SUV Foe Norman Lear Has 21-Car Garage

Newsmax ^ | January 9, 2003 | Carl Limbacher

[Paul Atreides]

Leading Hollywood liberal Norman Lear, who helped fund TV ads hitting the air this week charging that gas-guzzling SUV owners are actively funding terrorists, isn't much of an energy conservationist himself, judging by the 21-car garage he added to his Los Angeles estate five years ago.

The SUV foe's garage is "built to hold 21 cars and stands 45 feet tall," according to a Los Angeles Times report on the environmentally offensive structure. "Lear's neighbors in Sullivan Canyon contend that the structure, complete with a tennis court atop, was built in violation of city height restrictions and with misrepresentations about its size," the paper added.

"Lear's parking garage has ruined the aesthetics of the wooded canyon and blocked [his neighbors'] views," said the Times, which described Sullivan Canyon as "a quiet enclave that abuts state parkland."

"We're going to have this aircraft carrier deck out there. It's incredibly ugly," complained Lear neighbor Gene Albrecht. "It looks like a helicopter landing pad," said Rob Deutschman, another resident who opposed the SUV hater's exhaust-belching structure.

A November 2002 LA Times report said that Lear's garage held 24 cars, though it's unclear whether the additional parking space means Lear had unloaded a few of his larger gas guzzlers or enlarged his garage with three new stalls.

The anti-SUV ads bankrolled in part by Lear were put together by political gadfly Arianna Huffington, who calls her attack on gas-guzzlers "the Detroit Project." Narrated by a young girl, the commercials attempt to paint SUV owners as aiders and abettors of the 9/11 terrorists.

"This is George," the girl begins. "This is the gas that George bought for his SUV." The screen flashes a map of the Middle East. "These are the countries where the executives bought the oil that made the gas that George bought for his SUV." Cut to video of armed terrorists in a desert. "And these are the terrorists who get money from those countries every time George fills up his SUV."

A second Huffington-Lear ad taunts, "What is your SUV doing to our national security?" according to the Chicago Tribune.

On Wednesday, Huffington got into an on-air tussle with nationally syndicated radio talker Sean Hannity, who called her on the carpet for her own gas-guzzling ways and whose producer, James Grisham, first unearthed the 1998 LA Times report on Lear.

"Arianna Huffington, you were married to a very wealthy man, you're a very wealthy woman yourself," noted Hannity. "How many private planes have you flown in, in your life?"

"What does this have to do with the SUV ads," the energy conservation crusader sputtered, before admitting, "I have ridden private planes. They're not planes that I own. They're planes that were going somewhere in any case."

Hannity also asked Huffington her how large her California mansion was and how much oil she used to heat and cool it, to which the political gadfly responded, "That's none of your business."

After Huffington refused to detail any more of her personal energy consumption habits, Hannity unearthed a 1997 LA Times report revealing that her California home tipped the scales at 9,000 square feet.

[Ronaldus Magnus Reagan]

""If the average Joe and Jane would not attend their movies, purchase their videos, or watch their television shows, this attitude would change.""

Which is precisely why I boycott a number of entertainers.

Bruce Springsteen- dissed Ronald Reagan

Paul McCartney- seen with a group of Senate Democrats(probably hitting him up for contributions..why do you think his concert tickets are so expensive)

Julia Roberts- called Republicans "repugnant reptiles" because the word "republican" comes between those two words in the dictionary.

[bootyist-monk]

Of course, Bing, Lear and Bender make a large portion of their income from the sale of DVD's.

Ever wonder what a DVD is made of? It is Polycarbonate Plastic. To make the plastic, you need some key ingredients, including Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical produced from Phenol and Acetone. Phenol is created from raw materials, including Benzene. Benzene is a chemical that is derived from... wait for it... wait for it...

Crude OIL!

While these empty shirts rally against your SUV, one can only wonder how much terrorism their peddling in petroleum-based DVD's.

Of course, the people unfortunate enough to have seen, rented or purchased Mr. Bender's "Knockaround Guys" already know he's a bomb-maker. And if the reviews of Mr. Bing’s latest grunt and a splash, “Kangaroo Jack”, are any indication, he should be continuing his tradition of terror at your local Blockbuster mere weeks from now.

[wjcsux]

Yes," answered a sheepish Bender, "but I have a Toyota Prius on order."
Want to take bets on whether he actually takes delivery of this car?

[Walkingfeather]

got to admit it kinda looks like Cruella devilles car.

[Ronaldus Magnus Reagan]

Republican Hippy said..
""Actually, we all could do without powerboats, leaf-blowers, snowmobiles, and all the rest of it. Why do we need it? The world would be a far better and quieter place, with less pollution and be less harmful to the environment. It doesn't mean we would be going back to living in caves, just living responsibly. There are plenty of things to do without all the junky toys you men think you need to buy""

So, instead of boating we should go to the beach? How will you get there? Pack your family into an electric car? Yea, right! You must think that we should ban all vacation travel? Since you want to ban the kid's go-cart, should we ban the kid's dance class, karate class, soccer games..because it takes a car to get there?

[amused]

I'm reminded of the story when Diane Feinstein was giving an anti-gun speech and one of the reporters asked her if she carries a concealed weapon. Apparently he discovered that she had recently applied for and received such a permit to do so.

It never ceases to amaze me. It just doesn't make sense.

Fear a police state yet champion removal of citizen's rights to defend themselves. Bitch about a conservative media, yet advocate severe restrictions on campaigning to regular citizens so that the media is the one left in charge of image shaping. Cry for freedom, yet pursue the approach that the majortiy of the populace should be directly dependent on the state. Make education better with more money and no standards. Don't kill Iraqis but feel free to kill your baby.

I just don't get it. If that makes me a knuckle dragger, all I have to say is "UGH!"

[Artist]

Your #93 sounds like it's from The Onion.

I wish it was, because then I could laugh at it.

[RepublicanHippy]

No. You are being ridiculous. I am not against cars, etc. I just think we could get by without all the recreational junk toys like speedboats, etc. and things like leafblowers and other non-essential, polluting, wasteful junk that Americans think we need to buy.

[LoneConservative]

I just Freped his a#s...
Mr. Lear...
It has come to my attention that you
have financed 3 Television spots
which attempt to link the ownership & use
of Sport Utlity vehicles to terrorism.
I'd like to remind you that this is,
after all, a free country, and
as long as my 1994 Ford Explorer
meets its required NYS inspection,
I will continue to drive it wherever and
whenever I please.
In closing, I would like to ask you a
simple question...
Just how many electric cars DO you
have in you 21 car garage???

[M. Peach]

You are absolutely right - Speaking of hypocrisy, you might enjoy this post, and my response on #14


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/819641/posts?page=14#14

[Starrgaizr]

Does this mean I have to stop flying friends for an hour in a Piper just to get a nice view on the way to lunch? Well, if this is socially harmful somehow, tax my fuel (some more) but don't ban or regulate my plane away. On second thought, please don't tax my fuel.

[Ronaldus Magnus Reagan]

Republican Hippy said...
""No. You are being ridiculous. I am not against cars, etc. I just think we could get by without all the recreational junk toys like speedboats, etc. and things like leafblowers and other non-essential, polluting, wasteful junk that Americans think we need to buy.""

So, you think we should ban all hobbies and recreational pursuits that require the use of gasoline, right? And you also think that we who live on heavily wooded lots should just let the deep leaves just sit there all winter? That would kill the grass. Then we would need fertilizer and grass seed to regrow the lawn. Guess what that takes to manufacture? GAS POWERED MACHINES! You are not thinking correctly.

[Starrgaizr]

Yes, well, I didn't think of Cruella, but you have a good point. The 1,050 horsepower plus the puppy-killer image should also be a good fit for the lefty enviro-wackos.

[Howlin]

This should be our response:

"This is George,"
"This is the gas that George bought for his S.U.V."
"This is the oilfield in Alaska that could fuel George's SUV for xxxx years."
"These are the Democrats that won't let anyone develop the oil field.
"These are the countries where we have to buy oil from becasue of the Democrats"
"And these are the terrorists who get money from those countries becasue of the Democrats."

[mc5cents]

Or this:

[arm958]

And you also think that we who live on heavily wooded lots should just let the deep leaves just sit there all winter?

Ever hear of a rake?

[glory]

What a freaking hypocrit. She's calling on the carpet a family's ONE SUV which probably expends the same amount of energy in 5 yrs that her home does in one month. Hypocritical elitist pig.

[Hildy]

Speaking of which...I saw a PSA yesterday with Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow telling us how we should conserve oil and buy Electric cars so we aren't dependent of foreign oil. They whooped and giggled and I cringed with embarrassmnent for them. Cameron told us that she drives a gas efficient car and said, wow I even save money at the gas station. This from a woman who makes $20 million per picture. I couldn't believe it. I wish someone had asked her how many times this year she was in a limo or jetted around the world in a private plane and how much oil was used on GANGS OF NEW YORK, not to mention the car chases in CHARLIE'S ANGELS. I hate these people.

[Rummyfan]

Does this attack on SUVs extend to Terry McAulife and his Escalade (or maybe it's a Yukon Denali) with DC license plate 'DNC 1'?

[kcvl]

ROFLOL!