Pardon me if I hijack this entry, but while thinking about transit...

Do you know that scene from Five Easy Pieces where Jack picks up a woman on his road trip who sits in the back seat, smokes cigarettes and bitches about how cars could get 100 miles to the gallon if only the big brother corporations would let us have it? We’re supposed to think she’s full of shit, and of course we do, but now 35 years later I’ve found that there is something like it is going on. See http://www.dontcrush.com/

Here it is in five easy sentences: In the 1990s California required car makers to include zero emission vehicles in their sales offerings. The car companies had their car development people build electric cars, but at the same time had their lawyers sue to stop the mandates. Both sets of minions did their jobs, the cars were built and the lawyers got the mandate overturned. The car manufacturers then realized that they had good running electric cars that their lawyers say can’t be build. So of course the manufacturers crushed perfectly good cars.

This story is untold and unknown in most circles. These are fun facts I thought you Dan should know since you might care enough to repeat it, since the subject has come up in your column.

I love that woman from Five Easy Pieces. "I don't even wanna talk about it!"

So WTF? Where have I been? Does this mean we get no monorail, but we still have to pay taxes for the monorail? That's fucking outrageous, right? Am I missing something?

More importantly, what kind of asshat applies for the job of Skipper of the Titanic when it's already halfway beneath the waves?

I write about the auto industry. Last March, the topic of The General's crushing of its fine electric car, the EV1 came up over lunch, at a ride-and-drive staged by GM flacks to convince we journos that GM is worth saving. (For the record, they provided the Chevy Cobalt, in several variations, the Buick Lacrosse and Pontiac G6.)
The GM folks made light of it all, acting as if the people who want to keep their Impacts are akin to the folks standing outside the Post Office for LaRouche.
I had not heard that the cars need to be destroyed to verify The General's lawyer's argument. That makes a bit more sense and at least make GM look conniving, rather than moronic. Although given how the company is currently being managed - or rather mis-managed - it is hard to tell. Some people say that GM honcho Rick Waggoners wants the ship to sink; since he has stock that will pay off, even in the event of bankruptcy.
The Genenal's public relations types also claimed that their are liability problems, when I told them friends of mine in the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association would love to buy the cars. No wonder people keep buying Japanese or German machinery (too bad The General took over SAAB).

Correction: meant to write, towards the end of the last post, "There are liability problems..."

Hello Dan,

You just got completely PUNKED by the Seattle Weekly. At least they understand the problems of the smoking ban, the public suburban mentality that created it, and the so-called "progressives" that support it, like yourself.

Philip Dawdy has indirectly and brilliantly exposed you for the hypocrite you are. The Stranger comes off as the publishing mouthpiece of Roger Valdez.

Gone around to many bars lately, Dan? Enjoying the clean, pure air of the police state you and your "writers" have consistently endorsed?

Enjoy Dawdy's piece in the Weekly, sucker!

uh the stranger was against the smoking ban

They opposed the ban because they opposed the 25 ft. rule, which was sensible.

But in the last month or so, they have expended enormous energy writing about how great the ban is, why it is necessary, etc., etc. See Dave Segal et al. for examples of nonrational, emotive thought on this complex topic.

Ooh... we got PUNKED! You are so hep to that MTV lingo, Phil, circa 1999.

We're for the smoking ban—but we urged a no vote on the initiative. Still, those of us who go to bars and clubs—the same can't be said for the hippies at the Weekly—have been commenting on the benefits of the ban, imperfect as it is.

Your posts have the hysterical tone of the angry addict. People can still smoke, and do. And, yeah, I go to bars and clubs a lot. And I enjoy 'em more now—and so do the bartenders and waiters I've talked to, even the ones who smoke.

Holla and Happy Thanksgiving.

Hey man...sorry I missed the party.

Hope you come back soon!!

Hope you come back soon!!

I like this site!

This is the coolest La Cocina.

It looks like you really had a nice time.

Very interesting & professional site. You done great work.