Making Florida highways that much more scenic

i-1fe4dbe847ba769849379ee8813e2041-jesus_plate.jpeg

Aren't you looking forward to seeing a tortured corpse adorning cars in your neighborhood?

That hideous plate is one of the options railroaded through the Florida legislature.

Religious specialty plates offered by Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, and Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, made it onto a bill Friday even though many members had not seen images of those plates and none was produced for the debate.

Siplin didn't mince words when asked what his "Trinity" plate looks like, saying, "It has a picture of my Lord and savior Jesus Christ." It, along with a "Preserving the Past" plate offered by Siplin, would benefit the Toomey Foundation for the Natural Sciences.

Storms' "I Believe" plate would benefit Faith in Teaching, an Orlando company that funds faith-based programs at schools. Its design features a cross over a stained-glass window.

It's not just the hideous design and offensive obeisance to religion by the state…it's that the money from these idols will be siphoned off to dubious organizations. "Faith in Teaching" is obviously non-secular; the Toomey Foundation might be a bit better, but I'm immediately suspicious of purported science organizations that plaster bible verses on all of their web pages.

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Well, now we know what Jesus looked like. Glad that's settled.

By littlejohn (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

Wow, that doesn't look like his most important speaking, which was the sermon on the mount. That contained things like the golden rule...

By Nerd of Redhead, OM (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

How come they didn't show the naked lower half of Jesus instead of the naked upper half?

There should be a corresponding "Stamp out religion" plate or a "Torture bearded naked guy" plate.

I am going to change my name to Sam Ple.

By NewEnglandBob (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

How could this possibly be constitutional? I still don't get how we can be siphoning government money to religious organizations that clearly have a religious mission.

By Pygmy Loris (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

FLORIDA RESIDENTS: please request these plates along with blasphemous custom wording. pleasy pleasy please? If they don't let you do it then it will probably make the proccess of getting them out of the dmv quicker, and if not, well how frickin awesome would it be to have a plate like that? its win win.

nails @7- when I moved to the American Midwest last year, I wanted to get a custom license plate that said "ATHEIST" more than *anything*. The idea of getting that on a dead-jesus plate is even better,

Wow, that doesn't look like his most important speaking, which was the sermon on the mount. That contained things like the golden rule...

Forget the racial thing. Why have they cut off Jesus's lower arms and turned his upper left arm inside-out? Also, isn't it rather uncomplimentary to stick Jesus next to your exhaust pipe?

License plates: where really bad art meets blasphemy.

a tortured corpse ?

Oh COME ON, now, PZ! That's not torture!
He's simply being subjected to 'enhanced interrogation techniques'!

Excellent!! Finally, a "sexually explicit" license plate.

What? Yep:
US Code: TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 110 > § 2256
“sexually explicit conduct” means actual or simulated—
[...]
(iv) sadistic or masochistic abuse; or"

Let's hear it for homoerotic jewish zombie snuff porn!

Needs more blood, a lot more. For someone with a crown of thorns, who was scourged, and then had nails pounded into him, there is a serious lack of realism.

Why settle for a corpse picture on your car when you could get a bloody corpse one?

Now I'm not an artist or designer, but I've got to say that that's just awful.

Wait! What was I thinking! I AM and artist and a designer! In that case, let me explain what I meant by it being "awful".

If you were a student of mine and brought something like this to class trying to fulfill an assignment, you'd better be ready to dazzle me with some amazing art-speak about anti-modernism or such. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you though. Nothing I know can justify crap.

FREAKY! FREAKY! FREAKY!

Is that what happens in the Sunshine State - a dead turquoise-hued amputee displayed in public? On the Internet, it would be illegal.

By Happy Tentacles (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

How would the respond if someone wanted a Jewish plate with a blue 6 pointed star in the middle? Or an Atheist plate with a red A? Come on Florida, how about some equal time?

Two words: comment 6.

By David Marjanović, OM (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I've seen vanity plates but this is my first insanity plate.

By Umkomasia (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I'm loving the lovely pallid colour of the corpse.

Someone remind me; was Jesus pulled out of a frozen lake before being crucified?

By Ian A. A. Watson (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I'm loving the lovely pallid colour of the corpse.

Someone remind me; was Jesus pulled out of a frozen lake before being crucified?

#20: I'd like to see a Wiccan plate, myself.

By Ian A. A. Watson (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

The bluish dead guy sort of detracts from that "sunshine state" theme. That "buddy Jesus" farce they had in Dogma would look a lot better.

By Alyson Miers (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

Sorry for the double-post. Typepad claimed it didn't work the first time.

By Ian A. A. Watson (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

The pecs!! the pecs!

100 personalized plates? How the hell can law enforcement even keep track of them all? This goes far beyond idiotic and I'm not even going to mention the plate itself...

By dogmeatib (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I really don't understand it.
Every man can put as many stickers as he wants of "I believe" on his car. Why do they try to push it so it will be on the official license plate? What's their motivation?

BTW, what about a fuzzy Jesus on a cross doll hanging on the mirror, do you think it will sell?

Not only was Jesus white and/or bluish, according to the portraits of him in the hospital I work in, he also had a sweeeeeet mullet. He also must have had some faint, ethereal glow about him at all times as well.

By mikecbraun (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I think the best plate would have the state pictured nailed to a cross, with a suitable caption: "Nailed on a state of insanity'.

This is the first time I´ve seen serratus anterior so clearly defined outside of an anatomy text book.

Jesus must have worked out.

Blue skin? Is this some kinda anti-watchmen thing?

Also, it's florida. Isn't the dead guy meant to be chained to the back of the truck not nailed.

Re #29 - HAHAHAHAHAHAHA awesome!

A crucifix on a license plate? Where it will get mud on it and stuff?

In the rush to prove something by putting a religious message on license plate, someone didn't this this through.

By Abdul Alhazred (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I think if Jesus had arrived about 1950 years later than he allegedly did, and in the US, he would have ended up following the Grateful Dead and making handmade jewelery.

I still can't stand that there are personalized plates at all. There should be one design for each state, period. Isn't part of the point of license plates to be able to identify a car? It would be a lot easier to track down, say, the person who did a hit and run on you if you can id at least the state of the car from the glimpse of plate you saw as you went down. This way, you have to remember some vague idea of a picture of a bird, or maybe it was a manatee, and then figure out from how many states have those which it might have been. And if you say the plate looked like a dead guy, come on. Nobody's going to believe that.

Zombie Jesus stage 1! Can't wait to see him in his final form!

As a Valrico, Florida resident, I apologize. Rhonda Storms is sort of like our Michelle Bachmann.

By MRRoberts (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

Oh, no. I just got a vision in my head of someone having the dead jesus plate and Truck Nutz.

Florida has 100 speciality plates? That's insane. Here's a revolutionary idea. How about get rid of all of them, and let people decorate the rest of their car with inane bumper-stickers instead. It'll reduce the costs involved in creating the plates, and make life easier for law enforcement.

Should be a win-win for Republicans to get on-board with. Yet, I somehow suspect that they'll be the staunchest opposition to such a move.

By ckitching (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

#34 inkadu,
bread, wine and fish. Walk around, ride donkeys when available.
Being God allegedly also helps.

Hunky Jesus crucified on a large orange... Anita Bryant...

GAY JESUS!

By Uncle Glenny (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

ZOM()BIE

I think it would work...

@#7. It's the new license-plate edition of the blasphemy challenge! Assume maximum of three numbers or letters on each side. How about these on that there awful, awful plate:

ZOM BIE
AMI BLU
DED IHS

Hey Floridians! You should draw nipple rings on every Jesus plate you see.

Zombie Jesus stage 1! Can't wait to see him in his final form!

No you don't. After he resurrects, he's got 500,000,000 hit points, and has a "Holy Crap" attack that inflicts every status ailment in the game on your characters.

By Quiet Desperation (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

Call it whatever you want, but I think his pained expression stems from the fact that he is having to carry a massive orange on his shoulders... That can't be fun!
But hey, he IS pretty well sculpted (check the pects)!!

By Kausik Datta (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

And remember that Sen. Storms pushed last year's ID initiative (OK, she didn't call it that) in my state legislature. Rep. Hayes (oh, he of the "nobody never seen no half insect, half monkey" statement of ill repute, on the floor of the state capitol nonetheless!!!!!) was her parallel sponsor of the legislation in the House. She became infamous for, when questioned of "what are the weaknesses you want taught?" and "what is the intent of this legislation; what problem does it address?" questions from her (unfortunately) few peers, could only read from the text of the bill! She didn't even understand (or refused to admit she understood for fear of its religious underpinnings being exposed) what her own bill would do. It's only because of the ineptitude of Storms and Hayes actually getting on the same script that caused the bills to die through closure of the legislative session before action. This was hardly good news; only a clock "time-out" prevented these travesties of un-science from becoming law in this state. We Florida Citizens for Science are watching Sen. Storms and Rep. Hayes for their next BS. Brandon, we're with you!

Fun factoid: The common depiction of Christ is thought to be based on Cesare Borgia. You know, son of the Pope and his mistress.

I just love learning new things like this. Thanks. :)

My very first licence plate (in Canada) and the lady asked me if I wanted a differnt one and I said no way...
ALEC 666
betcha didn't know Satan's real name was Alec :P

The creos are still pissed off about those "Arrive Stoned" license plate frames that were so popular back in the 70s down in Florida.

But a corpse? What was wrong with the stupid dove? Or how about the holier-that-thou praying hands? But a corpse?

Ok, in the end we all get to be one but I thought we were talking a religion of eternal life here. A corpse? In permanent display on your car? What do you drive, a hearse?

By Crudely Wrott (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I'm sure many of you have similar plates in your state. In Indiana, we're given a choice between a plate that reads "In God We Trust" in bold, and one with the Indiana state crest. It's massively irritating, though I can say I'm happy we don't have creepydead Jesus as an option too. In solidarity with comment #6, seriously WTF is going on?

What a nice design. Dead Jesus basking in the Florida sun with the words "Sunshine State" for a caption. WTF.

And I thought the "choose life" plates were sickening. This is a gross miscarriage of separation of church and state. FFRF we need you stat!

Thom @ #61: In Indiana, we're given a choice between a plate that reads "In God We Trust" in bold, and an ugly-as-all-fucking-get-out one with the Indiana state crest.

Fixed it for you.

By Blue Fielder (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I would not like to have my children exposed to obscene pictures of torture. Naked breasts would be fine.

Sometimes I am evil, part MCMXL.XI.i:

I note that, like the plate linked to above at snopes, the large central sun looks vaguely like an "O". A devious person might request a plate reading "SAD MAS" (and even explain it innocuously as meaning "Sad master").

Those who are evil, will, of course, snicker and say "Looks like someone forgot the safeword."

By Owlmirror (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

I didn't realize Ms. Storms was from Valrico. (Sheesh. I thought Bartow was bad. I guess crazy flows along SR60.)

By Benjamin Geiger (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

How is it possible that this is the first I've heard of this hideous thing? I guess we already have a quarter bazillion specialty plates in this state so why not have one that conveniently announces to the world "I'm a tasteless bastard who is militant about my faith"? At least then you'll know not to park next to them in case they want to evangelize. I am only kidding though, there can be nothing good about this kind of church/state squishiness.

Of course... it's a Ronda Storms sponsored idea. It's the sort of thing I have come to expect from the Florida version of Michelle Bachman.

We should get our own "Preserving the Past" plate showing the good priests inventing waterboarding in a 10th century Spanish dungeon. P.S. Does anyone know where I can get a glow in the dark Jesus crucifix? The kind that crazy radio preacher out of Juarez used to sell in the '60s.

Thom: I'm from Indiana too. I'm sick of those damn god plates, as the cops call them on the cop scanner. It's especially irritating that "In God We Trust" plates are the only vanity plates you don't have to pay extra for. Indiana may be, technically, a northern state, but it's the most redneck place I've ever lived. And I've lived in both West Virginia and South Carolina. (Cue banjo music...)

By littlejohn (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

The image looks incredibly awkward. Was anyone else reminded of "The Butterfly Effect" when Ashton Kutcher's character wakes up without arms?

If I lived in Florida, I would try to get this plate with the custom tag "NAL DIT" or "NOT GOD."

Ken Cope - Wow. I didn't know Jesus was Bluish.

Bluish, Jewish, it's all good baby. Anyhow, I see a plate that could be alterd with a couple of clothes pins on his nipples and a ball gag in his mouth.

By Eric Paulsen (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

Of course, Dr. Manhattan is Jesus! It all makes sense -- the resurrection, the miracles, the crimefighting -- everything. Though the question of who was doing nuclear physics research in ancient Judea still needs to be answered...

By Sophist FCD (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

#45....

These tags are not cheap....I think there is profit in addition to what they give away.

And at #35....The Deep South is mostly north of Florida, although the Bible belt does cut across the top of the state....Dixie County..etc..
Racism seems to be just about everywhere.
Sadly,I've run in to quite a bit of it up north and out west.

By Fl bluefish (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

Toomey?

Burgess must be spinning in his grave.

Jesus needs to lay off the colloidal silver!

Wow a torture theme for a license plate... How original!
Are they planning to do one on waterboarding?

can i get one that says "drive-L"?

By faux mulder (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

If the causes were better, I can see this one has a lot of joke potential.
ZombiJC
StilDed
Hardcor
Osiris
Baldur
CIAMemo

There are just so many possibilities.

By Samantha Vimes (not verified) on 26 Apr 2009 #permalink

"HA" would look marvelous on either side of that, methinks.

HA [Jesus] HA

By Anonymous (not verified) on 27 Apr 2009 #permalink

Forget that you know it's supposed to be Jesus (or what white Christians think Jesus must have looked like), ignore the crown of thorns, pretend his arms are folded behind his head.

There. It's a seventies porn star getting a blow job. That ought to freak out the Bible-squeezers.

who's the white guy with the funky hat? "jesus?" they say he's a bad mother... shut your mouth, he never knocked up that chick.

CON MAN
MGK MAN
LOL LOL
HWZ DVU

What CJO said....I love that "BRB LOL" t-shirt, too.

Osiris
Baldur

Odin was the one who hung in a tree 3 days and 3 nights, wasn't he? Not enough letters, though:

OD INN
WOD EN

Hm.

By David Marjanović, OM (not verified) on 27 Apr 2009 #permalink

David:

ALF ODR ("Al-Fodr", All-Father)

I'm sure the humor would be lost on the Christians, most of whom don't even know the details of their own myths, let alone others (nor how they interact, as Odin being nailed to Yggdrasil is quite likely a bit of Christian revisionism of the old Norse myths.

By Sean Michael (not verified) on 27 Apr 2009 #permalink

This would tick off all the Jews in Boca. They don't have a plate. My Bubbeh would be fuming.

Part Jesus, part Blue Man, part Venus de Milo - only her boobs are shapelier.

The graphics dept at the Fla DMV is famous for screwups - their first attempt at a Florida panther looked more like a starved alley cat, and the state generic plate, seen from a distance, resembles a Pac-Man in mid-munch.

By Pierce R. Butler (not verified) on 27 Apr 2009 #permalink

GOT NAL

By Voltaire Kinison (not verified) on 28 Apr 2009 #permalink

Apparently I'm late to the party ... apologies. But I do have my own Florida-based take on this travesty.

Meanwhile, my fave suggestion for personalizing this plate, if it's approved, is:

DED JEW

And for those who wonder whether we could have a Jewish plate, a Buddhist plate, an FSM plate (originally dreamed up right here at Pharyngula) ... don't hold your breath. The House sponsor of the "I BELIEVE" plate last year, a Miami Democrat, said that he would not be able to support an atheist plate if it came to a vote. Point being, from the Florida Leg's perspective: screw constitutionality, you'll get one religion and like it.

I don't get it. What's a SAMYPLE?

Ugh.. Florida should change its slogan to "Zombie Jesus State". That bluish tint is not just an artistic rendering.

By Andrew Beaumont (not verified) on 29 Apr 2009 #permalink

And now you know why I sold the house in Valrico and moved north of the MD line.

nuff said.

By ice weasel (not verified) on 29 Apr 2009 #permalink