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Schwarzenegger claims to be an environmentalist, but his choice of vehicles and his his endorsements out him as a hypocrite

by sfbg (reposted)
f there is a single symbol of American wastefulness, military fetishism, and willful ignorance about what it means to be heating up the planet at the end of the age of oil, it is the Hummer. And if there is one American who is most closely associated with the Hummer, it is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
So why, in a state whose voters consistently rank environmentalism as one of their most important concerns, is Governor Hummer considered such a lock for reelection? And why haven't the mainstream media made more of Schwarzenegger's stubborn refusal to give up the four Hummers he still owns?

For that matter, why is the press overlooking his opposition to Proposition 87 (which would tax oil companies to support research of alternative fuels) and tacit support of Proposition 90 (which would make environmental protection far more costly for governments), both positions on close races that are at odds with environmental groups? Is he really that good an actor?

The visceral response that Hummers elicit from true environmentalists is perhaps best captured on the Web site http://www.fuh2.com, which has posted thousands of pictures of people flipping off Hummers, what it refers to as "the official Hummer H2 salute."

....

At one point Schwarzenegger was rumored to have given up his Hummers. But Schwarzenegger spokesperson Darrell Ng told the Guardian the governor still owns four Hummers, which are now in storage while he drives state vehicles, and that he has no plans to get rid of them. Environmentalists say it is a missed opportunity at a critical juncture in the world's relationship with oil.

...

http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=1984
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