Ceres Police Brutality/Fabrication

aren't there any jobs that you could bike, take the bus, or carpool to? even just an office job? i know that real estate agents make 2-3 times as much as the rest of us (to start), but it seems like any money coming in and any regular work would be good for you and your resume.

Whenever police confiscate ANY personal property (from handcrafted bongs to SUVs) on fabrication of evidence, it is unjust. However, the article above written by Stella Martinez neglects to mention that SUVs aren't exactly neccesary for commuting to work either, and that the accusation of DUI may be relevant if other people's (pedestrians, bicyclists, smaller auto drivers) lives are being placed at risk by renegade SUVs..

What is observable in North America is the trend of various immigrants(European, Latino, African, etc..) to the US who feel that they can show their accomplishments at working hard by financing and driving an SUV as a trophy vehicle. (BTW, My empathy lies more with the Mexican farm worker who rides his bicycle and drinks Tecate to numb the pain of perpetual plantation wage slavery.) The corporate/industry supporting materialism of SUV consumption is considered "keeping up with the Joneses", a hallmark trait of post WW2 capitalism. All immigrant groups to north america were/are encouraged to spend their hard earned dollars for useless wasteful luxuries like SUVs that only send the money back to the industrialists who exploit the workers. Regardless of whom is indulging in this north american luxury of SUV driving ( hard won at the expense of many people and ecosystems around the world who lay down to die before the US imperialist armies), the effects on the environment (including fellow drivers) is usually the same based on the SUV's size, gas consumption, etc..

We all make choices though none of us choose the racial, economic disparities found within and outside of the US. However, the choice of purchasing and driving an SUV only worsens the conflict between the wealthy and the lower income, including the unfortune civilians in Iraq who suffer from the petroleum based US military occupation of Iraq. This scenario is multiplied in many other nations, from the U'wa in Ecuador to the Inuit in Alaska. Put simply, petroleum addiction kills. SUVs on average consume twice the amount of petroleum than regular cars, mini-vans etc...

SUVs are more prone to rollover due to their higher center of gravity. So driving SUVs around curves at high speeds makes SUVs ?X times more dangerous than regular cars due their their greater potential for rollover..

"Dangers for SUV Rollover Accidents

Understanding the risks involved in driving a sport utility vehicle may help prevent unnecessary SUV rollover accidents.

A high center of gravity/narrow track width is one of the most important factors in determining a potential SUV rollover. Since SUVs have a higher center of gravity than other vehicles on the road it makes them top heavy. A corrective action puts an SUV in a rollover position."

more info on SUV rollovers @;
http://www.suvrollovernews.com/html/qas.html

Smog, CO2, CO, NOx, etc. emissions are also greater in SUVs. Needless to say that every SUV is also emitting 3 X as many toxic emissions as cars that contribute to the smog WE ALL BREATHE, regardless of ethnicity. However, if we want to get into racial issues, Mexicans (?your own people, Stella Martinez?) and Africans living in North American cities like Modesto/Ceres, Fresno, etc.. tend to be more effected by petrochemical smog and display higher rates of asthma, lung cancer, etc. So Stella, by driving an SUV YOU are contributing to the respiratory problems of Mexican farm workers in the San Joaquin Valley..

Rate your vehicle on the asthma index @;
http://www.ewg.org/sites/asthmaindex/rate/report_new.php?milage_id=NEW000202&area=notcali&poll=SMOG

Here we can get into guilt tripping, scapegoating, (or not) and realize that as consumers we ALL have some limited choices to choose the least harmful way of getting around town. Driving an SUV is certainly a choice that increases the daily smog burden, something we ALL are responsible for to a certain degree. However, the CEOs of US auto manufactures (ford, GM, Daimler-Chrysler) have a far greater responsibility in promoting SUV consumption with commercial advertisement propaganda, a powerful misuse of the public airwaves that we all are susceptible to..

"Finally, it is important to note that SUVs are contributing to our dependence on imported oil. The more gasoline we use, the more oil we have to import from other countries. Currently, more than half of the oil we use is imported. This level of dependence on imports is the highest in our history, and will only increase unless we do a better job with conservation and alternative fuels. (21)"

more @;
http://www.suv.org/environ.html

If and when Stella gets her groove back from the Ceres police, we sincerely wish that she'll opt of the the petroleum consumption treadmill and find an alternative vehicle to transport herself to work beside SUVs (try mini-van, hatchback, etc)..

Supposedly the reason we have police is to protect one another from criminal violence. What appears to happen in reality is that police exist to protect the wealthy elites (corporate execs, politicians, etc..) from the lower income folks. However, when people of all ethnicities (though usually those of higher economic status) make choices to drive SUVs we are all effected by worsened air quality from excess smog..

IMHO, it would be nice if the police keep the public's lungs & bodies safe by systematically taking SUVs away from ALL ethnicities (including Euro-americans) without any unequal prejudice or discrimination. The US auto manufacturing corporations (Ford, GM, Daimler-Chrysler) who shamelessly promote SUVs to the public would then be required to reimburse the former SUV drivers (of any & all ethnicities) of their hardearned tax money wasted on petroleum drilling, military occupation, global warming, smog related asthma/lung cancer, etc..

AND..

US auto manufacturers (ford, GM, Daimler-Chrysler) can provide Stella Martinez and ALL other former SUV drivers with a functional operational hybrid vehicle that gets on average 60 mpg and emits approx one quarter the amount of smog, NOx, CO2, CO, etc.. than the previous SUV..

Really, why is the US the farthest behind of ALL developed nations in providing consumer access to affordable alternative energy fuel efficient vehicles? Why do Ford, GM, Daimler-Chrysler wait five minutes until midnight to finally bring hybrids onto the market, even then slowly and at a very expensive price? Is there a deliberite big three instilled trade barrier against Toyota bringing over more hybrids per year? Why the long waiting list and higher prices for hybrids in a so-called free market society??

http://www.greencarcongress.com/

Following several court hearings, the CEOs of US auto manufacturers can then explain in detail how and why they suppressed hybrid, electric and other alternative energy vehicles from coming to the market, why they tore up the trolleys in LA, Fresno, etc.. and overall contributed to the US public's petrochemical dependency, Saudi-Bush family hegemony (led up to/cause of 9/11), military occupations of Iraq/Palestine (via colonial puppet state Israel), and one of the highest smog induced asthma rates in the world (right here in good ol' CA, Mexico City still highest)..

BTW, the latest Mexican "president-elect" Calderon is all prepared to privatize Mexico's national trust Pemex petroleum corporation with sweet deals in store for ExxonMobil and other US petrolopolies. Obrador actually had some chance of restoring Mexico's sovereignty in the face of NAFTA/WTO/PPP resource extractions, but now with another of GW Bush's lapdogs of imperialism (Calderon) in the Mexico City presidential office, looks like the natural resources of Mexico are up for sale to the highest bidder..

"All three major party candidates appeared before the US Camber of Commerce this week, with only right winger Calderon receiving a warm reception. Calderon called for privatization of Pemex, the state petroleum monopoly."

info @;
http://www.zapatista-solidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=99

Unless of course, the people's struggle in Oaxaca/Chiapas comes to el norte!!