Hippy in an SUV

There was a "peace" rally ("troops out now, screw the Iraqis, no war for oil") in Rogers Park. That's not the story here. The story is the old hippie driving the SUV.

Last night I was at the Red Line Tap in Rogers Park, Chicago. For those of you who don't know the Red Line, it's aptly named in two ways: It is next to the "Red Line" of the Chicago Transit Authority elevated train, and it is also a popular gathering place for folks who have a political orientation that follows something of a red line.

There was an anti-war gathering earlier that day, all very peaceful, at the adjacent Heartland Cafe. You need to know this: There is a realistic sculpture of a broken Navy missile perched atop the Heartland. The Heartland and the Red Line are owned by the same people.

There was an old hippy in front of the Red Line Tap last night. He had been at the anti-war rally earlier and still had anti-war posters taped all over his Nissan SUV. Somebody had slashed his front right tire, perhaps because they disagreed with his politics or perhaps it was one of our many clinically insane neighbors killing time between drug deals. Either way it's wrong. Nevertheless, it provided some humor.

I couldn't resist going out to get a closer look. "Excuse me," I asked Mr. Natural, "what kind of gas mileage do you get on that SUV?"

"I don't know," he said, a bit gruffly. That was enough. I returned to my beer inside while my friend Ghostphotog snapped these pictures.

We laughed about the guy outside. There he was, insisting that the war in Iraq is all about oil, all the while driving around all day in an SUV, guzzling who knows how much gas. By his own admission, he didn't know how much.

I wonder if the hypocrisy and the irony ever registered with him.

I wonder if he realizes that he's nearly as hypocritical as Al Gore, who goes from slide show to slide show in a private jet. That is, when he's not at one of his five energy chugging mansions.