Hi all:
Gordon, I think you have hit the nail on the head with the "inner
turmoil" statement. I belong to a club that was a host chapter to an MVCC
national convention in the mid 80's and was screwed over badly by the
national leadership and left holding bills that the nationals had agreed to
pay. The local chapter signed all the contracts and collected the gate, but
the "Nationals" took the money and gave 'the check is in the mail '
statements. This, along with the way some of the local chapters were run,
caused the members of the chapter to start a new club with no affiliation
with any national organization which still holds true today. Better than 15
years later, the club still prefers to go it alone, even though the MVPA
split away from the MVCC, and was formed due to the same disenchantment with
what was going on. A perfect example of Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me
twice, shame on me!
Talking to many folks at our rally this summer who wanted to know how to
join the club was interesting since our club requires a fairly involved
membership application procedure and a 1 year period as a membership
applicant before getting considered by the board of directors for full
membership. I had sent away to the MVPA for a recruiting package and
purchased an MVPA banner, but was informed that I could not display the
banner at the registration tent but could place the MVPA applications on one
of the tables with other participants handouts for upcoming rallies and
meets. Instead I placed the banner in the window of my popup and stuck the
posters and the MVPA applications all over my camo painted suburban when it
was parked at my camp site. People would come over to look at the burb and
ask "Is it Air Force?" (????) and take a brochure. I also carried
applications to hand out. ( 27 MVPA apps did not come home with me)
The club founders have found a way to keep strife to a minimum and have
fun with our HMVs, which is what it is all about. We do lots of parades and
have lots of activities all year long.Fun without the complications.
Unfortunately,the MVPA has a tough row to hoe to get large numbers of
former MVCC members to reenlist. And in any battle,the army on the field
with the most and the best the quickest, wins. And Spence declared war on us
long before we knew anything was even amiss.
It's not computers or trucks driving this bill. It's grabbing the whole
bag of possible useful equipment to people who might not agree with the way
the US Govt. does business and the way it could be misused. Don't laugh.
FEMA has contingency plans and powers you only read about in fiction. I've
spent time in a place just outside of Washington that was an "Agricultural
Research Station" belonging to the US forest Service for many years before
it went public as a FEMA facility. These folks are paid to think the
unthinkable and make plans and reccomendations for them. Instead of singling
out Apache transmissions and air frames and all those obscure NSN numbers
that can be put back into working order as a complete weapons system, i.e.
the mid west farmer who rebuilt a 100% functional Apache gunship to "
control coyotes" on his ranch, they are going for the whole enchilada up
front. In time of crisis, could you tell one Army truck full of BDU clad
guys from another? That's why the Army uses chalk marks on doors on large
vehicle movements. And FEMA knows it. So let's simplify the equation- only
FOR REAL military personnel will have Army trucks and uniforms, SIGNIFICANT
MILITARY EQUIPMENT (SME) and look alike semi autos are made illegal, just
in case.
WE know we are harmless and have a thing for green things of the HMV
type and the smell of OD canvas, with no other agendas. But they aren't so
sure. So we have to convince them somehow.
As has been stated by others, Congress works by numbers. Weather or not
you agree with all of the MVPA doctrine, it is the ONLY organization that
represents HMV owners on a national level. Not the NRA or the EAA or Jacks
Military Vehicle Club. You can bitch and moan and wail all you want about
how unfair this bill is, and how you disagree with Mr. Holland and why he
isn't responding to the rantings on this list. But the bottom line is, you
are either part of the problem or part of the solution. So whatever your
reasons for not joining the MVPA, if you are an American and ya like HMV's,
suck it up , pull your head out of your rectal orifice and JOIN TODAY. Cause
come Sept. the 10th, it might just be too GD late to do anything but cry.The
Japs did it to us in 41. Don't let our own elected officials do it now.
Let's sum up the most likely options:
1) Find lawyer to do challenge for free, in time available(ya right)
win battle.
2) Don't join MVPA, loose battle.
3) Don't join MVPA, meteor lands on Capitol first day they are back
and before they vote on bill.
4) Join MVPA, loose battle.
5) Join MVPA, win stay.
6) Join MVPA, win battle.
Which seems more likely?
MVPA phone number is 816.737.5111 and email is: mvpa-hq@mvpa.org
I now step off my soap box, TTFN, Ron , MVMVC and MVPA member
Just because you are paranoid does NOT mean they AREN'T out to get you!
PS- Oh, by the way, this same bill carries a section which acknowledges
that the Navy and Army CO's at Pearl on 7 DEC 41 were not responsible for
what happened since Washington didn't pass on info on the impending attack
and recommends they be promoted(posthumously, of course) to the rank which
they were rightfully entitled to if they hadn't been removed "for cause".
First we ostracize true patriots, then elect a feces gluteus maximus (sorry,
it loses something in politically correctese translation)as our President.
America, what a country!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gordon.W.I. McMillan" <gwim2@student.open.ac.uk>
To: "Military Vehicles List" <mil-veh@skylee.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 3:33 AM
Subject: [MV] Re(2): [MV] Demil Bill
> I joined the MVPA a year or two back just to be in touch with what was
> going on in the US, and I've been quite happy with the level of
> committment and professionalism shown by the staff and publishers of the
> various magazines and the like. It is a bit of a swine when that item in
> Supply Line you have always wanted for your MV was sold weeks before you
> got your copy - but life's like that.
>
> The one thing I have never worked out is why the MVPA is so small
> (relatively speaking) After all the US is a society built on the wheel and
> the engine, with a good regard for its history and the armed forces
> contribution, and a very healthy regard for their own countries products.
>
> I would have thought if every MB / GPW owner in the US joined there would
> have been more members than that, and I'm excluding us foreigners 'across
> the pond' in the UK, Europe, and elsewhere. I'm left wondering if there
> has been sufficient internal turmoil to depress the membership level.
>
> Statutory MV content - I need three M 19 ski-wheel trailers please - who
> has a spare or three ?
>
> Gordon
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Sep 02 2000 - 09:32:33 PDT