Today as I was loading the leftovers from a DSA picnic in Golden Gate Park into a Volvo, I remarked to another Sociology student (Stanford PhD) that back in my undergrad days at UCSC, after a talk by S.M. Lipset on, "Why There Is No Socialism in America, " I saw Seymour shake Walter Goldfrank's hand, and then climb into his Volvo. A car I've always thought as one that social democrats drive. Not that S.M. has been one for decades. Anyway, Ross the Stanford Sociologist grad, then tells me that when S.M. taught there he walked around the faculty parking lot and listed the makes and models of all the cars and then compared to the ideological committments of the faculty. American cars signified right leaning, foreign cars, more left leaning. I asked if S.M. did a break down between Japanese and European. Didn't remember. One marxist in econ. dept. had a expensive Italian sports car. Rattled off some possible names. (Wasn't Paul Baran, died long ago, essentially hounded to an early death anyway, mentioned John Gurley, drew a blank with Ross.) I do know that Martin Jay at Cal, Berkeley drives a sports car too. SUV's still suck though. Gas guzzlers and how many of their owners do any off road country drives anyway? Michael Pugliese