Aren’t there better ways to protest Hummers?
Whether you call it vandalism or eco-terrorism, last week’s Hummer torching at a Liberty Lake auto dealership was the wrong way to make a valid political point.
The fiery protest could have started a brush fire or even killed someone. As it was, the stunt caused about $55,000 in damage and prompted an FBI investigation. That’s a headache George Gee Automotive doesn’t need. I’ve had several brief encounters with the dealership and found Gee’s employees friendly and helpful. But not even jerks should be subjected to destructive acts for selling a legal product some people revile. After all, we don’t firebomb 7-Elevens for peddling cigarettes.
Acts of anarchy rarely generate sympathy for a cause anyway. Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals used to undermine their movement by throwing paint at people wearing fur coats. But when PETA recently documented appalling animal abuses at a U.S. poultry plant, more regular folks started seeing some of the group’s points. Similarly, the eco-boobs who targeted Gee need to understand that burning SUVs will only harden pro-Hummer attitudes.
Instead of watching their credibility go up in smoke, these activists must adopt nonviolent tactics to sell the message that giant SUVs pollute the air excessively, endanger drivers of smaller vehicles, undercut the nation’s ability to achieve energy independence, damage our roadways and lead to higher pump prices for everyone.
One way to do it: Point out that Hummer H1 models may be outlawed on most Spokane streets. As the online magazine Slate noted recently, many U.S. communities restrict the use of trucks with gross vehicle weights of more than 6,000 pounds – making it technically illegal for large SUVs to cruise residential streets. In Spokane, the gross weight limit on non-arterial roads is 10,000 pounds. The only SUV busting that generous cap is the H1, which buckles the pavement at 10,300 pounds. Talk about a gross vehicle weight. Why don’t activists ask Spokane police to start ticketing H1 owners who stray off designated truck routes? Drive home the fact that Hummers (including the 8,600-pound H2) contribute to Spokane’s crumbling streets, and you might persuade potential customers to avoid them like our giant potholes.
Another promising tactic: Lobby against the federal tax deductions – up to $100,000 – showered on many people who buy vehicles weighing more than 6,000 pounds. The incentive, intended for commercial truck owners, now tempts thousands of regular drivers to buy giant SUVs and claim they’re used for business. If we’re serious about reducing our reliance on foreign oil, shouldn’t we offer the big tax breaks to people who buy hybrid cars and other fuel-efficient models?
Finally, anti-Hummer forces should relentlessly promote hybrids to hip young consumers. Rising gas prices already have many drivers rethinking SUV purchases. With market forces on their side, environmental activists could win new allies by working to make hybrids the coolest cars on the road. That way, George Gee – and ultimately General Motors itself – might switch from Hummers to hybrids sooner rather than later. Then our streets would be safer, they’d last longer, and our friends and neighbors who work at auto dealerships wouldn’t have to ease past crime-scene tape to enter their showrooms.
Aiming for answers
Why is it that local drivers who adorn their trucks with those stupid bullet-hole decals so often seem to deserve an actual hail of gunfire? Spokane’s the kind of place that can make you long for hood-mounted machine guns.