~~~ Dateline: March 21,
1786...
Horse breeders and wagon makers have agreed to modify their breeding procedures
and wagon designs to make them less hazardous to other horsemen and buggy
riders.
It has been established through government and journalistic polls that riders
of large horses and drivers of large wagons pose an unfair disadvantage to
those riding or driving the smaller ones in the event of a collision.
Let it be known that hereafter, all private citizens must not own a horse that
stands more than 14 hands high, or drive a buggy weighing more than 250 pounds.
Government agents and the military, however, are exempt from these limitations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The above fictitious news item is written with the objective of drawing your
attention to a more current news item...
~~~ Dateline: March 21, 2000... ABC News:
"AUTOMAKERS PLAN TO CONTINUE MODIFYING DESIGNS OF THEIR SPORT UTILITY
VEHICLES TO MAKE THEM LESS HAZARDOUS TO OTHER MOTORISTS."
General Motors Corp., which was the first auto maker to cave in to pressure
from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, has already lowered the
underbody steel rails in its Suburban and Tahoe models. The Detroit giant also
disclosed plans to lower the rails within its 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada, GMC
Envoy, and Chevrolet Blazer models.
Supposedly, this will reduce the risk that the vehicles might ride over cars' bumpers and door sills, according to company officials.
The Ford Motor Company is slated to do a similar revamping of its Explorer,
Expedition and Lincoln Navigator series.
The Times reported that German owned, Daimler Chrysler AG will also make
several design changes to its 2002 Dodge Durango's front end so that it is less
likely to override cars in collisions.
In the real world, the figures don't seem to indict the SUV as such a
villainous machine as the news media would have us believe.
Even government data from 1991 through 1997 indicates that "only 16 percent
of traffic crash deaths in passenger cars were caused by collisions with SUVs
(sport utility vehicles) or pickup trucks." Researchers have found
that in actuality, most fatalities resulted from single-car accidents,
which accounted for 38 percent of the deaths, and car-on-car crashes,
at 23 percent.
During the spring of the year 2000, we have had to endure inflated fuel
prices at the pumps, and listen to President Clinton chide other law
makers and the auto manufacturers with his demands for even stricter
fuel emission standards for light trucks and SUVs.
Now, we must sacrifice ground clearance on future SUVs, which will make
off-road navigation more difficult.
Is there a real emergency here, or are we again being tested to see just how
many constraints we will permit in our lives before we have the guts to say;
enough is enough!
Every now and then, the higher powers decide that one or several of our
industries are the enemy, and that those of us who own or use those products
are part of a subversive fringe group.
Just take an unbiased look at what they have done to the tobacco industry--
they have financially stripped it bare!
The U.S. firearms industry has all but perished under the pressure of
increasingly restrictive gun laws!
So... who will be the next public enemy number one?
When you take another look at history, it gives you a clue as to what might be
going on here.
In the late 1800's, when our government was busy trying to annihilate the once
mighty Native American nations, they (the government) ran into a little
difficulty.
It had become evident that the stalwart Appaloosa horse of the plains Indians
was far superior to anything our government troops were riding.
Since there were no horses in the U.S. stables that could catch them, it was
decided that the only way to fight them, was to destroy them. In addition to
the thousands of Appaloosas that were slaughtered, many were cross bred so as
to weaken the strain.
Why do you suppose that the SUV poses such a threat to the higher powers that
they need an excuse such as a "safety" issue or an
"environmental" crisis so that they can in effect, water down the
breed?
The government is afraid of power in the hands of the people, my friends. Money
is power-- that is why we are slowly being taxed out of power. An armed
citizenry is power-- that is why we have seen our Second Amendment rights
methodically eroded away.
But what could the government fear about SUVs? What political power could a 4x4
vehicle pose against a government?
As we move ever closer to a closed society, where we will be ruled by
totalitarianism, martial law may soon prevail. Martial law means restricted
travel... ie; ROAD BLOCKS!
Citizens equipped with SUVs can avoid road blocks by traveling off-road.
If I were a leader of a tyrannical government, I too would view owners of SUVs
as a potential menace to my little dictatorship. And... if those citizens were
armed, I just couldn't sleep at all at night!
Stand Up America. It's time to say; ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Gary Miller
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