How did it come to this? How did an object so utterly dull as a vehicle registration plate become a battleground for the rights of Americans?

事情是如何发展到现今这个地步的？为什么这么一块无聊透顶的车牌演变成了美国人权的战场？

"What began as reasonable self-expression has become divisive and confrontational," says Dan Neil, automotive columnist at the Wall Street Journal.

《华尔街日报》汽车专栏作家丹·尼尔说：“这是因为合理的自我表达演变得具有分裂意义和对抗性。”

Emblazoning the Confederate flag on your car "is like waving a red rag to a bull - they're daring you to be offended by their politics", he says.

把南部联盟的国旗绘制在车牌上无异于“在公牛面前抖动红布，这是一种政治挑衅”。

The story of licence plates begins at the turn of the 20th Century, when the first "horseless carriages" began careering around towns - frightening children and causing anxiety for authorities.

车牌的历史起源于20世纪初——当时第一辆“没有马的马车”开始在城里横冲直撞，吓坏了儿童也让当局紧张。

In 1907, the state of Texas decreed that all motorised vehicles must be registered - and drivers must display their digits.

1907年，德克萨斯州规定：所有机动车辆一律需要登记，司机必须展示车牌号。

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