Other Editorials

Letter to the Ed

Jim Dollinger
Sunday, September 24, 2006

A reply to a request by Ed Lapham, Executive Editor of Automotive News

Dear Ed,

In response to your request for nicknames, I respectfully offer the following:

Sir William the Lionheart (even at 0-3) & Alan "Blue Skywalker" (may the Force be with him).

In support thereof:

Sir William the Lionheart of Ford (Fix Or Retire Disgracefully), having previously enlisted the support of Robin Hood (Robbin' the Brotherhood...UAW), Little Jacques, and Friar Tuck (aka...Prior Truck) now sits upon the family throne once occupied by King Henry II. As he launches yet another Car Crusade, he empowers "Man of La Mantra", who is hopefully more than a Don Coyote howling at the Blue Oval. To be successfull in his quest, he must work past tilting at Windstars and hopefully then create through profitability, the friendly but elusive, Blue Sky.

The second choice was William "Cray" as his life recently has been a box of Crayons. Seeing "Red", he didn't raise "White", wasn't "Yellow", paid the "Green" attempting to get "Black", and create "Blue".

Meanwhile in our Tale of Two Companies, "Rickin' Little" (whose Blue Sky has definitely fallen) meets on Bastille Day to manufacture a Renault Alliance in hopes of a far, far better thing to do. As employees, retirees, dealers, suppliers, and customers feel the Grapes of Wagoner, they're search'n for the Ghost of Al Sloan.

Your Friend in Flint,

Buickman
Founder
www.GeneralWatch.com