License to Plate

Here's some background on Tennessee's Specialty License Plate program:

• Knoxville News Sentinel:
  (06/19/03) Naifeh backs eliminating specialty tags
  (06/18/03) Governor will let 'Choose Life' license plate bill become law
  
  
• The Tennesseean
  (06/18/03) 'Choose Life' tags possible this year
  
  
• Memphis Commercial Appeal
  (06/19/03) Tenn. bill opts to kill specialty plates after 'Choose Life' ruckus
  (06/18/03) 'Choose Life' plate passes
  
  
• Tennessee Department of Safety
  Specialty License Plates
  Categories
  
  • Clubs / Groups : Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Ducks Unlimited, Int'l Association of Firefighters, Kappa Alpha Psi, MADD, Masons, Nat'l Fraternal Order of Police, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, TN Police Benevolent Assoc. Note: Only members of the specified groups may obtain these tags
    
  • Collegiate: Alabama, APSU, Arkansas, Auburn, Belmont, Bryan College, Carson Newman, Clemson University, Cumberland, ETSU, Florida State University, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, King College, Lee College, LeMoyne-Owen, Memphis, Mississippi, Mississippi St, MTSU, Penn St., Purdue University, TN Tech, Tennessee Wesleyan, Trevecca Nazarene, TSU, Tusculum College, Union, University of Florida, University of
    the South, UT Chattanooga, UT - Generic, UT Knoxville, UT Martin, UT Memphis, Vanderbilt, Virginia Available to any Tennessee resident
    
  • Disabled Plates: Disabled Person, Hearing Impaired Tennessee residents with respective disabilities only
    
  • General Issue Standard plate with customized identification. For what it's worth, for years mine said WARP 9
    
  • Emergency Management: Amateur Radio, Emergency, Firefighter, Rescue Squad Note: Must be certified emergency personnel or possess FCC license
    
  • Miscellaneous: Agriculture (Department of Agriculture), Animal Friendly (Humane Society), Antique (Antique cars), Automobile/Motor Home, Children First (Department of Childrens Services), Consular (credentials required), Environmental (Tennessee State Parks), Fish and Wildlife Species - Bear (wildlife resources fund), Fish and Wildlife Species – Turkey (wildlife resources fund), Friends of the Smokies, Helping Schools (county’s general school fund), Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center, Personalized, Radnor Lake (state lands acquisition fund, to be used exclusively to implement and carry out the purposes set forth in T.C.A., 67-4-409 (j).), Sportsman (Sportsmen’s Wildlife Foundation), St. Jude (children’s hospitals in Tennessee), TN Arts Commission - Cat, TN Arts Commission - Fish, TN Arts Commission - Rainbow, TN Walking Horse, U.S. Olympic (Tennessee Arts Commission and the United States Olympic Committee), UT Football Championship (UT Academic Scholarships), Lady Vols Championship (UT Academic Scholarships), Watchable Wildlife (Watchable Wildlife Endowment Fund)
    
  
  

It's this kind of hard-hitting, late-breaking and up-to-the-minute coverage you've come to expect from our crack staff of gully dwarf reporters here at the Inn of the Last Home.

UPDATE: There's more on the license plate controversy above in my June 22 post.