Canadian Acrophobia

A license plate SNAF... er, mistake ... in the Yukon
Published: March 11th, 2010 01:01 PM

When the U.S. military finished building the Alaska Highway through Canada during World War II, it left behind mementoes of its presence, including a variety of place names. But a couple of the names sometimes credited to the U.S. Army are not fit for vehicle license plates, says the Yukon government.

The Whitehorse Daily Star reports on the attempt by the Territory to recall Douglas Potter's recently acquired license plate. Potter won't give it up without a fight.

"Unfortunately, SNAFU appears on our list of banned vanity plates based on ‘offensive language' connotations," reads the March 5 letter to Douglas Potter from the motor vehicles branch directing him to return his two plates by April 15.
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"Yeah, I like the plate," he said in an interview shortly after receiving Andison's letter.
The Riverdale resident said he applied for the plate last spring because he has fond memories of Snafu Lake on the Atlin Road. The Yukon government, said Potter, has named a campground after the [SNAFU] acronym, a lake and a creek.

"The Snafu campground sign is a big freakin' sign, and they say a little licence plate is offensive," Potter said. "Some of the plates, I understand, are offensive, but this word has been around longer than I have."
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[There's] widespread agreement that SNAFU originated with the American military. The notoriously difficult construction of the Alaska Highway no doubt gave engineers plenty of opportunity to put the acronym to use.
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What the..??? What’s offensive?

Situation
Normal
All
Fouled
Up

Or am I missing something? The Canadian government must have VERY dirty little minds. :-)
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