South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (R) yesterday allowed legislation authorizing a Christian-themed specialty license plate to become law without his signature. This means that the state Department of Motor Vehicles may issue a controversial new "I Believe" plate that displays a cross superimposed on a stained glass window. It joins a long list of plates designed to show off a driver's support for trendy environmental causes or hobbies such as bicycling, fishing, golfing, square dancing and NASCAR."There's a fundamental difference between these plates and the 'I believe' tag," wrote Rob Boston, the Assistant Director of Communications of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "South Carolina can endorse NASCAR and even name it the official state sport. It cannot legally endorse Christianity."
The state has already endorsed a plate intended to appeal to atheists. The "Secular Humanists of the Low Country" plate mimics the existing "In God We Trust" plate but substitutes that phrase with "In Reason We Trust" (view plate). Backers of the "I Believe" plate insist that a provision in the new law requiring the plate to meet all existing specialty tag guidelines means it can withstand court challenge. An attempt to pass a similar specialty plate law in Florida failed earlier this year. More
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