Continuing on yesterday’s theme, Lawrence Kaplan writes that Hummers insult the troops in The New Republic. What makes a Hummer far more intrinsically vile than any comparable wasteful, vain SUV is the cultural baggage that comes with the name and fake-military styling — exactly what low-lifes pay extra for.

bq. It is only in a nation that has been completely insulated from war’s effects that a vehicle of war could become a trophy for the rich. It’s not enough that those who most enjoy the benefits and freedoms of this country serve it the least. Now they’ve made leisure rides of the war machines used by those who serve. The reluctance to abide any measure that might constrain personal autonomy, the conflation of rights and duties–it’s all there in one vehicle.

I’ve scrawled something to the effect of “hey tough guy, drive your road hog to Iraq” on a note left on a windshield, but alas, the thought doesn’t lend it self to a succinct five-word stoplight insult. Just “the bird”:http://fuh2.com doesn’t seem to suffice, either.

At the very least, it appears that AM General has lost the contract to make the Army’s next generation of “small” trucks. We can only hope that whoever secures the new contract won’t go down this road.