Ed ,
nice to hear from you. Good to see that you were spurred out of lurking. It
must be open season this summer! Another flame from a "fellow" Canadian! I'd
normally just send this to you, but this is special occasion.
I could counter with comments about prairie wheat pesticides affecting your
little grey matter, but I won't! That's insulting!
You see, I feel that I know Colin. We've exchanged emails, I've visited his
web site. And I appreciate the thought he's put into this. Half in jest,
I've stated that I believe the odds are against his plan. And I've sent
private email as to why. I really don't know him but I feel like I do & I
appreciate his enthusiasm for that dream.
Now I really don't know you and you don't know me. I remember your name from
a membership application a few years back. That was in another life when I
wore many hats with the Mog club & thought there should be membership cards
& "welcome" letters, etc. Well, the Treasurer quit, we were scrambling for a
new one, the new one wasn't big on the extra workload, so yours truly ended
up doing said duties (along with Prez, Events, Regalia). The reason it's
memorable was the line "if I'm allowed to join". I thought that peculiar. My
wife & I don't exclude anyone. WE went to great lengths to encourage people
& make them welcome. Didn't matter what they drove, or where they lived - no
one is denied. So I sent off a membership package to you. Never did I do you
any wrong. Sometime later I discovered the reason for your peculiar remark.
A business dispute between you & long-time members who are Morgan dealers.
That's all I know about you.
But that is a private matter between you & them, in my book, and when we
held the "reigns of power", we didn't take sides. Now some people can't
separate the public & the private. Nor can they resist the temptation to
color eveyone in the group with the same brush. I don't know your reasons
for joining. I don't know if you are current, or if dropped out after a
year - feeling disgruntled because we didn't fulfill your needs or offer
enough services in Western Canada. I could check membership records to find
out your status but looking through old Morgan files just causes me angst
these days. And it aint my "job" anymore. I do know this - you did have
ample opportunity to contribute. Calls were always made for volunteers, Exec
members, newsletter articles - whatever you could give. Eddie baby, We
didn't hear anything but silence from you. Not enough "Western Presence"?
Start a Saskatchewan Chapter! Put Stiff Dick, Sask on the map. Make IT the
center of the Canadian Morgan Universe. Hold an event, meet up with the
other member in the Province & call it a MOG gathering! Or do something in
conjunction with the local Brit club - if you needed some money to do it, we
would have sent it to you (that's where we spent money was on events, trying
to bring people together; not glossy newsletters or "Exec expenses/perks").
I haven't made a dime from this hobby, but I've spent a lot of my own money
& time. Ed, I'm just another shmoe who pays my $25 dues a year, except that
we made a committment, took on a "responsibility" & because you are
visible - you get the abuse.
Of course Colin's idea has lots of merit! But your comments about Toronto &
Western Canadians "continuing to suffer" illustrate precisely one of the
reasons why it won't fly: REGIONALISM. You cannot be tolerant of the
smog-filled little minds in Central Canada, can a North American Executive
be any more so? Where will this Exec come from? Mexico? If so, they will be
pushing for Spanish as an official language! Quebec (more "Eastern Baddies"
in the Western view?) - they will have their own agendas. What if we cannot
get dedicated people to run this SuperClub? Would you be willing to pay
salaries or honorariums? Do you want this to be a business with all the
problems that can ensue? (like wronful dismissal, court cases, etc) Read
Jeremy Edwards timely post regarding Christine Heally & the MSCC. Would the
large Clubs hand over their purse strings to these strangers? I didn't see a
lot of current Exec clamouring to make a commitment to the concept! Will the
defacto annual Morgan conventions (West Coast or MOG 29) appreciate the
competition of new shows? Will the smaller clubs be able to bid & stage one
on their own? (MG folk staged a national show in Canada in 1991. They lost
their shirts & it hasn't been attempted since).
Isn't it more likely that folks will just continue to go to Stowe, or
Watkins Glen or wherever it is they go now? We couldn't interest other Mog
groups to come to the 1000 car British Car Day in Toronto.
Most important, Ed, will you donate a couple years of your time to this idea
& make a committment? Did anyone who responded in the affirmative state that
"I can do this for you, Colin". "I will serve as--------"(fill in the
blank)? I didn't think so. Lofty large organizations don't run with ideas.
Individuals do. It was the "Committee of 1 or 2" that made Morgans Over
America happen in 1990. It was an individual that made Rhinemog happen this
year, not the "United New England Regional Mog Clubs of the Continental
Morgan Congress, INC". Hell, if there were such a group, if they were
anything like the British Car Council Inc., they wouldn't be able to get a
consensus on "adopting" a hiway! The fact is in any group 5% do 95% of the
work. The other 95% do little. (Often they bitch the most, tho.) This
doesn't present a huge pool of potential "doer" Morganeers to efficiently
run the juggernaut. I'd be nice if it happened but if there isn't say a
United "TEXMOGS" (and there is only 2 clubs there), what chance does a
couple dozen clubs have of uniting?
Enough of the "myopic logic". I'll nominate you to serve as the first NA
Prez. Go make it happen! I'll bring my sqawks, bitches & complaints!
Especially about how I continue to suffer under you.
Myself, I'll just drive the car. It's nice to be part of the 95% for a
change.
Cheers,
Fred Kuzyk
Morgan Sports Cars International
http://mycomm.excite.com/mycomm/browse.asp?cid=.4g3TS2kkNzU
Where the membership is free and anyone in the world can post photos, links,
event dates, articles, discussion, files,
& meet for real-time chat on Morgans!
My Morgan Sports Car Club of Canada site:
http://members.xoom.com/msccc/
----- Original Message -----
From: M.E. & E.A. Driver <edriver@sk.sympatico.ca>
To: F Kuzyk <fkuzyk@cgocable.net>
Cc: Morgan Net <Morgans@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, August 07, 1999 6:07 PM
Subject: Re: North American Morgans
> Fred
>
> The smog in Hogtown must be affecting your "little grey cells." Colin's
idea
> has much merit - with a North American executive it could really fly.
For our
> American cousins on the list Hogtown (Toronto) is by some the centre of
the
> Canadian universe and few of it's inhabitants can see beyond its
metropolitan
> boundaries. Western Canadians continue to suffer because of such myopic
logic
> emitting from the place.
>
> Ed
> '89 4/4
>
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