[SONA]

Dear Editor, I had read Stephanie Mencimer's review of Keith Bradsher's, "High and Mighty: SUV's" and was appalled the such crab actually made it to print. All Ms. Mencimer did was repeat the often over used inaccurate and statistical manipulations to further carry on the new sport of SUV bashing. Did Ms. Mencimer actually ever go out and test the statistical measures in Mr. Bradsher's book? Or did she just buy into the recent fury over SUV owners right to drive any thing they can afford to buy and afford to drive. How about a little investigative reporting. The paragraph in which she criticizes the purchase of SUV's by large and small police departments was interesting but quite weak. In the opening sentence of the very next paragraph suddenly the word "firemen" appears as if there is a global conspiracy by members of the emergency services profession. The classic sentence "According to market research conducted by the country's leading automakers, Bradsher reports...." should give any reader a sudden and electrifying jolt back to reality. What "market research", a series of 100 phone calls to SUV owners and the results then extrapolated to hundreds of thousands of SUV owners? Followed by the insightful statement "SUV buyers tend to be "insecure and vain. They are frequently nervous about their marriages and uncomfortable about parenthood. They often lack confidence in their driving skills. Above all, they are apt to be self-centered and self-absorbed, with little interest in their neighbors and communities. They are more restless, more sybaritic, and less social than most Americans are. They tend to like fine restaurants a lot more than off-road driving, seldom go to church and have limited interest in doing volunteer work to help others." So now in this market research they have conducted an in-depth psychological profile of the motivations of SUV owners including questions of personal insecurity, vanity, relationships with each individuals respective spouse, parenting ability, confidence in their ability to get to the store to buy milk, and relationships with their neighbors, Not to mention Community service record! All this insightful and reveling information in "Market Research". Your publication of Ms Mencimer makes her look as stupid as Mr. Bradshers assertions in his book and is an embarrassment to your ability to publish accurate and interesting news. The editor who approved this story should be ashamed. You may contact me at [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

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