[DeTomaso] Dear Boyd - was Rookie needs help

Tue Aug 24 20:15:34 EDT 2010

I used to think some of Mike's posts were slightly offensive - mostly the comments about originality or something being butt ugly.

Then I met him, and it all made sense.  Mike is butt ugly, and he is definitely one of a kind (original).  He's speaking from experience!!!   ;-)

Seriously...  I don't take offense to anything he says or does.  I value his support to the DeTomaso community (and GT40, Mustang, Cobra too), and he's a nice guy too.  He has a right to his opinion, and everyone else has a right to disagree - with equal vigor.

-----Original Message-----
>From: boyd casey <boyd411 at gmail.com>
>Sent: Aug 24, 2010 1:29 PM
>To: fresnofinches at aol.com
>Cc: detomaso at realbig.com
>Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Dear Boyd - was Rookie needs help
>
>Dear Larry and other interested members,
>I want to preface this by saying I like Mike drew, he is a wonderful person,
>he has personally helped me on more occasions then I can count. I know he
>dedicates a very substantial part of his time and resources to helping other
>Pantera owners in some cases the heirs of deceased Pantera owners who are in
>a real bind and completely clueless and Mike has helped them to either get
>the car to a saleable point to provide much needed funds for the family or
>to allow to car to be passed on to a child of the deceased owner as a
>memorial to a lost father. All wonderful deeds and not the actions of a
>person that doesn’t care about other people. That is the main reason I am
>making my views on this public. The origins of this discussion were on the
>open forum as well as the letter from Larry otherwise I would have responded
>of the list.  I don’t think Mike is intentionally hurting peoples feelings
>and I wouldn’t waste my time if I thought he didn’t care if he was hurting
>people. The idea that his actions have hurt people is NOT AN OPINION I have
>been contacted by several people who have expressed their feelings and
>experiences to me. Some have stated that they were reluctant to post a
>question due to their fear of being ridiculed or criticized. . In my opinion
>Mike is unaware of the effect his actions have had on these people.
>My point was not to judge Mikes opinion only to point out that he has a
>habit of presenting his opinions as statements of fact. I don't believe that
>doing a burn out on a green is appropriate behavior no matter what kind of
>car a person is driving, like wise urinating on someone’s Ferrari is also
>inappropriate but again has very little if anything to do with the kind of
>car the person was driving. Mike is a great guy. I know he goes out of his
>way to help people all the time. You may share or agree with his opinions
>(some of them or all of them) My problem is not with Mikes opinions , and
>not with him voicing or sharing his opinions, my problem is with has lack of
>sensitivity to other peoples feelings and his lack of respect for other
>peoples opinions. If he doesn’t like the fact that I put 18 " wheels on the
>front of my car and 19" wheel s on the rear he is entitled to his opinion
>and he is entitled to share his opinion. I personally don't care to hear
>that he thinks it will make my car look like a Ghetto master or something to
>that effect. I can't quote his exact comment because I threw it away as soon
>as I received it. Opinions are opinions and facts are facts and unless you
>are Adolph Hitler your opinions remain opinions NOT FACTS! My opinion is
>that if someone doesn’t have something constructive or helpful  too say then
>don't say anything. Or say I don't care for that. Don't make disparaging
>remarks about the people who have ideas or taste that is different then
>yours. The news papers have a page that is dedicated to items that are not
>news ( the news  is supposed to contain only factual reporting) it is called
>the editorial page. If Mike would say I personally don't care for cats eye
>lights or larger wheels and reiterate that this is his personal opinion
>instead of making comments to the effect that people who have altered their
>cars in a way’s not to his liking are knuckle draggers, trailer trash,
>Ghetto masters ( which is also racially disparaging) buffoons ( the list
>goes on). Don't bother to tell me he was referring to peoples behavior
>because he has made either the same or similar comments based on peoples
>choices in modifying their cars. Don't tell me he is talking about the
>quality of work. Some of the cars have been modified by the best pantera
>shops around. This is supposed to be a forum for sharing ideas and
>information about Detomaso cars . It is not a soap box to support or promote
>one persons ideas of what a Pantera should or should not be. This country is
>based on the freedom to express yourself and your ideas and not to stifle
>the creativity of others. Maybe we should establish  different categories
>like one people who only like 100% stock cars, then one for people who like
>cars that are modified as long as they look stock, and then one for people
>who like cars that are modified from narrow bodies to wide bodies because
>they think all Pantera should have flares. And we could have a category for
>people who only believe in modifications that make the car faster, or safer,
>have rear wings. It doesn’t sound very practical. How about one where we can
>all make fun of the people who’s cars don’t meet Mikes standards? To me the
>diversity in what people have done with the Pantera is one of the most
>appealing things about it. It provides a platform that allows for a wide
>range of modifications and an unlimited opportunity for creative expression.
>I see plenty of cars that I don't personally care for. That doesn’t give me
>the right to personally attack or belittle the owner. If Mike weren't such a
>prominent member of the Pantera community it wouldn't be such a big deal.
>But as a member of the Pantera community that has so much exposure and
>serves as an example of an American Pantera owner in the International
>Pantera community he has an even greater responsibility to show tolerance
>and to keep an open mind and perhaps a closed moth when dealing with his
>OPINIONS of other peoples taste and choices. I have been guilty of this at
>time s in my life but I was given this bit of advice “ Make sure brain is
>engaged before putting mouth in gear.”
>
>Boyd
>
>On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 12:55 PM, <fresnofinches at aol.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>
>>  Dear Boyd,
>>
>> You wrote:
>> ....The article you wrote last month .....
>>
>> and you were referencing Mike Drew's most recent "From The Driver's Seat"
>> column,
>> which you took some intense exception to.
>>
>> I on the other hand found Mike's viewpoint to be right-on!
>>
>> Part of Mike's column discussed the knuckle-dragger contingent of our
>> group.
>>
>> Boyd, perhaps if you had Mike's history of viewing hundreds (thousands?) of
>> Panteras, or even my
>> nine year's worth, you would better understand what Mike was referring to.
>>
>> There are some Panteras out there with such unsafe, thoroughly
>> under-designed, and BUTT-UGLY, modifications
>> that they would make some of the current Rat Rods look like Pebble Beach
>> material.
>>
>> As for some Pantera owners' behavior, I wish you could have been at this
>> year's Concorso Italiano to witness
>> the exiting Pantera perform its golf course burnout. Yes, true class.
>>
>> Agreed, Mike is a bit biased to the more stock looking car. His choice. And
>> mine.
>>
>> But the gist of his column was, as usual, worthy of endorsement.
>>
>> Larry
>>
>>
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