Bobby Joe Pendleton II
MVPA#17657
----- Original Message -----
From: islander <islander@midmaine.com>
Cc: MV <mil-veh@skylee.com>
Sent: Thursday, 15 July, 1999 5:26 PM
Subject: Re: [MV] Push the envelope! (Formerly Moron Alert!)
> I do not fundamentally disagree with any of these statements about "be
> proud, show 'em what you got", but I am also a very deeply rooted
> realist. So I would add, "be proud, show 'em what you got, but use an
> ounce of common sense". Driving to rallies, showing vehicles off in
> parades, driving around towns where local law enforcement knows you, etc.
> are all very reasonable things. But moving an armored vehicle, with some
> heavy stuff poking out of it, right up to a highly sensitive government
> building unannounced is just ASKING for negative publicity and
> restrictions on our hobby and rights. I would no sooner do this than put
> on my Kevlar helmet and frag vest, dress up in my best camo uniform, pull
> on a pair of jackboots, grab my Beretta and MP44 dummy gun, slip on a ski
> mask and walk down town. Perfectly legal? Yes. Smart or safe? I think
> pretty much any gun toating individual on this list would have their
> hands on their guns, if not be plugging away.
>
> The fact is that the vast majority of this country (US) doesn't give a
> crap if we are/aren't allowed to own MVs at all, not to mention ones with
> guns mounted in them. Worse, a decent number actively think that we
> shouldn't even have them in any form. That means if some politicians
> want to rain on our parade, they very well can and we will face a steep
> uphill battle to recover lost rights because we are a minority interest
> in support of something that is not "PC". This is a fact that we MUST
> consider, even if we know that they are wrong. So my feeling is don't
> hide our stuff, don't be ashamed of it, but also try not deliberately rub
> it in people's faces who don't want it there or otherwise engage in
> activities that might directly provoke negative light shown on our hobby.
> This is practical advice for a complex world that isn't black and white.
>
> The "morons" from Canada are a good example of what not to do. Their
> action, or subsequent ones, might actually cause politicians to place
> restrictions where there are none now. Worse, they are likely to over
> react and not only prevent MVs from going near a sensitive public place,
> but prevent MVs from having guns in them AT ALL, IN ANY PLACE. Like our
> friends from Australia have pointed out, they can't do squat with theirs.
> The last thing any of us would like to see repeated here. And if it
> were, what can we realistically do about it? Challenge it in court is
> about all I can think of, because the masses will likely not support our
> cause. And without votes (or lots of money slipped under the table, er
> into campaign funds) politicians don't give a rat's ass about a minority
> interest. And the history of winning such cases in court is dubious, so
> I don't put my faith in that either. This is reality, so I am sorry
> anybody here doesn't like it. I don't make the rules.
>
> This is all about common sense and recognizing that we HAVE to be
> sensitive or we will screw ourselves long term. A perfect example is
> Noise Pollution laws concerning car stereos. There didn't used to be any
> laws about how loud a car stereo could be cranked up, until some "morons"
> put in systems that were so loud that they made shop windows vibrate when
> they were stopped outside at a redlight. And they did this with impunity
> because "it was legal and therefore their right". Now many
> municipalities have laws on the books that make this an arrestable (or at
> least fineable) offense, so it is no longer legal or a right everywhere.
> If these people had used common sense, and *gasp* common decency, such
> laws and restrictions would not be necessary. So if you go driving your
> street legal, BATF approved MV right up in front of a sensitive building
> unannounced "just because you can", and a wave of legislation and
> negative public opinion starts slamming down on our rights, well...
> congratulations on screwing it up for the rest of us.
>
> Steve
> 1944 M29c Weasel with no MG as of yet
>
> P.S. And for those of you who will inevitably want to call me a Clinton
> lover, Communist, BATF flunky, or anything else that I am not... I am on
> your side for God's sake, so give it a rest. I want my MV, I want my
> firearms, and I want all the rights that protect them. I am only trying
> to use my head about this, so I see no reason why I should be labeled
> some sort of traitor (this generally happens when I post anything that
> isn't hardline, right of right of center). Reality says that they
> (meaning the MAJORITY of the population and politicians) can take from us
> if they so choose, and there isn't much we can do about it. So don't
> give them an excuse to screw us. That puts us behind the 8 ball even
> more than we already are.
>
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