Shots Across The Bow

It's a good thing he's a lefty!

Otherwise a statement like this would cost Ted Rall his job:

It's unfortunate that drivers must worry that their SUVs are being targeted by insulting stickers and Molotov cocktails, but one thing's for sure: It couldn't be happening to a more deserving group of people."

Yep, if you own an SUV, you deserve to have it firebombed, and you are a selfish, dangerous monster, and responsible for most of the things wrong with the world. For more details on the actions Rall speaks of so approvingly, read the LA Times piece.

Let's examine Rall's piece a little closer, and see what other idiocy spews forth.

Ecoterrorism expert Bron Taylor of the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, says that ELF believes "that ecosystems have an inherent worth that cannot be judged in relation to human needs, that human actions are bringing the earth toward mass extinctions, and that political action is insufficient to bring about the wholesale changes needed."

Taken at face value, most Americans agree with the "elves."

Really? Most Americans favor the use of ecoterrorism to promote a marginal agenda? I'd love to see a source on that. Rall references an LAT survey (without a link), but the bits he pulls out only backs up the importance people put on the environment, not support for ELF's terrorism. And it is terrorism, not vandalism. As Rall himself says:

The idea is to make SUVs as unfashionable, and as scary to own, as fur became after the PETA-inspired spray-paint attacks of the '80s.

The goal is to scare you away from pursuing an action that Elf, and by his approval, Rall, disapproves of. Sounds like terrorism to me.

The United States produces more greenhouse gases, both per capita and overall, than any other nation, making it largely responsible for climate change.

As I've pointed out before, the facts do not support his conclusion. Yes, we emit more so-called greenhouse gasses than anybody else, but, because of our vast expanses of green spaces, we absorb more than we emit. In fact, the US is a net absorber of greenhouse gasses. Europe, on the other hand, is the worst of the net emitters, as they have virtually no green spaces left, and are highly industrialized.

The environmental crisis is, hands down, the most important matter facing humanity today. Who cares about peace in the Middle East if the region is under water, stricken by famine or choked by dust storms

Let's rephrase the question: Who will care about global mean temperature 150 years from now if the world blows up in 4 years in a thermonuclear exchange triggered by a complete breakdown in the Middle East? Histrionics are rarely a good substitute for reasoned analysis, but it makes for good sloganeering for weak minds.

They're (SUV's) the sole reason we dropped out of the Kyoto Protocol (news - web sites) to reduce greenhouse gases. SUVs have got to go.

Really? And you have quotes to back that up? And here I thought it was about the tremendous drain Kyoto would have placed on the US economy, the fact that Kyoto would not actually reduce global greenhouse emissions, and that some of the worst emitters, ie developing nations, would be exempted from compliance, that doomed the treaty. I guess that's what I get for actually reading the damned thing.

Finally, there's this:

In an ideal world, American consumers could be convinced to do the right thing through an appeal to logic with public service messages like the "What Would Jesus Drive?" TV campaign, but the kind of people who would buy a car that increases the risk to other motorists in an accident can't be reasoned with. They're selfish and stupid.

You can hear the sneer in his voice, dripping with condescension. If we don't know what's best for us, thenn by god, he and his allies will make sure we learn it.

What an ass.

I drive an SUV, and I enjoy the hell out of it. I do go off road from time to time, and have the dents and scratches to prove it. It's kept me on the road in snow and ice, hauled furniture and groceries, not to mention several kids, has 186,000 miles without any major repiars, and has in general been a great vehicle. It's primary use, however, is as a commuter vehicle, which I guess makes me selfish and stupid. Of course, my SUV gets 30 mpg, so maybe I'm not so stupid after all. But I am selfish. I worked for it, I paid for it, and I'll drive it. And if I decide to trade it in on an H2 (like I'm going to blow a year's pay on a car) then by god, I'll drive it as well.

(Hat tip to Right Wing News)

Posted by Rich at September 18, 2003 12:03 PM | TrackBack