Jason gave his reason why he doesn't bike to work in the article. It's not like "I prefer driving because I want to contribute to global warming and increase our dependence on foreign oil."
Have you taken into account what kind of traffic he probably would get into when riding a bike? I live in San Francisco and I would like to bike everywhere I go. I actually hate driving or riding the bus. But there are too many cars in the city that I'm afraid I'm gonna get hit.
I used to bike to work when I was living in San Diego but it's because the roads I took didn't have many cars in them.
There's some sad game theory (?) at work here that leads people to 1) drive cars because cyclists get maimed by car drivers 2) then bigger cars because smaller cars get wrecked and 3) finally humvees. Ultimately, it's probably a bit of a loss for everyone.
I live in his general neighborhood and used to work down the street from him. The roads in the area have been on and off messes the past few years (littered with potholes and generally torn up), but they're improving, and his general commute is full of bike-laned roads if you know the lay of the land.
I'd recommend biking if he can get over the accident he witnessed. It's almost always quicker than driving in the city and can be surprisingly less stressful.
Asking someone not to drive 2 miles to work everyday is a "radical political viewpoint"?
I don't know if you're being radically political, but you seem to be evangelizing that other people should live in the same way you do. A lot of people don't want to.
