The Court of Public Opinion
We have all been guilty of being influenced by our fears. Allowing the unknown and things that we do not understand drive our decisions, never resulting in anything positive. These fears create stress and drive us to make decisions that usually have adverse outcomes. In the end, we need to remind ourselves that we have a choice; to run with our fears or take a breath and seek logic.
I chose time, logic and the truth as my path. Whether or not you agree with this, I cannot control. Whether or not this was the right decision, it was the best decision I was able to make at that time. However, what I can do is to stand by our decision to make clear and accurate statements as quickly as I was able to. We have conducted ourselves in this manner throughout our business. Trust me, the urge to respond in kind has been a source of much angst and it has taken an overwhelming amount of self-control.
Due the quick and intense reactions of this community, much fear was instilled in our minds which drove us to self-doubt. This doubt pushed us to NOT respond but instead seek legal advice before responding. I have done the best that I could given the predicament of my week; I have been traveling since June 20th! We have answered the questions as timely and as accurately as possible.
There has been much that has been said to mis-lead people within this community into believing laws and ideas that are simply not real nor true. The choice to take advice from non-experts is yours. The choice to believe everything you read on FB without validation is simply that, a personal choice of conduct. I chose a different path. We chose to control how we respond.
Through the stamping community Mr. Grebak has accomplished his goals, damaging our reputation AND making money by preying on the fears of people because he was unable to make his claim through a court of law. This is no different than the predators who call the elderly trying to collect taxes they do not owe. Like Mr. Grebak they prey on fear and the uninformed.
At this point it has become the Court of Public opinion. There are a lot of opinions on FB, and it is important to remember that opinions are not the same as facts. One must make a choice of joining the Mob Mentality or seeking the truth for themselves.
It has become abundantly clear that we cannot say enough. Judgement has been made by those who feel that they have something to gain by voicing their opinion. It has become a losing battle and jumping in the mud will only get those who join in, dirty.
We have fielded many options to ease the tension but it has only led to more discord. We have even gone far as to consider hosting a call-in Townhall for those who are still concerned, and would invite Mr. Grebak to join us. At this point we are unsure if this will be fruitful; however, if you feel that you would like to participate in this virtual gathering, please contact us by the end of day July 5th, 2019 so we can gauge the interest.
All we can and will do now is trust that our hard work will continue to support the backbone of our livelihood. Our commitment to this community for the past 12 years has been unwavering and will continue. As a thank you for the many people who have supported us throughout this controversy we would like to extend a coupon for our website of 40% off our stamps. (support40)
My journey through life has always been interesting and challenging and this seems to be no different. Through this I have learned a greater lesson about my personal strengths, resolve, character and the strength of my marriage.
For that I THANK YOU.
If you have any further questions or if there is something we can help you with, please reach out to me directly.
For more information regarding this matter, please consider reading the following blogs.