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[Name removed]

[android fan]

1. Violation of free speech.

Same as yelling fire in a crowded theatre

If it has unwanted intentions or bias against race, then it should not be declared legal and the Confederate license plate verboten to be built.

[Warpy]

51. In addition, free speech protects individuals, not states.

A state celebrating a traitorous past that it refuses to let go of? Uh, no.

Individuals flying the stars and bars and declaring themselves to be jackasses? Perfectly legal.

It's nice to have warning before you ever talk to them. That way you can avoid them completely.

[leftofcool]

2. While I dislike seeing one of those or those hideous flags, I think the Constitution will allow it.

I don't see how it could be stopped.

[Gore1FL]

37. It's not a matter of allowing it's a matter of compelling.

Texas is not mandated by "Freedom of speech" to make every whack-a-doo license plate anyone comes up with.

[Fred Friendlier]

39. I agree completely

All sorts of groups ask for specialty, state sanctioned plates and there is no need for the state to grant any of them.

Now, if they already had a "True and Loyal Sons of the Union" plate then the racist traitors might have a valid complaint.

[Vincardog]

52. "the depiction of the confederate flag is" if done by an individual. No state has to condone it

Allowing it on a STATE required license would be a tacit approval.

[paleotn]

53. Agreed, but I see no difference between...

...the battle flag of traitors and slaving secesh and those other examples.

[Gore1FL]

61. It's still not a free speech issue.

TX shouldn't be compelled to print offensive license plates in the name of the state if they choose not to. Where in the Constitution does is mandate and choice in State issues vehicle tags, and since when are they a vehicle for political speech?

[A Simple Game]

60. How could it be stopped? Would you allow the french flag or the Russian flag on

American license plates? Can I have the Iranian flag on my license plate? The Confederacy considered itself a foreign country that is why we had a war with them. In other words the Confederacy did not consider itself a part of the United States back then, so why do we have to consider them a part of the United States now?

There has been a long tradition about wars, the losers don't get to make the rules.

It is not an infringement of free speech, the Johnny Rebs can paste a flag in their window if they like, but that plate represents a state that is part of the United States, not the Confederate States.

Screw the Confederacy and what it stood for.

[alp227]

3. Boo hoo hoo. Not provding a license plate of a certain theme doesn't violate free speech.

It isn't a BAN on expressing sympathy to the confederacy.

[alp227]

7. Just license plates not by other means from the individual's initiative.

Funny, I thought those who would demand the right to have a confederate flag license plate were AGAINST "government dependency".

[whereisjustice]

4. As bad as Nazi flag. Lincoln should have banned it after the war. That's what happens when you grant

concessions to murderous traitors who'd have half the nation living in bondage by now.

Now we have to "reach across the aisle" to the KKK.

[GeorgeGist]

32. Somedays I think Lincoln should have let the fuckers go.

[AwareOne]

58. Lincoln died before the war was over

and so could not have banned the flag after the war.

[whereisjustice]

63. I've always consider appomattox the "end". Technically it was the beginning of the end, however,

at that point, Washington began deliberations about restoration/reconstruction, justice, restitution and punishment.

In any event, the flag should have been banned at the onset of war, or at any point thereafter. That is a reasonable concession given the subversion, massive bloodshed and destruction associated with it.

[JoePhilly]

5. I appreciate it when racists self-identify in this fashion.

Sometimes they look normal.

So it's nice when the put it right on their license plate so you can see it easily.

[itsrobert]

9. License plates represent the state and its people

The state has the right to determine what plates images and words represent them. This is not a free speech issue.

[Gore1FL]

38. That's a pretty shitty argument on the part of the ACLU.

Should states be mandated to make individualized official license plates for every person who wants one? Obviously not.

[AwareOne]

59. So my state license plate that says

"choose life, I am for it" represents me? Bullshit

[Orrex]

10. Can I force the state to print vanity sentiments on my Drivers License?

[Orrex]

13. Then that's a violation of everyone's 1st amendment rights.

[Liberal Veteran]

18. When we can't have Hello Kitty Driver Licenses, all our freedoms suffer.

[Orrex]

36. The fact that Legislators wrote the code is a violation of all of our 1st Amendment rights.

If license plates are subject to 1st Amendment protections, there is absolutely no reason why Drivers' Licenses shouldn't equally be protected. Drivers already have the right to control certain elements of their photograph, so clearly we're talking about a difference of degree, not kind.

[Orrex]

45. But if it violates my 1st Amendment rights, then the code is unconstitutional

Doesn't matter if the legislature has passed it. Unconstitutional is unconstitutional.

[randr]

14. It was neither a symbol of pride or racism

It is the symbol of a very dark chapter of American history. Close to 700,000 soldiers died in order to preserve our Republic. The idea that this symbol represents pride is put forward by losers who refuse to acknowledge that they were on the anti American side. To this day they blame the victims for their humiliation. The idea that it is a symbol of racism is due to the nature of those who still push the pride issue.
The southern aristocracy that caused this event had one reason; greed. Fear that their investment in human traffic would be taken away. They had no respect for any one no matter what color the were.

[NYC_SKP]

15. The flag is an image of state and us history, associations made are voluntary.

I've always thought that it's a bit of a waste of energy to take a symbol and try to ban it.

Racism has to be read into the union-jack, it's not there on it's own, the history of the south and of the civil war is far more complex.

Banning the symbol doesn't remove the hatred that's in the hearts of people, it is an empty gesture and a form of censorship.

And, I highly doubt that the group literally said they want to preserve the pro-slavery aspect of their heritage.

Things like this makes us look stupid.

[mountain grammy]

16. If the right wing five want the confederate flag

they will rule for it, by golly. No way should this even be heard. How is this a free speech issue? What's next, swastikas?

[mountain grammy]

23. I have no forecast. I think it's a frivolous case.

racist infants wanting to glorify their racism. Let them put a confederate sticker on their car. But no, the babies waste time and money going to the courts. The courts should throw them out. The state has no obligation to make a license plate for every crackpot organization that wants one.

[mountain grammy]

29. I'm predicting nothing. They will rule as they wish.

I think the case should not be heard in the Supreme Court. It is not, in my opinion, a first amendment issue. The confederate flag isn't banned. The idiots can fly it out of their asses whatever thats worth to them, but how is it free speech to force the state to put it on a state issued license plate?

[mountain grammy]

40. It's a bullshit case, in my opinion.

[NutmegYankee]

48. The Swastika is an eastern religious symbol.

Only the Western World is afraid to see it.

[mountain grammy]

56. Like the confederate flag, it represents unimaginable suffering.

but, to me, that's what religious symbols are all about.

[NutmegYankee]

57. Technically the cross was a symbol of execution before Christ.

The early Christians re-purposed this symbol of terror and turned it into something else much to the dismay of the Romans.

The swastika had a long several thousand year history as a religious icon in India. The Nazi's stole it to bolster their claim of an "Aryan" race.

[PoliticAverse]

19. If we're lucky this could end the whole vanity license plate thing. n/t

[former9thward]

35. Never happen. States make too much money off of it.

[orbitalman]

21. In my view, pride does not trump racism, plain and simple

[cstanleytech]

22. The Constitution allows it IMO

Plus even after the Civil War they did not pass an amendment banning its usage because I think they may have realized the dangers inherent to the first amendment if they had banned its usage.

[HassleCat]

24. Symbol of What?

As most of us know, that particular battle flag was seldom seen until public school desegregation in 1955. Then it sprang up everywhere, including being added to some state flags. It was, and still is, primarily a symbol of resistance to federal laws that brought an end to segregated public schools. In spite of PR efforts to put a nice face on it, with all the talk about "heritage" and so on, the rebel flag we see displayed today is a symbol of resistance to integration and racial equality. If people wanted to honor Confederate veterans, they would use the far more common "stars and bars" Confederate flag that usually flew over Confederate troops. As usual, it's the advocates of racial inequality trying to gloss over the truth.

Of course, they have a First Amendment right to do that. As long as the state offers affinity groups the opportunity to have custom license plates, they can't ban particular groups for being "offensive." Displaying the rebel flag is not hate speech, even though it is hated by many people. I'm sure Texas would not reject the Masons, and their symbol with the dividers and square, even though some people would find that offensive. As others point out, there is the advantage of having bigoted simpletons identify their vehicles so the rest of us can give them a wide berth. They probably consider it a Blow for Freedom to display a license plate that says, "Hi there! I'm a boob!" Of course, there are places where they would not dare drive or park with that license plate, but that's their choice.

[tabasco]

28. Symbol of losers

They're proud that their great great grand dads got their asses kicked by the North.

[Hoyt]

25. Displaying that flag is racist, but I like knowing when I'm driving near a yahoo who is likely

armed to the teeth.

I despise that flag and people who display it, including their BS about heritage. But, I can't see how racist yahoos do not have the "right" to display their ignorance and hatred.

[tabasco]

27. Apparently, many in the South are proud to be losers

Maybe next time the North kicks their ass, the President and Army commander shouldn't be so easy on them.

[TerrapinFlyer]

31. Can I get a Sherman License Plate?

with flames... it's my Heritage!

[on point]

33. I love your graphic retort to those who want to fly the traitor flag!

[BumRushDaShow]

34. A group in George is offering one

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/22/1279628/-New-Georgia-license-plate-to-mark-150th-anniversary-of-Sherman-s-March

Here are both...

[George II]

42. It's more than a symbol of racism, it's a symbol of the greatest threat.....

...to the existence of the United States in our history.

And I read over the constitution, I didn't see anything about license plates.

[cstanleytech]

50. The Constitution doesn't mention the internet either but both our speech

and the speech of racist bigoted assholes are still protected.

[underpants]

43. Why not a white flag?

That would be more reflective of history.

[TexasTowelie]

54. Seeing which side Clarence Thomas sides with should be interesting.

[NaturalHigh]

55. "Do you think the Constitution allows or does not allow this license plate?"

I'm not sure about this one.

Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, so I think that displaying the Confederate flag is an absolute right. However, in this case, it seems that the complainants are asking the state to facilitate an expression which would undoubtedly be offensive to many.

I'm not sure how this will play out.

[Kelvin Mace]

62. A license plate is a government

sanctioned ID, and I think it inappropriate for such an item to bear an insurrectionist insignia.

[Nye Bevan]

64. Someone can cover every square inch of their vehicle with confederate bumper stickers,

if they want to. Do they really need a confederate flag on the license plate too?

[whereisjustice]

65. lol - probably one of those conservatives who expect big government to do everything for them