In this issue, we spotlight the Hummer H1 - still one of the finest off-road vehicles on the planet. Environmentalists have singled out the Hummer (along with trucks and SUVs) and have tried to paint owners as supporters of terrorism. While we know that such labeling is absurd, even the general public is starting to take notice of the environmentalists' double standard. The following excerpt from the New Republic was written by Glen Easterbrook.
"In the new Atlantic Monthly, Eric Alterman notes that Laurie David, wife of Larry David and among Hollywood's wealthy elite owing to Seinfeld royalties, has become an influential environmental crusader, but herself travels in chartered Gulfstream jets. Laurie David has organized numerous celebrity save-the-environment events and 'reviles the owners of SUVs as terrorist enablers, yet gives herself a pass when it comes to chartering one of the most wasteful uses of fossil-based fuels imaginable,' a private jet, Alterman writes. I did a few quick calculations. The midsize Gulfstream G200 model can carry about 2,100 gallons of jet fuel, which is made from petroleum, and would burn around 1,200 to 1,500 gallons flying from New York to Los Angeles, depending on wind speed and how many passengers were aboard. A Hummer driven 15,000 miles, the average put on a car per year, would burn around 1,250 gallons of fuel. So, for Laurie David to take one cross-country flight in a Gulfstream is the same, in terms of Persian Gulf dependence and greenhouse-gas emissions, as if she drovea Hummer for an entire year. But then, conservation is what other people should do."
Good work, Glen! It's time that people started calling attention to the fact that the green community thinks nothing is OK for the unwashed masses, while they can indulge in any and all forms of entertainment, transportation, and living modes. Take ski resorts, for example. While we have nothing against skiing here at Off-Road, we do hold it against green-leaning ski resort owners who fight every form of logging on the planet, yet clear-cut most of their mountains for ski runs. Ms. David, mentioned above, obviously feels the same way; it's OK for her to use more fossil fuels in one flight than an average American can use in more than a year because she's an enlightened environmentalist. What nonsense.
We guided the Hummer Club on a trail ride down the Bradshaw Trail, a beautiful (if you like the desert) trip back into history. It's scenic, historic, and a lot of fun, whether you're driving a Hummer, 4x4 pickup, or 2WD prerunner. Read about it in the following pages. This is the first of many trail features to come for those of you who trail-ride with your trucks.
Thanks for reading.