I am an environmentalist.
But only in its truest form; I am an environmentalist in the thread of Theodore Roosevelt, and proud to call myself one.
I, like many conservatives, believe in clean air and clean water. But I do not believe there is a black or white choice which must be made between environmental integrity and people's choices.
Conservatives believe that if you want to drive an SUV, you should be permitted to. I personally do not, but that is my choice. If an American consumer wants to drive an SUV for safety reasons, cargo reasons, towing needs, or simply for vanity reasons, that is what our society is all about -- consumer choice.
Recently however, there is a group of environmentalists who are more in the thread of Osama bin Laden than Theodore Roosevelt; I refer to none other than the Earth Liberation Front.-á
ELF has recently taken responsibility for millions of dollars in vandalism and arson.
In West Covina, California, ELF members spray painted "Fat, Lazy, Americans" on SUVs and set a blaze which destroyed several vehicles and a nearby warehouse. Despite the fact this fire caused more pollution that those destroyed vehicles would have produced during their entire lifetime, ELF claims to fight for the environment. The damage from their actions is estimated at more than $1 million.
ELF is accused of setting a blaze in San Diego on Aug. 1, which damaged an apartment complex under construction. The terrorists who took responsibility claim to be fighting urban sprawl. The damage is estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. Last week, the group allegedly vandalized a dozen SUVs at a Land Rover dealership in Santa Fe, N.M. Taking their time, they labeled vehicles with the seven deadly sins and the letters "ELF." The damage is estimated in the thousands of dollars.
The list continues: Car dealerships in Santa Cruz, Calif., Erie, Pa., Seattle, Eugene, Ore., and Los Angeles have all been vandalized.
This group is not a group of environmental defenders. These "advocates" are terrorists.
They destroy the private property of individuals and put the lives of others at risk. They cause destruction to advance their narrow and unproven agenda.-áThese are the worst kinds of terrorists; domestic terrorists.
America is the land of the free and the home of the brave.-áWe as a people are free to drive big, gas guzzling SUVs or tiny, fuel-efficient hybrid cars.-á
Battle lines are being drawn between the supporters of freedom to choose, and those who would cram their agenda down our throats. Senators like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry tried unsuccessfully to raise restrictions on emissions for automobiles, making it effectively impossible to produce an SUV. Groups like the Detroit Project have made commercials accusing SUV owners of supporting terrorism.
It is our right to choose our transportation as we see fit. An H2 may not be the wisest choice in vehicles, but if you have the money and the desire, then so be it. If you want to drive a Honda Civic hybrid, then I applaud your thriftiness.
The truth is, we still have freedom in this country, and it is not the right of any democrat senator or fringe domestic terrorists to make that choice for us.
Write to Russell at rlg@temporalfront.com.
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