It's about damn time
Lobbying group targets GM to halt its support of MADD
How about this? Why not boycott General Motors regardless of their affiliation with MADD. I boycott them every chance I get. Of course, my boycott is based on the fact that they make shitty cars, but everybody's got to have a reason. What's yours?
"A national campaign - called MADDatGM - has been launched with the backing of 17,000 bars, taverns and liquor stores to attack the automaker and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, mostly for their efforts to lower legal blood-alcohol levels. The effort has so far been a low-key one, but GM officials say the Washington-based trade group behind it is threatening that its members will quit buying GM vehicles for corporate fleet use - which could cost the automaker millions of dollars."My first response is basically the title of this entry. My second, how many bars, taverns and liquor stores maintain a 'corporate fleet' of any kind? My guess would be not that many, but who knows.
"The campaign, which already has a Web site and will distribute posters and coasters at various stores and bars, argues that MADD is no longer just trying to halt drunken driving, but has become a "prohibitionist group" that wants to criminalize all drinking. The campaign argues that GM, with its long-running support of MADD, supports prohibition and that tavern or liquor-store owners should think twice about buying GM cars or trucks."This is awesome. Finally, someone getting some ink and at the same time calling MADD out for what it is. Before you start in with the whole 'It's about the kids' thing, think about it. I suspect that given the opportunity, MADD would have you arrested for even thinking about a beer. Hell, I'm thinking about one right now, and I'm only typing. Maybe, there's some law against that. Maybe, there will be in the near future.
"A spokeswoman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency in charge of auto safety, defended MADD, saying because of them the number of alcohol-related deaths has dropped from 26,173 in 1982 to 17,013 in 2003."I know this sounds good, and at face value, makes a half-ass argument in favor of the actions of MADD. But what about the number of automotive deaths in general, alcohol or no alcohol? I would think that this number has gone done considerably as well. Given the advent of technology, namely airbags and crumple zones, one would think that overall safety has improved exponetially in the last 21 years.
How about this? Why not boycott General Motors regardless of their affiliation with MADD. I boycott them every chance I get. Of course, my boycott is based on the fact that they make shitty cars, but everybody's got to have a reason. What's yours?
1 Comments:
The problem with the "MADDatGM" campaign is that it's focused on two premises: one, that MADD is a pro-prohabition. And two, that GM is bribing MADD into remaining quiet on people who use GM cars to speed and drive reckelessly.
First, while people accuse MADD of prohabitionist tendencies, the possibility of this nation going back to prohabition (god I hate to spell that word) is zero. Anyone who remembers what a cluster fuck that was the last time certainly won't be anxious for it to happen again. Secondly, MADD proclaims that it is not a prohabitionist organization - are they lying? Do they have these tendancies? That's debatable, but, again, they've got zero chance of success.
Now to the other part - is GM bribing MADD, as the organization claims? Well, why would they? The organization - and one David J. Hanson - make the allegation that MADD is a traffic safety group who ignores traffic related deaths by causes other than drinking -- DJH quotes a MADD spokesman as saying, "I don't care about deaths by cell phones" and jumps on them for it, labeling them a 'traffic safety organization.'
To an extent, I suppose they are a 'traffic safety organization', but they're a very focuses one - their only concern is people who are inebriated and driving. I mean, if you're driving, and you're wife is giving you a blowjob, and you lose control of your car and kill six people -- unless you're drunk when it happens, MADD doesn't give a shit.
The other problem is that this association - bar and liquor store owners - is only targeting GM. GM is hardly the only group that donates to MADD. The National Football League donated a large sum to MADD - so why aren't these people going after the NFL?
Oh, right, most people who go to bars to drink want to be able to watch football games on the TV. You'll never be able to convince them of the same conspiracy that they're trying to tell people exists between GM and MADD.
Best,
-Malnurtured Snay
www.MalnurturedSnay.net
Post a Comment
<< Home