>
> Let not forget the Founding Father of the Canadian Vanity Plate Liberation Front;
>
> https://www.motor1.com/news/305293/assman-denied-vaniy-plates/

Damn! THAT is the picture I had in mind but I conflated it with Grabher
and thought *he* had done that on his vehicle. But it was actually the
Assman case where he painted his name, license plate style, on his
tailgate.

--
Rhino

A Friend wrote:
>Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

>>A woman's breast cancer is in remission. She applied for a vanity plate
>>for her vehicle FCANCER, which was issued a couple of months later. Five
>>months after the plate was issued, the DMV recalled it for "perceived
>>profanity".

>>Her federal lawsuit against the state has survived the motion to
>>dismiss.

>>https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-delaware-cancer-dover-117cc217c5c60d07a36ddd2e432fc508

>First, I'm happy it's been going so well for the driver.

>Second, it's well established that license plates aren't the property
>of the driver, but of the issuing authority. Of course the driver
>intended you and me and everyone to read it as FUCK CANCER, but the
>state isn't tolerating it.

Well, they accepted the application and fee, so that should be
contractual.

Also, the "perceived" fuck isn't being used in a vulgar manner. She's
expressing the old cliche "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

She's not truly anthropomophizing cancer and there is no legitimate
position to take that cancer could be offended.

>This is why God made bumper stickers. I'd be very upset about this if
>she'd had a bumper sticker that said FCANCER and some highway cop
>stopped her and gave her trouble for it, but that's not the case here.

What's at issue here is that a bureaucrat came up with an arbitrary
excuse and made an arbitrary decision.

In article <050820220712585684%nope@noway.com>,
A Friend <nope@noway.com> wrote:

> In article <tci75r$32gpm$2@dont-email.me>, Adam H. Kerman
> <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>
> > A woman's breast cancer is in remission. She applied for a vanity plate
> > for her vehicle FCANCER, which was issued a couple of months later. Five
> > months after the plate was issued, the DMV recalled it for "perceived
> > profanity".
> >
> > Her federal lawsuit against the state has survived the motion to
> > dismiss.

> > https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-delaware-cancer-dover-117cc217c5c
> > 60d07a36ddd2e432fc508

> First, I'm happy it's been going so well for the driver.
>
> Second, it's well established that license plates aren't the property
> of the driver, but of the issuing authority. Of course the driver
> intended you and me and everyone to read it as FUCK CANCER, but the
> state isn't tolerating it.

The state's ability to censor vanity tags isn't as cut and dried as you
make it out to be. There are *some* 1st Amendment considerations that
state must abide by.

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/court-rules-ban-offensive-license-pla
tes-likely-violates-first-amendment

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction in support of an
ACLU of Rhode Island lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a
state law that gives the DMV Administrator carte blanche authority to
deny vanity license plates based on whether he thinks they "might carry
connotations offensive to good taste and decency".

> This is why God made bumper stickers. I'd be very upset about this if
> she'd had a bumper sticker that said FCANCER and some highway cop
> stopped her and gave her trouble for it, but that's not the case here.

On Fri, 5 Aug 2022 16:27:55 -0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
<ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

>>This is why God made bumper stickers. I'd be very upset about this if
>>she'd had a bumper sticker that said FCANCER and some highway cop
>>stopped her and gave her trouble for it, but that's not the case here.
>
>What's at issue here is that a bureaucrat came up with an arbitrary
>excuse and made an arbitrary decision.

Are they at least refunding her fee?

Reason I ask is that I read that in the 'GRABHER' case Rhino referred
to that they WEREN'T refunding the fee and that these days it costs
$250+ to file in small claims court and that currently the queue is
about 18 months

Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
> On 2022-08-05 12:43 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>> A woman's breast cancer is in remission. She applied for a vanity plate
>> for her vehicle FCANCER, which was issued a couple of months later. Five
>> months after the plate was issued, the DMV recalled it for "perceived
>> profanity".
>>
>> Her federal lawsuit against the state has survived the motion to
>> dismiss.
>>
>> https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-delaware-cancer-dover-117cc217c5c60d07a36ddd2e432fc508
>
> While the "F" in "FCANCER" might be offensive in some contexts - for
> example "FJBIDEN" - who are they imagining is offended in this case? The
> only thing being disparaged is a disease and diseases can't take offense.
>

My dad‘s best friends widow is an evil woman who sells magic beads up in
Sedona. When people post on the Facebook that they have a cancer diagnosis
she swoops in and starts posting about how they shouldn’t go anywhere near
doctors and should just buy her magic beads instead. I asked if she was
insane or simply evil and she blocked me. But I guarantee you this is a
woman who likes cancer and would probably be offended by the license plate.
Same notation for everyone still selling peach pit meds.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
> On 2022-08-05 7:12 AM, A Friend wrote:
>> In article <tci75r$32gpm$2@dont-email.me>, Adam H. Kerman
>> <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>>
>>> A woman's breast cancer is in remission. She applied for a vanity plate
>>> for her vehicle FCANCER, which was issued a couple of months later. Five
>>> months after the plate was issued, the DMV recalled it for "perceived
>>> profanity".
>>>
>>> Her federal lawsuit against the state has survived the motion to
>>> dismiss.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-delaware-cancer-dover-117cc217c5c60
>>> d07a36ddd2e432fc508
>>
>>
>>
>> First, I'm happy it's been going so well for the driver.
>>
>> Second, it's well established that license plates aren't the property
>> of the driver, but of the issuing authority. Of course the driver
>> intended you and me and everyone to read it as FUCK CANCER, but the
>> state isn't tolerating it.
>>
>> This is why God made bumper stickers. I'd be very upset about this if
>> she'd had a bumper sticker that said FCANCER and some highway cop
>> stopped her and gave her trouble for it, but that's not the case here.
>
>
> A guy in Nova Scotia had his vanity plate taken away from him after
> nearly 30 years because it said "GRABHER" and someone saw it and
> complained. A single complaint was all it took. The car owner was NOT
> happy and explained to the licensing bureaucracy that "GRABHER" was his
> LAST NAME, not a suggestion that people sexually molest women. The
> bureaucrats refused to relent. He took the matter to court. He lost. He
> appealed the court ruling. He lost again. He moved to appeal that
> decision to the Supreme Court of Canada but they refused to hear the
> appeal. Finally, he decided to stop fighting and get a different plate.
> But then he had a professional sign painter paint something designed to
> look just like a license plate (but bigger) on the tailgate of his
> pickup. Naturally, this fake license plate said "GRABHER".
>
> https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/nova-scotia-court-of-appeal-dismisses-grabher-licence-plate-case-1.5559587
>
> Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a photo of the fake license
> plate on the back of Grabher's pickup but I saw it in a story several
> months back.
>
> -
> Rhino
>

Apparently it’s OK in Alberta.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4040532

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.