Lookit, I have driven a Jeep Cherokee for 7 years and never been in an accident with it. When I drove a car I was in two accidents. It gets about 20 mpg. Not great, but not bad. It's probably better than my mom's v-8 Cadillac passenger car.

We go camping. We haul a lot of stuff, including 2 50+ lb. dogs. I'm not putting my dogs in the back of a pickup truck. The Cherokee is the perfect solution for my needs.

My stepsister hauls 5 kids around in a minivan. Her husband is a very large man. Those seven people are not going to fit into a passenger car. (minivans get pretty good mileage, by the way)

Let us also consider tall people for a moment. When I married Mister I had a little Mazda. He is 6'3" and the seat simply did not go back far enough for him.

What I find fascinating is that the anti-SUV camp doesn't seem to say anything about gas-guzzling passenger cars, like Mom's Cadillac, or the danger and pollution perpetuated by 18-wheelers, wide loads, and other super-large transport vehicles. Ever seen 2 18-wheelers in an accident? I have. I didn't see the accident happen but I saw a whole lot of debris & shit in the median. Scared me to death.

A high school friend of mine was killed many years ago when he drove his Beetle under an 18-wheeler. Not an SUV - an 18-wheeler. And I have seen that accident more than once. I have yet to see someone drive their Miata under a Navigator.

A bicycle would be really, really nice, I agree. But that only works if you live in an area where it's actually SAFE to ride one. I don't. A lot of us in Suburbia don't, now that we're over-retailed and traffic congestion has increased. Not to mention the fact that so many of us nowadays don't live near where we work. I live 10 miles away and there ain't any bike route between home and office.

Personally I would rather have a horse and buggy. But that ain't safe in my neck of the woods, either. So why don't we all do what we can with what we've got and quit pointing fingers at each other? Thank you, and Merry Christmas.