02-21-2012, 01:50 PM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I am not going to get into any kind of contest with bassrods on this forum. He is what he is and not worth any effort on my part to deal with him directly. If he wants to contact me directly, he can send me a PM. However, I will address the rest of you with the facts. Any of you that know me, know that I don’t make up stories to boost my self esteem on the Internet. My signature block has always shown my real name because I will stand by any statement I make on a public forum. I have never hidden behind a user name. On the few occasions in the past that I posted incorrect or dead wrong information and then found out I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong and apologized for my error. I have never posted anything that I didn’t believe to be the truth at the time I posted it. And I have not posted anything in this thread that I don’t believe is the truth. In other words, I don’t knowingly lie when I post on this or any other forum.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Last year, I did suggest a name change for the event. Bassrods didn’t like the suggested name change so I let it go. The event was, after all, bassrods idea in the first place. I was not trying to make a power grab to take the event away from him. The only resistance to the name change was bassrods. I don’t recall that there were any VA folks at that meeting at the Sportsmans Warehouse in SLC and there were never any official DAV representatives at any meeting I ever attended since day one. The name change was voted down by bassrods at a meeting with no input from the VA or DAV.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]At the time I left the effort last year, bassrods had no official connection to any recognized charitable organization. If he affiliated with an organization after I left, I’m not aware of it. But at the time I left, that affiliation did not exist. I had talked with the Utah Department of Commerce and the IRS about collecting donations for the event and was told by both that if an individual collects any donations (cash or products) and is not affiliated with a charitable organization, then the donation is supposed to be reported as income by the person collecting the donation. Bassrods didn’t see that as a problem; I did. We were not going to be collecting millions of dollars in donations for the event, but the tax liabilities were real none the less and I was not willing to accept that liability and neither were a couple of others working on the event committee at the time. If bassrods affiliated with a charitable organization and got a tax number, he did it AFTER I and the others left. I’d be very interested in knowing which national charitable organization bassrods affiliated with last year.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I still believe that Hunters Helping Soldiers is tailor made for this event and I also believe that if bassrods used an organization last year that a combined effort using both organizations would be beneficial to the event and to the veterans.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I want to be perfectly clear and truthful here. I don’t like bassrods personally and he and I will never share a boat. But this event is much bigger than either of us and I can put our differences aside and work for the privilege of helping a veteran have a grand day on the water. And my plea to the rest of you is this; please don’t let this tiff between bassrods and myself dissuade you from being involved with helping our veterans have a great day afield. The fishing event is not about bassrods or me; it’s about the veterans.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[signature]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Last year, I did suggest a name change for the event. Bassrods didn’t like the suggested name change so I let it go. The event was, after all, bassrods idea in the first place. I was not trying to make a power grab to take the event away from him. The only resistance to the name change was bassrods. I don’t recall that there were any VA folks at that meeting at the Sportsmans Warehouse in SLC and there were never any official DAV representatives at any meeting I ever attended since day one. The name change was voted down by bassrods at a meeting with no input from the VA or DAV.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]At the time I left the effort last year, bassrods had no official connection to any recognized charitable organization. If he affiliated with an organization after I left, I’m not aware of it. But at the time I left, that affiliation did not exist. I had talked with the Utah Department of Commerce and the IRS about collecting donations for the event and was told by both that if an individual collects any donations (cash or products) and is not affiliated with a charitable organization, then the donation is supposed to be reported as income by the person collecting the donation. Bassrods didn’t see that as a problem; I did. We were not going to be collecting millions of dollars in donations for the event, but the tax liabilities were real none the less and I was not willing to accept that liability and neither were a couple of others working on the event committee at the time. If bassrods affiliated with a charitable organization and got a tax number, he did it AFTER I and the others left. I’d be very interested in knowing which national charitable organization bassrods affiliated with last year.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I still believe that Hunters Helping Soldiers is tailor made for this event and I also believe that if bassrods used an organization last year that a combined effort using both organizations would be beneficial to the event and to the veterans.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I want to be perfectly clear and truthful here. I don’t like bassrods personally and he and I will never share a boat. But this event is much bigger than either of us and I can put our differences aside and work for the privilege of helping a veteran have a grand day on the water. And my plea to the rest of you is this; please don’t let this tiff between bassrods and myself dissuade you from being involved with helping our veterans have a great day afield. The fishing event is not about bassrods or me; it’s about the veterans.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[signature]
Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 83 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
I'm 83 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."