A philosophical message is no longer considered "objectionable" or "obscene" by officials in Florida.

he Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has reversed an earlier decision, and now says that Gainesville nonbeliever Steven Miles may keep his personalized license plate that states "ATHEIST."

   Last month, officials declared that the tag was "obscene or objectionable," and ordered Miles to return it. Miles has had the vanity plate for 16 years, and now displays it proudly on his 1994 Toyota Camary. According to the St. Petersburg Times, though, the DMV received a typed letter dated Feb 11 which declared:

"We are all Florida residents and we saw the Florida tag 'Atheist' on a vehicle the other day. We are writing to say we find this tag offensive and we do not think it should be on a vehicle."

   The protest was signed by 12 people. "Attempts to reach those with legible signatures were unsuccessful," noted the Times.

   Last month, Mr. Miles, an electrical engineer at the University of Florida, received his own letter from the state informing him that the tag had to be returned. According to DMV spokesperson Robert Sanchez, a supervisor in the Bureau of Titles and Registration in Tallahassee agreed that the plate was "obscene or objectionable."

   "The plate must be canceled," declared the office, and insisted that Miles return it.

   Mr. Miles instead contacted the Florida ACLU, which threatened legal action. Howard Simon, executive director of the civil rights group said that the state's decision was "absurd" and revealed poor judgment.

   "Apparently the standard is whatever happens to pop into the heads of DMV at any particular time," he told the Times. He also asked for the bureau to write and publicize "rational guidelines" for what might qualify as objectionable or offensive content on license tags.

   Internet chat boards and e-mails lit up following a recent story in the St. Petersburg Times about the department rejecting the "ATHEIST" vanity tag. A flurry of protests followed, and yesterday a DMV official informed Miles that he could keep the plate. "I'm elated," Miles told reporters. "Now I don't have to fight for what should be mine in the first place."

   Vanity plates on cars have been issues of controversy and even legal wrangling in Florida and other states.

   In 1991, officials with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles refused to issue "ATHEIST" plates to Atheist and First Amendment activist Arnold Via. The state reversed its decision after legal pressure. The content of plates remains an incendiary issue, though if they bear controversial messages. In 1993, the DMV canceled the plates of a Northern Virginia man who had tags declaring "GOVTSUX." A woman had her plates revoked because they spelled "HAISSEM," or "Messiah" backwards. Religious legal groups have gotten involved in disputes over plates referring to biblical phrases such as "ROMANS5."

   New Jersey American Atheists State Director Dave Silverman has tags on his vehicle saying "BLASFMR" accented with an Atheist bumper sticker and the Evolve Fish logo. In Tennessee, Carletta Sims -- the state AA director -- has an "ATHEIST" plate with a sticker proclaiming "God is just another addiction.."

   "Generally speaking, I don't have a lot of problems (with the plate)," Sims told the Holland Sentinel newspaper. "When you get my age, you have nothing to fear."

   Other nonbelievers elsewhere boast everything from "ATHEIST" tags to similar messages on their vanity plates.

   Mr. Miles has had a few encounters with those angry over his license plate message. "I had a wrench thrown at me about 10 years ago, " he told the Times, "and it went right over the hood." On another occasion, "someone surreptitiously tore up my tag and threw it in the bushes. I put a frame and a plastic cover on it after that." He has also had anonymous notes placed on his car. "Some took issue with his stance; others cheered him on."

   Curiously, religious messages on tags are permitted. One resident of the state has had two vanity plates for over 15 years declaring "ALL4GOD" and "GOD4ALL." The state also sponsors a controversial "Choose Life" plate available for a small fee.

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