A woman from New Hampshire battles the Department of Motor Vehicles to retain her long-held, comical vanity license plate deemed controversial.
Wendy Auger, a bartender from the Gonic neighborhood in Rochester, New Hampshire, had always been proud of her vanity license plate. For fifteen years, her plate displayed a humorous message: “PB4WEGO.” This lighthearted phrase had brought smiles to many faces as she cruised along the highways and quiet roads of her home state. However, the state government and the Department of Motor Vehicles decided that her vanity plate was too controversial and needed to be revoked because it contained the word “pee.”
Wendy felt that the state was infringing on her First Amendment right to free speech. She argued that the phrase “pee before we go” was hardly offensive and, in fact, was a common-sense piece of advice that parents often give their children before leaving the house.
“Who has a mom or dad or parental figure who hasn’t said that to kids before leaving the house?” Wendy questioned. “I’m not the type to sit here with a picket, but come on.”
The people of New Hampshire, a state whose motto is “Live Free or Die,” rallied behind Wendy, feeling that the DMV should not suppress her right to express herself through her innocuous vanity plate.
Wendy, taking a light-hearted approach, quipped that her car “would just stink” of pee if she had to remove the plate. “If I have to take it off the plate, then I’m not going to be able to live free,” she added, chuckling.
It wasn’t as if Wendy had impulsively chosen her vanity plate. For years, she had sought to obtain “PB4WEGO.” When the state expanded the number of characters allowed on vanity plates from six to seven, Wendy seized the opportunity to claim her desired message.
In response to the situation, the state explained that they “were forced to be changed years ago by the NH Supreme Court as a result of a court order, and now the rules are very specific.” The case might be covered under the state’s privacy laws, but they have not commented on it.
Despite the controversy, Wendy maintained that “talking about peeing isn’t offensive.” She viewed it as a natural bodily function that everyone deals with, and her vanity plate was just a fun way to play with the concept.
The story of Wendy Auger and her battle to keep her fifteen-year-old license plate raises questions about freedom of expression and the role of government in regulating personalized statements on vanity plates. While some may argue that the phrase “pee before we go” is inappropriate for public display, others believe that such a light-hearted and practical message should not be censored. As the debate continues, Wendy and the people of New Hampshire stand together, fighting for their right to “live free.”
Source: AWM
