On September 12, 2000, during a recall of Firestone tires, this headline appeared on the New York Times web site. Did you notice that the broad issue of declining concern for consumer safety - a genuine concern of people who work and spend money - did not become an issue during the heated presidential campaign of that year? (Would the candidates have offended their contributors? See: Firestone political contributions, Ford Motor political contributions.)

I considered suing Ford Motor Company for damaging my brand equity with their shoddy production process. I can easily argue that they damaged my "overall perceived value" and reduced my value as a Ford.

I can further argue that this problem with my brand equity, as an American writer and political progressive, has been going on from their violent, inhuman union-busting efforts in the early part of the century, all the way through to their development of disastrous, admittedly ecologically unfriendly SUV vehicles. Ford Motor Company hung a cloud over my good name from before my birth, and I should be compensated.