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Last night, popular talk radio personality Rush Limbaugh made an appearance on the Jay Leno Show. During the program, Limbaugh had the opportunity to drive an electric Ford Focus on Leno's test track. The "Green Car Challenge" has become a regular segment on the Leno Show and has already tested such guests as Drew Barrymore.
The progress of Limbaugh's attempt was momentarily interrupted when he reached a pair of obstacles, dangling cardboard cutouts of Al Gore and Ed Begley, in the second lap. Instead of avoiding the cutouts, which was the object, Limbaugh drove straight through them, reversed over them, and then "hit" them again. It got a lot of laughs and, on one level, was a playful way for Limbaugh to make fun of his opposition to all things green.
On another level, however, it was a sad moment. For anyone who is excited about electric cars, it's hard to watch Limbaugh transform a slick green machine into a weapon and use it, in a symbolic sense at least, against prominent figures of the environmental movement. It raises the question of whether an eco-minded driver should, or even would, do the same thing if roles were reversed. In other words:
Would You Run Over a Rush Limbaugh Cutout with a SUV?
It's a tempting thought, I know, but in reality, this would not accomplish much. It may be cathartic but even with national television coverage, speeding through the cutout would leave the levels of carbon in the atmosphere at dangerously high levels and reversing over it is not likely to win any converts to the green movement.
Instead of providing more fodder to those that like to smear the green movement, let's band together and do something that can actually help.
Here are some quick and easy ideas:
- Start by pledging support for global climate action.
- Then, advocate for clean jobs and a green economy.
Scratch the surface with these small efforts to spread the word. Then, if it makes you feel better, put a Planet Green shirt on your Rush Limbaugh cutout and place him in your garden; everyone needs a good scarecrow.
Have an opinion on Rush Limbaugh on Jay Leno? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter: @PlanetGreen.
Read more about taking action:
Show Your True Colors this Constitution Day
How to Thwart Fox News and Co.'s Attempts to Smear the Green Movement
Know the 7 Key Senators in the Climate Bill Battle
