I'm not trying to force my political views on readers, but as a lover of gardening, naturally I'm concerned about the environment. Global warming has never been a hotter issue and too often SUV drivers are blamed for all that is wrong with the world (was everything roses before the SUV rolled into town?) The SUV witch hunt touches small gardening/landscape companies too because they often drive trucks and SUVs. One-sided activists will protest and insinuate that SUV drivers are evil and the cause of the war and global warming, but a well maintained SUV will do less damage to the environment than a car that has avoided emissions tests for years because the owner can't afford to make the needed repairs. Or a family of six that owns five cars and drives them everyday for extended periods. Or a fleet of taxis circling a city to drive all the "non car owners" around. And the list goes on. So, environmental issues are a bit more complex than blaming a person because they own an SUV, but "A" for effort as they say.

Celebrities are famous for speaking out against SUVs, yet you'll never hear them tell you NOT to see their movie, or rent and buy their DVDs if it means you have to drive an SUV to get there. And unless every limo or plane they ever took, or every product they ever endorsed and made millions on is environmentally-friendly then what credibility do they have? It's easy to blame the SUV driver, but a bold move would be to donate a few hybrids to people who keep dodging emissions, or lobby against transportation companies that don't follow the lead of UPS and incorporate hybrids into their fleet. Speak out against car manufacturers instead of being their commercial spokesperson. Or tell people NOT to see their movies if they get there by SUV. Speak out against companies that manufacturer the items. But please, stop the witch hunt against the SUV driver. If you want to know who is responsible for global warming, the answer is each and every one of us. We're all responsible for damaging this earth. We're all responsible for not thinking before we buy or act. And we must all exercise methods to improve this earth, every minute of every day with every choice we make-even if it's not convenient.

While promoting his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, on Late Night With Jay Leno, former Vice President Al Gore passionately displayed that demeanor that turned off half of America in 2000 while describing global warming and voicing disappointment about the current administration's inaction, in his opinion. He went on to say that years from now, when people feel the heat of global warming they'll look back and wonder why the President of the United States in 2006 did nothing about it. Too bad global warming didn't exist when Al Gore was in office and had power. He's so passionate about the environment, I bet he really could've made a difference. What? It was a huge issue even then? Well, I guess he was too busy "inventing the internet" which would ultimately lead to a huge waste dump of lead infested computers, or partaking in iffy fundraising, and pursuing his own political agendas to notice global warming. BTW, a great way to promote An Inconvenient Truth would have been if Al Gore offered free admission to anyone who walked, rode a bike, or drove a hybrid, but alas, they don't care how you get there, as long as you can pay to get in. How many people drove to see that movie? Tens of millions? How is this for irony, if they had aired An Inconvenient Truth on public television, everyone could have gotten the message-and without emitting toxins into the environment. Anyone who brings this important message to the masses should be applauded and heard, but for Al Gore to hold himself blameless and mislead the public to fuel his own personal vendeta againt President Bush is wrong, and sadly makes people unwilling to listen to the important message he is trying to send.

Many SUV drivers choose that auto because it's large enough and safe for our families as well as lugging lots of DVDs home from Best Buy. Take a stroll on some of the Midwest's expressways packed with distribution semis, and if you drive a small car you're an ant amongst elephants on speed. It's scary and it's dangerous. (I'm glad I was in an SUV when I was hit by a dump truck that failed to stop.) While driving an SUV doesn't make you a bad person, driving an environmentally friendly hybrid won't automatically make you a good person, and it won't save your soul. An article on PC Magazine's website by Bill Howard stated that, "If you drive a Prius, your colleagues will know you're a good person." Okay, let's think about that. If you ripped off a Toys for Tots donation box and sold the items on eBay, are you still a good person because you drive a hybrid? It means that you have or are willing to spend extra money to make a contribution, yes, and that you're mindful to the environment, yes, and you should be rewarded with personal praise and accolades, but being a good person goes beyond the type of car you drive. You need to make green decisions everyday. This ranges from the type of light bulb you, the food you eat and items you recycle, to the companies and politicians you support. Even the type of roof you have impacts the earth. Of course, driving a hybrid is a great start, if you can call it that-only one percent of cars sold in the US are hybrids. I wonder why they're not more affordable? I know car manufacturers would never phatom profiting off something like this.

For those of you keeping score, it's car manufacturers and politicans: profiting off hypocrisy. The average consumer: blamed for the demise of the world.