unbenkownst to me, and probably millions of other law-abiding citizens, it is now illegal to have a frame mounted on your license plate. my dear friend and classmate just sent a message to our class listserve:
...in case there is someone out there who is also not paying attention - it's illegal to have a license plate frame on your car. And if you are lucky enough to get pulled over by the jackass of a police officer that I found myself face to face with, you won't get a warning. Just wanted to let you all know... take advantage of the beautiful weather to spend some time outside with your car and a wrench!! ;)
PS: classmate, i hope posting this is ok. please don't sue me for libel. or is it slander? whatever. i'm so failing that test.
Comments (22)
URL: http://
P-man, this is the last bit of free advice I'm giving you: you don't have to chase the ambulance if you just waint outside the ER. The doctors may make fun of you, but it's cheaper than the police scanner you'd have to buy.
Posted by Sam | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
That's Honorable Sam-o to you, D. As for me, did you guys see my t-shirt today? Me 3 years from now sent it to me of today as a sign of things to come.
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
Or be a judge, a member of the Texas Legislature/Member of Congress, a trial attorney, etc etc. I think you sell our school short, Sam-o.
Posted by Darcy | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
Trust me, I'm only getting a JD from South Texas; even if I pass the Bar, I'll only be certified to handle car wrecks, DWIs and slip and falls.
Posted by Sam | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
not only is sam a pompous ass, but he's also a heartless bastard. am i forgetting anything, sam? oh yes, and he now supports affirmative action.
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
you mean we're paying the same amount and i'll only have an MA and you'll have a JD? crapmonkeys... or crapdingos, whichever you prefer, really.
Posted by swandive00 | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
swandive: true, that would better ask my question, but what fun would it be to actually communicate something when I could sound like a pompous ass? I'm paying $60,000 for a degree in sounding pretentious and confusing.
Posted by Sam | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
oy vey... i try to keep this side of me hidden but it pops out sometimes. i hereby apologize for being a literal and grammatical freak and imply no harm by the following statements. sam, "For what was the frame?" is indeedy a grammatically correct sentence, but it is unlikely to ask the question you had intended. i am going to assume that you meant to say "what message did the frame convey?" or "what did the message of the frame advertise/imply/adjudicate/support/etc.?" sorry. i'll go climb in a hole with my OED and pocket protector, rocking myself back and forth.
Posted by swandive00 | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
yeah, it's kind of a stupid law. making reflective frames or license covers illegal makes sense, but banning all frames is too broad.
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://skwatra.com
when i told my mom about this last year, she asked a cop about it. he had no idea what she was talking about, and when he tried to get the details from her she said, "if you don't know i'm not going to tell you" first i've heard of someone being cited for it...
Posted by sunny | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
You should totally contest it. For what was the frame? (I know that sentence sounds horrible, but proper grammar sometimes sounds like crap) You could try a freedom of speech claim. If that doesn't work, dispute how much it obscured the plate and argue that the statute is void for vagueness. I'm telling you, contesting this could be even more fun than Con Law, and that's a hoot!
Posted by Sam | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
Awww, isn't that special. Are we all friends now? Let's get together and sing Kumbaya. Steve: your time-out was only for 5 minutes, starting when i posted it, so you were in the clear. That is, unless you want me to reinstate it.
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://stevehouchin.blogspot.com
If I wasn't in timeout, I'd point out that if you were, indeed all knowing, then you would not have had to find out about the license plate law, nor would you have to guess between libel and slander. However, I'm in timeout, so I won't post that on here.
Posted by Steve | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
Unfortunatly, it seems that the police don't operate in a hypothetical setting... I'm hoping I can hire Sam to be my lawyer... ;) Don't think I'm not contesting this sucker!
Posted by Darcy | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://stevehouchin.blogspot.com
Darcy, I understand and I'm sympathetic. I wasn't aware it was you who was cited, nor was I aware of any of the information afterward. I was replying to the hypothetical person who got a ticket, not Darcy in particular. I would hope that under most circumstances, the cop would let it slide, especially given the fact that you weren't here when it was passed. Of course, I'm not posting this, because I'm in timeout.
Posted by Steve | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
Steve: I'm totally aware NOW that it was a big deal when it was being passed... but please understand that I was not in the state at the time, and Tuesday afternoon was the absolute first time I EVER heard about this damn law. I just thought that a decent police officer would have taken one look at my out of state driver's license and told me to go straight home and take off the frame. Instead, he laughed at me. I love Texas.
Posted by Darcy | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
ok, you're done. i'm putting you in "time out." only i'm allowed to be a smartass on my website. technically speaking, an all-knowing power can not, by defnition, be undermined. but attempting to do so smacks of insubordiation. so, to answer your question, it was only an attempt. you're in time out for five minutes. use this time to reflect on what you've done.
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://stevehouchin.blogspot.com
If it's all-knowing, then how can it be undermined? If it's not all-knowing, then, am I attempting or succeeding?
Posted by Steve | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
I'm with Sam. Steve, i have almost no rules on the comments people post on my site. but one thing you can't do is undermine my all-knowing power or attempt to do so. consider yourself warned.
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://stevehouchin.blogspot.com
BTW slander and libel involve defamation by name. From Black's Law Dictionary, 8th Edition: Libel v.b. 1. To defame (someone) in a permanent medium, esp. in writing. 2. To sue in admiralty or ecclesiastical court. Slander: 1. A defamatory statement expressed in a transitory form, esp. speech... 2. The act of making such a statement.
Posted by Steve | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://
My horrible defensive driving course listed all sorts of license plate restrictions, and a frame wasn't one of them. Jerks.
Posted by Sam | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15
URL: http://stevehouchin.blogspot.com
This law's been in effect since at least 2002. It was posted in all the major papers, including the San Angelo (sub)Standard-Times. It was also aired on the news, and made it onto the ABC-13 Houston affiliate's website. The actual law doesn't prohibit things around the license plate; it prohibits things that obscure any lettering or numbering on the license plate. Technically, it's still legal to have something that doesn't obscure the little "Texas" on the top.
Posted by Steve | February 10, 2007 8:15 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:15