State (Iowa) says NO to F NADER license plate

For the past five years John Miller’s 1966 Chevrolet Corvair has had personalized license plates with the letters “F NADER.” The message has been an inside joke among classic car enthusiasts.

But Iowa Department of Transportation officials don’t share Miller’s humor. They have asked him to remove the plates and to surrender them to the Boone County treasurer’s office.

State officials recently determined the “F” is shorthand for a four-letter vulgarity aimed at consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Nader wrote a 1965 book, “Unsafe at Any Speed,” which criticized the safety features of many American automobiles, citing General Motors’ sporty Corvair as a example and damaging its reputation.

Miller, 51, enjoys restoring old Corvairs in his spare time, and he has four of the 1960s-era, rear-engine cars at his home in Boone. He said he never intended to be rude by displaying the black and gold personalized plates, which are a University of Iowa Hawkeye version. He said he has often seen Corvairs from other states with identical license plate lettering at national gatherings of car collectors.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS10/60601005/1001/RSS01

I recall a quick blurb mentioned in an episode of "All in the Family" (then snickered over how times have changed between 1972 and now...)

Is someone wanted to put an F BUSH license plate on their car we would all endorse it. Why should this be any different?