The majority of the work at any convention is done by the local host MVPA
Affiliated Group. Local members arrange for the facilities, lay out and
set up the show, provide the bulk of the vehicles, and do much, much
more. The participation of MVPA members like Dick Ivory ensures the
success of the show for everyone and the MVPA Board is deeply indebted to
the local organizers.
Over the past 22 years the MVPA Board has learned many lessons about
conventions and strives to pass along that knowlege to local organizers.
When the issue of car crushing first came to the attention of the Board
it was recognized as an innovative way to provide a popular new feature
at a convention that could not be provided in the usual indoor convention
hall venue.
However, the Board recommended specifically that German and Japanese
civilian vehicles NOT be singled out for crushing. The reasoning was
simple: There are many German and Japanese members in the MVPA and they
often travel long distances to attend our conventions. As good hosts, we
should welcome our guests with respect, not humiliate them in public.
Certainly a big part of MV collecting is the concept of "living history"
and we should always be mindful and appreciative of the sacrifices of
Dick Ivory's generation and others as well: Some old wounds never heal
completely and can remain tender even after 50 years. The point of MVPA
Conventions is not to reopen old sores.
But if we did single out our former enemies for vilification at the
Tobyhanna Convention, I guess my BSA Folding Paratrooper Bicycle would
have to be at the top of the scrap pile ready for crushing by the tanks:
The British were our enemies once as were the people of many other
countries.
John F. Kennedy, a veteran of WWII, once said, "Forgive your enemies, but
never forget their names. "
Sounds like good advice to me.
"Keep 'em Rolling!"
==========
Jerry Cleveland
MVPA SUPPLY LINE Editor
www.mvpa.org
===
To unsubscribe from the mil-veh mailing list, send the single word
UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of a message to <mil-veh-request@skylee.com>.