WoW, I thought I would ask a serious question about where some of the old posters have gone and what it has turned into. This was the first Corvette Forum I signed onto is is currently one of two that I visit. I've always felt this was my home as I met a lot of great people here, and some I hope, I can say are good friends.
During my brief membership here, I've defended this forum against those whom I felt threatened Corvette Forum. My belief system drives me to be a very outspoken person. I speak my mind and have good grounds to say what I say. I don't start rumors and trust my references of information.
The above has been stated in regards to this post and some things I, as well as others have posted. I made a statement that I believed to be true. I followed the facts and came up with a conclusion. I approached someone with my concerns seeking documentation of the facts I presented them. After weighing all the input, I decided to make a post stating what my conclusion was. I was defending the onslaught of attacks from a couple of members who because of there position on another Corvette Forum come here to degrade this small site and telling Rich and everyone else what they should be doing.
I was approached and took down my accusation as a courtesy to Corvette Florida. Now I'm being asked to make a formal apology to the people who attacked this forum and it's membership. I will not apologize now or in the future for things I've said that I hold as truths. Rich Z, I was defending the Corvette Florida and if you would believe or trust the intruders more then C5Rick, so be it. They have won another battle.
Rick, I do appreciate people being defensive towards this site and attempting to grapple with persons they perceive as being on the attack towards what we are trying to establish here. But I cannot let such appreciation blind me when something takes place which I perceive to be ill conceived and unwarranted based on available known facts at the time. Your post was an implied accusation of wrong doing towards another member which while not illegal by any means, some may consider as being unethical, if true. My request to you was, in fact, to prove such accusations, and if not able to prove it, then publicly apologize for jumping to a conclusion with your implications.
Sorry, but I just try to not take sides, no matter who is involved. My job as administrator to this site is to be fair to everyone, no matter what my personal feelings are, and let the facts guide my decisions as administrator, devoid of emotional or favoritism leaning influences. Quite honestly, if my own mother came on here making what appear to be baseless accusations, I would have to treat her exactly in the same manner. Even if it meant she would beat my ass later on.....
As for your belief in what you hold as being the truth, please bear in mind that you can possibly be mistaken, and as such, it is far better to know the truth from FACTS beforehand, rather than making premature statements based on assumptions and suppositions rooted on opinions. It is my preference that such things will be rare and if and when voiced, there will be black and white facts available to support such claims. At this point, it is my opinion that no such facts actually exist to be presented.
Oh and as for the "battle" comment, there is not going to be any battle here about anything. Nobody will win a damned thing in such an altercation, so it just will NOT take place here. You just cannot have a battle without two sides fighting. I am not passive by nature, but there are some things where the best policy is to just let the adversarial opponents wear themselves out all by themselves. If what they state is the truth, then we will use that as a basis for discussion to try to make things better. The truth is not damaging if it can be used to correct something that is broken. If it is not the truth, then that will certainly become self evident all on its own when the truth is presented in rebuttal.