Well, this was a real time waster:
The Patriot Guard Riders and the Indiana chapter of the Greenways Foundation are two non-profits that are not normally associated with each other. Yet, both groups testified Wednesday in favor of keeping their non-profit license plates.
The Interim Study Committee on Special Group Recognition License Plates met to decide the fate of more than 100 special group license plates.
[. . .]
Gina Leckron, state director for Habitat for Humanity, said that the plates allow her organization to not only make money but also help advertise the organization.
“This is our way of doing a bumper sticker,” said Leckron. “It not only generates revenue from the actual sale of the plate, but also in getting new volunteers.”
Of course the groups making money and getting publicity with the plates want to keep them. The point is whether the state should make them available and under what rules and restrictions.
The committee didn't even mention the teen gay support group whose spcialty plate started this controversy, and the Indy Star story I linked to ignores that issue, too. Without any controversial groups using the plates, there wouldn't be an issue. Once the state starts trying to. Nobody cares about the VFW or Kids First people having their own plates. If the state gets into the business of deciding who can and can't have plates, there are going to be real "censoring based on the message" questions and serious cosntitutional issues.
But if the state doesn't, what are they gonna do when a group like Ayran Nation or NAMBLA wants a plate?
