Well...it's NOT Jay Fosle, he's my brother and he doesn't have a Hummer. He's got a 100th anniversary Harley Fatboy though!

can't be jeff a. the gays don't drive hummers, they give them!

Am I missing something? Is it a crime to drive a Hummer?

No it is not. Neither is it a crime to offer money for photos of people driving Hummers. Move along...

Favorite bumper sticker: "Real soldiers are dying in their Hummers so that you can play soldier in yours."

Didn't someone once say the bigger the vehicle one drives the smaller the penis? Well now what if it is a female councilor?

I guess I'm just trying to figure out the point of this little exersize. By publishing a photo of a councilor in their vehicle of choice what is hoped to be accomplished? I'm really trying to figure out what I'm missing here.

Who's the Douche Bag on the Council; that might make the hunt a little easier.

Ryan Kern of the Air Show was the first person I knew in Duluth with a Hummer. Say no more.

Dan...it's not against the law or otherwise illegal to drive a hummer...it's the image it brings...the Hummer has come to embody the perpetuation of Good Old American excess. Bigger than needed...costly and inefficient...kinda like a lot of the trophy houses up on skyline...because we can doesn't always mean that we should. get it?

My issue with the whole deal (other than the driver of said vehicle getting a big fat middle finger in his/her direction on sight)...has as much to do with representation as it does image.

Representation: how can you...a person who drives a vehicle that is close in size to my house...purport to represent MY best interests to the city?

OK...I get it now. So what type of vehicle should this councilor have that will classify him/her as a non-douche? I think a list of the makes, models and years of those vehicles should be put together and sent to the councilor in question.

Silly Danny, get with the groupthink. The proper vehicle for a Duluthian is one of those overpriced Priuses (plural of prius =prii?) or a Subaru Outback. Bonus points if it has a kayak rack and a Wellstone bumper sticker.

Silly Zra, none of them represent you.

p.o.n...i don't drive. my feets is my only carriage. The Missus drives an '89 volvo 740 GLE wagon with 296K and is in need of some exhaust and electrical work.
not exactly a prius...they haven't built one of those things that can come close to taking the type of torture and abuse that I am capable of meting upon it. Any vehicle I could singlehandedly upend isn't worth my time.

I've always wanted to make a line of bumper stickers that look exactly like the green and white "For Wilderness" stickers I see on SUVs and their kin on a regular basis that reads: "Fuck Wilderness. I drive an SUV."

I'll prefer to leave the subies and prii to the well heeled types and trustafarians up in Woodland to play around with.

Ahhhhh. Tribalism. My god can beat up your god. Groupthink at its finest.

SUV=bad. trustafarians in Woodland=bad. Volvo wagon=good. Feet=better

While I don't drive a Hummer, I do drive a grossly inefficient 4x4 truck. Because I find it useful. And I am perfectly content with the size of my genetalia. And yet, strangely, I like trees and birds and bees.

I for one am excited about the birth of the Duluth paparazzi industry.
I'll pay $2.25 for a shot of Baci in a bikini. $3 if you can see the cellulite on his thighs.

Hummers are really just idiotic looking vehicles, above and beyond any issues with waste and excess they just look horrible.

And, any given community you come into is going to have certain shared values, labeling it groupthink is a bit pejorative. "Oh, my gosh I don't agree with most of the people here, that must mean my opinion is more valid", major meh (especially when it is regarding Libertarianism, fucking outmoded shitassed philosophy).

p.o.n.: you brought it (prii, et al) up...i was simply refuting your stereotype...and yeah, probably painting a little with my own brush...point being: those types of vehicles are a bit cost prohibitive to many (if not most) of the folks here. we drive what we can, when we can...besides, do you really think a prius would last all that long on Duluth streets?

I've got no beef with utility vehicles per se...or big old trucks for that matter. being that i am a utilitarian sort, given my druthers i'd also be driving some sort of pick-em-up truck...and i probably would (own one again) if i lived in a setting where its ownership would be justified by its purpose. however, my residence in urban areas with easy walking access to amenities such as work bar, grocery, etc...have negated my need for vehicular transportation.

alas, our familial situation has necessitated the ownership of another vehicle. not too awful happy about that reality but...suffice to say, the prius and outback will be quite a ways down my list of viable options.

I'll pay $5 for a photo of the entire Tangier57 in banana hammocks!

I think this is a very important exercise. Hummers are low quality crap that is "sold" to people with meager intellects. We the people should know which elected official is so intellectually challenged as to fall for such a scam, and who is so painfully insecure the he (I assume it's a he) can be so very easily manipulated. Will he also waste our money to feal more manly?

click click ... clumsy owes me $3.00

btw danny .. get an f'ing clue

oops, cap was on
click

Nice tramp stamp, Baci.

More about recognizing the consequences of one's actions and choices and acting responsibly than groupthink, I think. There are more important things (such as trees and birds and bees) in the world than what an individual finds useful or wants to buy.

This is dumb.

Adam, have you installed a low-flow toilet in your home? Are every one of your light bulbs the most efficient LED type? Do you only wear recycled clothing? Is the paint on your walls low VOC? Do you subsist entirely on locally-grown, organic foodstuffs? Are the employees of Paper Hog (where your 'zine is printed) totally safeguarded against airborne pollutants in their workplace? Are there solar panels and a wind turbine on your house?

If you answered no to any of these, then I'm afraid you are included in the "douche bag" category. Can I have your picture please, and then post it about town with "douche bag" written under it?

This sort of immature and highly-unsophisticated finger-pointing is depressing. And borderline illegal, regardless of someone's position in civic life. Seriously. It's dumb.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If-by-whiskey

Even if Adam once threw away a recyclable it is still a universal maxim that only douchebags drive Hummers.

Baci, I really wish I could take back that click. I really really do.

good point, vicarious but...the whole point of this whole PDD thing is dumb...arguing on the internet...but we do it pretty much every single time. stuff like us makes us think about things (thanks frank) around us.

i do have to take issue with the setting up of the eco class...it'd be awful nice to be able to do the things you mentioned but...the reality is that it's not always possible.

http://tinyurl.com/2jmlha

er, whatever else it may be, taking photos of someone in a public space is not illegal, especially if they are an elected official.

And, strictly personal, I think there is a small difference between willing paying large amounts of money for an inefficient piece of machinery that has a higher then average chance of causing harm in some form or another, and not being able to afford everything on your list.

Wow. No strong feelings about this one...

I encourage people to go to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm

Do a side by side comparison of the H3 with similar sized vehicles. It beats many of the large vehicles and pick-ups on the market.

I'm not a big advocate of the Hummer, but painting the current H3 with the military style hummer of a few years ago isn't a fair comparison.

Now, if this council member doesn't show up for a meeting due to weather, then the Transistor may have a story.

Honestly, if Adam wants to write a story about the new Hummer councilor, who cares? Not to compare the Transistor to tabloids, but if the tabloids can write about the spider-human or Britney Spears's many different hairstyles, certainly Adam can write about transportation of one of our local politicians. Freedom of the press, babies.

As far as the legality or illegality of the story, public figures are not subject to the same privacy laws as the rest of us, as the DCB folks have so kindly pointed out to many of our local politicians in the past.

Speaking of the DCB, what we really should be talking about is the new moderator over at the DCB. Anyone else notice who it supposedly is?

Once again I find myself pitching a tent at Camp Who Cares. Tamara, s'more me.

Bah ha ha. The Transistor is about as much "The Press" as Danny Does Duluth.

Alright, I drive a gas quaffing, but not guzzling Jeep V-8(winter only, I economize in the summer months). I would love to drive a more environmentally friendly vehicle, but that would mean a car payment. I could do it if I wanted but it cost less to put the gas into the SUV and I have a trade off of not getting stuck on snow days(BIG plus in town). When i get as wealthy as a certain city councillor, maybe I will go for the Escape Hybrid. But until then, I will live within my means.

Will everyone also just settle down!! This is just poking fun at an elected official who touts fiscal responsibility and goes and buys the most unneccesary vehicle on the market. It is right wing irony and we know a good joke on here when we see one!!

There's a new moderator over at DCB? Could not be worse than the old one, Tony Ramone or whatever the hell his name is. I don't even lurk over there, much less participate, it had become so toxic -- it was like gargling with sewer sludge. Not that I've ever gargled with sewer sludge. But if I had, I'm sure that's what it'd feel like.
By the way, Sharla Gardner drives a vintage Chevy I think, it looks like she's had it since the Kennedy era.

Claire, it doesn't matter, they still bring your name up every once in a while. Is the new moderator over there OUR Starfire?

I'm sure they still bring up my name on DCB -- I certainly got those freaks all riled up, didn't I? They're probably crucifying Brandon Stahl and Mark Stodghill this week. What a group of trolls, they're pretty scary people, b/c you never know what to expect from obviously unhinged psychos with a little too much time on their hands and big chips on their shoulders. But I think of them as like the idiots who go around writing graffiti in public spaces, thinking they're so tough -- they're thugs, they're the low-life scum they're always complaining are over-running Duluth. Whenever DCBers complain about crime in Duluth, I want to tell them to look in the mirror.

How much for a Baci nude shot?

I'd pay $4.99 for a Baci nude. ;) lol...

$5.01. At LEAST!

I remember reading about the quality of H2 construction a while back... 225 problems per 100 vehicles. IIRC they had the lowest quality rating among 'Merican vehicles. Plus you get the added bonus of 9mpg. There is a reason the put a 32 gallon tank in them.

Hummer H2 = GM Suburban with a half ton of plastic hot-glued to it.

I see your $5.01, Girl, and raise you $.02!

wait....does this mean chris m.is auctioning a nude pic of me off? That was a GIFT! And anyway, rights to publication of that pic are owned by Hall and Oates and you know it.

No one in the Midwest needs a Hummer. Hell, even in Montana, where there are legitimate mountains to drive over, almost no one needs a Hummer, and even then, if someone does need something in that vein, they just get a damn Jeep.

Dag-nabit! I knew there was something fishy about this whole nude-Baci photo auction thing.

It's not wise to crush the nine-months' pregnant woman's hopes, you guys!

hummer (h2, h3 et al) = chevy tahoe chassis with hummer body hotglued to it...or so i thought.

incidentally, barrett, the original "Real soldiers are dying" quip was originally a freeway blogger sign in california.

Mary...since when are we only allowed to buy what we need?

@Danny - Its not about being allowed or not. Consumerism is a root of this country's problems.

So, you never buy stuff then? Only things you need?

Flaming the comments with questions that put words in others' mouths is just as bad as your spam. Knock it off.

Fair enough, Danny--but I agree with Nick. It's this kind of conspicuous consumption that's turning us into a society of attention whores.

So where's the line then? How much is exactly too much consumerism. If you (Mary) and you (Nick) are saying that buying too much stuff is a bad thing then that should mean that you have some line of what is considered "too much". Where is that line, exactly?

So I saw a shiny Hummer H2 on a flatbed towtruck on 36th and London Rd. today. You dont suppose..........?
I usually carry my digital with me but I didn't have it on my way home from classes today.

Dildos Danny.stop trying to be so obviously provocative.

Ummm back to the whole topic at hand: The Hummer, the Councilman and the picture. Easily distracted aren't you all!

Danny, I think the answer to your question is a moving target. It's like asking a person how much food is too much to eat. If your goal is to stay in shape, and you exercise regularly or are very physically active in your day to day life you can eat more than your standard, garden variety couch potato. In the same way consumption of natural resources needs to be balanced with other activities if the goal is to leave a livable world to our grandchildren.

The "moving target" is fair enough, but I personally think it belongs at the source of my question. Saying there is "too much" of anything (in this case, consumorism) is very specific. The target is being moved automatically just by making allusions to "too much" and then not defining how much too much is.

fine, Danny. i'll start the list:

Way Too Much:
1. buying a Hummer
2. driving a Hummer
2. having three or more homes
3. having a full compliment of all the finest amenities and electronics in each of those homes.
4. birthing more than five children if you live in a first world country.

my list has many hundreds more entries. And then there's the Too Much list. i'm so sick of people going on about how we have no right to complain about people's blatant, earthkilling excess. if you aren't doing something in your life to work towards reining in the insanity, then you're an asshole. okay? it's not about being perfect--just because you haven't become King EcoHero doesn't mean you should sit on your latest-model-Tv-lovin ass and watch it all pan out like a damned reality show, howling how It's Your Right Dammit to buy whatever the hell you want! the world is growning under our pretend rights to be an amerikkkan and fuck-the-rest. if no one's allowed to complain about that, to make fun of that (since that just might make me less likely to go on a homocidal rampage), then ... well, Danny, you're being a douche.

(yes yes, zra. i'm playing with a trolly sort snag. my fingers are unlocked. it comes of being cabin-fevered, and PMSed.)

er... "groaning".

and "trolly sort of snag".

and i spelled "american" wrong. yes i did. i'm such a hippie.

So its really about controling other people... which, to me, is the root (not money) of all evil.

Oh my goodness, somewhere, someone is enjoying the fruits of his or her labor! This must be stopped, comrade!

It is ALWAYS about controlling, or trying to control, other people. No matter what system you live under. And that is not necessarily a bad thing in-of-itself. The notion that each of us has a god given right to consume as much as we possibly can is not sustainable. There is a big difference between "enjoying the fruits of their labor" (which usually is obtained through controlling somebody) and being socially and ethically responsible. Human societies are exactly that, societies. We are social creatures and as such the basic unit is not the individual but the group. The individual is highly important, and is why we have individual rights, but the right of the individual does not ALWAYS trump the right of the group. There are, of course, plenty of notable exceptions to this, but there is no right of consumption. In many ways this is just a extension of the tragedy of the commons. If a given person says, I have the right to use a vehicle that consumes more, produces more pollution and is a greater hazard on the road, purely for recreational use then they are also saying they deserve more of the common resources, such as fuel, clean air, driving space and road maintenance then the person who drives anything less then that. By consuming more fuel drivers of Hummers will quicken the rise in gas prices, which they may able to afford, but someone on the margin may not. By consuming more fuel the drives of Hummers emit more pollution therefore quality of life deteriorates for all. By driving heavier vehicles they contribute disproportinately to road degradation which we all share the cost of, and again the Hummer driver is generally able to absorb the cost easier.
And, no, the individual Hummer driver is not going to cause all those problem by his/her lonesome self, but that is the trap that lets them off the hook. I am not responsible. And, honestly, this is something we all fall into, but generally our impact is less severe, and our action less of a middle finger to everyone else. By all means if you want to support the Ayn Rand-ian wackiness continue on. Lord knows they have a martyr complex as it is. The Hummer is, despite all arguments, a large "fuck you" to everyone around.

A Hummer is no more a "fuck you" to everyone around than is an Ipod, or cell phone, or brand-new mercury-filled Ibook, or those neat pair of Keen's, or that fashionable Australian wool hoodie from Trailfitters, or your subscription to AdBusters.

They are all unneccesary and conspicuous, doing varying levels of social/economic/environmental harm in their particular spheres of influence.

This singling out of Hummer drivers is silly. Groupthink.

I still dont see how this has to do with gas consumption as a Hummer CONSUMES LESS GAS THAN MOST 4x4 TRUCKS!

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm

This link needs to be seen again. Compare your car to a Hummer. Compare your buddies. Compare any other pickup truck/suv that is out. Try a Jeep, especially the V8 models. Be amazed. Be dazzled. Be scientific in your arguments and less emotional.

And stop the, "I'd like to but..." and the, "But I need..." to justify what ever it is that you drive/do.

If you don't like them because they are ugly, fine. I think they are butt ugly myself. To single out Hummer owners as douchebags because they have a car you don't like that is no worse than a lot of other vehicles out there is just narrow sighted and wrong.

Saying Hummers are evil for environmental reasons while driving a 19yr old Volvo with exhaust problems or a V8 jeep (which is just as gas guzzling as a hummer) is no different than arguing the virtues of a meat free lifestyle and wearing leather.

I think this debate revolves around the proper definition of a 'douchebag'. Danny clearly qualifies for having worn out his welcome at both PDD and DCB, a monumental achievement.

According to my research, the world authorities on douchebaggery can be found at Cracked.com, the online remnants of what was once Mad Magazine's archrival.

Here is the 2007 Year in Douchebaggery and douchebag behaviors explained by science.

I'll be the first to admit that Cracked's talking head is not particularly funny. However, they seem to have a near monopoly on douchebag based analysis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCXVhOQ6sNY

http://www.cracked.com/article_15822_5-douchebag-behaviors-explained-by-science.html

Let the cake-eaters eat their cake. I want a picture of a city coucilmember getting into a Pontiac Aztec. Now THAT would be a douchebag. Really, now. Am I to be lambasted because I drive to Cloquet everyday from my home in Duluth? No. It's a choice I made. Is my carbon footprint larger than it needs to be? Probably. Is it smaller than it could be? Definitely. I'd wager that whoever this councilmember is, his or her family recycles and turns the tap off while they are brushing their teeth. There is no redeeming social value to poking fun at our elected officials for things like this (but that's not the point, now, is it?). Instead, we should (and do)focus on their policies, their comments, and their voting records. On the other hand, the Transistor has shown time and time again that is not exactly the place for enlightened discourse on public policy, the environment, and politics. That's fine. I still read the rag every week because it is entertaining to me. If the peeps find photos of upper-middle class excess entertaining, then I say fire away. I think it's a neat idea, and the photo, when it is published, will make me laugh for all the right reasons. *cough*

vicarious, wtf is adbusters? cause other than that and the fancy austrialian wool hoodie-i'm fucking you all off. while listening to warren zevon i might add.

no, Edsel...the Pontiac Aztec is just butt fucking UGLY...i wouldn't wish that garish monstrosity upon anyone...

hbh...i feel ya sista...i ain't right bu maybe 20-22% of the time but dammit...I'm feelin punchy cus of the cabin feverish waitin for the walterish end o winter blues.

good thing you wingnuts Really don't take me seriously. if ya do, you need to have your head examined...i'm just talkin shit.

If anything, vicarious is about as justified to respond as any one of us really...but I think that Hummers are a focal point to protest and angst because they're so big and visible and oh so very much left to the upper class.

Their trophy homes are tucked neatly into what used to be wooded ridges and valley dales on streets that bear the names of trees that used to occupy the space where their castle now sits...and face it, their Mercedes, Jaguars and BMW's are just sexy. But in the case of the Hummer, their trophy homes are coming down from the ridges and taking up two whole lanes in doing it.

They're an inconvenience to the rest of us, and to own one is basically to inform the rest of the population that you are indeed better and more important than the rest of us, therefore it is necessary to flaunt said status for the rest of you to be impressed by.

"I'm rich. You must accommodate me."

I don't understand what any of this has to do with the fact that if you drive a Hummer, you are a douchebag.