>My webmaster saw that our website was not listed on the links page of the
>MVPA. He emailed the address given on the links page soliciting
suggestions
>for links. The following is the exchange as received. (some commentary
>afterwards)
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Jerry Cleveland <zephyr@qadas.com>
>To: Steven Reese <steve@astory.com>; Kay Willard-Hinga <mvpa@aol.com>
>Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 1999 9:19 AM
>Subject: Re: suggested web link
>
>
>> Steven Reese wrote:
>>
>> >My name is Steven Reese. I run a company that restores military
>vehicles,
>> >and I have very many parts for others who are restoring vehicles.
>> >
>> >Would you please list my site, http://www.astory.com on your list of
>links...
>>
>> -----
>>
>> Dear Mr. Reese;
>>
>> We elected to drop The American Story, Inc. from our list of Internet
>> links because of public remarks by your associate, John Seidts.
>>
>> Among other things, his statements included: "The MVPA has had a long
>> standing tradition of problems or 'trouble at the top,' which have left
>> it little more than an old men's marching and chowder club with a very
>> elitist method of approaching its membership," and "I don't know how long
>> you've been in the MVPA, but the old MVCC was like this back in the
>> 1980's. It was bad news then, and is bad news today."
>>
>> Additionally, even though MVPA ONLINE carried a link to The American
>> Story from 11/97 to 8/99, The American Story never reciprocated with a
>> link back to MVPA ONLINE.
>>
>> As I am no longer associated with MVPA ONLINE, you may want to take this
>> matter up with the MVPA National Office.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Jerry Cleveland
>> Boulder, Colorado
>>
>> "Member, Old Men's Marching and Chowder Club"
>
>Just thought that the list might want to know about this. I was glad to
>have the link from the MVPA page- I am sure that it brought some business,
>and am sad that it is not there anymore. But I am most sad that my
comments
>(which I will admit could have been less acerbic), were not addressed
>directly by any of the officials of the MVPA, and the company link was just
>unceremoniously shoved off of their website.
>
>On further reflection about this, I am getting more and more steamed. It
>could be argued that this organization is acting against its declared
>practices "dedicated to the collection, preservation, and restoration of
>historic military vehicles." The site is dedicated to this end, and
>excluding The American Story from links on the site is certainly not being
>dedicated to the established principles of the organization. This then
>brings to question what the actual goals of the organization are.
>It is also ethically questionable for a tax exempt organization to engage
>in this type of behavior.
>
>I spent twelve years in the military, ten of them in a special operations
>unit. I risked my life many times in the execution of my duties, which
>involved an oath to uphold The Constitution of the United States. I feel
>that I have earned my rights (which by the way, supposedly are inalienable,
>not earned) to express myself in a public forum without fear of any type
of
>public or private retribution directed against my expression. Any
>organization which surrounds itself with a culture of this prejudice and
>arbitrary exercise of suppression of free thought is not going to be an
>effective public organ for furthering the hobby which many of us hold dear,
>the private ownership of military vehicles. This is because there is much
>prejudice against us, due to lack of public knowledge, and probably a
little
>suppression of the real facts surrounding the peaceful and positive
>purposeful use of the historic military vehicle by private owners.
>
>
>I'll quote Jerry Cleveland's message again. I don't know him, by the way.
>I have heard his name mentioned at meets, but have never met him
personally.
>
>We elected to drop The American Story, Inc. from our list of Internet
>> links because of public remarks by your associate, John Seidts.
>
>I am very sad that this has happened. But I guess I should have expected
>it, knowing of Jim Gilmore's trials.
>
>Anybody for starting a new organization?
>
>john@astory.com
>http://www.astory.com
>
>
===
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