The late Robert Brewster Loudon, my father, departed this World, just two years ago. While I hated to lose and deeply miss him, I am so glad he has not had to see what is happening to his Country. You see, his story is like so many from the Greatest Generation although rather unique. He survived the Great Depression. He was drafted into World War II, and spared combat when the Japanese surrendered. His story is unlike many because in the history of this Country, few people loved the American automobile like my father.
My father did hands on, ground up restorations on more classic cars than I can count. He personally founded many car clubs over the years and was a regular at national swap meets and the big annual gatherings. His personal favorite was always the Kenosha, Wisconsin gathering of the defunct company, American Motors Corporation. He was pretty widely published and also recognized as one of the best professional car appraisers. He even raced semi-pro for the SCCA and once set a speed record at Daytona. He wrote a book on cars that he never published. I will never forget where the happy tale turns bittersweet. The man, who ALWAYS believed in buying American, announced to his four boys that he had bought all of us something that will last forever, and always grow in value-General Motors common stock.
My father was mercifully spared seeing the unprecedented crushing of millions of “clunkers” that he saw as “history,” or at least testaments to mans’ boundless talent and creativity. He missed the near collapse of the American car market. Fortunately, he also missed the takeover of his beloved General Motors by the Obama administration as the government raiders virtually stole the company from shareholders and handed it over to their friends and their Big Labor allies.
On September 1, 2009 in reaction to the boycott by left-of-center groups of Whole Foods, the St. Louis Tea Party launched the BUYcott, calling for consumers to deliberately shop at the niche grocer in an effort to support CEO and founder John Mackey. Mackey was assailed by the hard left groups because he wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that the solution to the health care problem lay not with more government but with more freedom in the marketplace. While the BUYcott was conceptualized just five days prior, over 1000 people showed up in one two hour period and turned in receipts totaling over $50,000.
The BUYcott was launched by the St. Louis Tea Party, but was also supported by Tea Party activists around the Country including events in Connecticut, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Dallas, Austin, Plano, San Antonio, Los Angeles and San Diego. According to Gina Loudon, who conceptualized the event, “We launched the BUYcott to defend our free market economy against the forces for more government and special interest control. We showed that the Country is full of patriots who are willing to fight by modifying their spending habits”.
Tea Party leaders were looking for the next big project and believe they found a perfect candidate in Ford. Remember last year, when Obama almost dubbed a kid with the title “Car Czar” who, just like the POTUS himself, had zero real World business experience? GM and Chrysler were bellying up to Uncle Sugar for their share of public assistance and were assailed by Congressmen; some with little to no real business experience themselves. Ford CEO Alan Mulally showed he had a much better perception of what it means to be an American than most of the Congressional pinheads who were grilling him. According to Bloomberg news reporter Keith Naughton, Mulally observed, that
Americans “want companies to be successful.
We don’t want to nationalize companies.”
Ford is the only American car maker who weathered this terrible economy without taking bailout funds or caving to what many see as an unprecedented and even wholesale takeover by the Obama administration and the unions of American car makers General Motors and Chrysler. Announcing the boycott, Loudon observed, “While it is tragic to see these once proud companies go, since Ford is the only American maker that remains in control of shareholders and not government agents and labor unions, the purchase of a Ford is a strike against big government.”
Tea Partiers are encouraging every patriot to consider a Ford as their first car choice. “We are calling this the “Ford for Freedom BUYcott” said Loudon. It is critical that we take a strong stand against creeping socialism. Buying any other American car make is supporting the parasites that have infected the host, so we are calling on liberty loving Patriots who are looking for a car to buy a Ford, and then send us a copy of their receipt so that we can tally our effect”, said Loudon.
Receipts can be sent to gina@stlouisteaparty.com.
Regular readers of Big Government will be familiar with the new strategy of taking the tactics of leftist Saul Alinsky and turning them back on the statists. It is both ironic and extremely troubling, that the hard leftists of the 60s, who fine tuned these tactics fostering a hatred of America calling on people to “question authority” and otherwise resist “the Man” are now the ones fully in control. They are now “the Man”. Let’s see how well they play defense, shall we?
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