View Full Version : Hummer Bashing on "Marketplace" public radio broadcast 4 Dec.
http://www.marketplace.org/comments/index.html here is the link for anyone who heard the negative comments about the Hummer on Marketplace on the evening of Dec 4. I was appalled that they had three consecutive segments in which each made negative comments about the Hummer. The middle segment ran a 2 minute satire of a mother taking her childrent to the local pool in her Hummer and getting into a shoot out with the local police. I emailed them a comment to the above link and expressed my displeasure with the bad press. The other segments made reference to the "poor" gas milage of the Hummer and another included the Hummer in a story about how the greens had vandlized "SUV"s in some northern states and said the vandles considered it a form of free speech and civil disobedience. So if anyone else heard this broadcast, please join me in emailing the show Marketplace in the above link. Thanks.
http://www.marketplace.org/comments/index.html here is the link for anyone who heard the negative comments about the Hummer on Marketplace on the evening of Dec 4. I was appalled that they had three consecutive segments in which each made negative comments about the Hummer. The middle segment ran a 2 minute satire of a mother taking her childrent to the local pool in her Hummer and getting into a shoot out with the local police. I emailed them a comment to the above link and expressed my displeasure with the bad press. The other segments made reference to the "poor" gas milage of the Hummer and another included the Hummer in a story about how the greens had vandlized "SUV"s in some northern states and said the vandles considered it a form of free speech and civil disobedience. So if anyone else heard this broadcast, please join me in emailing the show Marketplace in the above link. Thanks.
Klaus
12-04-2002, 10:39 PM
Another example of why taxpayer funded "Public Radio" should come to an end.
Klaus
What the hell is wrong with some Americans and their self-bashing these days?
Japan kills whales, but I don't see any of the Greenpeace and Left-Wing Enviro Whackos boycotting Subaru or Toyota.
My H2 gets 10mpg and I drive 100 miles per week. Explain to me how that is any worse than a person who drives a Japanese car (with 90% foreign content - regardless of assembly location) that may be getting 30mpg, but drives 500 miles per week.
Emissions? Go back and check your stats on how much factories in China, Russia, and other nations pollute. America consumes more oil per capita, but there is a false sense of "evil" in that statistic.
Bottom-Line: Don't push your agenda on me or my family. I'm a God fearing red-blooded American and if you spew your Liberal Proto-Marxist crap about my H2, you'd better be willing to address a nation of millions that share my sentiments.
I could not have said it better myself. Please email your comments verbatum to Marketplace....
OUSUCKS
12-04-2002, 11:16 PM
Get over it...who gives a damn about what public radio says about the H2. /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif
*sshole to spray paint the side of my Hummer because he thinks I use to much gas.... Like more then the 18 wheeler on the road next to me. If you don't care what people are encouraged to do by these loosers, that is your choice.
geez.. come on people, so someone said something bad about our vehicles.. yes people, that's right.. just a mode of transportation. So what? The Constitution that gives them the right to say whatever they want.. it gives ALL of us the right to say what ever we want. The NPR said the Hummers are gas guzzlers.. not really new news to us. They did a satire on the soccer mom turned bank robber.. so what? I am sure there are many who find South Park offensive.. I happen to love South Park.. so what? Call me liberal, or marxist or whatever.. but I believe in the constitution and for what it stands...if you dont like it.. there are other places to live. OK... I am done with my rant, go back to the bitch session.
HummerGirl
12-04-2002, 11:59 PM
They got an eye-full from me in a very lengthy email!!!
~amy
Move it or Lose it...
http://home.earthlink.net/~thecelestialbath/emotihummer.gif
I emailed GM as well, just to let them know. Every other special interest tree huggin liberal uses the power of the word, But when us gun lovin, gas hog driving, rockin rollin folks stand up, suddenly were whinning.... what the @*%$
Klaus
12-05-2002, 01:15 AM
The problem I have with this is that here is a group of folks stirring up trouble for us, and they are using our own money (taxes) to do it.
Yes, I believe in free speech - But not when it is not free! It is costing me money. Ever wonder why these folks could not make it without public money? Why no one would hire them in the real world?
NPR public (tax) money needs to be cut off completely and permanently. Make someone other than us pay for their "free" speech.
Klaus
Hey, ease up! NPR may have run a few segments that you disagree with, but do some research before you bash them.
http://www.npr.org/about/place/corpsupport/financials.html
NPR barely gets any money from our tax dollars.
I don't think it's news to anyone that the H2 is quite thirsty. You can trust people of certain political leanings to harp on that, just as you can trust people of other leanings to harp on the NEA.
I value freedom of speech and I also realize that there will be H2 critics. My above post/point is not based on my taking any offense to the criticism of the H2; rather I am not tolerant of Marxist whackos that aggressively push their agenda on others.
Examples of aggressively pushing an agenda are damaging SUVs or slanderously disrupting sales of GM or Ford. I live (part of the time) in an area filled with numerous people who share the same socio-economic thoughts as prevailing activists from the days of Russia's October Revolution. So I witness the mentality first-hand!
Freedom of Speech - yes, but why bash the H2 in a false sense of environmentalism? How do these same misguided activists get their produce and staples? It is most likely delivered to a retail outlet via an 18-wheeler.
sheag
12-05-2002, 03:41 PM
Sheesh people, ease up on the liberal-bashing. The H2 is also getting criticized by right-wing Christians in their "what would Jesus drive" campaign. It's one thing to rationally and clearly articulate inaccuracies in media reports, but frothing at the mouth over 'commies' on public message boards isn't going to help the H2 image at all. /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif
Shea
"I vote green, but I bought orange"
Happy Hummer
12-05-2002, 03:47 PM
http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/Gif/bart-moon.gif
No one is forcing these people to buy Hummers. I hate it when these activist go ape S&*T over these vehicles. I traded a 2000 ford excursion with a diesel engine that got 25 mpg on the highway. Now all the activist forced Ford to discontinue the excursion after 2004 because of poor gas mileage. They should just keep their nose out of everyones business.
Stop worrying about the freakin H2 and worry about Iraq and terrorism on the USA!!!
Klaus
12-05-2002, 04:23 PM
Let's see... NPR BARELY gets any money?
According to their web site, they get 2% from taxpayers. According to their 2000 figures, that amounts to $2,876,432.26.
Maybe that's not much money to you, but it certainly is to me!
Klaus
SJ, I feel for you. My point was just that, nobody should be pushing their values on others. But the reality of our world is that the mob mentality is pervasive in humanity, and most of us dont realize when we are acting as such. This forum consists of people who have worked hard to achieve what we have, otherwise we couldnt afford our toys. I assume that also means this forum is made up of above intelligent people, and we shouldn't have to resort to that us against them mentality. We know better, we know it was the diversity of this country that made democracy work and allowed us to achive.
Klaus, I understand where you are coming from. But in my opinion, which I am not pushing on you :-{)}, NPR I think fulfills their mission giving a snapshot of the USA, they have had people on their who could have been wearing pointed white hoods and had swastikas tatood on their foreheads.. as well as the uber-liberal SUV bashing pseudo-intellectual activists.. they also have other programming for t. Something for everyone. Yes, my tax dollars are paying for them, but so are the tax dollars of people who have a different view than me. I chalk it up to democracy at work.
H2 4X4,
3 million bucks is quite a bit of money, but not in terms of percentage. Given that in the last census there were about 217,168,077 people above the age of 16, the 3 million given to the NPR is less than $.02 per year per person.
We may not all agree with the views put forward on any given program (I can tell you there's quite a bit on broadcast TV I don't agree with!), but that doesn't mean we have to close down a dialogue.
For every partisan political argument heard on NPR, there are a host of concerts, readings, and valuable cultural events delivered free of charge to anyone who cares to listen.
As a nation of rugged individuals (and I'm pretty sure that this board hosts a higher percentage of those than many other places!) why can't people let stuff like this roll off their backs? So what if some people you disagree with think your choice of car is wrong? Enjoy your truck!
Texas Red
12-05-2002, 05:39 PM
Rugged Individual??? why, thank you. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
Jim
Red H2 in Texas
sheag
12-05-2002, 05:46 PM
Klaus, you described NPR as "taxpayer-funded". 2% of an organization's revenues hardly qualifies them as "taxpayer-funded". Furthermore, NPR's annual report states "NPR receives no direct general operating support from any national or local government source". What they do to obtain that 2% of revenue is compete for federally-funded grants. Is this the "taxpayer funding" you are referring to??
At any rate, even if there was an issue there, $3 mil a year is a drop in the bucket, what is that, 30 cents a year per American? And how much do you spend in gas for your H2? Give me a break, I'm totally with you on lousy journalism, but screeching about how your 30 cents a year is getting spent rings incredibly hollow.
I have no doubt that you can find much more egregious use of taxpayer dollars and far more ridiculous federally-funded grants than the few nickles and dimes thrown to public radio.
At any rate, the point is that people who drive H2s are not all gun-toting nutbars who voted for Ross Perot and completely inappropriately apply the term "marxist", nor are they all knee-jerk liberal granola-crunching Bill-Clinton-loving tree-hugging wackos. The people who criticize H2s similarly do not all fall into one of those two neat little categories.
And if anybody comes near my H2, be it a Jesus-freak or an enviro-freak, I'll kick his ass. /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif
Shea
HummerGirl
12-05-2002, 05:58 PM
yep...this topic gets me as fired up as the whole church vs. Harry Potter....!!!
ooh...Harry is the anti-christ? Puhhhleaz....
http://smilies.networkessence.net/s/contrib/drowned/magic.gif
~the aimster
Yeah HummerGirl!
Hey, if Harry had an H2 instead of that whimpy euro go-kart that Whomping Willow never would have stood a chance!
Shea LOL. If I get a Jesus-freak or an enviro-freak near my H2.. I'll offer them a ride, they'll want one after that. The darkside is so much more fun!! And, everyone, please, no talking about Harry Potter till after Friday, I havent seen it yet.
It's not 2%!!! It's 0.2% (zero point two percent) of their /grants & contributions/ that is government funded, and their grants and contributions are only 30% of their overall funding.
NPR funding: $143,000,000.00
From governmnet: $105,000.00
Anyway, NPR is great and wonderful, and so are Hummers.
HummerGirl
12-05-2002, 06:30 PM
That little enchanted car just cracked me up!
SMA needs to come out with an "invisibility cover"!!!
hehehehe...
~amy
Move it or Lose it...
http://home.earthlink.net/~thecelestialbath/emotihummer.gif
HummerGirl
12-05-2002, 06:42 PM
Ooops TS...mum's the word...
but I will tell you that it's VERY long and VERY Good!!!
Post to us after you have seen it.
Do you read the books?
I do and they are maaaahhhhvelous....
~amy
Move it or Lose it...
http://home.earthlink.net/~thecelestialbath/emotihummer.gif
Klaus
12-05-2002, 07:50 PM
Well, at least I know folks are reading my posts!
I never said that NPR was wholly taxpayer funded. And I know that it is only 2% of their budget. But I wouldn't care if it was .05% of their budget. What difference does it make? There is still $2M of taxpayer money going to NPR. I don't care if you call it an appropriation, or a grant, or whatever - It's taxpayer money given to them.
Figuring the money based on the entire population above 16 is a little flawed, don't you think? How many people in this country actually pay more tax then they get back in freebies, credits, grants, programs, etc. Someone has to make up the difference.
Look at it this way. If 2% is such a small amount of NPR's budget, why don't they just give it back to the Government, and no longer accept public money?
Anyway, I don't like my money being used to help attack me or my property by stirring up nuts. And I don't think there are many others on this list that do either.
Your money is power. Be careful who you let wield that power.
Klaus
Klaus
12-05-2002, 07:52 PM
From their web site:
The only direct government funding NPR receives is through competitive grants from government agencies for specific projects. Such grants are awarded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Science Foundation, and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, and typically represent only 2% of total revenues
Kevin B
12-05-2002, 07:53 PM
I didn't think any one even listened to that station.I thought N.P.R. stood for Normal People Refrain (from listening).And by the way which of you has never said "Get that piece of crap yugo out from in front of me" Thats got to hurt someones feelings. WHO CARES
Steve R
12-05-2002, 07:59 PM
Back to the subject at hand. I think we all have to get used to being in the sights & scope of environmental organizations. I myself won't deny their point, the H2 is large, heavy and not a terribly efficient vehicle...but let's look at the bigger picture here.
The H2 makes up an absolutely tiny almost non-existant fraction of the excessive energy consuming problem! Wanna take a guess at the type of fuel consumption huge freightliners get, or even the Cruiselinersave s? If we stopped the ridiculous and outrageous onslaught of products imported from China, the lack of oil burnt in those ships alone would thousands upon thousands of times be greater then the fuel we burn because we're a few mpg below standard. Let's not even mention all the jobs we'd keep here.
Here's one for ya: those environmentalist live in homes, the foundation of these homes cover ground. Let's get creative with numbers, but keeping it real, a 1,400 sq/ft home is not only typical, but it actually covers 201,600 square inches of ground that could otherwise support trees, grow food or even host millions of organisms. I say we burn their land-smothering homes to the ground to free mother-earth from their opporessive selfish needs! And oh my gosh...are those homes made from wood? when you buy a home made of wood, you support the murdering of trees!!!
My being an insulation contractor, I've saved millions of kilowatt hours of electricity and millions of cubic feet of gas for society. I've done my part to save more energy then all our H2's will burn in fuel beyond a super-mpg vehicle.
I don't mean to sound like a dork, but if NPR no longer took public money at all, wouldn't it then not really be National Public Radio?
Of course estimating taxes based on the "working" population is going to be off. There really isn't an accurate way to calculate this. But let's pretend that only millionaires actually pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits from the government. There are 4 million millionaires in the US. That would mean it only costs these imaginary cash-providing citizens about $.75 a year to help provide public radio to an entire nation.
But remember, according to Benjamin Disraeli there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.
But rather than all of us sitting around here complaining we could be starting a radio program about wheeling. Maybe we could even get it on NPR....
Fortunately, out here in the LA area the gang bangers shoot anyone spray painting in there territory.
Unfortunately, I do believe, no matter how flawed, in democracy. Who was it that said "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
Oh yea, Voltaire
HEY …. The f#@%n guys a f#@$%n frecnchy…….forget whatever it was I just said!!!!
/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif
NPR and Marketplace are not the same, although both on Public Broadcasting Radio. They are not the same program and are only related by the fact that they are both on a public broadcast network, do the research and you will not find any links to Marketplace on the NPR webpage. Let me clarify my position and then I will tie my self the to the Public Whipping Post of this Forum and take my medicine. Here we go..... Sometimes your the windowshield and sometimes you're the bug.... you can stand by and let the waccos make a case and then - stand by quietly, orrrrr.... you can stand up and make a COUNTER CASE, be counted and exercise your First Amendment rights. After 20+ years as an Active Duty Army Officer I have seen first hand what it means to die for your (all Americans) right to make your case, even if I do not agreee (aka Clinton + Chinese Government = sellout).... I fully support that, yep. Don't care if you are Black, White, Hispanic, Islamic, Jew, Christian, Gay or Straight, Hummer or Yugo.... Don't care, don't want to know.... If you are an American, I have been a part of all that we stand for as a nation. Soooooo, what does this patriotic rant have to do with the Marketplace report, not very much I guess. Just that I am willing to stand up and be counted, exercise my right to make my case, and wanted to provide anyone else who shared my outrage an opportunity to do the same. If you are not interested because: "who cares" /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif(apathy) or "whatever" /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif(my 16 yr old daughter), or "they have a right to say what they want" (thanks for making my case), then so be it, "don't get your panties in a wad" /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif (my wife). But in the mean time, for my 18 comrades killed in Somolia, and countless others /infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif..... Normandy, Bunker Hill, bla, bla, bla... not that anyone really cares, Just thought I would take advantage of "MY" Free Speech rights and see if anyone was interested. Not intended to create in-fighting over NPR, or Free Speech, or Waccos, or Gun Nuts (Me) /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif.... "come on in son let me show you my gun collection" (Me on the eve of my daughters first date)...... "Can't we all just get along". This is better fun then watching my kids at home.... Thanks you'all.... /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif
HummerGirl
12-05-2002, 09:27 PM
The news reported today that you guys are really having a tough time with the gang violence. Is it really that bad or is it just the sensationalism of the media??
I did date a guy from LA whose mom made them move out east so that they could get away from the gang violence. This was in the early 90's and he said it was bad.
~amy
Move it or Lose it...
http://home.earthlink.net/~thecelestialbath/emotihummer.gif
TonkaH2
12-05-2002, 10:04 PM
And I listen to NPR all the time, because they do more in depth reporting and in general are much less partisan than other media outlets. I actually laughed a lot at the comedy piece, and didn't think it was much of a knock.
But I WAS concerned about the vandalism -that I agree is the kind of psuedo-environmentalism that is completely misguided, and done by people who aren't the enviro-saints they pretend to be. Just like the anti-Hummer 'Christians' who, I assume, are all going to drive donkeys now. . .
I do care about the environment, and I do alot to try and save it. So I understand why people care -if there was a hybrid Hummer, I'd own be the first in line. But it's not the only evil around, and for what it can do, it gets damn good mileage if you ask me!
I'm just surprised that no politically correct holier-than-though type isn't upset that you can actually use the term 'Hummer' as something vilgar! Goodness! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
-Jack
Yellow H2 on order
"I think I can make it. D'OH!"
Frank Zappa.... Know the words... Hey I have been an NPR junky since 1982.... and yes even sent them money, does not change my last and core premise.... just another voice from the trees... Did I tell you I love my GUNS>>>>>> /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif
"Let me show you my gun collection"
I love telling people I got a Hummer, joined the Hummer Club.. unfortunately most people assume I am talking about my truck.. what happened to good ol' fashioned vulgarity?
kelleymac2000
12-05-2002, 11:02 PM
My husband cracks jokes about me being the VP of the Bay Area Hummer club all the time. I tell him, HE comes off well there, not me! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
now if that is not a mutual exchange of Hummers then you need some outside help.... I could be there in a few days...
"Let me show you my gun collection"
HummerGirl
12-05-2002, 11:59 PM
HA HA!!!
you guys are cracking me up....
~amy
Move it or Lose it...
http://home.earthlink.net/~thecelestialbath/emotihummer.gif
you are having way to much fun on my account.... just stop that or I will have to just hold my breath and make politically incorrect comments sure to offend tree huggers or conservitive hack, of which I am neither...... did I ever get a chance to show you my.....
"Let me show you my gun collection"
replace w(hacks)
"Let me show you my gun collection"
Sona, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours …. Gun collection, that is.
HummerGirl, gang violence is rampant in the areas closer the city. I live in “Cop land” (Simi Valley), 5 of the 18 houses on my street are current or retired police. I think more public safety professionals live here per capita than anyplace in California. It’s the city that closed down the freeway during the Rodney Riots. No. 1 safest city in the US according the FBI's Annual Crime Statistics.
DON'T SPRAY PAINT HUMMERS HERE!!!
/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif
m998, Does that mean you guys have the most number of donut shops per capita? /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif
Hummergirl, I read yesterday San Jose is the safest city of size according to FBI Crime stats, and we rival San Francisco in population. So all is not bad in California. However, we do have an overabundance of Starbucks.. which is a crime in itself.
The safest large city in the USA (over 500,000) was San Jose, but I don't know if it still stands? They get a lower than national average rating and that's impressive for a metropolitan setting.
San Jose is larger than San Fran in terms of population and area and it ranks #11 in terms of largest cities in the U.S.
Then we have Oakland, which throws all of the respectable Northern Cal stats out of whack! /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif
Oaktown gets a bad rap. It is so much better than it used to be just 10 years ago, no one would have dreamed of hanging out at Jack London Square at night back then.
Here's the article on SJ:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=350&ncid=350&e=5&u=/kpix/20021205/lo_kpix/5209
Steve R
12-06-2002, 09:41 PM
Hummergirl, in repsonse to your inquiry about the violence.....it's really just in the bad parts of downtown and in 'bad areas'. You can find trouble just about anywhere you go....I've managed to steer clear from it with no problems.
HummerGirl
12-06-2002, 10:08 PM
Phew that's good!
Now, tell me about those earthquakes...
When the spaceshutte comes home in Florida, we sometimes feel the sonic boom as she makes her decent. Scares the crap outta me each time it happens. Our house and ground shook. I live in Georgia and this just amazes me.
The first time I heard it I thought the gas station up the road blew up.
~amy
Move it or Lose it...
http://home.earthlink.net/~thecelestialbath/emotihummer.gif
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