They give interesting insights into what really makes people tick. Firstly, I'm disappointed that the DMV is even bothering to recall the license plate at all. Heck, they didn't find it offensive for twelve years. The plate became the center of a controversy in May, when a Japanese-American police officer complained about it. Not a big surprise, really.
Nothing gets a bureaucracy moving faster than complaints from the citzenry.
The DMV asked the Pettys to remove it, but the couple refused and asked for a hearing. At the August hearing, the Pettys argued that the department had taken political correctness too far. But the police officer, his attorney and representatives of the Japanese American Citizen League testified that the plate offends them. They need to get a life. But I won't bother, since it's irrelevant to the point.