Posted on 09/14/2009 5:51:28 PM PDT by jazusamo
PORTLAND, Ore. - Vandals in Portland targeted some pretty pricey cars over night, throwing acid or paint stripper all over them. No one has claimed responsibility, and there's no telling just how many people were involved.
The damage to as many as 15 cars is expensive. Here's one, a Hummer from the besieged Vic Alfonso Cadillac Dealership in Northeast Portland. You can see a number of spots where the paint is now peeling off the car.
A sociology professor at Portland State University said there are plenty of reasons that could have motivated the vandals to do all of this damage.
"The Humvee has become sort of this symbol of our culture in general," said PSU Sociology Professor Randy Blazak. "It symbolizes conspicuous consumption, environmental degradation, it symbolizes the war."
The Portland Police Bureau has just confirmed that 15 vehicles were damaged in the vandalism. Aside from that, detectives are being pretty tight lipped about the case. However, they did confirm that agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are helping in the investigation.
Blazak points to the option that this could be the effort of an eco-terrorism group. "The environmental groups don't typically kill anybody," said Blazak, "but they can cause millions of dollars in damages to property so they get the full attention of federal law enforcement for that reason."
The Earth Liberation Front said on its Web site that it is not claiming responsibility, but said that the act is "an evident response to the impact SUVs and Hummers have on the environment."
Police said there is a possibility that this wasn't even eco-terrorism. Anyone could have done this damage.
ELF? Ping!
Would it gain the same attention from the FBI if it was not a GM (ie. government motors) dealership? If it were say, a Ford dealership owned by a staunch conservative, would the FBI be as interested?
Probably unfair questions, but they have to tickle at the back of your mind. This is just another in a long series of problems with the government buying into GM and Chrysler...
The miserable young fools, probably brought up on radical ideology by parents and teachers will eventually end up in prison. Then, they will realize they only thought they hated modern society.
I hear what you’re saying but it’s standard procedure for the FBI to get involved in any suspected eco-terrorist act. This has been going on in WA, OR, CA, CO and other states for 15 or so years.
Thirteen members of The Family previously sentenced.
Stanislas Gregory Meyerhoff - (5-23-07) - 13 years
Kevin Tubbs ----------------- (5-24-07) - 12 years, 7 months
Chelsea Dawn Gerlach ------- (5-25-07) - 9 years
Darren Todd Thurston---------(5-29-07) - 3 years, 1 month
Suzanne Nicole Savoie--------(5-31-07) - 4 years, 3 months
Sarah Kendall Tankersley-----(5-31-07) - 3 years, 10 months
Joyanna Lynn Zacher---------(6-01-07) - 7 years, 8 months
Nathan Fraser Block----------(6-01-07) - 7 years, 8 months
Daniel Gerard McGowan-----(6-04-07) - 7 years
Jonathan Paul--------------------(8-01-07) - 4 years, 3 months
Briana Waters-------------------(6-19-08) - 6 years
Jennifer Kolar-------------------(7-18-08) - 5 years
Lacey Phillabaum--------------(8-19-08) - 3 years
Back when I was a COTR (contracting officer's technical representative) and DoD employee we had strict guidelines. Obviously, we couldn't play favorites when evaluating contract proposals. But going further, we had to studiously avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Government ownership in GM makes that just about impossible in cases like this, even if we trust that this is an entirely normal investigation.
“”The Humvee has become sort of this symbol of our culture in general,” said PSU Sociology Professor Randy Blazak. “It symbolizes conspicuous consumption, environmental degradation, it symbolizes the war.””
Only to demented, whacked out class envy folks with a Marxist bent.
Perhaps someone unsatisfied with the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ deal?
Just imagine how mad the elf idiots would be if they couldn’t access their web site.
Maybe it’s just a bunch of people trying to get Nancy Pelosi’s approval. She’s a big fan of disruptors.
Wonder why she and Joe didn’t share a beer after Obama’s lie-fest to Congress.
LOL! He looks pistov.
Does that mean if I buy an Obama Motors car, and it gets stolen, it’s a Federal Offense?
Number 47 said to number 3...
I guess, now that GM is owned by the Federales, any crime against them must be a Federal offense.
ML/NJ
Crazy liberals. Consider this: Those SUVs that have been vandalized will be repainted.
That entails, sanding and/or stripping the paint, refinishing, and all of the supplies and chemicals that are used in those processes.
Not to mention all of the paint fumes that will enter the air.
Mission accomplished for the enviro-whackos I guess. ;-)
You’re right on all points, especially the crazy liberal part. These ELF people are real whack jobs and the last group preferred arson, think of the damage to the environment from that. LOL!
What’s even funnier is that the damaged vehicle pictured is the “small” Hummer, with the straight-six. It gets reasonable gas mileage, and like most modern cars, emits few pollutants that in some cities it could be said to leave the air cleaner than it found it. Had it been the H2, or the H1 (though those are rare on the ground), it might be more understandable, but going after the H3 for being an afront to nature is like criticizing small bow-rider ski boats for polluting the ocean.
Oregon...
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