Gimme a "D", Gimme a "U", Gimme an "I"

I got this from Mover Mike’s Blog and thought it could be expanded upon. Think about the benefit of being able to identify who is sharing the road with you just by a glance at the license plate. It seems to fit quite well with what I just posted a few minutes ago, “Know Your Neighbor”, where you can find out what lurks in the shadows just by putting in your address.

“California is considering "the scarlet letter for drunken drivers" according to the SacBee.
A California lawmaker wants to force two-time offenders to attach red license plates with the letters DUI, for "driving under the influence," to their vehicles - a rolling advertisement of their crimes.”

http://www.movermike.com/posts/1143129763.shtml

(Change that last quote to read, “California WAS considering… as I found in Mike’s related blog article that the measure was defeated 5 -2.)

http://www.movermike.com/posts/1144255761.shtml (shot down )

I think it’s an interesting idea, identifying the dangers all around us by placing a specific license plate on a vehicle; but why stop with DUI or DWI? Instead of looking at another bumper sticker, “My Child is an Honor Student at Dweeb Elementary School”, why not have something with a little more pop in it? “My Dad is a convicted Child Molester”, or, “This Vehicle is owned by a convicted Rapist”. The folks going along for the ride will be thrilled as well as they slink down in their seats avoiding eye contact on the way to the shopping mall. If not on the license plate, have the information etched into the rear window; that should make the resale of the vehicle do cartwheels.

“This is no way to ease violators back into society, have them become productive citizens” will be the outcry of the ACLU, the whiners and the compassionate liberal left. It wouldn’t be fair to have the stigma emblazoned on their vehicles any more than it would be fair to have the “Scarlet Letter” embroidered on Demi Moore for having committed adultery in the movie. Why not brand these folks as part of the judicial process? Okay, maybe not brand them; just a huge tattoo prominently identifying their crimes against society. I’ll bet the baseball cap industry would enjoy a healthy spike in sales.

In the event of a conviction the court appointed tattoo artist would be waiting, electric needle in hand as the suspect is led to a sanitary room on the other side of the courtroom. “Okay, pick from the samples there on the wall. We have a special today on Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Juvenile, Aggravated Robbery with Injury and Murder. When you have all three you get your choice of multiple colored borders on the first letter of each word. The cost of this service will be automatically dispersed into your monthly probation fees.”

Sick as this may sound, my guess is the criminal element would find a way to improve their standing in “their society”, something which most of us have no clue about. There is already a whole criminal culture of tattoos and their associated meanings that would scare the bejebers out of most God fearing folks; having the court add official status to such a collection of body art would only add to those credentials.

The folks who are clamoring about the rights of convicted criminals are the same folks who are upset that terrorists are not being tucked in at night down at Gitmo, or that the introduction of chemicals intended to end the life of a convicted Capital Murder suspect might make them feel unnecessary pain in those last few moments while strapped to the gurney. I like the line from Dirty Harry, the one Harry used to explain that he was all broken up about the rights of the suspect, the one who left the young girl to die after having yanked one of her teeth out and sent it to the police to prove that he actually had the girl. “Well I’m all choked up about his rights!”, growling at the judge and prosecutor and glaring at their inability to see how they were protecting evil over good.