There’s a famous story about New Hampshire and the “Live Free or Die” motto. When the state decided to slap it on all their license plates, George Maynard, a Jehovah’s Witness, decided the motto was not an accurate representation of his way of life and covered up the motto on the license plates of his vehicles.
After receiving several citations and a 15-day stint in jail for failing to comply or pay his fines, Maynard sought relief from the District Court, where “a three-judge court enjoined the State from arresting and prosecuting appellees in the future for covering the motto on their license plates.”
The state, (ahem) “seeking to communicate to others an official view as to proper appreciation of history, state pride, and individualism,” appealed the decision, eventually landing in the Supreme Court case of Wooley v. Maynard, 430 U.S. 705 (1977), which ruled in favor of Maynard.
The case could just as easily have been called Irony v. Irony, but I’ve never met anyone who didn’t sympathize with Maynard. Representing himself in court for the early citations, he defended himself thusly:
[B]y religious training and belief, I believe my ‘government’ — Jehovah’s Kingdom — offers everlasting life. It would be contrary to that belief to give up my life for the state, even if it meant living in bondage. Although I obey all laws of the State not in conflict with my conscience, this slogan is directly at odds with my deeply held religious convictions.
. . . I also disagree with the motto on political grounds. I believe that life is more precious than freedom.
Here’s the thing that brings all this to mind now: I’m a fan of Something Called Democracy and will continue being so. But I think that most of us use the term believing ourselves to be on the side of Mr. Maynard, while history will show “democracy” and its advocates to be a lot more like the state of New Hampshire.