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i called my senator, shelly capito, and told her that her constituents wanted to hear the evidence and was assured that she wanted to hear the truth, but she voted no for witnesses. i became galvanized at that point, and when i got home, i registered the domain CapitoHasGottaGo.com, hosted a page, and registered a pac so that i can help put her out. i have been in contact with her opponent, richard ojeda, so that i can see if we are on the same page as far as issues. i have listened to his interviews and read his views so a confident that we agree, having both been combat engineers and airborne soldiers, although he was a major and i a staff sergeant. fitting if you ask me. as soon as i get the ban account opened on monday, i will get a paypal button up for tax deductible donations if one were so inclined.

Did I say fired? Just had a look and nope, can't see it. But is reassigned the same as being punished? Yep, in this case it is, as evidence by the man himself, Trump. His tweets explicitly show the reassignment was in response to Vindman's testimony, while also calling him out as a leaker, as insubordinate, and as having 'horrendous' performance reports as well as problems with judgement. All of which, as far as I am aware, are lies. All in all I am quite comfortable repeating that his treatment of the Vindmans should be remembered anytime Trump claims to be pro military or pro veteran. Vindictive dickhead.

The museum so far has raised a significant amount of money. They have not broken ground and may never break ground. What due diligence did USPA do before sending checks? What happens to the money if they never build the museum? A tunnel manufacturer (not iFly) is going to build 2 tunnels in Orlando where there already is 2 tunnels; Has this manufacturer released a press statement with their intention to build 2 tunnels? Have they built a horizontal tunnel before? What size tunnels are they planning on building? Which tunnel manufacturer has committed to these 2 new tunnels? Has USPA reached out to this tunnel manufacturer for any information on their schedule or experience in the industry? Derek V

Ok Baronn, I am happy to respond to your request, although you have already spoken of it all. The Museum representative, Jim McCormick, was given no more than 10 minutes to speak to the Board. His video presentation was for the Board, the staff, everyone present in the gallery including members. It was not closed session. He said they were on schedule with their timeline and the money, and were currently looking at about 5 locations in the Orlando area. He showed a map with the specific areas pinpointed. He also showed everyone a street level artists picture of the design of the project. Simply, the Museum is center, and a wind tunnel on each side. My opinion was the Museum building was the "center stage" and the tunnels flanked it. He said the plan is to have not one, but two wind tunnels. A more conventional vertical tunnel, and a wing suit or "horizontal" tunnel is the general plan. The interior designs of the museum, elevator built as a jump ship, sound effects, visual effects, computer effects, virtual reality and all the other features have already been shown to everyone and were not delved into again. In my opinion, this concept is more exciting than the original concept with IFLY as a partner. There is currently only one wing suit or horizontal tunnel in the world, and its in Europe. The horizontal tunnel offers possibilities for other sports, also. Wind tunnel testing for ski jumping comes to mind. This was the presentation the Board, staff and members saw. It is no secret, it was open for everyone. And you know I personally invited you to attend, and hoped you might. Will there be changes, sure. The wind tunnel partners and the Museum will exist together, but operate separately. In any partnership there will be compromises, I'm sure. Will it succeed long term, I believe it will. I am sure the Museum organization can supply much more detail if you request. USPA doesn't own or run the Museum. We are only contributing money toward a future goal, much like one might contribute to a church building project or charity drive. We believe in the project, and we are willing to support it. So I will end with this. The USPA Board promised to supply some funding for this effort, along with many many other individuals and organizations. It is that simple, we are going to do it. We will keep our promise. Paul Gholson USPA Southern Regional Director

Baronn, what you are saying is simply not true. There are no “secret meetings” or voting unannounced. Every topic the Board discusses is on the agenda, and it is published weeks before the meeting. This gives any member the opportunity to voice an opinion about an issue. The Museum made a presentation, and the Board agreed to contribute. I was not on the Board then, but it is in the minutes. If you or anyone else want to push for a project, or an issue, or want some money, get it on the agenda and the Board will consider it. It happens all the time, every meeting. I can give you numerous examples of exactly this occurring. I believe Billvon had the correct response...call us, email us, text us. We want to know what you want. Baronn and I view this approach very differently. In my opinion, he thinks he is most effective pushing his agenda here on DZ.com, Facebook groups, and other public forums. I took a different approach to affect the changes I wanted in USPA. I saved some money, filed for a Regional Director slot, ran a campaign, traveled and talked to jumpers, and got elected. That is the way I feel I can be most effective pushing my agenda. History, and the membership, will decide who was most effective. Baronn tells his story, I tell mine. As always, I am happy to answer any questions I can concerning skydiving, USPA, Safety &Training...but I encourage you to just call USPA Headquarters. They deal with all these questions everyday, and there are some really sharp, heads-up people there. And everyone, please forgive Baronn today, he is just giddy because all the money he has contributed toward the “Skydiving Museum” has been returned to him. He no longer has that financial burden weighing him down. Paul Gholson, USPA Southern Regional Director

Hi phantom, I was in Berlin 26 Jun 63 and was in the crowd listening to JFK's, 'I am a Berliner' speech. In my mind, I can still see the red banners hanging from the Brandenburg Gate. Somewhere, I have a photo taken of me standing next Checkpoint Charlie. I knew the wall would come down one day; I just never thought it would in my lifetime. What a great victory for freedom, Jerry Baumchen

Hi Keith, Not 'our gov't,' the Trump admin. Re: 'Now we can witness first hand what one guy and a power grabbing party can do to a nation. Again, not 'our gov't,' but the Trump admin. Jerry Baumchen PS) US GI: 3 yrs 10 mos, 24 days.

You seriously think that our government now is similar to what's going on then? You know, Jerry, I've just about reached my limit with the US bashing. Every year; for every year since I went into the military - we've put our men & women in harm's way in ~130 countries every year and spend ~20 Billion in foreign aid. Then some German comes along and says how we are similar to the German grandparents & the Nazi's that killed 6 million jews? How many men did we lose during WWII? How many generations of potential scientists that could have found a cure to cancer by now? I spent four years in Germany during the 70's when we were still defending them from the Russians. Do you even know that we had Americans killed by Germans then? They were called Neo-Nazis, Jerry. The ENTIRE neo-nazi movement that was spawned and still exists to this day came from that area and time in history. And now; you and he say we're not much different. You know, we may have our differences on policy, but to strike out at America as a whole and associate us with the Nazis is just fucked up. P.S. I didn't tell him what to post. I challenged his content just as I have yours and you mine in the past.

anyone who is working is not a drain, regardless of whether they get any other sort of subsidies. also, the ones who can't work but get a check are also not a drain, as we are all members of society, and the ones who can't work are not any less human than the ones who can. i will take it a step further, and that everyone should have access to health care, food, and housing just by being human and asking for it. i know it's a revolutionary concept, treating people like people, but i think we can make it work.

Ya, blame me for the divisiveness, ha. If you want someone to blame for that, you can start with Gingrich and his goons with their wedge politics and deliberately playing on people's emotions to pit the country against itself. Listen, all I'm saying is that the the Rs are simply better at playing dirty politics, that much is so clearly obvious, and if you can't see that, then you really have no business calling others out for being shortsighted. The sad thing is that the Ds apparently see that as a virtue that they want to emulate. Billvon already said that there comes a point when the Ds have to stop keeping up appearances and being politically correct. It just shows that they really weren't ever serious about their supposedly strong held "beliefs/principles." Big surprise, eh? It just seems to demonstrate the semblance of some type of moral facade surrounding secular humanity. So ya, while I think that the Rs are much better at playing dirty politics, I think both sides are equally pathetic, if that makes you feel better. . .

Does that include redistributing borrowed money? And what constitutes a functioning member of society? Would a single working mother in subsidized housing who also receives food stamps be considered functioning?

To be clear, the Museum trustees have a definite timeline to break ground by March, 2021. This was announced July, 2019, on their website. Yes, it has been a long time coming. The reason is, not enough money raised. Now, there is about $5.5 million raised. As I write, the Museum officials are looking at about 5 building sites in the Orlando area. This, along with other plans, was presented to the USPA Board last weekend. The USPA does not own or control the operation or plans for the Museum. The Board voted to contribute money toward this project, about $25,000 a year for about 5 years. Many other organizations and individuals have contributed much much more. These are the facts, not opinion, not conjecture. Baronn and myself view this differently, and are in opposite corners on this issue. He does not like or agree with the USPA Board decision. I stand with the USPA Board, and the Board stands together. Personally, I believe this is a potentially magnificent project, with far reaching advantages...if it succeeds. He thinks it is a money pit, a boondoggle, and a waste of money. In a few years, one of us will be right, one will be wrong. Time will tell. Again, to be clear, the Museum officials were only given 10 minutes to make their presentation with no questions during the Board meeting, because of our very full schedule. However, their representative stayed all that afternoon, that night, and the next day to answer any and all questions. I talked to him myself for 1/2 hour during breakfast the next morning. They have always been completely transparent and forthcoming in their answers. Nobody is hiding anything. They have answered every question. I have contributed personally to the Museum. I will continue to support it. The USPA Board has made a promise and commitment, and we will honor that promise.. I keep my word, the USPA will keep its word. If you don’t want to support this effort, then don’t. If you are so offended that you don’t want a couple of dollars per year of your membership money going to the Museum, send me an email and I will personally refund your portion of your membership dues that has gone toward the Museum. I made a promise to support USPA, I serve on the Board. USPA has made a promise to support the Museum. The USPA Board will keep its promise. If the membership of the USPA Southern disagrees with me, they are free to vote me off the USPA Board in the next election. “You” and I may not agree on this, but this is how I stand. If anyone wishes to express their view on this forum, feel free. If anyone wishes to contact me personally, my personal email and cell number is in the front of every Parachutist magazine. I answer my email, I answer my cell, I answer text. Ask Baronn, he has called me, texted me, and emailed me several times. I just wanted to be upfront and forthcoming with everyone, whether they agree or disagree with me. This is my stance on the International Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame. Paul Gholson, USPA Board of Directors, Southern Regional Director .

Just an accident.

Downsizing won't fix an issue with heading on opening. First is to check and make sure all the lines on the canopy are in trim. next, look at packing techniques and body position on opening. Also, what is your body doing *during* the opening sequence ? Are you watching your canopy snivel or staying in a stable position and letting it open ?

I would need to see your Sabre 2 and it's line trim to give you an opinion. Sabre 2s are not generally known to have a high number of off heading or hard openings. However, many of them have Spectra (micro-line) and these can go out of trim and cause problems. I don't know you well enough to recommend a downsize, but a Sabre 2 170 with that kind of wing loading would seem to be appropriate for someone with 400 jumps. Safire 3s and Sabre 2s are both good canopies and I can offer no opinion between them except to say that there is no canopy like a Sabre 2 for holding resale value. Nothing compares.

Bytch and I are so old, the Deugrotypes havent survived (PS: had my 30th in Oct 19.. In style, over the pyramids!)