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HUMMER Firebomber Could Get Five Years

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Speedracer, Nov 23, 2004.

  1. Speedracer

    Speedracer New Member

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    HUMMER Firebomber Could Get Five Years

    A 24-year-old doctoral candidate at the California Institute of Technology could be headed to prison for five years or more, after being convicted on Friday of firebombing vehicles at a HUMMER dealership on Aug. 22, 2003. William Cottrell, a physics student at CalTech, was found guilty of seven counts of arson and one count of conspiracy, the Los Angeles Times reported. Cottrell testified during his trial that SUV dealers were "evil," the paper says. Cottrell's two accomplices, Tyler Johnson, a Caltech graduate, and his girlfriend, Michie Oe, have not been indicted and are believed to have fled the U.S. On the night of the incident, four SUV dealers across southern California were targeted and vandalized, with about $5 million in damage being claimed and 125 vehicles lost to the terrorist acts. Cottrell's lawyers are already planning on asking for a new trial, based on their claim that the convicted man suffers from a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome, which is characterized often by high functioning in school situations but stunted social capability.
    Hummer
     
  2. Gurmail

    Gurmail Member

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    Sad. He is a hero. I know most people won't agree with his methods( including me) but this is one of the few ways to create awareness. While the rest of us moan and complain and do nothing, this person(s) risked prosecution to act on his ideals, for a worthy cause. I know everyone will disagree but, tell me, what else can realistically be done to counter the ever growing SUV menace?
     
  3. jchu

    jchu New Member

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    Gurmail,
    No 25k$ tax writeoffs, Luxury Taxes & or Differential taxation based on vehicle weight and or consumption just to name a few suggestions to reshape a Hummer aspirer's thinking.

    As a somewhat of a side note. I remember hearing about a speeding ticket in one of the Northern European countrys, Finland or the Netherlands I think. There they base the fine on a percentage of annual earnings. The cops nail a guy at the top of Nokia's administration for speeding a year or 2 ago and the fine based on his salary came out to be several thousand dollars american. Makes some sense in that if it is just a flat rate there is much less disincentive to speed if one is rolling in the buck as opposed to earning minimum wage!
     
  4. Gurmail

    Gurmail Member

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    I agree with your suggestions, however, I said realistically. Ofcouse, legislation based on safety, gross weight limits, pollution limits and very high taxes would be the best. But, as the laws favour these monstrosities with no change in sight, what real alternatives remain? atleast someone did something instead of just talking about it.
     
  5. popsrcr

    popsrcr New Member

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    Wow, that goes on the record as easily one of the dumbest things I've ever read.
    Tell you what, I'll burn down your house because I'm sick of the continued development of the land.
    I'll rip all the technology out of your car because of all the waste its creation makes.

    Really. That is just plain ignorant. As if SUVs are the scourge of mankind. So much so that fire bombing someone ELSES property is justified.


    Ohh...I just have to stop before I say something bad.
     
  6. Gurmail

    Gurmail Member

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    If you had read my first ost, I said that I did not agree with his/thrie methods but sympathised with his/their cause and was sad that he is facing a long jail sentence. In addition, these Hummers were "attacked" at dealerships, not when they were owned by private people nd the dealership probably collected money from their insurance. I know the insurance co suuferd the loss but it is not as great a loss as an individual losing their vehicle, though people with money to waste on a Hummer are probably pretty well off.
     
  7. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    Children.. stop arguing. Don't make me turn this prius around and go back home. I get the point of what you are saying. I also understand the argument. In one case, these are dealer cars. So it's not like going into someones house. It is still wrong either way. His way of "finaly stepping up" was too crazy. He commited a crime. there is a difference between public awareness by protesting and giving out information, and setting a brutal illegal act.

    On a completely bad compairison.. there is protesting a war.. and cutting off heads on tv.. it's all your choice.
     
  8. popsrcr

    popsrcr New Member

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    No, I read that part, but I just can condone anyone being sympathetic to crime and destruction of property. Doesn't matter who owns the property. We all pay for it one way or another via higher car costs, higher insurance, etc. Just wrong.

    And really, Hummers are pretty easy to get and not that expensive. Most of the truly wealthy people I've known would not just write of the loss (not talking Billionaires, but Millionaires for sure).

    And, I HAVE to ask, V8Cobrakid in a Prius? :)
     
  9. Gurmail

    Gurmail Member

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    I agree with you guys, destruction of propert is wrong on the whole. Eventhough I am not an enviornmental fanatic, there are those who would argue that the SUVs are destroying the Earth itself and it is justified to take action against them. One could argue they promote dependence on foreign oil-leading to wars, budget deficits etc-, senselessly waste a precious, non renewable resource etc. In a sensibl world, the gvt would, by public policy( in Europe to some extent) discourage huge vehicles. But, in the US the opposite is true. If someone wanted to take some action against this, what could I do? Writ to my Congressman/woman? Pass out flyers? Who listens? Who cares? If I( with my colleauges) were to destroy/damage 5-10 SUVs per weeks across the country, on an on going basis, it would make many people think twice about buying them. Even though I don't agree with this course of action( Ihate destroying anything), it remains one of the few viable means available.
    About the extreme example of cutting off heads on TV to protest a war(invasion), those people( though wrong in brutally killing innocent civilians) are at the rcieving end of a brutal, unprovoked, unjustified and totally illegal invasion. They are helpless against a clossal power that uses airplanes and tanks/artillery to bomb CIVILIAN areas in THEIR country. They hve lost their children, parents, brothers and sisters, wives etc. Is it a surprise they are full of hate and not being sophisticated enough or having financial or technical means to directly attack the US, they take their revenge on any poor hapless person they find?
     
  10. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    V8Cobrakid was a name i created when i was 13.. i've been loyal to keeping it and everyone knows me as it. I battle with junk emails.. but after 5 years, they don't bother as much. I never did get my cobra though. Closest i got was a High Output 5.0L engine with a GT40 intake manifold in my 87 Lincoln Mark VII LSC. 0-60mph in 6 seconds was fun.. but 56mpg is much more rewarding. Although i'm sure i make a few new enemies every day when cruising around town under the speed limit. It's the LIMIT after all :) never thought i would be saying that.
     
  11. jchu

    jchu New Member

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    Pleasantly amazing for a 20 year old!!!
     
  12. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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  13. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    in a somewhat sick and twisted way.. i just thought of this "terrorist" attach as more like an attach on the countries who we get our oil from. It's still wrong though. The attach is on oil consumers and companies that support them. this is why it was considered a terrorist act. It a small attempt to cut the legs out from under the hummer division. Everyone knows that california had a huge amount of hummers. We use them for fashion. So if there is 5 million dollars in damage, it makes a ripple to the overseeing company. It also stops "X" amount of cars that produce such bad emissions and low mileage from being on the streets for "X" amount of more days. Maybe those numbers are 1... but even at 1, then that group of people have achieved their goal.

    I guess that's the reality of it instead of the opinion wether it was wrong or not. We all now acting against gross pollution and environment unfriendly companies is right for our future. We also all know that violence and breaking the law is wrong.

    And now it's time for Mr Green :mrgreen:
     
  14. popsrcr

    popsrcr New Member

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  15. DanH

    DanH New Member

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    There also seems to be a bit on irony in his method of destroying these Hummers. He firebombed them. You have to wonder how much pollutants were let into the atmosphere from the burning of rubber, plastic, etc. Normally these parts could have been recycled in some way at the end of there normal usage.

    Honestly, I think this approach in no way does any good for the environmental cause any way you look at it. It's about the same as those nut-jobs that shoot abortion doctors for the sake of the pro-life movement. All it does is really piss off the other said and the general public starts to think everyone in that movement is as much as a whacked out nut-job. In the end... nothing gained.