From: m151@cox.net
Date: Wed Jan 11 2006 - 08:23:22 PST
Dan,
Have you considered contacting one of the local news stations? We have a station here that has the call letters KAKE that has a feature called "Kake on your side". They advocate a persons problems and try to cut to the solution. Of course they use the story for its news value as well, but possibly given the nature of the vehicle they might take an interest and help to champion your cause. They have researchers who will do the leg work to build a case on your behalf and sometimes once an issue reaches public scrutiny things get resolved. It also has the risk of the state digging in and fighting, but that risk is no different than if you go to court.
From: Dan Maguire <dmaguire@mchsi.com>
Date: 2006/01/11 Wed AM 12:14:13 EST
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Subject: [MV] [Fwd: [inmvpa] i need your help, please]
Anyone else see this? I got it through the Indiana MVPA email list.
Sorry of the list is aware of this - I don't recall seeing it before.
Dan,
Auburn, IN
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [inmvpa] i need your help, please
Date: Mon, 09 Jan 2006 03:47:22 -0000
From: Dave <davesgmc4u@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: inmvpa@yahoogroups.com
To: inmvpa@yahoogroups.com
Some of you may already know me and my troubles I speak of here. For
those that haven't,,,,
My name is Dave Thomas. I reside in Kansas, City, KS, USA. I
purchased a ferret scout car from a gentleman in Texas not that long
ago. For those of you not familiar with a ferret I would suggest
that you could visit an excellent web site to learn a bit more about
it.
http://www.ferretscoutcar.info/
Or visit the Yahoo! Groups site at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-heaven/
Anyhow, back to my problems,,,,I brought the ferret back to my
Kansas City home and unloaded it from the truck. As a new owner, and
acting like a little kid with a new toy, I promptly drove it around
my neighborhood and then parked it in the garage. I bought an
insurance policy from Condin and Skelly. The vehicle does have an
Illinois title as a passenger vehicle. On first chance I got I went
to my local DMV to get tags on the ferret. Naturally being an out of
state title, I have to first get the vehicle inspected.
The "inspection is just to verify that the VIN matches the Vin on
the title I have. By the way it DOES. Well I first went to the DMV;
they will issue a temporary tag so I can drive it to the VIN
inspection station (which is done by the Kansas Highway Patrol). I
came right home, taped the "temp tag" (good for thirty days) to the
back of the ferret. I then proceeded to take it to the VIN
inspection station.
Now you imagine the look on the little old ladies faces that work
there when I pulled up. I got out of the ferret and walked right up
and told them I was there for the inspection. She said nothing, just
picked up a phone and called headquarters. She promptly said, "I
have a guy here with a tank". I heard her talking briefly to the
person on the other end. She hung up; told me that I needed to take
the vehicle to the headquarters to have it inspected. I asked why
and she told me that she wasn't sure if it was even street legal.
Not arguing with her I simply told her that the other station was
too far away and that the vehicle gets about 4-5 mpg gas mileage and
at almost $3.00 a gallon at the time I didn't want to drive it
another 45 miles to another station.
She had me fill out a form to have an inspector come to my house and
do the inspection. Told me that they will contact me soon when they
are ready to come look at it.
A week went by and I had no contact from anyone. I called the
highway patrol HQ to see when they might be able to inspect my
vehicle. After all it already has a title that says passenger
vehicle all it needs is the VIN verified. WELL??.. I was told that
they were checking with Topeka on the issue, Topeka is where our
state capital is located. I asked why they would do that, is it
normal? He told me that they weren't sure if a vehicle of this type
was legal for on road use. This is coming from the people that make
that determination!
Well after another 2 weeks went by, I was told by the Kansas Highway
Patrol that they could not inspect the "tank" because it is not a
vehicle and doesn't qualify for tags or a title!!??? I asked who
made this decision in Topeka, and was given the name of Matt Moser,
Manager of titles and registrations, Division of vehicles. 785-296
3621.
He told me that it couldn't be titled at all because it was an
armored vehicle. Wait a minute!! There are LOTS of armored vehicles
running around! Brinks, Wells Fargo, etc all have them. He then
told me that he could officially deny registration until I ask him
in writing. So I did.
I also checked all the state statutes concerning passenger vehicles.
They are all available on line. IT fits every definition of vehicle,
passenger vehicle, etc. It has all the safety equipment installed
from the factory for on road use and MANY of these vehicles have
been registered elsewhere I the USA for on road use. He has changed
his position on the decision to not register the vehicle several
times. He first said that it has several safety issues that prohibit
it from being used on a public roadway. And this comes from a man
and a department that has NEVER, to this day, inspected the vehicle!
I have requested that they provide in writing what state statute
prohibits me from registering the vehicle. They cant! There is none!
I have copies of the letters scanned to those who wish to read them,
just let me know. Email me directly at Davesgmc4u@yahoo.com
Finally the last letter I received from Matt Moser, he states " as a
matter of policy, the director of vehicles has declared that
privately owned armored military combat vehicles, will not be
registered in Kansas. To our knowledge, no privately owned armored
military combat vehicles have ever been registered in Kansas and
will not be in the future, in accordance with the directors declared
policy"
Ok, now this is where it doesn't only affect me, but anyone with a
privately owned armored military combat vehicle. That would include
a scout car? Half track? Etc, etc?
I have contacted the MVPA national about it; they have been so far
of NO help at all to me. I have spoken to Lou Moore and Lee Holland
both. Neither of which really even seemed interested in helping me
with my problem. Isn't this what the MVPA does? Fight for the right
of military vehicle owners?
The decisions by the state of Kansas affect EVERYONE with a military
vehicle! Right now it's just MY ferret, next it could be your jeep,
hummer, deuce, or what ever. Where does this bureaucracy end? I own
a perfectly legal AND insured vehicle that the state won't tag.
It can potentially affect anyone with ANY armored vehicle right now.
The fact that any one of you that own such a vehicle and wants to
sell it, cant sell it to a Kansas resident without diminishing the
value because it cant be tagged in Kansas like it can in any of the
other 49 states in the USA. To me this is a "restraint of trade" by
the state of Kansas by anyone that has a similar vehicle for sale
that a Kansas resident is interested in purchasing.
I have been asked by an attorney to attempt to collect any and all
names of owners that have privately owned armored military combat
vehicles that ARE registered in the state of Kansas. It will prove
to the state that there ARE indeed vehicles of this type in the
state of Kansas and will force the state to register my vehicle. I
am a single man, have total custody of my 12-year-old son and don't
make a lot of money. I cannot afford an attorney to handle the case.
I am doing what I can on my own. I was hoping that the MVPA that I
am a member of would be of assistance to me, but I have not gotten
any support from them what so ever so far.
So if any of you could give advice that I haven't already tried or
if you DO own a military vehicle of any type in the state of Kansas
please contact me. With your support WE can all get done what needs
to be done, preserve OUR rights to our military vehicles!!!
Dave Thomas
fortitudine vincimus
"Through endurance we conquer"
913-219-3179
1956 Daimler Ferret
02 BB 68
MVPA 29221
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David W. Brubaker
KC0NZN
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