Area Man Says It’s Not Oil He’s Addicted To; It’s Freedom

BUNKER HILL, Ind. -- When John Belasco drives from his home on 12th Street to the Sunoco station on East Bradley to fill up his 1999 Suburban, he ignores the “anti-American tree huggers” he says give him dirty looks along the way.

“If I’m at a pump and someone in a Corolla is next to me, they see the numbers on my pump going and going and they suddenly get all holier-than-thou,” Belasco said. “They’ll ask me, ‘hey, these gas prices must be killing you, huh?’ and I just say, ‘go to hell, hippie.’”

Belasco says the people judging him about his vehicle choice don’t understand why he has it. “It’s not because I’m addicted to oil like the media keeps telling us we are,” he said. “I have valid reasons for driving a Suburban. Like one time I had to haul some lumber home from the Home Depot. And sometimes I like to take both of my grandkids to Chuck-E-Cheese’s at once without having to take two cars. Plus, I like to stretch my legs out when we go for long Sunday drives, and get right up behind people in little hatchbacks on the highway to intimidate them and boost my self confidence. How am I supposed to do these things in a Corolla? If I don’t have the freedom to drive a Suburban, what do I have the freedom to do anymore?”

Belasco says that next time you see him or anyone else driving a Suburban, Yukon, Hummer, F-250 or other large vehicle, you shouldn’t judge them. "They’re the true Americans – and they’re simply exercising their freedom to be American."