I would say that if there is a situation where you are required to move from your site to another, the situation that National Capitol Trolley Museum is the one to be in. The State of Maryland basically built a new museum and a new trolley line in exchange for moving them out of the way of the MD-200 connector.

[quote="Rick Rowlands"]I would say that if there is a situation where you are required to move from your site to another, the situation that National Capitol Trolley Museum is the one to be in. The State of Maryland basically built a new museum and a new trolley line in exchange for moving them out of the way of the MD-200 connector.[/quote]


I agree! I would also say that would be the situation to be in! Unicorns for everyone!

But how does one go about ensuring that their organization and its governing board exist in the world of legal reality, and are thus positioned to actually achieve such an outcome?

One could drink snake-oil posted on RYPN by the easily-offended but legally wrong (which might in your example have included such whoppers as the State of Maryland lacking legal power to build highways because the wrong statute says nothing on the subject).

Or one could take away solid information on 5th Amendment takings law (presented without rants about how the government is "wrong" to do so, etc.), and in the face of such legal reality, learn how it might benefit your organization to position itself to negotiate - legally as well as politically - for the best outcome. In other words, solid information as to what the law actually is, as opposed to what one would like it to be.

But wait - the legal professional who was routinely willing to do that sort of thing for the benefit of RYPN users (not in the role of formal legal counsel but generally damn straight nevertheless), has just been chased off the forum.

So if you're the next National Capitol Trolley Museum faced with such a situation, "hope for the best" may be about the most you can expect from the new RYPN legal-advice resident. But then again, if you're in that situation and expect to have a prayer of a successful outcome, you're probably not relying on non-lawyers on RYPN for legal advice in the first place.

If a Museum is coming here for legal help they have already failed regardless of the knowledge. They have failed and the carnage will begin, much like we see now.

The legal knowledge will be missed. The snarky comments and name calling will not. We are adults here and there is no place for that here or anywhere from anyone! We all share the same passion and that passion sometimes needs to be controlled. RYPN members need to agree to disagree and let it go and not make it personal.



Gary,

Indeed. I'm struck by the distinct impression that the legal professional mentioned was not in the habit of random mudslinging but rather made a habit of (admittedly bluntly and often colorfully) pointing out fallacies, inaccuracies, and biases in the legal musings of others. As RyPN dispenses with the knowledgeable to better appeal to the misinformed, the signal-to-noise ratio worsens and its value to the industry - if not entertainment value - declines. Hopefully I'm wrong and this is the correct move for the site, but I'd be surprised. As the threat title suggests, we had better look in the mirror and see what's there, not what we would prefer is there.

And we were able to benefit only because of years of good relations in the greater business and tourism community, plus good relations with our landlord at the Planning Board. We kept the old campus neat and tidy and maintained scheduled public hours.

When the State of Maryland came knocking we were already miles ahead because we had done incremental planning over almost 20 years. Think about it - we designed, built and moved to a new facility in about 24 months. Railway construction took another year. But we did not take time at the deadline to start planning because we recognized years earlier that our original facilities were no longer adequate to meet our mission and serve the greater public.

Wesley

Where is the like button when you need it?

The Next ITM? Yes, look in the mirror...look no further than the very website you are perusing at the moment.

Stagnant leadership, bad decisions, bowing and groveling at the feet of the whiners now matter what the complaint, driving away those who dispense good advice, and (either directy or by complaint proxy) letting the oversensitive inmates run the asylum.

This once important website is failing, has been for years, and every move the moderators take is in the wrong direction.

RYPN is the next ITM, and for many of the same reasons. Thankfully, there is no historic equipment to be scrapped.

"Mega-dittoes, Rush...."

However, I hate to say it, but had I been a moderator, the result would probably have been the same, not because I cave to the perpetually-offended, but for other factors I won't go into here. (And probably the reason I'm not a moderator is because I side too much towards free speech and letting people display their ignorance and character for all to see.....)

These pieces from Trains turned up, via the Facebook page of Ahead of the Torch:

http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/archiv ... ation.aspx

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/20 ... in-indiana

I'll add that there's other material there, and if you are into Facebook at all, it's worth a visit.

Funny thing about being/getting offended is that many times it is by someone who has absolutely no idea what preservation is about and has no ties to any organization but feel the need to comment on what those of us who are involved in the hobby/business/sport. I once suggested that this become a member site and you had to prove you were/are involved in preservation in order to eliminate the Monday morning quarterbacks!

Just my two cents!

Later!
Mr. Ed