John Donaldson
John Donaldson is not the longest serving PWC government relations guy, but he’s close. He had been in the power sports industry for over a decade when his then employer decided his gift for gab and ability to write completely confusing letters were a perfect match for dealing with politicians and legislators. Since the course change in his work history, Donaldson has worked for two of the biggest PWC manufacturers as well as having a turn at running the Personal Watercraft Industry Association. Donaldson says that these government relations experiences have helped him understand that it sure isn’t the government one learns about in a text book. Further in Donaldson’s past was his service in the U.S. Coast Guard and a few years as owner of a major power sports dealership in Southern California. This diversity of government, manufacturer, and retail experience qualifies Donaldson to help keep AWA members and others informed on the latest activities of government impact on the use of PWC in the PWC Nation.
Chris Manthos
Chris Manthos serves as executive director of the American Watercraft Association. When not riding, he dedicates his time to educating regulators and other officials on the realities of personal watercraft, in contrast to the fantasy world of the no-access crowd. He mows his own lawn, washes his own truck, served his country, pays his taxes, picks up trash on public roads, opens his own beer bottles, reads books, hunts, feeds his own dogs, doesn’t need government to tell him right from wrong, and deplores sanctimonious hypocrites, bullies, and know-it-alls, particularly the political kind. Wiley Russell Jr.
Wiley Russell Jr. is the dealer coordinator of the AWA and works closely with personal watercraft dealers nationwide, promoting PWC access for all enthusiasts, as well as promoting dealerships. He is a Virginia native and enjoys riding PWC as much as possible. PO Box 1993 | Ashburn, VA 20147 | p. 800.913.2921 | f. 703.777.1566
| Selling Bigfoot |
| Written by Chris Manthos |
| Tuesday, 03 November 2009 11:53 |
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As if Graves needed any reinforcement, the film makers went out of their way both in costume and makeup to make Sasquatch seem more real than ever. Who could forget the scene of the young woman watching TV, when suddenly a huge hairy arm bursts through the window behind her searching for something to grab and haul off to the deep woods? The combination of Graves, the “documentary” aura, and getting the hell scared out of you, solidified the Bigfoot craze of that decade. In not the too distant past, I’ve been forced to confide that perhaps, just maybe, my hope for a real live Sasquatch is something I should probably let go. In this age of massive outdoor recreation and the all too present cell phone camera, to say nothing of the untold thousands of trail cams, and other intrusive devices dotting the landscape, my hairy nightmare is clearly missing in action. We all fall victim to the sensational at some point in our time here on the rock. It’s part of the basic human experience. In his extraordinary book Holidays in Hell, P.J. O’Rourke writes of his vacation to war torn Lebanon in the early 1980’s and the trouble a local landlord had with his neighbors and tenants when he tried to convince them that professional wrestling was fake. People will believe what they wish, and for some of us, it only makes life more interesting. Yet a problem arises when people so desperately and blindly believe in the fantastic, that they enlist government or some other mindless entity to make you believe in it as well, or at the bare minimum, make you pay for it. These days, it’s all the rage here in Washington. Politicians are falling over themselves to sternly deliver the news of the next “crisis” to regulate, bailout, study, confiscate, tax, hold hearings on, and generally try to cover for their insatiable desire to control every aspect of your life. The point couldn’t be better illustrated than by a fake press conference recently held at the National Press Club where a well known group who excel at duping the media posed as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who oppose the so called ‘cap & trade’ legislation currently working its way through congress. They sent out a press release posing as the Chamber claiming to have had a change of heart and now support the cap and trade energy tax. Then they held a follow up press conference. That is until the real Chamber showed up at the party. However, that didn’t stop the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNBC, Reuters, and Fox Business Channel from swallowing the scam hook, line, and sinker. I saw film of the event and was stunned to see some reporters wanting to keep a fake press conference going. I have two words for those folks: Dan Rather. With yet another fake story gobbled up by an increasingly lethargic media, it’s certainly reasonable to question if journalism is dead. Debatable, no doubt. So who’s looking out for us, when so many “smart” politicians are crying wolf and asking us all to believe in their own version of Bigfoot, and “smart” reporters fail to throw the yellow flag? The answer is we must educate ourselves on issues which affect our riding pleasure. The American Watercraft Association is the only personal watercraft owners group looking out for you. We strongly encourage you to seek information, and make your own choices. I have far more faith that you know what’s best for you than any politician or media hack does. Get educated and get involved. |
Growing up in the rural south during the 70’s, it was a popular Saturday night to head into town for the movies. At the time, my little ‘burg had a classic single screen theater with a balcony called the Tally-Ho. When you’re ten years old and living in the sticks, it took courage to slap down three bucks for a Bigfoot movie, but I never missed one. My favorite was Mystery of Bigfoot, ‘hosted’ by Peter Graves. In that era, everyone knew Mr. Graves as the head man from the popular Mission Impossible TV series. The never smiling Graves conveyed a critical air of authority and deadly seriousness to one my favorite nightmares: I was completely sold on the possibility of a 7'2"/700 pound primate with a bad attitude wandering the hills and river bottoms near my home.