As if the dusty pick up truck with empty Jim Beam bottles in the back and denim overalls don't give it away, maybe a Confederate flag-themed license plate will.
State officials might soon be forced to allow the Confederate flag on specialty plates now that a Central Florida judge refuses to toss out a lawsuit by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the same group that led to the Homestead Veteran's Day parade being axed this year.
Motorists can buy a state-issued Confederate flag license plate in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The Sons of the Confederate Veterans proposed the design four years ago, but legislators did not approve of the idea, likely because of the expected backlash and possible media attention that would come with it.
No one wants to give Al Sharpton a reason to call a press conference.
The Sons of the Confederate Veterans sued and a federal judge ruled the lawsuit may proceed.
"The people want something and it's their right to have it," John Adams, who is leading the license plate crusade, told WESH. "Public opinion doesn't determine what people's rights are, the constitution does."
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Florida offers about 100 specialty plates, most of them dedicated to saving the manatee or fighting cancer. Others are dedicated to a sports team or state college or university.
If the Sons of Confederate Veterans wins, as many as 45,000 rebel flags could be attached to bumpers across the state, Adams estimates. The group would also receive $25 for every plate sold, which would go toward preserving battlefields and building a Confederate museum.
As you might expect, the NAACP is leading the charge against the specialty plate.
“I think it's a horrible idea,” President of the Orange County NAACP Rev. Randolph Bracy said. “All they want to do is muck rake and make up, supposedly the heritage. That's a sorted heritage, because that is absolutely repugnant to me."
