Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for January 03, 2016

Excelsior

What would Pig have done upon seeing the Missouri motto, “Show Me”?

Washington: “by and by.”

The Texas motto should be officially changed, as “friendship” isn’t really what “tejas” means. Also, something about guns and alcohol would be more appropriate, anyway.

New Hampshire knows something!

I wonder what Pig would do with some of the state mottoes that are in Latin, such as "Ditat Deus “God enriches” (Arizona) or “Ad astra per aspera” “The way to the stars is through difficulties” (Kansas).

Essex Motto – Does this make my bum look big?

Stephan Thank-You for the education…………….well what happens with it who knows…………….

The billboards proclaiming “Welcome to Maryland” used to carry the slogan “Please drive gently”. Almost as good as the juxtaposition of “Virginia is for Lovers” — “Maryland is for Crabs”.

I’m surprised it wasn’t New Jerky

I spent pretty much all of the 1970s in New Mexico, whose motto (in Latin) is “it grows as it goes”..That one always bothered me.

When people taped over the Live Free or Die motto on their license plates in NH, they were arrested or fined. So much for Living Free.

Alabama state motto: ROLL TIDE! ;)

The fight for freedom? Curiously, it’s the only one with true meaning. “Hope”???? WTF is that? (I know what hope is, I wonder what that has to do with a state motto.)

I’d imagine it has something to do with their heritage of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. I think Ethan Allen was shooting for his own Republic at one point in the Revolution.

Yes we are.

So I guess they’d just love Iiving under Stalin…….

In Georgia, we can stick “In God We Trust” on our license plates, but it is optional. If it becomes mandatory, I hope we are allowed to add “All Others Pay Cash.”

NC doesn’t put it’s official motto on the license tags, Instead we have some statement that is part of a pissing contest with Ohio. Speaking of license tags, remember when each state had only one version? NC must have at least a dozen variations of what the tag looks like….

I don’t know. I think Kansas’s motto, “To the stars through difficulties,” is a lot more depressing. New Hampshire’s is essentially saying a life without freedom is not worth living. Kansas’s is saying that only through a life of pain and difficulty will we reach the stars. Much more scary and depressing.

The New Hampshire motto seems like a pretty good one to me. At least it’s not apologetic.

The motto of my own state, translated from the official Latin version, is “He who is transplanted still sustains”, which is okay, I suppose.

The DC license plates now say “Taxation without Representation”

Judging by the signs at the state line, the motto of Ill-Annoy (my home state) is “Construction Ahead—Expect Long Delays.”

New Mexico could go with Missouri: It grows as it goes. Show me.

In Pogo (do people still remember that?) Walt Kelly quoted the state motto of Michigan more than once. “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice”. Now that’s a state motto.

In Idaho,, The only famous potato I seen was “Mr. potato head” He’s still around but with different faces.In Montana the motto is “Come and look at our wildlife and parks,, spend your money then leave.”

ny’s new motto: fuhgedaboudit

You should try Virginia’s Pig, “Thus Always to Tyrants” Not exactly warm and cuddlyeither.

They’re just as bad in Old Hampshire. That’s why I live on the Isle of Wight (motto “Come back next week”)

ae squared. The Kansas motto was written at the time of the Civil War. Kansas was at the center of the tension in the 1850’s. The motto was written to reflect that.

I’m surprised by the motto my home Commonwealth of MA. It’s not all that different in spirit than NH.

Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem

or

By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty

So much for being a bunch of liberal pacifists.

My motto for it has always been:

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State of Confusion

Nevada’s is “All For Our Country” which is pleasant enough, but one of the nicknames for Nevada is “Battle Born” which stems from the state’s admission to the union during the Civil War. I’m not a native of NV, and the “Battle Born” nickname threw me. Sounds a bit aggressive.

INDIANA: WTH is a “Hoosier”?

@TreesaurusAs @packratjohn said, it was “Better dead than red”, but your interpretation explains a lot in the U.S. today. Especially Bernie Sanders.

New Hampshire has been controlled by liberal Democrats for so long they don’t even know what “live free” means any more.

Florida used to have the motto “Let Us Alone” on their flag.

Wyoming was first to give women the vote. They wanted to be a State & needed enough voters to justify a Congressman.

@DOSQueen,Is the Spiro on S.C.’s license plate a reference to Spiro Agnew?

Where is “Wyoming?”

xxx

I don’t think they duplicate any alpha/numeric combinations with the different appearances of the plates. I suppose you have to pay extra for anything but the “standard” plate. I am sure it has to be a revenue producing reason…or at least I would hope so.

Vermont: Stella quarta decima fulgeat (may the fourteenth star shine bright)

“Live Free or Die” is a scary idea? What an insult to the people who died to make and keep this a free country. Pastis should be dropped into Syria. It wouldn’t take long until he wouldn’t find NH so scary. He ought to move to North Korea where he can die a slave.

Hey! My big cousin lives in New Hampshire on his hilly, dog-guarded, remote forty acres (though he says the neighborhood is getting crowded, because one can see the next-door neighbors’ house with the help of binoculars).It’s a nice motto, if you can follow it….

That’s a common mistake. The actual motto is, “Live, Freeze, or Die.”

Honest state mottos:Mississippi: “We make you feel good about your state.”Alabama: “At least we’re not Mississippi.”

It means that (officially) we don’t have any taxes. There is no state income tax. But there are lots of state and municipal “fees” that every one else calls a tax. Oh, and while there isn’t a sales tax, there is a meals tax that is higher than Maine or Massachusetts.

Since Ca started allowing people to repaint thier plates, a cottage industry has started up with people painting the newer plates with the 60s black with gold letters. If you have a 60s car, maybe, but I am seeing the old style colors on plates of much newer cars.

Always thought it was live free AND die…

I live in New Hampshire. Getting called relentlessly by pollsters, politicos, and hucksters would turn anyone scary. I think we were the first state to issue vanity license plates as well! Years ago I saw an ancient stake-bed pickup that had bits of hay coming out of all of its seams and panels. License plate was EIEIO.

Um, Idaho, where I still live, very clearly has Famous Potatoes on the license plate.

“L’etoile du Nord”. I guess that makes us a bunch of Nords…

But officer, I’m teaching an underage chimpanzee how to snort cocaine off the back of a hooker through the barrel of a 357 magnum. How much freer could I be?

Apparently Minnesota’s is “Star of the North”. (Googled it)

Meanwhile in 2020…the antimaskers turned it into “live free AND die”

Hehe Texas “friendship”

hey!!!! I LIVE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Is that really the motto? Seems like Texas and New Hampshire should trade.