I came home from work today to find a letter from the Tax Commission–they denied my appeal. I wasn’t angry, or even surprised, which in itself is surprising. I have 30 days in which to request a formal appeal hearing, though I think it’s time to throw in the towel. Based on their reasoning, I’m sure that even if my case went all the way to the Utah Supreme Court, it would be shot down, as was the McBride case mentioned in the Order.
My only hope, however small, is that the legislative committee that met today will be able to effect a rule change. At least somebody in the state government is willing to stand up for what is right, regardless of how politically incorrect it seems to be. This country is going down the shitter as far as political correctness goes, and Utah is the big piece of shit swirling in the center.
Actually, I think their denial just gave this story some more legs. This is no longer a function of the application of bullshit bureaucratic rules — this is real people being real retarded. This is 30X as absurd as two weeks ago.
Unfortunately, I agree with Dennis on this…The commission knows how stupid they are on this and they still denied the appeal. I think you may be better off not wasting your time on them. They obviously are not being reasonable about this.
If its not going to cost you any money – I’d like to see you push it further. There has to be at least one plate in Utah that has ‘JOHNSON’ on it – which falls in the same category as your name – last name and slang for penis.
Penis?…I thought it was slang for North Vietnamese guerrilla…
Actually, it’s both, but they used the penis definition as the basis for their denial.
I just had a devious idea. Here are the two rules that govern the issuance (or denial) of personalized plates (note the emphasis on certain words):
“(2) The division may refuse to issue any combination of letters, numbers, or both that may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency or that would be misleading.”
…and the basis for denial…
“(1) Combinations of letters, words, or numbers with any connotation that is vulgar, derogatory, profane or obscene.
(2) Combinations of letters, words, or numbers that connote breasts, genitalia, pubic area, buttocks, or relate to sexual and eliminatory functions”
The definition of “connotation” is: The act of connoting; a making known or designating something additional; implication of something more than is asserted.
So, if I requested a personalized license plate bearing the word “penis,” that would be overt rather than implied, and it would also not be misleading. If they followed the letter of the law, as they claim to be doing now, they’d have to issue the plate, right?
I bet at the very least you could get them to add more language to the rules to specify “connotation or denotation”…
I bet it would happen a hell of a lot faster than it took them to decide for the second time that your name is vulgar to the state of Utah.
…
Can you pay your licence and registration fees in cash? It would be fun to just start paying them with buckets full of pennies. When they ask why you don’t bring a check instead, tell them that according to their standards the name on the check is obscene, so you didn’t think they would accept it.
Dennis,
I am discovering how much resentment I have stored in me toward “Utah”. I don’t like feeling like this, but they keep piling up reasons. I’d help you pull the handle on the toilet, except there are people there I really love.
Did you get a copy of the E-mails Peter Kolkman sent to the DMV etc.? His English is not terrific but it is very clear he and a few hundred Udinks in Holland are MAD.
I hope you do not just drop this. If there is anything we can do to help from Oregon (E-mails, letters, whatever), let us know.
I didn’t get a copy of the emails that Peter sent, though I’d like to see them.
I would love nothing more than to continue my fight, but unfortunately, there’s a Utah Supreme Court case working against me. The Tax Commission is applying the same logic to my case as the Supreme Court did in the “REDSKIN” license plate case from several years ago. Basically, they said that if even only a small number of people could potentially be offended, then they won’t issue the plate.
The fact that this is my last name, and not a derogatory name for Native Americans, should make a difference, but there’s nothing in the rules that distinguishes between the two. I’m really hoping that the legislature will come through with a rule change, and if not, I don’t think I have the time and resources to keep fighting (as much as I’d like to).
How about this one Dennis – even having the word UTAH on their license plates violates their own rule because its an acronym for ‘Up The Ass Hard’ or ‘Up The Ass Hole’. I actually remember this one from high school, but haven’t heard it used since.
Keep on em Dennis….and if ya need anything from me to try to help ya get em…just say the word…dang lawmakers have a problem with “thinking logically” or “thinking at all”..
Don’t worry, we’ll have “Udink” on the Mazda. It may not be in the form of our plates, but it will be there.
Unless the rule is changed, there really is nothing more we can do. We knew there was this possiblity. It isn’t a shock to not get the plates, it’s just shocking their level of stupidity.
We all know that anything can be taken out of context. I mean if someone is proud enough to display an unusual name like this when it is thier given name who are they to object.
With as much publicity as this thing has gotten there is a much better chance of drivers thinking “hey, they they finally gave that guy his plates” than taking offense to it.
Anyone that would find offence in your last name is just an idiot… plain n simple
It’s like a John Grisham novel.
so the whole time i was playing with shrinky dinks… they were really shrinky penises? what the fuck…
I find it so funny that they are making a big deal about this. There are so many definitions of the word DINK, yet they are floundering on slang, please
Here are some of the definitions of dink and none of them are offensive and most are used everyday and in children�s books.
Noun: dink dingk
1. A soft return so that the tennis ball drops abruptly after crossing the net e.g. drop shot
2. Multiple or severe Punches eg �throw some dinks�
3. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a North Vietnamese soldier or guerrilla in the Vietnam War
Adjective: DINK
1. Small and insignificant – dinky [Brit]
2. (informal) pretty and neat – dinky [Brit]
Noun: DINK
1. A small locomotive – dinky [Brit], dinkey
2.
3. A couple who both have careers and no children (an acronym for dual income no kids)
dinky [Brit], dinkie [Brit]
what about that popular children�s book Dink Dink the Little Dinosaur.
Please people the word Dink has several meanings it depends on what it�s used for, if Udink is offensive as a license plate then is also considered vulgar to send you mail? Or how about putting it on your house saying �The Udink�s�, look these people are just being stupid, after all I doubt that there are very many North Vietnamese soldiers or guerrillas from the Vietnam War that would take serious offense at it. As far as street slang goes it�s not recognized as proper terms. You are not taught slang in school or by teachers. To hold someone�s name as offensive slang is ridiculous, there are people whose names are defined as an offensive term in some languages but here in the good ol� USA our national language is English the above terms are the English definitions of that word, no where in the dictionary does it define dinks as penis. Please get real people.
I leave you with this one small thought there are several word and phrases that are offensive in other countries but have a totally innocent meaning in another. After all coke is a drug but also a soda, if I go into a restaurant I cannot be offended because they have coke on the menu or by the fact that it is advertised, yet in another country coke had to change its name because it was offensive yet they did not change it here, why? Because in this country its not. So why the big brouhaha over a persons name? because they have so much time and so little to do then find offence at every little thing. I hope you told them that UDINK 1-3 were approved.