Well, Mr. Baker, as a public figure now, or at least one within the DeLorean community, you will be scrutinized. And that's not a bad thing, I mean if you do a good job people are going to notice and recognize your efforts. You could be celebrated. If you don't do a good job, you can be sure that people will most certainly recognize that too. With these new responsibilities you have chosen to take on, you have also accepted these burdens that go along with them. What happened to the hobby is a really great question. And staying on track, I'd like to say that I was quite pleased to read your post here. I think it's good that you see what these frustrations are like, so that you can better realize what people have gone through in the past. What it is exactly that you're up against. The pain people in the past got to experience when the very club that they supported turned against them. But let us move onto your questions. You asked, "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?". Well, why is what happening? No matter what it is you are referring to, I think you already know the answer. *Why are people hostile toward the DOA? Many, many examples of grievences from the past have been written about. Surely know of them. Perhaps not all, but a good portion. Furthermore, the concerns people have, and have in turn put forward to you. Which brings us to... *Why is this happening to you? If you're asking that and still don't know the answer, clearly you have not been reading what others have been writing to you. That or you've got some pretty think rose-colored glasses that won't let you see our words. People have been asking you questions, and you refuse to answer them. You only want to speak to people in private, rather than publicly. How are we to trust you when you refuse to come out into the open? You simply ignore questions. Whether it is because you cannot answer them, or you have chosen not to for reasons only known to you, who can say. But you do not build trust through those actions. In fact you only further the skepticism of many, and the contempt of others that they have for the DOA. And now, for you yourself. Car clubs tend to have politics within them. Whether it's who in charge of what, or where everyone gets to eat. Compromise is a huge part of course. I would have thought that entering into a position such as this one, you would have realized that. But hey, things don't always work out how we want them to. It's a fact of life. The fun of the hobby? I've had more fun with my car and meeting other people than you can imagine. And I'd love for others to experience that as well. I love to help educate others by sharing what I know, and I get excited every single time I talk to someone, or read some obscure article and learn something new! I receive just as much satisfaction when I complete a repair on my own car, as when I hear of someone else who has done the same. If I open up the DML and hear one person say, "Hey, my car won't start when hot.", or "How do I turn my intermittent wipers off?", I love to see someone write back the answer to them, and then that person get the answers they need, adn their issue is fixed. I love reading stuff like that. And the reason is because I know that not only is the person who now has a properly working car happy, but so is the other who answered their question. Because they absolutely have to be thrilled that they can pass along their knowledge too. Sometimes we may not always agree, but that's just the way things go. Hey, it happens. Try asking what tires to use, or which brand of oil is best?, and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. But the thing is, we're all free to say what we want. If someone is wrong or misinformed, you bet people will volunteer to correct them. Sometimes a bit overenthusiasticly... But still, we make it through. We may have differing opinions on things, especially on "Original" vs. "Customized" being the longest standing hot-topic. But we get along because we're free to do so. Now, let me address this further. Let me take a little bit of time here to cut directly to the bone on this one... "What is *HAPPENING* here" is that you have taken it upon yourself to act as the DOA's voice in this matter. YOU CHOSE to be scrutinized. WE ASKED you questions. YOU have REFUSED to answer them. These are NOT anything of a personal nature whatsoever. They have all been solely about the DOA. In response you openly admit that you are choosing to ignore past problems, and make no commitments to ensure that they never happen again. You refuse to take criticism, advice, or just general input. And now you went and did it. You let your true colors show. You have performed your own Coup de grâce. Allow me to quote you: "Ask yourself, does this have anything to do with the DeLorean or the legacy of the man who created it? If not, perhaps the arguments should be take away from a public forum." -Ken Baker Look at that. And please notice that I didn't take it out of context at all. That way you can't accuse me of "twisting your words" (though somehow I suspect it will anyways). So what you're basically saying here is that anything you deem inappropriate, your sole opinion of what is or isn't specifically "DeLorean related" (like scrutiny of YOU and YOUR WORDS in this case) should be censored to keep the public from hearing them. Wow. How Fascist. For the "greater good" of your personal interests, anything that you fear other people hearing, you want censored. And yet you and others have wondered for so long why so many people are worried about the chilling effect the DOA has over it's members... My, my... I do have to give you credit though, you are the first to just come right out and say it. Bravo, sir! ;-) What does this have to do with the Legacy of the Man himself, his company, and the car he created? EVERYTHING!!! None of us want pretentious fools who censor unpopular speech within thier organization representing us! You do NOT represent me! I didn't elect you, I don't like your morals, your attitude, your treatment of other people and their opinions, nor how you present yourself. You DON'T represent me as DeLorean owner, nor a whole lot of others that I know either. We talk freely amongst each other, share ideas, and encourage others to speak out. We do NOT censor others because we disagree with what they say, or even who they are. But apparently the DOA board has no problem with any of this. I want to ask fellow DeLorean owners who happen to be DOA members this question: Are you happy with your newly elected board? Believe me, I'm not ostracizing anyone who is a DOA member at all. I don't mind it at all, and can totally understand those who just wanted a club to be apart of, and there is nothing wrong with that. But this man represents all of you. Someone who if I were saying this on a board that he controlled, would have me silenced, or even kicked out of the club. Is that what you want? How many things have YOU YOURSELVES written on these boards that could very well cause that to happen to you? And I don't just mean writing negative things. Apparently criticism of any type is not permitted. Heaven forbid if you ever dared to have your own opinion on something that differed from that of the others. You couldn't say it publicly, and if you said it privately you might just be accused of being a gossiper or back stabber. History repeating itself again. And to think you financially support this network of control with your membership dues. I just want everyone who is a DOA member to think about that. You can have your opinions of me, negative or positive. Negative is ok, and I'll always address you. I welcome it. Why? Because it means to me that you're free to do so! I don't censor you, and wouldn't ever. How many of us have been wrong in the past about something? And then come to find out later, we admit that mistake. Maybe it was someone who informed us of the truth. So, we get set straight on the matter. That can't ever happen if anytime someone says something we don't like or disagree with silences us. So please, think about that. These people represent you. Are you happy about that? With that, I would like to say goodbye to the DOA as a national organization. They've said they're peace, and shown their true colors. Not a single thing with them has changed at all as we have seen by Ken Baker's very own words. They offer nothing new, want you to live by their rules, and would punish all unpopular speech if they could. A Legacy of Intolerance continues to be a putrid weed that still thrives. So sad. They say that they want to help everyone, but as we can see, it has to be on THEIR terms. -Robert vin 6585 "X" --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Ken Baker" <kenbaker1265@...> wrote: > > I realize that anything I write on here is going to be scrutnized. I I also know that some people will misinterpret what I write and try to twist it. With all of that being said, I ask this... WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? Aren't we all in this for the fun of the hobby? We are all car enthusiasts and have a love for the DeLorean. How is it that the DeLorean community has gotten so far off track from the main focus of why we got involved in the first place. > > I personally find this thread disturbing in that this is more personal and politics over the hobby itself. I would encourage everyone involved with this to do one thing. Ask yourself, does this have anything to do with the DeLorean or the legacy of the man who created it? If not, perhaps the arguments should be take away from a public forum. > > Marc, that's my opinion on public record. > > All the Best, > > Ken Baker > President > DeLorean Owners Association > 561-866-1601 > www.deloreanowners.org<http://www.deloreanowners.org/> ------------------------------------ To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnewsYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/join (Yahoo! 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