By Brad Slager. Media: Redstate
There are many ways the media have been covering the ICE riots in Los Angeles over the past several days, and one of the more stunted reactions might be from USA Today. In a lengthy report on the travails of responsible urban destruction was the advice for arsonists to act in an environmentally conscious fashion.
Despite the efforts made in vain in the press to recast the riots in Los Angeles as merely peaceful protests that are being wrongfully described, the overwhelming evidence can be seen. One of the particular scenes interrupting their narratives of peace has been the visuals of cars engulfed on the roadways, because nothing conveys the message of unethical deportations better than a Molotov cocktail hurled into the cabin of a Jaguar I-Pace EV.
Along with police cars set ablaze, one of the repeated scenes has been the Waymo self-driving taxi fleet being particularly selected. These make for tempting targets as they do not pose a risk of driver injury, and they are programmed for calm evasion tactics, as opposed to cornered commuters, more likely to try to flee a mob scene in aggressive retreat.
This has resulted in speculation that, in the early stages of the riots, the Waymo cars may have been summoned by protesters. This is apparent in one location where a string of these cars was all set aflame together.
This is not a preferred method of free expression, according to Elizabeth Weise of USA Today. She delivers a cautionary tale that when seeking ways to deliver your message of opposition to repatriating enforcement by ICE agents, you should be more selective in your choice of vehicle to set ablaze.
Electric vehicle fires can burn hotter and more intensely than gasoline-fueled cars, if their batteries catch fire. This can happen if they are crashed or if their batteries are infiltrated.
There are important distinctions between electric vehicle (EV) fires and traditional gasoline-powered vehicle fires, both in terms of combustion characteristics and potential health hazards, said Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez, deputy director of the Sylvester Firefighter Cancer Initiative at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
EV fires can release gases such as hydrogen fluoride, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and metal-based particulates.
āThese emissions differ in composition from those generated by gasoline combustion, which primarily include carbon monoxide, benzene, and other hydrocarbons,ā he said.
Okay, so standard internal combustion vehicles should be the choice of discerning protestors. Of particular concern is that not only are you generating adverse environmental impacts, but you may be endangering your fellow protestors.
The health concerns from EV fires arise for anyone nearby, particularly bystanders downwind of the smoke plume who may inhale toxic combustion byproducts.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials monitoring the cleanup told USA TODAY that workers had to pressure-wash the pavement below where the cars burned because the lithium batteries inside the vehicles leaked toxic rare-earth minerals, posing a health risk to people.
All sound advice and something to carry forward as you take to the street today and tonight. Before tossing a gasoline-soaked US flag into a car in your protest zone, stop for a moment and consider whether you are making a sound choice regarding the carbon footprint, along with the well-being of those storming the streets.
Next, there should be a focus on whether police are using sustainable non-lethal bullets made from biodegradable bags filled with locally sourced beans.
Making this kind of focus on the potential impacts of incinerating EVs on the streets of L.A. all the more stunted thinking is that curiously, we heard no such concerns just one month ago. Back when Tesla dealerships were being hit with fireballs, no hand-wringing feature articles were being generated. There was a case of the messaging taking priority over the damaging effects on the planet.
So please, when sending your protest message in the form of flames, please be sure to choose fuel consisting of a minimum of at least 30 percent bio-ethanol, and select only cars with standard power plants. This will also ensure that more EVs will remain on California roadways. Protest responsibly and govern yourselves accordingly.
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