Letter: DMV chief right to stop plate with mushroom cloud

Wednesday, June 19, 2002 | 9:11 a.m.

Just because something happened and should be remembered doesn't mean it has to be glorified. Several states have built Holocaust museums specifically so that future generations will know of that terrible event in history. I missed the part where they raised their money by issuing a license plate featuring a cartoon drawing of the gas chambers of Treblinka.

The fund-raising goals of the plate are to be applauded. A museum to honor the history of the Nevada Test Site is a worthy endeavor, assuming that the museum will not practice "revisionist history" by ignoring the sometimes devastating effects of the above-ground tests.

Defensive proponents of the museum have taken rejection of the mushroom cloud plate as rejection of the museum. They are mistaken.

Lewis showed courage, good judgment and decorum when she made the decision to stop the plate. Surely, with the pool of talent available in Nevada, a different design can be found to benefit the museum, the fund-raising can begin, and the museum can move on.

STEFANI EVANS