OK Folks, Straight talk only in this room. Last month Off-Road.com published an article about taking a rented Chevy Blazer to the dunes of Glamis and judging by the reaction of a vocal minority, you'd think we'd just beat a baby Harp seal to death on national television - and liked it.

Now what does a rented blazer in an open OHV area have to do with environmentalism? Strangely enough, I'm wondering the same thing. You see, the vast majority of hate mail we received over the article all centered around a basic concept -

"What will the greenies think?"

Oh sure, there were variations like "They'll use it against us" and other like matter, but the root of the problem is obvious.

There are still off-roaders deathly afraid of the enviro-nazis!

My God people, grow a spine! Let's break this down for the few who still don't get it.

1. Eco-swine will hate us no matter what we do.

2. Eco-swine will use everything we do as justification for stripping us of our rights.

3. Eco-swine will continue defecating on our Constitution in their promotion of Marxi/Giaen philosophy.

4. Eco-swine will never accept OHV use

5. Eco-swine will always look for ways to eliminate it

6. A herd of Eco-swine (over 60 groups strong) just banded together to do that very thing.

And still there are people who think that if we "improve our image", if we kiss the green backside long, deep and lovingly, perhaps even slipping it the tongue now and then, that the skies will open, a chorus of angels will begin singing "Hallaluelia", blinding light will spew forth, and suddenly our best friends will all be eating tofu on a stick.

Yessiree Hoss, there really are off-roaders left that are (brace yourself) that friggin' stupid. Or perhaps cowardly?

And as for you Little Joe; A little over 200 years ago, there was a war fought by men and women fed up to the teeth with having their basic rights used as "scented bathroom tissue" by the tyrants of the day. They realized certain truths like "There is no compromising with the self appointed "elite", "My land is my own, and no one has the right to take it from me", and most importantly, "If you refuse to fight for your freedom, it will surely be taken from you". They banded together in rag tag, poorly armed, poorly supplied groups, and went on to change the course of history.

What many people fail to realize is that we live in circumstances today; very similar to those that precipitated the American Revolution. Rather than the British Empire, we have entered the next century beholden to elements within our own government, who routinely and without remorse, pass legislation that abolishes in a very real way, the rights granted to us in the document that is the founding pillar our country. Our president has taken the path of govern ing by "Executive Order," thus bypassing the Constitutional protection of our Congress. An assortment of non-governmental organizations and agencies like the EPA, BLM, USFS and others have closely mimicked the actions of the Redcoats in deciding what, where, when, how, and why the lands of "King William the Worst" are to be distributed, and ultimately used by the serfs - I.E. - us. I'm proud to say that to my knowledge, none of my readers were among the "offended" by the rent-a-duner article. It's truly a joy knowing that you guys n' gals have your priorities in order.

I guess I'm going to finish off this month's column by venting. This is a lot cheaper than therapy ;-)

What in the high hell is wrong with people? I mean, come on. Off-Roaders are supposed to be the "last of the pioneers," the cowboys in the black hats, and a 4-wheeled counterpart to Brando's crew of "Wild Ones." There's a reason for those "Bad Boy" stickers on the back window! Besides, chicks dig it.

Imagine my surprise! I just found out is that there's a small and vocal portion of this sport who thinks pioneering is a bad thing, Black hats are a form of repressed racism, and wildness should be addressed with a suitable dosage of Prozac!

And how do I "feeeeel" about that? Oh please. I actually had one complainant tell me, get this, "We have to promote the impression that OHV use is not in any way environmentally damaging" Thud.... (Note editor picking himself off the floor in stunned amazement and wonder)

What moron thinks that OHV use is a zero impact endeavor? If it were even possible to use an OHV with "Zero Impact", why in the name of all things green would we have needed a "Tread Lightly" program? Even hiking is understood by the greenies to cause some impact. Now, all of a sudden, we have to blatantly lie to people and tell them we are as environmentally friendly to the firmest of terra as a bird in flight? Oh, being "liars" will really spiff up the ol' image.......

Hey you, get off of my cloud.

A couple months back, I pointed out that in 2000, the proverbial gloves were coming off. Now, I'm going to clarify that. For years uncounted, elements within this sport have wasted a blatantly stupid amount of time, effort, and resource in the attempt to pacify the un-pacifiable, correct an image they feel is the root of all evil, and make the sport of off-roading "more palatable" to the masses.

Unfortunately, many of us have taken that path. Before my "awakening," I too thought these things were possible. Well, they aren't. Now we're going to do something about it. We are done playing games with semi-governmental non-profit orgs. We're going to have a look and see just where all that money, time, and resource went, and what it accomplished. We're going to show the manufacturers that there is a market out there that doesn't give a damn how their product scores on a "Tread Lightly" commercial rating chart, or whether or not it caused a Sierra Club "Action Alert" to be spammed to their drooling minions.

We don't need some self-appointed "expert" to tell us what we should buy. You build the products we want, we'll buy them. Simple. Let's cut out the middleman. Isn't it strange that the best selling vehicle the world over is a truck, despite millions of Eco-friendly dollars telling us that they are evil gas hogs that are destroying the planet? On the day that someone in the automotive ad world figures out that "The American People" aren't going to buy a Yugo instead of an Excursion, no matter how often the Sierra Club tells us to, the battle will be won. On the day that the politico du' jour realizes that there are far more voters concerned with food, shelter and clothing, than in the latest invented ecopocalypse that will surely never come to pass, that victory will be set in stone.

But, perhaps, most importantly, on the day that the average American remembers how to think for himself, and not rely on someone else - i.e., the collective "Media" to think and make decisions for him / her, that victory will endure forevermore. We're offering an unfiltered news / entertainment outlet that deals in fact and reality vs. the easily bought / easily led propaganda mills that masquerade as print and television media.

We are 1.5 million readers strong and growing - many times the size of the largest eco-group - with all the voting and buying power needed to take the fickle green whims of the eco-elite off the radar screens and advertising agendas of both politicos and corporate America. Our votes are larger in number - our buying power is far greater. It's a simple equation that adds up to victorious election campaigns, and a fatter bottom line.

1.5 million votes? Think we can greatly influence the outcome of an election? 1.5 million targeted and prequalified buyers? Think that will help or hinder your fiscal outlook?

And what of those few but vocal readers who want the status quo unchanged? Must we not bend over backwards to satisfy them? No, we ain't gonna' do that Binky. We're going to help this sport grow, not compromise our way into obscurity, and we don't intend to help anyone who will. Can people disagree? Certainly. Do we have all the answers? Certainly not. The bottom line is this. We've tried it "thier way". It didn't work. Now it's time to stop reinacting Viet Nam and win this little green war.

And nobody ever said war was pretty.