Sacramento Man Battles DMV Over Personal Plate ('go to 11')

[Kadie]

Jun 18, 2007 10:14 pm US/Pacific

Local Man Battles DMV Over Personal Plate


Mike Dello Stritto
Reporting

(CBS13) SACRAMENTO One guy is going head-to-head with a DMV over his head-turning vanity license plate.

snip...
"I had the plate for about five years now," said Keith Wagner, owner of some controversial vanity plates.

snip...
"It says 'go to 11'," said Wagner.

Someone else's interpretation had the DMV putting the brakes on this bumper billboard.

Keith got a letter telling him to turn in his tags because, "someone said is says 'go to hell' and I said 'no it doesn't'," said Wagner.

"Someone says it says 'go to hell'. It says go to 11," said Keith referring to a scene in the movie "This Is Spinal Tap".

more...
http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_170011516.html

[deepthought42]

1. How do you get those mixed up???

GOTO11 <---to me, that does not look like "go to hell". Sounds to me like someone was projecting...

[tridim]

3. Or programming in 1980's BASIC.

11 PRINT "The DMV Sucks"
12 GOTO 11

[rinsd]

2. I could see a problem if it said "Go to L" but this?

:shrug:

[bunkerbuster1]

4. who DOESN'T know what "Go to eleven" means?

It's probably one of a dozen or so most quoted lines in movies from the past couple of decades. Weird.

[niyad]

8. uh, ME--but then, I didn't see the movie. still, how stupid does one have to be to see "go to hell

in that plate?????

living proof that some people have wayyyyyyyyyy too much time on their hands!!

[wicket]

13. See the movie!!!

It's a classic! :D

[Solo_in_MD]

17. I didn't see it too...and had never heard that phrase before

then again, I don't see anything wrong with the plate as it is too

[ComerPerro]

5. Wow, that's pathetic. "It looks like 'go to hell'". So????

[Initech]

6. I figured out right away it was a Spinal Tap reference!

:headbang:

Of course some idiot who cant figure it out has to ruin it!

[hughee99]

7. This is idiotic...

The DMV is revoking it because someone claims it says "go to hell"? The DMV issued the F'ing license plate to him. They know EXACTLY what it does say as they are the ones responsible for keeping that information. How did this complaint not get tossed the second after someone at the DMV investigated it?

[VWolf]

9. Why don't they rename it "GOTO10" and make that the loudest?

...... waiting for it ......

[mikeytherat]

10. But this one goes to 11.

mikey_the_rat

[VWolf]

11. .... thanks. Possibly the funniest line in a very funny movie. nt

[mikeytherat]

15. Have you seen the original cut (it's on a special DVD release).

The original was much, much darker. Derek Smalls' divorce is getting nasty, and his wife keeps making her alimony demands in full-page ads in Variety. He's always on the phone yelling at his agent, and his character is developed more as the truly smart and savvy member of the band, and the glue that holds it all together. I definitely like the lighter and funnier final cut they settled on.

mikey_the_rat

[VWolf]

18. No, and based on your comments I'm glad I haven't

Best to keep it light

"Puppet Show and Spinal Tap" LMAO

[Warpy]

12. I am so sick of language police

and I'm talking about the prissy people on both sides who seem to be looking for something to offend them and will make something up if they don't find it.

While a plate that said "GO2HELL" might be offensive, anything that requires the mental gymnastics to translate two numeral ones into two "L's" and then into "HELL" is just a little too convoluted to worry about being offended over.

While hard fighting racist and sexist words like the "N word" and the "C word" should be discouraged from polite discourse, even they have contexts where they can be used with little offensiveness, as within the groups that bear them or in discussions of why some words pack such an offensive punch.

Some codes, like the 88 that is code for "HH" or "Heil Hitler" may be offensive to me, but I appreciate having it as a twit indicator.

I sincerely hope the DMV official in question rents "Spinal Tap" and realizes that the prune who complained about the license tag is the problem and not the person whose car bore it.

[Greyskye]

14. CA DMV turned me down as well

many many (20+) years ago - in the Sacramento area as a matter of fact. My very first new car - a Honda CRX, bright red. I applied for the plate HOT CRX. As it was a red hot, er, well, CRX.

Was turned down as being sexually suggestive. :eyes:

[bunkerbuster1]

16. Well, the "R" could look like an "E" if you squint...

and if you pronounce the "C" like an "S" it could mean that you think Hot Sex is a good thing.

And That Would Be Wrong.