Thursday, July 3, 2008

Hampton man tells OPEC to kiss his *&%!

Many people are outraged with the high prices at the pump, but Gary Cooper, a truck driver from Hampton, took a unique stand to express his opinion about fuel prices.

Cooper designed a personalized license plate that expresses his disgust with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

OPEC is a group of oil producing countries that plays a large part in determining the supply of oil. It supplies almost 40 percent of the world's daily oil output.

"I have been thinking about doing something to protest gas prices and I just decided to do it," Cooper said. "I got fed up."

His plate, which reads, "KMA OPEC," tells the intergovernmental organization to kiss his hind parts, and people throughout the Hampton Roads area are giving him thumbs up.

"People are honking the horn, laughing, and throwing thumbs up...I love it," Cooper said.

Cooper said he decided to order his personalized license plate so he could make a broad statement to OPEC and the U.S. government. Ever since he put the tag on his Mini Cooper two weeks ago he has definitely fulfilled his goal.

Cooper said he just wants the government to do something about the gas prices, and he doesn't understand why they just can't dip into the reserves.

"I can't imagine what people who have large trucks are going through," he said. "We have got to do something, people can't keep doing this."

Cooper is determined to continue fighting for what he believes in until he sees some changes taking places. He said if things don't change soon, he will probably get another tag that conveys even more of his sentiments toward the government.

"I have been thinking about what I might get next," he said. "I'll probably get something that says 'Thank God Bush is gone.' "

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