Naturalist pines for vanity plate nixed by Michigan
 

LANSING, Mich. – A tree lover who wanted to honor Michigan's state tree with license plates bearing its Latin name has had his plans nixed for fear the tags could cause offense.

Sierra Club forestry expert Marvin Roberson had hoped for PINUS (PY'-nus) vanity plates, representing the white pine whose Latin name is pinus strobus.

The Department of State panel that vets vanity plate requests has voiced concern that the name could be confused with a word for the male sexual organ.

State spokeswoman Kelly Chesney says the Michigan Vehicle Code bans "letter combinations which might carry a connotation offensive to good taste and decency."

Roberson says he loves pines and hopes Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land overturns the decision.

ridiculous. They could have used the money from the vanity plate for spelling lessons.

and ridiculouser:

Aurora Mall (don't know where Aurora is) bans guy for one year for wearing "Yes We Cannabis" t-shirt:

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword...bis_t-shir.php

He'll have pinus envy.

Lucky he isn't a fan of African wildlife. They'd never allow Dikdik.

Did he drive a Prius?

Aurora is just east of Denver (Colorado).

I wood have let him have it

Oh. Naturalist. Not Naturist.

Before I opened this I wondered what the state would have against a vanity plate that said either NUDE or NAKED.

Could be that they considered that the amount of monney from those vanity plates would have amounted to PEANUTS.

I bet it cost more to reject it than they made from the plates (I think it's $35) But srsly -BS, he's just trying it on. If he really wanted to honor that tree, he'd have picked "Strobus" not "Pinus". Jus' sayin'. Pinus is all pines.

Aside from this discussion, I understand that each state of the US has a state tree and also a state bird.

Is there other 'state' things and where does it come from?

The Hawaii state fish is the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a.

Buckeye tree (cool!)
Cardinal (boring, when I renew my plates this year I'm getting the Scenic Rivers plate with a Blue Heron...and hey how ugly are the new Ohio regular plates? It's like a yellow and a blue crayon threw up)

Apparently our unofficial fish is the Walleye. :yum:

I learned that watching Dog the bounty hunter...

PA:
Tree: E. Hemlock
Animal: Killer Deer
Flower: Mountain Laurel
Insect: Firefly
Dog: Great Dane
Beverage: Milk

I have it on a T-shirt.

Ohio:

insect: ladybug
mammal: white-tailed killer deer
beverage: tomato juice (?)
reptile: black racer snake
fossil: Trilobite isotelus

Guess we don't have a dog!