South Carolina, which led the country in tomfoolery throughout 2010 is determined to keep its title as nuttiest state in the union this year.

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In what can only be called the worst idea of 2011 thus far, the S.C. legislature is considering a proposal to feature a specialty license plate bearing the slogan, "Coon Hunter."
Several lawmakers in the South Carolina State House recently introduced bills that would allow the DMV to issue more than a dozen new specialty plates, including one with the slogan "Coon Hunters." Yes, "Coon Hunters."

Let's take this a step further, just to illustrate the point:

Imagine you are driving north from your vacation in Miami and you are passing through South Carolina on your way to Charlotte (because it's a recession and you have no money for airfare).

You start to experience car trouble, and soon you end up on the side of a dark, country road where there is no cell service. You see lights approaching, and you are relieved because you figure it's a car that will be able to help you get to a gas station or to some other point resembling civilization. They pull up slowly and you notice their front license plate: it says "Coon Hunter."

Sorry, where was I ...

While the "Coon Hunters" plate may raise some eyebrows for its apparent use of a racial slur, it's apparently meant to celebrate raccoon hunting. Revenue from sales of the plate would go toward the South Carolina State Coon Hunters Association Youth Fund.

That group's website states:

"The S.C. State CHA was established in 1982 to promote the sport of coonhunting in our state.... We work constantly with members of our General Assembly to insure[sic] that our hunting privileges are not infringed upon." [sic]

I honestly don't doubt that there is a raccoon hunting contingent in South Carolina who just want to promote their cause.

But damn!

Who really thinks a "coon hunter" plate is really a good idea? Aren't there any black raccoon hunters on the Board who said, "This may not be our best move..."?

We know that space is limited for license plates, but I really think the organization could have thought of a better slogan to be memorialized on a vehicle license plate.

Either way, the Coon plates may never come to fruition. The bills have a long way to go before they become a reality.

There are among 200 measures South Carolina lawmakers pre-filed at the end of last year - a procedure that indicates what legislators would like to work on in the upcoming session.

It seems clear, as 2011 begins, that South Carolina, the state of the venerable Alvin Greene, Mark Sanford, Jim Demint and the potential "Coon Hunter" license plate, is determined that no state, I mean no state, will out-crazy them.