This is my last comment on this chestnut.
For those that do not know, Australia is no different to America on these
matters. Whether it be the preservation of MV's or in fact anything "green",
or goes bang. We have MV's and we still have some of our guns. We have
massive security checks for gun ownership but crime keeps rising & rising.
Obviously the gun and the legal gun owner is the problem !
Likewise with MV's you can't be trusted to keep your M3 Sherman in the
garage. Gee you might just recharge the batteries, top the fuel tank up,
check the tracks, grease 'em up and make a break for Capitol Hill. No
collector would even consider it. For an Army open day, or Army recruiting
drive sure thing, but anything else, no way. A criminal might try it, but
they'd need a lot of "old" knowledge to do anything with old MV kit, but
really, who'd bother.
The only way you or we will get anywhere, is with some body like the MVPA
acting as a lobby group. Individual emails and letters are fine, but
collectively the MVPA or MVPA chapters must act as a lobbyist group. The old
slogan from the 60's was "Be still, be silent, die" is still pertanent
today.
Any massed or formal "green" event will be turned and used against us/you by
the spin doctors within the global media. Rocking up to Capitol Hill would
be a real death knell for the hobby, and yes it is a hobby.
Mr Average American would not know and does care about your MV. We have
become a self thinking race, and hedonistic in nature. As long as I have my
job, cable TV, my car, parties, let alone sexual high jinx of either sex,
I'm happy. They have been brainwashed by years of peace & media hype, to say
that "green" is bad. You must not be patriotic or pro-green. Peace & peace
keeping is good (if you looked at Bosnia you'd have to think twice - double
standards here).
Now being the son of a WWII vet I understood his position, what he went
through & what he saw. I don't worship my 1942 GPW, but I understand what it
stood for. These MV's represent something that modern day politicians hate
with a vengance. And that is the sacrifice that American service men & women
made, to save their country for generations to come. Most of these vets are
old and tired, but these large "green" emblems still exist. It represents
your fight for freedom and without those little or large, greasy, smelly,
smoky annoying reminders, it will fast become a memory. Therefore something
the people will no longer relate to.
In summary, we may be seen as militias, you will be pinned down by anti-war
types, we we do,, you will be called war-mongers and would probably be
portrayed by the media as such. I can only put it down to a post-Vietnam
mindset, thanks to the media. In 1995 we had 75 jeeps in one place, Sydney.
Did we get much/any coverage. No.
You can sit on the side line if you want to, but you have to fight for your
rights through the due processes of the land. It will be slow, but
bureaucrats legislate first, see who respond to the Laws and then if all is
quiet they laws pass into history.
Good luck with these misguided blanket laws. I hope they can be fine tuned
to suit the needs of the MVPA membership, wholesalers & retailers alike.
John
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