Protest Jump in NPS

[JaapSuter 0]

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Why not "live strong" style armbands?

That would work, but I'm not a big fan of them because everybody and his sister are using bracelets to signal something insignificant.

And let's face it, our cause for legal base is not quite on the same level as the cure for cancer and HIV. I'd prefer something more creative and unique. It has to be cheap and available everywhere though.

Edited to add: the cure for cancer and HIV are not insignificant. What I meant is that other people copied them for causes that are, in my opinion, less important. BASE would be one of them.

[NickDG 23]

I love the ribbon thing . . . it would generate the right questions from reporters.

How's this sound. Every jumper shows up with a shaved head? Four hundred plus shaved heads walking around would do the trick . . .

NickD BASE 194

[ryan_turner 0]

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Every one could have a green ribbon (or other color) like on the attached picture and talk about equal access.

"Support Base Jumping"

-- Renaud

I think that is a great idea. Especially for those of us that will be there, but wont be jumping.

[LouYoung 0]

I don't know about you guys, but there are so many different colored ribbons and armbands running around that I don't even wonder any more.

"Hey, d'you see that fucia ribbon on that back of that car?"

[lifewithoutanet 0]

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Why not "live strong" style armbands?

I don't know, man. Everybody's jumped on that bandwagon and frankly, most of them have far greater-reaching causes than ours.

I think we need something unique, but I'm not quite sure what it is.

-C.

[TomAiello 25]

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I think we need something unique, but I'm not quite sure what it is.

How about canopies with "It's Our Park Too!" emblazoned across them?

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[nicrussell 0]

yeah 400 skinheads in that neck of the woods...nah, might piss off the local racist for taking their calling card.

[The111 0]

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"Hey, d'you see that fucia ribbon on that back of that car?"

I was also under the impression that (at least until you win your legal struggle) most BASE jumpers wouldn't want a big sign on their getaway vehicle labeling them as a jumper.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[leroydb 0]

you could use a magnet type ribbon... seen many of those around....

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[pBASEtobe 0]

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How about canopies with "It's Our Park Too!" emblazoned across them?

I don't get it.

[eUrNiCc 0]

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I think we need something unique, but I'm not quite sure what it is.

Ohh... I know, everyone blow up a condom, write "NPS is screwing me out of my own parks" down the side and attach it to your helmet. That'd be more visible than the wristband/ribbon thing... That way there will be a line of 250 jumpers at the exit point with condoms on their heads in the background of all the pictures and live broadcast?

I'm only half serious here, but I think we need something along these lines...really simple, visible and unique.

Egad, A BASE life defiles a bad age.

[NickDG 23]

>>yeah 400 skinheads in that neck of the woods...<<

You're right, I didn't think of that . . . !

Thinking Out Loud . . .

There used to be at Bridge Day (I didn't see them last year) brightly painted barrels on either end of the Bridge so spectators could huck change into and the money went to supporting the overall event. (Even jumpers threw in something fearing the bad karma of passing them by). Why can't we bring our own barrels and start building a fund for the cause. We could even tie it into a petition drive that could turn into thousands of signatures of support. While I realize Bridge Day isn't all about us, there's no way tens of thousands of people show up just to eat funnel cakes. They come because of us.

There is defacto support for BASE jumping here that we aren't leveraging. I've seen the spectators first come to see us crash, then over the years come to have a certain amount of awe and respect for us. Heck, there are many spectators who come every year that have seen more successful BASE jumps than many of us.

The petition doesn't need to tie directly into the El Cap thing, but we could lay out very broadly that we are being harassed, persecuted, and hunted by the NPS. That we are willing to work with them but they won’t work with us, and if they agree its only fair and right, please sign here . . . We could also request they write their government representatives.

The fund raising possibilities are ours to harvest. One year Ron S. came to an early Bridge Day armed with few hundred small pamphlets that explained BASE jumping in wuffo terms. It had a few pictures, some diagrams, a glossary of terms, and he sold them for 25 cents apiece. He later told me he messed up as he could have sold a hundred thousand of them. Those pamphlets were helpful in other ways too. An early mis-communication at Bridge Day was jumpmasters advising first timers to launch head high, and some spectators took that to be a reference to jumping on drugs. There was also the myth that jumpers always grabbed their ears after jumping. They were really reaching back for their risers during deployment, but to the spectators on the bridge it look as if we all grabbed our ears.

We could again sell a small pamphlet that including a prepared letter of support the people could mail to their representatives. A buck for an event program is cheap by air show standards and if just half bought one in a typical year we might raise 50 to 70 thousand dollars. We "should" have a general fund for the cause administered by Joy Harrison, or someone, and we should be mounting proper legal defenses for people busted in National Parks, just like the USPA defends drop zones against enemies.

"Programs, get your programs here . . . !"

On the other hand, and since I'm just thinking out loud. It burns my butt that after all these years we are still having to do these things. I'd much rather go to Bridge Day, cut loose a little bit, and just enjoy my brothers and sisters in celebrating the sport. But if we don’t stand up for ourselves who will . . . and when?

In the mid-1980s the big argument in BASE jumping is should we organize or not. On one side is Jean Boenish who was for organizing and educating the public on the positive aspects of BASE, and on the other side there were those (including me) that thought we should just go about our business and damn what anyone else thought. Well, at the time Jean's ideas didn't fly as her management style turned off too many people. On the other side we just weren't mature enough to care about anything but ourselves. Now, here we are all these years later and we are stuck in neutral.

Let's get it in gear . . .

BASE is a living breathing thing that has grown and matured. We aren't (mentally) the same jumpers who failed in the first legal El Cap program, we aren't (mentally) the same jumpers who later rallied around the Jolly Roger flag, and we aren't (mentally) the same jumpers who are satisfied with just getting away with it.

BTW, that first legal program is a noose around our necks the NPS has been hanging us out to dry with for years. I was at the meeting (held at Perris in the early 80s) where we screwed ourselves by agreeing to the rules the NPS set out for us. We were pathetic, and gobbling up what ever crumbs the NPS was doling out. We didn't know BASE jumps can't be made on a timetable. We didn't know how wind and weather intensive BASE jumping was. We didn't know anything about BASE ethics or how to control the actions of other jumpers. We took the same attitude the USPA did. BASE wasn't generally something you did all the time. It was an extraordinary jump like a night or balloon jump.

USPA didn't turn on BASE jumpers when the legal program began to disintegrate. It was mainly everyone at USPA headquarters had already made their "El Cap" jump and they just didn't care anymore.

The fact is we weren't even BASE jumpers at that time. We were just skydivers out on a lark. The NPS was smarter than us, and when backed into a corner by the USPA they finally agreed to let us jump knowing full well we couldn't follow the rules. Their plan was to allow jumping only long enough to gather enough evidence to get jumping shut down forever. And we played right into there hands.

We violated every rule we agreed to abide by. We jumped at night, we did RW, we jumped without permits, or after the permit expired. We spray painted graffiti on the rocks and we drove trucks up closed trails, and there was a host of minor injuries. The fact is the NPS knew what they were doing and we did not. There are now several excellent cliff jumping programs in place around the world that work, and we are now smart enough not to hang ourselves by our own naiveté. The NPS has to get out of the past, and so do we!

I've got to go, its radiation time . . .

NickD BASE 194

[lifewithoutanet 0]

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Why can't we bring our own barrels and start building a fund for the cause. We could even tie it into a petition drive that could turn into thousands of signatures of support.

Nick,
At one point, I think Jason was looking into setting up an attraction at BD which would compell spectators (and probably a few jumpers) to open their wallets and donate to a charity. I'm not sure where this idea went (Jason?), but perhaps if we were to raise money for a charity and show ourselves as contributing to worthy causes (other than our own), it would help us garner more support. For our own purposes, yeah, we could each toss in a few bucks towards our own cause, but I think a donation from Bridge Day BASE jumpers and spectators surrounding the day's jumping would really help to get us some more public sympathy while involving the spectators a bit more.
-C.

[lawrocket 3]

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but I think a donation from Bridge Day BASE jumpers and spectators surrounding the day's jumping would really help to get us some more public sympathy while involving the spectators a bit more.

I don't. The whole idea of a charity event seems disingenuous. "Let's do something nice for a worhty cause to get more attention and tell people how good we are." It usually doesn't work well at all because people don't care much about that.

The reason why people and companies do this is for the tax write-off, and if they can generate some good publicity, then they'll go for it.

Here's a question - how many times do you walk out of something and say, "WOW! That was really nice that this charity ball was put on." It really doesn't happen. Charities put on events that are meant to entertain and give people something of value for their donations.

"BASE Jumpers - they care, so let them jump off of NPS cliffs." I just don't see a very solid connection in this, certainly not enough for people to step up to the plate to defend BASE jumpers.

Like it or not, this topic needs to be taken off of BASE jumpers and put into BASE jumping. This is not about personalities - personalities are what got BASE banned entirely, anyway. "Those BASE jumpers are special kinda guys" will not do your movement much good.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[lifewithoutanet 0]

Okay, the more I think about what you're saying, the more I agree. I guess my point is that getting spectators to contribute (financially) to our plight against the NPS, seems a little far-fetched.
-C.

[wwarped 0]

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Like it or not, this topic needs to be taken off of BASE jumpers and put into BASE jumping.

people have discussed showing support via armbands or ribbons. that mimics raising support for various charities, but rarely requests any other action.

instead, should we consider the model set by 2nd admendment (right to bear arms) advocates? they have NO trendy, signature way to raise attention. they still get their point across by placing their opinion on hats, shirts, belt buckles, stickers, etc. and they heavily lobby lawmakers.

oh, and many (both within the US and out) view them as, well, not all there.
they don't fight based on "colorful" personalities, but on the issue. and most gun advocates echo a consistent message. it is just part of their lifestyle, not an event. they live and breath their belief.

I've also known of individuals who DO NOT obey every law... they just don't go flaunting it in official's faces, demanding their rights be recognized.

true, they have a constitutional amendment and a mass of folks on their side... but why not build on their successful techniques?

DON'T PANIC
The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

[Airbender 0]

I'm new to skydiving havint even thought of doing base yet but I think you guys are going the wrong way with this. I have been climbing for about 12 years now and we have similar issues with nps and private land owners everywhere we are constantly at it with nps and as crappy as it is we must follow their rules for that said time to get them to pay attention to our cause we fix trails donate many man hours and funds to the parks and they have somewhat learned to respect and appriciate us. By hosting a screw you in your face protest you will only be hurting yourself. Maybe some should question why are you doing this to jump off the coolest rock in the world for yourself or for the cause. You may get loads of attention and media but what worked for the Sex Pistols won't work here all publicity is not good publicity. If you can find 100 people willing to fork out 2gs for a fine how much better would 200k worth of cash go towards taking the time to do things right. You could probaly give a rats ass about what I'm saying here but I will be telling you told you so if you do things this way. I want freedom just as much as the rest of you I would love to climb The Captain and decend in 2 minutes but anything worth having is worth working for.

edit for jumpers name ~TA

[FIREFLYR 0]

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I have been climbing for about 12 years now and we have similar issues with nps and private land owners everywhere we are constantly at it with nps and as crappy as it is we must follow their rules
By hosting a screw you in your face protest you will only be hurting yourself.

>If we followed their rules we'd have nothing at all.
...Half of something is better than all of nothing.
2¢
~J

"One flew East,and one flew West..............one flew over the cuckoo's nest"
"There's absolutely no excuse for the way I'm about to act"

[klapaucius 0]

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The petition doesn't need to tie directly into the El Cap thing, but we could lay out very broadly that we are being harassed, persecuted, and hunted by the NPS. That we are willing to work with them but they won’t work with us, and if they agree its only fair and right, please sign here . . . We could also request they write their government representatives.

I am a non-jumper but work for the government.
You can not say that government especially law enforcement harassed you. You are immediately cooked in their and public eyes. See yourself pulled over by the cop on a highway and you tell him that he is harassing you. Also, an average person in America believes that cops are there to protect them and do not harass anybody just catch the bad guys.

A possible 'communications' strategy (I put myself in the seat of a government enforcer - I actually participate in enforcing some laws ) could be: Our National Parks are a treasure for all of us, source relaxation, contact with great outdoor etc. Millions of people live in these parks best experiences of their lives. We, BASE jumpers, as all outdoorsmen want to experience our great sport the same way as rock climbers, whitewater kayakers etc. do. We are responsible as a group, with ethics and good practices. We thread lightly etc...

Say NOTHING about two things. Past conflicts and Europe.

When asked about the past conflicts have a good script ready: early years, pioneers, maybe even daredevils etc. Now BASE is a mature sport with this and that

Do not say anything about Europe because in America nobody gives a darn about Europe except French wine and foie gras for the rich and big walls for this forum

[cornishe 0]

...bump... MOTIVATE PEOPLE!


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Abbie Mashaal
Skydive Idaho
Snake River Skydiving
TandemBASE

[edge01 1]

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...bump... MOTIVATE PEOPLE!


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your the motovating type get on it.E

[cornishe 0]

The things down but not permanent... When i get home it will be fixed.


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Abbie Mashaal
Skydive Idaho
Snake River Skydiving
TandemBASE

[cornishe 0]

the other place is back online.


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Abbie Mashaal
Skydive Idaho
Snake River Skydiving
TandemBASE

[peterk 0]

I can't believe that "Americans" are willing to tolerate this from their government...

Its a good thing that our forefathers didn't wait for the Brits to respond to the email requests for independence...

Yes, they can arrest me, but they can't arrest us all... This is so stupid that I can't believe that we are on the internet trying to get some bureaucrats to allow us to BASE jump off our land...

They pull this on us because we allow them to, and our lack of organization and leadership is their best ally.

Peace

---------------
Peter
BASE - The Ultimate Victimless Crime

[edge01 1]

Is this idea dea or just on hold for a while