This is the Gurkha. Its being promoted as the armored vehicle to succeed the Hummer. Looks to me like an armored up Nissan, but what do I know? These things are sposed to take a bullet or a bomb and keep on truckin. Developed for military use, they'll be deployed by the US and Canada. And by the soccer mom down the street. Because, yes, like the Hummer this monster is finding its way to the consumer market. There's already the first private order from someone in California who's just going to drive it to work.The companies who manufacture and retrofit armored vehicles say that they're needed more now than ever. And while this may be true in South American or Middle East climes, somehow I don't really buy the ploy that private citizens need to have these on my roads. The article says that people are looking for more protection from terrorism, and of course these companies are willing to step up and sell it to them at $200,000 a pop. But really, how much protection do we need? Shouldn't we also be buying parachutes for our airline flights? How about thick rubber suits to deter lightning strikes?
These tactics are akin to terrorism, using fear to motivate people. At what point will it no longer be acceptable for companies and politicians to do this? Or at what point will we no longer have the ability to indulge in such excess? I'd thought the age of the SUV was winding down, perhaps the rule of armor plating is to follow. We need to find a social deterrent of some kind. We can't shoot or blow up these things, but I bet they're not egg and toilet paper proof...
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