First off, let me thank you for the well thought out reply, sincerely. I'll respond in a similar manner.
k5083 wrote:
lmritger wrote:
I'm not arguing, I'm stating- there's a difference.
OK, I'll "state" too.
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What all these people clamoring to see the planes go elsewhere apparently don't realize is how much of a negative effect this sort of constant carping from the sidelines has on the people that do the work and put in the hours, and what sort of knock-on effect this sort of doomsaying horsehockey has on the Museum overall.
Someday, I wish someone would explain this type of statement. If they know it's just internet horsehockey, how does it have such a negative or knock-on effect?
Because this sort of message traffic gets picked up, seized upon and repeated by the media, and once it's out in the papers and trade journals, it creates a built-in headwind against which the organization must fight. It makes the jobs of the people who work there that much more difficult. Do people have a RIGHT to engage in such discussion? Oh, absolutely... Voltaire's quote seems appropriate here ("I may not agree with a word you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it"). The problem is, it's not just about airplanes. It's about the people who work there, the people whose livelihoods depend in one way or another upon the continued good health of the Museum... and that health depends in large part upon whether there is a collection to display or not.
k5083 wrote:
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I live here, as does Liza and Travis...
Which makes your selfish interest in keeping the planes near where you live very understandable. Just don't make out like it's more selfish when people who don't live there express a preference for seeing them somewhere else.
I mentioned that in the spirit of full disclosure, August. Obviously I have a selfish interest in the collection remaining here and remaining intact. I would not be impacted *financially* by the dissolution of the collection- lots and lots of other people would though, and it would represent a significant loss to our region as well.
k5083 wrote:
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And yet now that things are finally returning to normal, and despite the numerous positive updates that have been posted from people including myself who have been told the information face-to-face, there are still people who selfishly want to see the collection broken up and dispersed to the four winds- and for what? What do these people get out of it, beyond some sort of macabre self-satisfaction that they helped heap dirt on one of the finest collections in the US, if not the entire world?
Some on this forum are concerned and/or pessimistic about the future of the collection and are allowing for the possibility that things that have been told to people face-to-face are not the whole story or are overly optimistic.
Your last sentence, about people getting some kind of satisfaction out of heaping dirt on a warbird collection, just shows a complete uncomprehension of what people are saying. Nodoby here has any interest in doing that, and you should know better than to insult them by saying so.
I'm not so sure I agree with your optimistic views here. Ever since this surfaced, there seems to have been a certain element almost rooting for the place to fail. Yes, it's fair to be concerned, particularly back when all this unfolded- those of us who live around here were far more concerned than most, with the staff and employees most affected. As I've come to know people out at the facility though, the long-range impact of those lingering doubts has come more clearly into focus as I noted earlier. I fully admit I'm effectively a nobody in this saga- I'm an interested and highly engaged enthusiast with some friends who have been directly impacted by the events of the past few months. But knowing those good folks has also given me a bit of a closer insight than most average observers, and I've tried to share the positive outlook here only to be either a) ignored or b) mocked. Unproductive as it is, I can handle mockery and will give as good as I get, but what's most irritating to me is that this ongoing focus on the *aircraft* ignores the fate of the *people*. I hope that makes sense.
k5083 wrote:
I support the collection and am grateful to Mr. Yagen as well as to the generous trade-school students, or the federal student loan program, or whoever it is who ultimately supplied the funds to build it. It is nice to have a large collection, even if static, in that area, and I am not one of those people who thinks of static planes as "dead", "rotting" or somehow worthless. Still, I'm in league with those who regret that so many fine airworthy collections have been indefinitely grounded when their patrons lost the interest or means to keep them operating. It has left us with museums full of planes that are not restored authentically enough to be truly museum-worthy static exhibits, largely because of the compromises needed to make them fly; yet they don't fly.
You surely are not alone when looking at a place like the Museum of Flight or what have you, and thinking "Boy, wouldn't it be great to see X fly"... I had that same thought looking at the Oscar up in Seattle. Thing is, even a fully static museum environment can be a tremendous asset to the historical aviation community, provided it's run and staffed by people with a passion for the subject and who do their best to share that passion as widely as possible.
k5083 wrote:
Finally, as far as what is our "business" to talk about, I like to think of it in terms of sports teams. I suppose the Yankees and Rangers are none of "my business" since I don't own the teams; I just buy a ticket once in a while. Still, their owners campaign them in public and want people to be fans -- to root for and even against them. When they trade players, I believe that's part of what I am supposed to be interested in as a fan. When you open your airplane collection to the public, display it at airshows, publish NEWSletters about it (news = everyone's business), you welcome comment, including criticism. If you don't want comment, you can lock the doors and keep your business private.
Ref. my earlier comment about Voltaire... all I want is for people to just THINK for a second about the folks who work there before joining the "Sell'Em All!" brigade.
Regards,
Lynn