On Tuesday April 20, 1999 I went to the Huntsville courthouse to request a custom car tag reading "DOUGAL", my nickname. The computer showed that this name was available, so I filled out the paperwork, wrote my check, and was on my merry way.

This morning, however, I received a call informing me that my request for the name "DOUGAL" on my car tag had been denied. It seems that someone has convinced themselves that the intention of my tag was to read "Do U Gal". This interpretation had never even crossed my mind.

I'm a bit confused about why my request for this name for my car tag was denied:

• My middle name is MacDougal. Any number of state records, including my birth certificate, driver's license, and tax records (among others) can confirm this.
• The phone company has a listing for me under the name Dougal Campbell.
• My business cards give my name as Dougal Campbell. And when the lady from the courthouse called to relay the information about the denial to me, she had to listen to my company’s employee phone directory to find my extension. The name given for me is Dougal Campbell.
• I have even been quoted in several Huntsville newspaper articles regarding information about the Internet. I have always given my name as Dougal Campbell.
• Even if my intention had been "Do U Gal", what's so offensive about that?

I have included a photocopy of my driver's license and my business card.

In conclusion, please reconsider my request to have my nickname, Dougal, as my custom car tag.