Are you qualified to censor vanity license plates for the State of Colorado?
In these tough economic times, with so many Coloradans looking for work, who doesn’t dream of landing a cushy government job?  One such position could be working as a censor for the Motor Vehicle Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue. 

The job description: determine whether proposed vanity plates should be approved or rejected.  

The only criteria for your decisions: whether the proposed combination of letters and numbers
“carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency.” 

Sounds easy, but it’s harder than you may think. Consider tofu. One Coloradan liked everyone’s favorite soy product enough to pay extra to proclaim her passion on a vanity plate. While “I love tofu” seems harmless enough, a vigilant Colorado DMV employee spotted a potential threat to public morals and averted near-disaster by rejecting the plate. If you had been on the job, would you have been as vigilant?

Being an official state censor requires a well-refined sensitivity to nuance and subtle distinctions.  Consider the examples below.  Each pair depicts a plate that veteran Colorado censors rejected as offensive to good taste and decency next to a very similar plate that was approved.  If the distinction seems as mysterious to you as it does to us, you might need to look for a different line of work.  

If you know which of the plates above were approved and which were banned, you're ready to play:
Who Wants To Be A Colorado DMV Censor?
Play as many times as you like; the plates are different every time!

ActionScript by Gordon French

How did you do? Don't worry if you didn't score very well, neither did we.

Want more?
ACLU Favorite Pairs (our list of the most mysterious pairs of approved and denied plates)

ALL Colorado DMV rejected vanity plates

ALL Colorado DMV approved vanity plates

Press
You're not the only one interested in this story, it turns out reporters all over the world love tofu too:

"Vanity Plates Catch ACLU's Eye", Denver Post, 4/24/09

"ACLU Joins Debate Over Offensive License Plates", CBS4, 4/24/09

"Sorry BUFMAMA, You Are Offensive", Sydney Morning Herald, 4/24/09

"ACLU Throws Its Weight Around in Battle for CO Vanity Plates?", AutoBlog.com, 4/25/09

"Vegan wants ILVTOFU on license plate. 2BAD, state says", Los Angeles Times, 5/10/09

"What Happened to the 'Civil' in Civil Liberties?", Calgary Herald, 5/13/09 (a disapproving voice)

And just when you thought it couldn't get any sillier...

"ACLU Director Gets Off Good One", Denver Post, 5/7/09

"ACLU offers to represent politician who wants an ACLUSUX vanity plate", BoingBoing.net, 5/11/09

"A License to Conceal", Colorado Law Week, 6/30/09

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