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I’m a little slow on the worldly draw. I’ve only just heard about this Toyota recall, and it was because I read a sports blog that has a Sexy Mailbag. Through the lolz I find out that the United States Congress has decided that it needs to make a Japanese car company look bad. Naturally I can no longer locate the Deadspin article I glanced at for two seconds.

The Toyota Camry is the most generic car in the United States. I can state this with confidence without proof (but I found it anyway.) The Camry hybrid is manufactured within the United States borders. That means Toyota pays Americans to build their cars. I’m not exactly sure why Congress has decided to skewer the image of Akido Toyoda and the Toyota company other than to hurt some Japanese people’s feelings and reinforce the outdated idea that all “foreign” companies are evil. Maybe a smidge.

The USA Today reports that customer support is dropping. 60% of Toyota owners surveyed said they would purchase a Toyota again, down ten points from a previous survey, yet the brand loyalty continues to trail Ford and Chevy closely in the States. The “American” brands are pushing hard to stay ‘Merican and be bigger and better. How’s this for bigger: in 1996, Ford’s recall of their Explorers affected over 7.6 million units, 2.6 million more than what Toyota is recalling today. “The malfunction in question gave it the less-than-favorable moniker ‘Ford Exploder’ as the ignition switches were found to be defective and could catch fire, overheat or otherwise malfunction. Nearly 8 million cars were affected and Ford recalled nearly all its cars manufactured between 1988 and 1993.” (USA Recall News) Also, in both 2005 and 2009, Ford had other recalls for 4.5 million units each of those years, almost doubling what Toyota is recalling now, for cruise control malfunctions that could lead to fires while parked. As in, not in gear. Or moving.

People getting hurt and killed due to a stuck accelerator is definitely a serious matter. So is a car being too tall for its width and flipping when changing lanes or maybe tires exploding while in motion. Ford Explorers with Firestone tires were considered time bombs when I was in high school. Jeep Wranglers are notorious of flipping, yet they have an established fan base and they continue to gain new buyers.

Cars being recalled is part of the natural cycle of their lives. Is it awesome? Negative. Does it happen? Yes. They usually have a glitch that people rarely hear about. Car companies do have web pages now set up to look up their vehicle models and whether or not they have a recall on a part, and if they don’t tell you, you can easily look it up. The information is available. It’s up to the consumers and owners of vehicles to look up their possession’s reputation and technical information. It’s always been like that. Machines have faults sometimes. They’re made by humans. That’s why we have mechanics.

What struck me the most:

“We had a great deal of faith in something that was stamped ‘Made in Japan,’ that it was of the highest reliability, and [you’ve] injured that thought process in the American public.” Pennsylvania representative Paul Kanjorski

Thank you, Mr. State the Obvious, for reminding Toyoda what kind of image-damning fiasco this recall has turned into. Here’s what I’m saying. It’s unfair of my country’s government to bully a car-maker, especially one from a first-world company, especially during the Olympics, and especially when it’s the job of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to keep automakers in line. Akido Toyoda had enough respect for the government’s wishes to come overseas and sit before a giant committee of people giving him dirty looks and telling him what an awful successor he is for his grandfather, and he disgraces the image of his country. This recall isn’t a movie, this is real life. It would be nice if the government of the free world would cut out the drama and get to the point, which supposedly is making safe vehicles. Unless of course the point is to save GM’s ass.

This isn’t the first major recall to happen, nor will it be the last one. Maybe helping them move forward to make a better product would help make our streets an overall safer environment.

Sources:
Mr. Toyoda Goes to Washington National Post Feb 27, 2010
U.S. is cast as villain in Japan LA Times Feb 27, 2010
Toyota buyer loyalty starting to slip in face of recalls USA Today Feb 26,2010
Cause of Sudden Acceleration Proves Hard to Pinpoint Wall Street Journal Feb 25, 2010
Autos: Sonata, new sixth generation sedan scripps Feb 25, 2010
Ford Recall Puts Toyota Recalls in Perspective US Recall News Feb 16, 2010
Toyoda Takes Hot Seat CBS News Online Feb 24, 2010
Ford Explorer Rollover
Attention shifts from Firestone to Ford Explorer St. Petersburg Times June 17, 2001

Tired of the old standbys of Trojan and Lifestyles condoms? Try Obama Condoms!

Yes, they’re real, and yes, they have Facebook group. They’re FDA approved. Practice safe policy, okay?

In Which Case, Perhaps He’ll Opt for the Self-Stimulus Package. overheard in new york
Buy ObamaCondoms Today! obama condoms
Obama Condoms- Set of 2 condomania

It’s a lovely card. Maybe you haven’t heard, but NBC decided they want Jay Leno to go back to the 11:35 slot — for a half hour. This half hour show of Leno twiddling his thumbs and telling jokes will push back hour-long The Tonight Show, that thing that’s been on since… since forever (like the 1960s?), that comes on at 11:35pm est. I’m not always one for tradition, but it would be a little weird for The Tonight Show to not be on after the news on weeknights, and even weirder to still have to deal with Jay Leno.

Sidenote, you ratings people: Supposedly no one is watching Conan. A whole mess of young people watch Conan the day after broadcast on the internet rather than on the television at the time of airing. My cohort brought this up after seeing yet another article on the Leno O’Brien NBC shitstorm, and he’s right. Most of the shows I watch, I see them online with Hulu. Do THOSE viewings get counted? Eh? Eh?!?!

That reminds me, I need to catch up on Community episodes.

Norm Macdonald stops by The Tonight Show ontd
The Tonight Show wikipedia entry they have a lot of sources, okay
a href=http://www.hulu.com/search?query=community&st=0″>Hulu — Community hulu

thanks chels.

Besides the fact that I can listen to mike Rowe talk about anything until the end of time, here he starts off explaining his time castrating lambs to later get to the point: working for work’s sake. I believe he has a point. Take it away, Mike!

Mike Rowe on lamb castration you might find yourself

“SPECIAL EDITION” NEW YORK POST from The Yes Men on Vimeo.

The Yes Men made a mock special edition of the New York Post reporting true facts about environmental changes. This video interviews people who have read it and their reaction to it. My favorite part is the “obama socialist environmentalist agenda,” and the guy almost gets schwinned while returning to his giant building.

Breaking: The Yes Men’s “New York Post” Special Edition
wooster

it’s going to be okay.

The daughter of a family from West Africa was recently sexually assaulted by four neighborhood boys, aged 9 through 14, who admitted to authorities they planned the assault. Child Protective Services has her under their care currently while the boys are under arrest.

The police came to the scene after the happening, which was about 10 to 15 minutes long. The boys tricked her coming into shed with gum, then assaulted her. Calls were made when people heard her screaming and saw her run out with only a few of her clothes. One boy was caught by the police; the three others were later identified.

The police are saying the parents blame their daughter for the attack (a relative said that isn’t a true statement) and don’t want anything done to the boys. The father is on record saying he wants nothing done to the boys, only that he wants his daughter back. CPS will have her in custody for three months minimum.

AZ Central reports,

Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill, a longtime public-information officer, described the case as “one of the worst crimes we have come across in Phoenix in quite some time,” given the ages of the victim and the suspects, as well as the circumstances of the reported attack.

The girl and the four suspects are refugees from the war-torn West African country of Liberia, which, according to investigators, would complicate authenticating names and dates of birth.

Arizona Child Protective Services took custody of the girl after the July 16 incident at the apartment complex after her parents disowned her.

Hill said the parents blamed her for being victimized and bringing shame to the family.

This reaction from the father stirs up some trouble. Her mother’s reaction is in the video. The shame culture of parts of Africa are alive. Admittedly, the father explained he doesn’t understand the criminal justice system in the States as he’s only been here for five years, but his family consistently explain to interviewers how they will scold the girl for being raped and causing trouble She’s eight.

Who’s to blame in sex assault of girl? Father says nobody Phoenix Metro News via Drudge Report
4 boys accused in rape of 8-year-old girl az central
Parents Blame 8-Year-Old Victim of Alleged Rape bvblackspin — has cnn video

i might miss some of the massmails.