Live Free or Die, the New Hampshire Way

While walking through the school parking lot the other evening, I noticed a license plate that I immediately filed in my "ridiculous" category. (It's important to note that the category itself isn't ridiculous, however the items referred to within are.) It wasn't the letters and numbers on the license plate that caught my eye, rather it was the state slogan. It was a New Hampshire plate that read "Live Free or Die."

Apparently, this state motto has been around since 1809 and was first written by General John Stark, who was one of the great generals from the Revolutionary War. The motto, however, wasn't applied to the state until 1945, just as WWII was coming to an end. To me, every state needs to have a great slogan. "Virginia is for Lovers" is probably the best I had heard. Pennylvania's kind of sucks ("The State of Independence"? How much more boring can we get!?) But New Hampshire... now that's a hardcore slogan. I'd venture to say that slogan might even be "extreme!" Maybe even "X-treme!" It has that sort of "Puff Daddy is making me vote" vibe to it.

I think they can take things a step further. Get even more extreme with their state slogan:
• New Hampshire, as hard as a sock full of nickels.
• New Hampshire, we curb stomped Vermont.
• New Hampshire, tying one off.
• New Hampshire, our state is blue but our blood is red.
• New Hampshire, live free or we'll kill you.
• New Hampshire, no fat chicks.
• New Hampshire, we suffocated Old Hampshire with a plastic grocery bag.
• New Hampshire, home of the shiv.
• New Hampshire, Santa and the Easter Bunny aren't real.
• New Hampshizzle.
• Clap on, clap off, New Hampshire.