A Girl With a Sword

from the horse's mouth

I saw two license plates today that say something about the way Nebraskans seem to express themselves. I was driving through the afternoon sun back from the public library where I had been reveling in the feeling of neo-hippie culture and NPR values, when I pulled up right behind this car with MAJESTY spelled out very clearly on its white, Nebraska license plate. (I knew some people here who tried to spell out "majesty" with the initials of their kids' names, but the wife had some health problem and they only go out "maje.") Who needs a bumper sticker when you've got a vanity plate? Later, on the same drive home, I pulled up behind a Chevvie Tahoe whose license plate was pretty much on my eye level. I still had to look at it twice to believe it. It said DRAFT. What the heck? Why would someone choose to legally brand their car with that word? They're crazier than I thought. Why won't they just stick with ILUVJIM and GOLFING and not try to make cryptic religious and political statements? I was tempted to pull up next to the Tahoe and ask for an explanation, but that's probably what the driver wanted. On the other hand, the driver could have been perfectly innocent of the message. I once passed a car on the interstate plastered with "dance" and "ballet" bumper stickers and driven by a middle aged man who didn't look like the idea of tights and spandex would appeal to him in the least.