Happily Throwing the Environmentalists out with the Bath Water
See, this is why I can't support environmentalist causes. Wanting our cars to be cleaner? That's honorable. Hoping we rely less on foreign oil?..
Good idea. Connecting hurricanes to Ford Motor Company? Give me a &*#%ing break!!! I just got a press release from "Jumpstart Ford.org" and in it the group details their latest effort to "Shine Spotlight on Ford's Oil Addiction." The release goes on to talk about how they are going to shine spotlights on various buildings in L.A. and Detroit with messages that say:
"Hurricanes Built Ford Tough" and
"2000+ Killed in a War for Oil; Ford, Building Cars to Die For"
Hurricanes built Ford tough? HURRICANES BUILT FOR TOUGH?
Thank you for earning the title "environmentalist wacko." Why stop at blaming hurricanes on Ford. You know, I think it was the Excusion's fumes that served to create the avian flu. And that woman who killed her 5 kids in Texas. Didn't she drive a Ford? A-HA! Ford really is responsible for every bad thing that's ever happened in the world.
BTW, Ford isn't addicted to oil, AMERICA IS! And unless every member of "Jumpstart Ford.org" has never owned, driven or ridden in a car/bus/train/plain, they are all being rather hyprocritical.
Ah, I feel much better now.
- Posted by
- Karl Brauer November 10, 2005, 7:30 PM
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You're on target that there are some environmental groups that go completely overboard in their messages. As someone that considers themself an environmentalist, I cringe when I see some of the crazy statements and actions. But like all things in life, the vocal minority do not represent the vast majority of people with similar interests. So I hope they haven't driven you so far away that you do not support any environmental causes because of the crazy fringe.
Where even mainstream environmental groups do have a point is that the major auto companies all spend huge $$ lobbying congress to ensure the laughable fuel economy standards do not get improved. It is an out and out disgrace that SUVs are still excempt from CAFE because of their "light truck" status. Sure people like SUVs and they should be able to drive them, but they should be subject to the same rules as cars (which currently have too lax rules as it is, for that matter). When 50% of the auto's sold are excempt from having to get decent fuel mileage, you are basically preventing the American consumer from trying to wean themselves, at least in part, from oil... they just can't do it if the auto companies do not offer that option.
While I think that we rely way to much on oil for our automotive infastructure. The loons who do stupid stuff like "Hurricanes Built Ford Tough" are just plain stupid, and deserve to be berated.
We all want better fuel economy.. Unless you are an exec with a big oil corp.
Just don't eb stupid about wanting better fuel economy. You will be made fun of.
Agree with everything you say zcar3. While I typically find myself cringing at joining the environmentalists cause, it's comments like yours that bring me back around to feeling like there is some good environmentalist thinking going on out there.
Ford will be happy to sell you an Escape hybrid. Give them a break.
And why pick on Ford? Toyota's V8 engines pollute far more than any of the engines in the Excursion or Expedition. They just have great PR from the Prius, which casts a pro-environment halo over the whole company.
But it's Toyota that is making the grossly polluting trucks.
The problem with groups like this is that they will never be happy until everyone walks or bikes to work and all cars are relegated to the scrap heap. So why try doing ANYTHING to appease them if they'll never be happy?
We need an environmental group that realizes that we need to be able to walk before we can run.