cannabisnews.com: TV Ads Say S.U.V. Owners Support Terrorists TV Ads Say S.U.V. Owners Support Terrorists Posted by CN Staff on January 07, 2003 at 23:01:18 PT By Katharine Q. Seelye Source: New York Times Ratcheting up the debate over sport utility vehicles, new television commercials suggest that people who buy the vehicles are supporting terrorists. The commercials are so provocative that some television stations are refusing to run them.Patterned after the commercials that try to discourage drug use by suggesting that profits from illegal drugs go to terrorists, the new commercials say that money for gas needed for S.U.V.'s goes to terrorists. "This is George," a girl's voice says of an oblivious man at a gas station. "This is the gas that George bought for his S.U.V." The screen then shows a map of the Middle East. "These are the countries where the executives bought the oil that made the gas that George bought for his S.U.V." The picture switches to a scene of armed terrorists in a desert. "And these are the terrorists who get money from those countries every time George fills up his S.U.V."A second commercial depicts a series of ordinary Americans saying things like: "I helped hijack an airplane"; "I gave money to a terrorist training camp in a foreign country"; "What if I need to go off-road?" At the close, the screen is filled with the words: "What is your S.U.V. doing to our national security?"The two 30-second commercials are the brainchild of the author and columnist Arianna Huffington. Her target audience, she said, is Detroit and Congress, especially the Republicans and Democrats who last year voted against a bill, sponsored by Senators John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, that would have raised fuel-efficiency standards. Spokesmen for the automakers dismissed the commercials.Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said of Ms. Huffington, "Her opinion is out-voted every year by Americans who buy S.U.V.'s for their safety, comfort and versatility." He said that S.U.V.'s now account for 21 percent of the market.In an interview, Senator Kerry distanced himself from the commercials. He said that rather than oppose S.U.V.'s outright, he believed they should be more efficient."I haven't seen these commercials," he said, "but anybody can drive as large an S.U.V. as they want, though it can be more efficient than it is today." Ms. Huffington's group, which calls itself the Detroit Project, has bought almost $200,000 of air time for the commercials, to run from Sunday to Thursday. While the group may lose some viewers if stations refuse to run the advertisements, the message is attracting attention through news coverage.The advertisements are to be broadcast on "Meet The Press," "Face the Nation" and "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" in Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Washington.But some local affiliates say they will not run them. At the ABC affiliate in New York, Art Moore, director of programming, said, "There were a lot of statements being made that were not backed up, and they're talking about hot-button issues." Ms. Huffington said she got the idea for the commercials while watching the antidrug commercials, sponsored by the Bush administration. In her syndicated column, she asked readers if they would be willing to pay for "a people's ad campaign to jolt our leaders into reality."She said she received 5,000 e-mail messages and eventually raised $50,000 from the public. Bigger contributors included Steve Bing, the film producer; Larry David, the comedian and "Seinfeld" co-creator; and Norman Lear, the television producer.Source: New York Times (NY)Author: Katharine Q. SeelyePublished: January 8, 2003Copyright: 2003 The New York Times Company Contact: letters nytimes.com Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:Arianna Onlinehttp://www.ariannaonline.com/Got Oil - Arianna Huffington http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14527.shtmlDEA Exhibit: Illicit Drug Sales Support Terrorism http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13970.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #15 posted by DigiStain on January 12, 2003 at 21:53:28 PT: IF YOU BUY GAS, YOU SUPPORT TERRORISM! Check out DigiStain's spoof "If You Buy Gas..." It premiered on iFilm.com over a month before the SUV thing arrived. It's hilarious, incisive, and doesn't miss the point -- a real counterpunch to Partnership for a Drug Free America ads. "If You Buy Gas..." can be accessed online at:http://www.geocities.com/digistain DigiStain presents "If You Buy Gas..." [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by BGreen on January 09, 2003 at 04:32:30 PT Saddam Tried To Kill Bush Sr Junior already said that. He's got a personal vendetta and all of our money for his act of revenge.The point of this SUV commercial isn't that SUV's or their drivers support terrorism, it's trying to show the absurdity of the gov't propaganda ads accusing CANNABIS users of supporting terrorists.It's called a metaphor. It obviously went right over some people's heads.There is a direct link between oil money and terrorists, but our gov't would rather people didn't know that. The commercial could have said diamonds or even taxpayers support terrorism. The US financed Osama for years and gave the Taliban $41 million taxpayers dollars one month before the 9/11 attack. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Jerr-man on January 09, 2003 at 03:45:33 PT Um........ Maryjanefreedom your comment... We're not going to Iraq for oil like you conspiracy theorists think... we're going to Iraq to prevent Saddam from doing exactly what North Korea is doing now.Trying to equal the one superpower left ??Using the threat of military assualt ?? I mean diplomatic relations.Squashing information about known health benifits and fuel possiblities from plants for their own monetery gains is considered theory also,don't you think?? Our support on other countries commondities (i.e. OIL) is disgusting being there is a renewable resouce available. As much as you wish the contrary,it is all about OIL. If it were actually about human rights violation and weapons of mass destruction ,it would have been taken care of long ago (at least in theory). The man controls to much OIL in the world.I believe it is very much about the slime that makes our world go round. :)j [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Maryjanefreedom on January 09, 2003 at 02:01:22 PT This is so sad... This is one of the stupidest things I've seen yet. Making this connection is so absurd.Why? Because there are millions of greater fuel wasting segments in our society.Ms. Huffington herself prides herself because she drives a Toyota Prius. Woop di do!!! Did you know she owns a 9,000 Square Foot house!!!!!!! She wastes ten times the fuel heating her home than she would if she drove a Hummer!It might seem like a good idea, be reality and common sense has to slap you in the face and bring you back. We're not going to Iraq for oil like you conspiracy theorists think... we're going to Iraq to prevent Saddam from doing exactly what North Korea is doing now. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by mayan on January 08, 2003 at 17:34:06 PT Arianna... I used to despise her but in the past couple of years I have grown very fond of her. She realizes it's all about the oil!Straw Admits Oil is Key Priority: http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,3605,869796,00.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Dark Star on January 08, 2003 at 13:40:10 PT Admission Dark Star has to admit that he methodically and systematically shared marijuana with coeds for two years before he scored, and even then, it had nothing to do with his success from a seduction standpoint. His standards did not permit him to abuse alcohol in this way. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on January 08, 2003 at 13:38:28 PT That Ad About the girl seemingly going to get raped made me very upset too. Maybe alcohol and tranquilizers but not Cannabis. It doesn't make a person pass out. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by delariand on January 08, 2003 at 13:06:01 PT The marijuana date-rape ad I just saw this ad for the first time last night. I don't know what was in that pipe they were passing around, but it couldn't have been marijuana. At best, the girl would have had a great stone and a great party, except for that one jerk who got a little too close to her tits before she slapped him and avoided him the rest of the night. At worst, she could have smoked way way too much pot, leading to some mild paranoia which probably would have led her to notice him even sooner, to the same result. I've never been, and I've never seen anyone inebriated enough from just marijuana to lose touch with their surroundings.Alcohol, however, is a different story [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on January 08, 2003 at 10:06:33 PT He Called Arianna a Loonie! Hey Arianna! Stick This Where The Sun Don't Shine!By Doug ThompsonJanuary 8, 2003 My wife and I did our part to support international terrorism this week. We did it with the help of Chevron, Texaco, Amoco and Mobil.You see, none of the various vehicles that occupy our garage gets over 20-miles-per-gallon on the open road.Gas guzzlers all. My wife’s Jeep Liberty Sports Utility Vehicle on a good day, with cruise control engaged and an open road, might touch 20 MPG but I doubt it. The usual rate of consumption is 17-18 gallons per highway mile and a hell of a lot less around town or off road.My Wrangler struggles to reach 15 MPG on the open road. Off road the consumption is more like “gallons per mile.”Complete Article: http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_1489.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Truth on January 08, 2003 at 09:14:11 PT Alcohol Alcohol is the supreme King of the date rape drugs. Our leaders are practicing double standards as if it has no effect on their souls. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 08, 2003 at 07:55:08 PT I Saw Excerpts From The Ad Even though SUV's are mentioned in the ad they placed the responsibility on oil. It was more on our dependency on foreign oil. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on January 08, 2003 at 07:38:19 PT revised statement In an interview, Senator Kerry distanced himself from the commercials. He said that rather than oppose S.U.V.'s outright, he believed they should be more efficient."I haven't seen these commercials," he said, "but anybody can drive as large an S.U.V. as they want, though it can be more efficient than it is today."Oh yeah? This is my statement on the ONDCP ads:"I haven't seen these commercials. But anybody can smoke as much herb as they want, though the joints will one day be larger than they are today" [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by lag on January 08, 2003 at 06:52:29 PT Mis-direction I thought that these ads were supposed to be a commentary on the fact that those same people who claim that drug users are aiding terrorism are aiding terrorism by supporting oil, people like G. Dub and cohorts. Ah well...But Ethan, I think that that commercial you are referring to is truly disgusting. It maintains some truly specious reasoning...She may be giggling from the pot, but if she is going to be so easily overwhelmed by some punk on the couch it is prolly going to be from something that really immoblizes, alcohol. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 08, 2003 at 05:56:04 PT: Double-Standard "There were a lot of statements being made that were not backed up, and they're talking about hot-button issues." This same statement would apply equally to the government's unsubstantiated ads concerning the link between drug use and terrorism.The ad that really gripes me is the one where a teenage boy starts undressing a girl due to marijuana. What really should be on the coffee table is a can of beer, if they really intended an accurate portrayal. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment