There is something that has been bothering me for a while now – the new design of the state-issued car tag for Alabama. For those who don't live in my current part of the country, or for those who haven't noticed a problem, allow me to expound.
The tag issued by the (let me emphasize again) State of Alabama reads as follows on the bottom: “God Bless America” If you now see what my issue is, good on you. For those who still don't see the problem, I'll take it a little further.
By having such a statement as “God Bless America” on a tag – and making getting any other tag more expensive – the state is then purporting to endorse a religion, specifically a monotheistic, if not Judeo-Christian religion. Now, I am not overly shocked at the fact that Alabama, being as deep in the bible-belt as it is, has so far gotten away with this. However, it bothers me on a basic level as a citizen of the United States – which, remember, has freedom of religion and (in theory) separation of church and state – that if I want to obey the law and have a tag on my car, I have to endorse a religion that I might not believe in and drive everyday with a religious message on my personal vehicle.
So what to do? Well, personalized tags are $50 extra – even that amount is too much to pay for a matter of principle. The state could, I suppose, expand their horizons and issue other tags. If they feel they must include religion, I have a few suggestions. How about “Gods Bless America” or “Goddess Bless America”? Or, if they're feeling really creative, how about “Deity Bless America”? I suppose it would be difficult to fit in “Some Higher Force That Might Exist” for the agnostics but they could always just leave a blank space for the atheists. “Bless America”... might work for everyone. If not, we could just put "Bob-the-Fluffy-Cloud Bless America" on instead. It might fit.
Hopefully I'll be moving soon and the issue will become moot on a personal level. In the meantime, write your politicians so I can stop ranting.
