"The reckoning at hand for the Church of St. Prius&quot

richard schumacher · Aug 17, 2005

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories...editorial4.html

:_>

wstander · Aug 17, 2005

ROTFLMAO................

DaveinOlyWA · Aug 17, 2005

cute

PaPrius · Aug 17, 2005

Re: "The reckoning at hand for the Church of St. Prius&

rather entertaining

efusco · Aug 17, 2005

Hilarious, sent the author my kudos.

Frank Hudon · Aug 17, 2005

righter than right.

TJandGENESIS · Aug 18, 2005

Re: "The reckoning at hand for the Church of St. Prius&

The reckoning at hand for the Church of St. Prius
Good morning, brothers and sisters, and welcome to the Church of St. Prius.

I'm pleased to see so many of you here today, including plenty of new faces.
I trust you didn't have too much trouble finding a spot for your hybrid
vehicles in the church parking lot.

As you know, the Church of St. Prius has undergone tremendous growth since
its founding one year ago. Looking back, it's hard to believe that our
congregation started out with just three members -- a Sierra Club signature
gatherer, a solar-panel salesman and a granola distributor.

From the start, we prayed for other Americans to abandon their gas-guzzling
ways and join us. And our prayers have been answered. Today, our ranks have
swelled to include drivers from all walks of life.

While such success ought to be a cause for celebration, it is also a cause
for concern. You see -- how to express this gingerly? -- I fear that our
spoken desire to embrace inclusivity could overwhelm our unspoken desire to
maintain exclusivity. In other words, we want to be special.

Brothers and sisters, let us not forget our roots. We built this church on
three pillars: environmental sensitivity, spiritual rectitude and smug
superiority.

As environmentalists, we knew we could do better than 8 miles per gallon. We
knew that a trip to a McDonald's drive-up window didn't require a two-ton
vehicle with four-wheel drive, seating for eight and bumpers at eye level.

As spiritual beings, we felt in our hearts that any mode of personal
transport that takes up two lanes reflected an inner emptiness. We sensed in
our fuel cells that you can't get to heaven in an SUV. Yes, and we were
smug, and rightfully so. We rolled our eyes and played the air violin as we
overheard SUV drivers recount woeful tales of $50 fill-ups at the pump. "Gas
prices going up?" we sniffed. "Why, I hadn't noticed. I get 50 miles a
gallon."

Did we make mistakes? Yes, we did. When we lobbied our legislators to open
carpool lanes to hybrids carrying a lone driver -- one person, yes, but with
virtue for three -- we were told to take a hike. "The nerve!" we said.

But, in the end, it wasn't hubris that hurt us the most; it was sky-high gas
prices. Suddenly, it seems like just anybody can buy a hybrid, including
those with questionable motivations. I'll spell it out: There are people,
including former SUV drivers, who are buying hybrids such as the Prius not
because it's the right thing to do, but because they want to save money. For
all we know, they could be plowing that extra cash into jet skis,
snowmobiles and condominium developments.

I've noticed that many hybrid drivers, once the Mother Teresas of the
roadways, have adopted driving habits normally associated with BMW drivers.
Just yesterday, I saw a hybrid run a red light. Later, I noticed a hybrid
double-parked in front of Starbucks.

Brothers and sisters, I fear that dark days lie ahead. As members of the
Church of St. Prius, we risk getting lumped in with everyday drivers who
don't regard their choice of vehicle as a profound political statement and a
badge of honor.

When you leave, I would encourage you to think about these troubling
developments.

I thank you for coming, and please use your turn signals when exiting the
parking lot.

STEVE SYMANOVICH is editor of the San Francisco Business Times. Reach him at
[email protected].

C 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.
Click to expand...

For all to see....

bookrats · Aug 18, 2005

Delightful! He has me pegged a few places there.

(Particularly the air violin. I play "Cry Me A River" on it. )

clongwor · Aug 18, 2005

Re: "The reckoning at hand for the Church of St. Prius&

Ouch! But ain't it the truth? That's why half of us have bought bigger "hybrid" decals for our cars.

I was just designing a self-righteous bumper sticker when I decided to check PriusChat and saw this posting.

I have only seen one or two other Prius around here and I felt a sense of losing my exclusivity!

tochatihu · Oct 8, 2005

I'm only responding so somebody will comment on my avatar.

richard schumacher · Oct 8, 2005

It's excellent! Is it a physical object, or a manipulated image?

"The reckoning at hand for the Church of St. Prius&quot

richard schumacher shortbus driver

wstander New Member

DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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TJandGENESIS Are We Having Fun Yet?

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richard schumacher shortbus driver

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"The reckoning at hand for the Church of St. Prius&quot

richard schumacher shortbus driver

wstander New Member

DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

PaPrius Member

efusco Moderator Emeritus Staff Member

Frank Hudon Senior Member

TJandGENESIS Are We Having Fun Yet?

bookrats New Member

clongwor Junior Member

tochatihu Senior Member

richard schumacher shortbus driver

efusco Moderator Emeritus
Staff Member