On first reaction, my born-in-Pennsylvania-back-woods-patriot blood is boiling
from your remarks critical of the US government and our legal system. On
second reaction, I know you are well-meaning and this is not a political
discussion.
Many of us in the US, especially on this list, do not understand or agree with
our own government's policy on vehicle mutilation (and many other things). I
am sure you do not agree with your government all the time either. The
destruction of perfectly good vehicles is unbelievably stupid but is driven by
political and legal forces which have their own momentum. Many have tried
through their elected representatives and through MVPA to get this stopped (or
at least get exceptions for legitimate preservation activity) but so far the
machine grinds on.
I cannot explain exactly why this is. There is a question of liability and
also the political fear of some accident becoming a sensational scandal. There
may be pressure from manufacturers of new vehicles fearing competition or bad
publicity or ?????. The official response has never been clear. It is just
"policy".
Best wishes for the holidays and the new year,
chuck
======================================
>>I just recieved my latest issue of Supply Line in the mail.It has the
>>article on the Wisconsin mv thefts from Fort McCoy. It now seems that
>>Dave Butler from VPW and George Pretty of Surplus Enterprizes are
>>involved in this investigation. Has anyone talked to them? Whats the
>>latest on this? It seems like this is becoming a widening investigation
>>by the FBI.
>>Rick
I don't know about this particular case, but I know two people here in
Europe who own a ex-military Hummer. One bought it in running condition, the
other rebuilt one from several wrecks he bought at surplus auctions. It is
all supposed to be legal, but they have some problems with US officials.
Apparently these officials stick to the guideline that any Hummer in
civilian hands was obtained illegally. (There are even rumours that they pay
people for useful hints about Hummers in civilian ownership.) As far as I
know, Hummers are supposed to be mutilated upon disposal, assuming that they
cannot be used as a complete vehicle again. Well, as we all know, there are
people out there that can do magic with metal or simply buy a new body (a
Dutch MV dealer had a number of BRAND NEW M151A2 bodies a decade ago) or
chassis, as is the case with the second Hummer I mentioned. Ok, most of us
will know an example of the M151-series running around in perfect condition,
obviously never having been mutilated. But not all are illegal, as for
example the Danish Army sold them in complete condition. My question is why
the US is going through so much trouble to ensure that certain vehicles are
never are operated in public hands after disposal? Is it only a matter of
liability? (Okay, that's a big thing in US law, where people are apparently
supposed not to have their own responsibility.) Then there's only one way to
make sure, and that is to never auction anything. But it all seems just a
waste of tax-payers money to me. Why not 'procure' vehicles that can be sold
off later for a reasonable amount of money to minimise the loss? (Like the
series of Jeeps built around the world in the 1950s and 1960. These fetch
good prices at auctions.)
These are just my 2 cents worth. Now, where do I get in line for one of them
Hummers?
Hanno Spoelstra <H.L.Spoelstra@WbMt.TUDelft.NL>
Bloemendaal, The Netherlands