Vanity plate case a slam-dunk

For crying out loud, give Dennis Udink his vanity plate.

Udink, who is Dutch and proud of his heritage, wanted a personalized license plate. A Division of Motor Vehicles program deemed that the Price man's name was vulgar and obscene. Therefore, the DMV would not permit him to receive the vanity license plate.

Frankly, we don't get it. The dictionaries we checked refer to a dink as a shortened version of the word dinghy, which is a small boat or raft. We understand the word is used occasionally as slang, or as a pejorative, but the meaning is unclear and its usage is rare.

And, after all, as Udink protests, it's his name. He had no intent of causing a stir. He just wanted a license plate for his sports utility vehicle with his name on it. It's as simple as that.

Of course, dealing with a bureaucracy is never truly as simple as that, is it? It's not as if he knowingly sought out to place an obscene, vulgar or offensive word below his bumper. He just wanted to place the name that was his father's, his grandfather's and so on, on a Utah license plate. Udink is fairly common name if you live in Price or Ogden, where Udink's ancestors settled originally.

Nope, Udink's request has become a federal case. Well, more correctly, a matter heard by the state Administrative Rules Review Committee, which is considering a rule change that would give the DMV more discretion in situations such as this.

Clearly, the DMV needs a little more latitude to better serve the public. There needs to be a process to deal with vanity plate requests that are questionable. Since personalized license plates are seen by all who share the road with the plate holder, the state has some interest in ensuring the messages on the placards are appropriate.

Yet, it's doubtful that an application from a person named Smith or Jones would be given second's hesitation. Understanding his intent, should Udink's application should be viewed any differently?

The Administrative Rules Review Committee needs give the DMV sufficient latitude to grant requests such as Udink's.