This is an unusual love story involving an 89-year-old gun-totin’, flag-wavin’, car-drivin’ woman and her beloved Chariot. The two have been together for decades and traveled more than 540,000 miles across this nation’s highways and side streets.
Tag: Automobiles
Dear Mr. President, Please Don’t Kill My Kids
No red (blood) for green!
On Dec. 12, 1974, my grandparents were driving home when a vehicle traveling 50 miles per hour hit them. On March 17, 2002, I was driving home when a vehicle driving traveling 50 miles per hour hit me.
My grandparents were killed instantly. I lived. My grandparents were driving an AMC Gremlin. I was driving a Dodge 3500 diesel dually pickup truck.
AMC is now out of business. Dodge Trucks are still selling well. The free market decided that we didn’t need AMC Gremlins.
I still drive a Dodge dually. We factor in safety versus miles per gallon on every automobile purchase that my wife and I make. Devo could not have said it better: “Freedom of Choice…It’s what you want!” Freedom to choose is a basic American right. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are guaranteed to me and 299,999,999 other Americans by the Constitution.
Mr. President, I did not give you nor the Federal Government permission to use my tax dollars to bailout Chrysler or GM. Neither did any of my friends. We did not have a choice in that matter.
We all knew that GM and Chrysler were headed for bankruptcy. So be it. It would be a hit to the American economy. Yep. Let’s take the hit and move on. I believe President Obama, that you knew that GM and Chrysler were headed to bankruptcy as well, but by giving them our money first, you were able to seize control of the American auto industry. In one fell swoop, you became the head of GM and Chrysler. You turned the United Auto Workers Union into GM and Chrysler owners. You nailed the coffin shut on Ford, the one manufacturer who turned down your money (…our money). How is Ford going to negotiate wages with a union that is now also their competitor?
Mr. President, you have created an army of Czars that are answerable only to you. Our Constitution says that only Congress has the power to create taxes and they are answerable to the people. Not only does our new car Czar not answer to Congress, he won’t even go on Neil Cavuto. Where is the transparency, Mr. President?
But I digress. Your administration has already strong-armed the auto industry into accepting mileage compliances for their new vehicles. Michael Moore is giddy with the fact that the US Government now owns 60% of GM. He wants you to end the auto industry as we know it. According to him, GM should only produce bullet trains, buses and hybrids. If the two of you have your way, Americans will no longer be able to purchase a GMC SUV or a big Dodge truck.
Our family car is a General Motors Hummer H2. I am sure you are familiar with the brand and model; you just sold them to China. China may not want our debt, but they will still take our SUVs.
It is fairly common for us to get cut off and then flipped the finger by eco-saints whenever we drive into the city. Several times we only narrowly avoided a serious freeway accident. Quite often, Mr. President, these cars have bumper stickers with your name on them. These self-righteous “Earth Savers” feel completely justified in their actions as they curse at my children and me because they are only offending and risking the lives of people who are riding in a “planet killer.” The fact that we heat our house with reclaimed wood, run almost 100% of our ranch on solar power, grow our own fruits and vegetables, and for the three weeks out of the year when our dirt road washes out, the only way in or out of our ranch is in a 4×4 Hummer or it’s equivalent, never enters into their sanctimonious consciousness.
I see this same kind of prejudice in your speeches and your actions Mr. President. I see this same arrogance as you steer our nation away from free enterprise and into the arms of the Central Planning Committee.
Last week, my wife was rear-ended by a driver who never even hit his brakes. His truck slammed into my wife at 50 miles per hour.
I thank God that the Germans put good steel in their vehicles and know a little something about engineering. If my wife had been driving an AMC Gremlin, she would probably be dead now.
Soon my children will be driving and buying cars of their own. Mr. President, will you allow them to have freedom of choice or will you doom them to take their chances in a 21st century AMC Gremlin?
How To Tell Where A Driver Is From
One hand on wheel, one hand on horn: New York
One hand on wheel, one finger out window: Chicago
One hand on wheel, one hand on newspaper, foot solidly on accelerator: Boston
One hand on wheel, cradling cell phone,brick on accelerator: California
With gun in lap: L.A.
Both hands on wheel, eyes shut, both feet on brake, quivering in terror: Ohio, but driving in California.
Both hands in air, gesturing, both feet on accelerator, head turned to talk to someone in back seat: Italy
One hand on latte, one knee on wheel, cradling cell phone, foot on brake, mind on game: Seattle
One hand on wheel, one hand on hunting rifle, alternating between both feet being on the accelerator and both on the brake, throwing a McDonalds bag out the window: Texas city male
One hand on wheel, one hand hanging out the window, keeping speed steadily at 70mph, driving down the center of the road unless coming around a blind curve, in which case they are on the left side of the road: Texas country male
One hand constantly refocusing the rear-view mirror to show different angles of the BIG hair, one hand going between mousse, brush, and rat-tail to keep the helmet hair going, both feet on the accelerator, poodle steering the car, chrome .38 revolver with mother of pearl inlaid handle in the glove compartment: Texas female
Both hands on steering wheel in a relaxed posture, eyes constantly checking the rear-view mirror to watch for visible emissions from their own or another’s car: Colorado
One hand on steering wheel, yelling obscenities, the other hand waving gun out the window and firing repeatedly, keeping a careful eye out for landmarks along the way so as to be able to come back and pick up any bullets that didn’t hit other motorists so as not to litter: Colorado resident on spotting a car with Texas plate.
Four wheel drive pickup truck, shotgun mounted in rear window, beer cans on floor, squirrel tails attached to antenna: West Virginia male.
Two hands gripping wheel, blue hair barely visible above window level, driving 35 on the interstate in the left lane with the left blinker on: Florida “seasoned citizen” driver, also known as “no-see-um”.
Load More