gamble,
We understand you are not advocating drinking and driving and everyone knows that that sort of behavior is wrong. I am just concerned with our image to the general public. As everyone in Fairbanks knows (and I'm sure Anchorage and other cities have a similar problem) there are a couple "clubs" that have a bad rep in town. The "rice rockets" crowd and the kids with their "tuner cars" are the ones that come to mind. And whenever people see them running around, they usually get a "roll your eyes and try to ignore them" attitude about them.

I do not want this to be the case with our group. I want our organization to have a good reputation and a good rapport with the people of our towns. I want us to be welcome and not looked down upon or shunned just because we are a "car club".

If we are to gain the trust and support of the people of our cities and towns we must "abstain from all appearance of evil" and not even give the impression we may be doing something wrong. This is why I am so against liquor at any FTE event...I don't want the thought we might be doing it to even enter peoples heads! I want them to look at us and think "these people wouldn't dream of doing something like that!".

Once we have won their hearts and thier minds, we can use our good name in beneficial ways - like discounts at parts stores and invitations to participate in activities going on around town. The community will be so glad they have a good group that we will be welcome wherever we go and our reputation will be stellar!

So it's not that we think anyone condones drinking and driving...we've all heard about or experienced the effects of drunk driving ourselves. And we need to take a firm stand against this to insure that we are not looked at like another bunch of rowdy, rambunctious, car clubbers, but as a serious group who is trying to better the places we live.