Hummer Owner Gets Angry Message

Washington Post ^ | July 18, 2007 | Allison Klein

[3AngelaD]

Vandals Batter D.C. Man's SUV, Slash Its Tires and Scratch In an Eco Note

On a narrow, leafy street in Northwest Washington, where Prius hybrid cars and Volvos are the norm, one man bought a flashy gray Hummer that was too massive to fit in his garage. So he parked the seven-foot-tall behemoth on the street in front of his house and smiled politely when his eco-friendly neighbors looked on in disapproval at his "dream car."

It lasted five days on the street before two masked men took a bat to every window, a knife to each 38-inch tire and scratched into the body: "FOR THE ENVIRON."

"The thought of somebody vandalizing it never crossed my mind," said Gareth Groves...

Now, as Groves ponders what to do with the remains of his $38,000 SUV, he has been the target of a number of people who have driven by the crime scene in his upscale neighborhood and glared at him in smug satisfaction...

Neighbor Lucille Liem, 37, who owns a Prius hybrid, said that a common sentiment in the neighborhood is that large vehicles are impractical and a strain on the Earth -- and Hummers in particular are a symbol of consumer excess... Liem added quickly that she does not condone violence...

Investigators said they are searching for the vandals but don't have many leads. Witnesses saw two men about six feet tall with bandanas or masks over their faces smash up the car about 3:30 a.m. Monday and then run off...

He bought the used 2005 vehicle a month ago from a dentist in Fairfax County..."I'm worried about what I do now," he said. "If I get it fixed, do I put it back in the same spot three weeks from now?"

[3AngelaD]

My friend Lisette believes that this stink comes from their feet, and she has some kind of dip she makes her kids wash their feet in every time they shower, which appears to be constantly. Her boys developed “the stink” when they were toddlers, and she has been waging war against it ever since. She is a walking, talking Fabreeze advertisement.

[Alouette]

I was listening to Rush a couple of weeks ago, he was providing statistics on how the Prius has caused more environmental damage than the Hummer.

[Xenalyte]

I don’t recall ever saying I “hate” big vehicles. Someday I will have one, and I will use it the way it was intended to be used.

Why do so many on this thread seem intent on putting words in my mouth?

[Xenalyte]

Y’know, I don’t know if girls envy cars per se - I tend not to, but I’ve realized over the years that what I do isn’t necessarily the best marker for gauging the female of the species.

Now, the woman who parks next to me has a car my husband would love . . . brand-new bright-yellow convertible Mustang.

[Revolting cat!]

Why do so many on this thread seem intent on putting words in my mouth?

Why ask me, ask 'so many'!

[from occupied ga]

That would be the ZO6 with the 427 cid LS7 engine. 505 horsepower and it still gets 24-25 mpg on the highway.

Yes.

[2Jedismom]

I have a VW too! I love mine!

I don't know what it's gas mileage is though...I don't even know what the horn sounds like.

;-)

[cyberaxe]

.....this whole what you drive and why thing makes me chuckle.....

.....especially when you consider that it is probably one of the least important aspects of most peoples lives.....

.....and that people from ALL political, social, religious, etc., etc. backgrounds have such stereotypical opinions of other drivers.....

.....the old guy driving the vette with dealer plates.....
.....(works for the car lot delivering cars..lol).....

.....the weinnie driving the hybrid.....
.....(special ops guy that got used to the quietness of his tactical assault vehicle...lol).....

.....the big fat redneck driving the Hummer.....
.....(just happen to be the best truck for the money to do what he wants to do in a truck).....

.....I wonder if people back in the day commented as much about each others horses and buggies as we do today about folks cars?..lol.....

[Publius6961]

you wouldn’t think a political bumpersticker would be that controversial, but dang!

You must have never lived in California.
The fruits and nuts here think everybody is like them because the only bumper stickers you see here are either marxist or bugs-and-bunny ones.

They haven't figured out that normal people don't enjoy having their cars keyed, slashed tires -- or worse.

[Petronski]

Teeny hatchbacks are not station wagons.

[jonascord]

Please name, by make and model, ANY american built station wagons still in production, that does not closely resemble an SUV. The Big Three stopped building sedan based station wagons 30 years ago. All that’s left are hatchback suicide boxes and “SUVs” of various sizes. In other words, you may just be talking out of ignorance...

[Xenalyte]

I’m too busy mocking the drivers of pristine SUVs to look up all the “so many” on this thread. They are numerous.

So I’ll narrow my question: why do you seem intent on putting words in my mouth?

[xsmommy]

feet may be a part of it, but the hockey pads reek of it and they don’t touch his feet! i have tried the nonsensical little good smelling balls they say to throw in the hockey bag, even washing the jerseys a few times doesn’t get that “ground-in stink” out!!

[Xenalyte]

Why not? It looks like one, inside and out.

[twonie]

And them tree huggers are driving cars made in sweden where the good citizens have seen fit to have it in their laws that they can have sex with their dogs. GO, tree huggers! That makes you superior, doesn’t it.

[Xenalyte]

I posted a picture of the Dodge Magnum upthread. I don’t know, however, if it’s technically “American-built.”

[kenth]

Flash ‘em the W sign (or any hand sign to your liking), tell ‘em “four more years”, smile and drive away.

[the OlLine Rebel]

My theory:

Large cars were emasculated (they don’t exist, really).

REAL station wagons were eliminated (only the last couple years a few).

All by the enviroMENTALS.

People needed something for their families. (Incidentally, the Safety NAZIs also took over - usually the same people - and said you need baby/toddler/pre-teen seats, which are THESE DAYS of increasing paranoia HUGE and difficult to handle.) They needed to be able to fit their families in AS WELL AS groceries, and full luggage for vacation time.

So they turned to minivans and their the offspring of that plus the tiny-truck craze of the ‘80s, the SUV. Trucks don’t have quite the same requirements as “cars”, either, so SUVs were Big Auto solution to the families’ needs since the big cars were taken away.

I love big cars.

[Republicus2001]

just doing the car torching Americans refuse to do -

itsforthechildrenbushfault

[xsmommy]

no, i live in Northern VA suburbs of DC and i mentioned the bumper stickers i saw on the way in this AM. ARMS ARE FOR HUGGING, SHARE THE ROAD, and “WWW.DRAFTGORE.COM” ! i am familiar with your fruits and nuts, and have been accosted by them on occasion, as i also described. It isn’t the norm though.