I really don't think that driving an SUV means that you support the use of military force to acquire oil. There's things you can control, and things you can't. I can't personally control gas prices or what the governments do to get oil, but I'll continue to use as much petroleum as I can reasonably afford.
If you don't approve of how it is acquired, use less of it. Then, perhaps, those distasteful methods by which it is acquired won't be necessary.
I have driven a Toyota 4runner over the last 6 years. I was a marcher against invading Iraq--so I certainly cannot be called one who supported a war for oil. I also happen to get around 19MPG driving t and from work and 22MPG on the highway. Not great, but not that bad either. And to boot, it has been the most reliable car I have ever driven, and is running like a top at 125K miles.
I hope you caught whoever did it and punished them
If you scale that back to a year or year-and-a-half, we use our 'family' vehicle quite similarly. We don't haul any telescopes any more, as I sold them a few years ago. Nevertheless, we appear to do very similar things on weekends and such. We do them with a Neon and a small, fold-up trailer I put together and built some removable sides and a floor for. We get ~50% better fuel economy with our method than what you listed with yours.
What do you consider "bad"?
