Conspiracy Against SUVS?...
Or sloppy newswriting? Naturally, Michelle Malkin takes the conspiracy theory and speeds away with it. Here's the bit from Michelle's blog (indented below, with the news bit she quoted further indented):
A WNBC headline: Man In Wheelchair Struck, Killed By SUV In BronxActually, he was killed by the driver of the SUV, wasn't he?
The story continues:
Police said 41-year-old Juan Jimenez was crossing Broadway near 230th Street at about 5:44 p.m. when a late model black Mitsubishi SUV hit him and pinned him under the vehicle with the wheelchair.The vehicle then fled the scene, leaving Jimenez in the street.
The vehicle fled the scene? This anti-SUV bias is getting a little ridiculous, isn't it?
As one who is, herself, a fan of breathing, among other bright spots in life, I can't say there's enough "anti-SUV bias" just yet -- but I'm working on it. Of course, I remain unconvinced that the brown LA air I struggle to suck down while jogging is a mere mirage created by the liberal media. (Feel free to take that one and run with it, Michelle.) PS When you do, please refer to me as a libertarian (hence my notion that your right to stuff smog down anyone else's lungs ends where their lungs begin).
I totally agree with you about your libertarian approach to pollution. But then what's the problem with SUV's? Every car pollutes and puts that smog in your lungs.
Actually, my beef with SUV's is the way people drive them. Specifically the Valiumed-up bottle blondes here in Scottsdale. And I have to drive in and out of a parking garage full of them twice a day. Arghhh.
Todd Fletcher at February 1, 2005 5:31 PM
SUVs, because they are considered trucks, are not hindered by any pesky emissions laws. For what most people use them for, they are extremely inefficient in their use of fuel. An ordinary size car will get you to and from work, with fewer emissions and less gasoline use. So, yes every car pollutes (excepting electric cars and the hopefully soon to be released hydrogen fueled cars), SUVs pollute more. Drive an SUV to work, then drive a sedan to work. Both get you to work with the same degree of speed and reliablility but the Sedan will have used less fuel and consequently fewer emissions.
Patrick, fan of the Advice Goddess at February 2, 2005 12:37 AM
By the way, Malkin is a submoronic, hatemongering and irresponsible shill. Why? Because she was so appalled by the lack of media coverage surrounding the death of Jesse Dirkhising, the boy who was sexually assaulted and murdered by two men in a homosexual relationship (but had predatory appetites for young children of both genders), she therefore concluded that the gay community at large approved of the actions of these sick bastards, and that same sex pedophilia is somehow part of the homosexual movement. It isn't, never has been and never will be. (And for he record, the gender of the children didn't matter to these sick fucks. Found in their apartment were notes regarding their designs on a young girl referred to as the "blonde whore.")
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/printmm20010319.shtml
Patrick, fan of the Advice Goddess at February 2, 2005 12:55 AM
That's a disgusting piece.
Amy Alkon at February 2, 2005 4:16 AM
Here are the facts:
http://www.jeramyt.org/gay/gayscience.html
and pasted in below
1. Myth: Homosexuals are more likely to molest children
1. In a random sample of 175 child sex offenders 76% report having exclusive adult heterosexual behavior, and 24% report having adult bisexual behavior. The sexual attraction towards children is a pathology unrelated to sexual orientation.
A Groth-1978, Archives of Sexual Behavior 7(3): 175-181
2. In a second study of 1206 convictions for child molesters in New Jersey, 80.7% were heterosexual acts and 19.3% were homosexual acts.
E Revitch-1962, Diseases of the Nervous System 23:73-78
3. In a third study, 47% of males convicted of sexual abuse against male children were in an heterosexual marriage.
P Gebhard-1965, Sex Offenders, New York: Harper and Row
4. In a fourth study in Great Britain, in a review of 200 sexual assaults on boys, only 32 of the perpetrators were homosexuals.
J McGeorge-1964, Medicine, Science and the Law 4!245-53
5. In a fifth study of 148 offenders who sexually assaulted under-age persons in Massachusetts, 71 (51%) selected only female children, 42 (28%) selected male children, and 31 (21%) assaulted both male and female children. Moreover, the authors report that "offenders attracted to boy victims typically report that they are uninterested in or revulsed by adult homosexual relationships and find the young boy's feminine characteristics ... appealing" (p. 20). They found that of those pedophiles that were attracted to both children and adults (51%), 83% were exclusively heterosexuals, and 17% were bisexual. A Groth-1978, LAE Journal (Lambda Alpha Epsilon American Criminal Justice Association) 41 (1): 17-22 1. In yet another study at the Children's Hospital in San Diego, of the 140 boys presenting with sexual abuse, only 4% of the assaults were by homosexuals.
M Spencer-1986, Pediatrics 78 (1):133-138
Amy Alkon at February 2, 2005 4:22 AM
I have a major confession to make, Amy: The guy I'm dating drives a Landrover. We even had a big make-out session in it last week, and you know what? It was.... comfortable, even enjoyable! I am so conflicted. I just couldn't keep it a secret from you any longer! Go ahead, banish me!
Lena, banished from the Goddess of Eden at February 2, 2005 5:23 AM
Oh, I'd love you even if you dated a man who drove a Bekins van. And guess what -- some stars have something about that size. Sigh.
Amy Alkon at February 2, 2005 9:31 AM
The Goddess writes:
I, however, would not. Just kidding, Lena. I love you anyways.
Patrick, fan of the Advice Goddess at February 2, 2005 10:14 PM
I decided to follow the link to Malkin's soi-disant blog. It's well for her that she doesn't allow comments on it. I would simply refer to her as an artless hack and suspend further comment, least I be accused of validating her. As I said, the is little reason in her writing, just heady psychotropics for the more cognitively-impaired members of the right wing.
Patrick, fan of the Advice Goddess at February 3, 2005 2:11 AM
Didn't LA have smog well before the popularity of SUV's? I seem to remember that their smog problem goes back decades. I don't understand the whole anti-SUV thing myself. If they meet emission standards then what's the problem? There is a bigger problem with older cars that cough up excessive exhaust and larger utility type trucks that have a lower standards. If it comes down to gas consumption then you need to take on sports cars, tractor trailers, and a host of other vehicles as well. The key to all this is to force the automobile industry to adopt higher standards or produce a higher percentage of hybrids. Set the standards high enough and the industry will respond. Don't hate the player, hate the game. :-)
Kevin G at February 3, 2005 3:15 PM
SUVs do not have to meet emissions standards for cars even though they are used as passenger vehicles to a great degree, not as trucks. Moreover, there were great gains in cleaner air in Los Angeles -- just before SUVs became so popular. I have mad deadlines this week, but if you search "climatologist" you might be able to find an earlier blog entry on this.
Amy Alkon at February 3, 2005 4:31 PM
Haven't you noticed that for years, news reports have used "the vehicle when out of control" instead of "the driver lost control". They are so afraid of being sued that they no longer say anything that could link the driver to the actions of the vehicle. Its PC gone mad.
MIkeg at February 7, 2005 4:06 PM
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