An Act to Create Special Veteran Plates and Emblems does not set a precedent in the state of Maine. There are license plates currently being issued by the state to honor combat veterans who are disabled, received the Congressional Medal of Honor, were stationed at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, were former prisoners of war and those veterans who have received a purple heart.

By issuing these license plates, the state of Maine already has set a precedent in honoring individuals who were in combat, for their individual achievements.

An Act to Create Special Veteran Plates and Emblems and An Act Making Revisions to the Laws Concerning Special Veterans does nothing more than broaden the scope of previous laws that honor individuals for their individual achievements while serving their country. The special plates and emblems will not turn one veteran against another, just as these other license plates have not. And an administrative nightmare has not occurred through the issuing of the other special license plates.

An Act to Create Special Veteran Plates and Emblems will only continue Maine’s tradition of honoring its veterans for their individual achievements when they served their state and country. A generic license plate with a “V” for veterans will just not do this. It may be the safest and easiest road to take, but I do not feel it is the right road for its intended purpose. It brings everyone to the lowest common denominator and if the goal of this generic license plate is fairness, then the other license plates should also be recalled and reissued, out of fairness. Terry D. Lanyi Norridgewock