Boomerdog

Why light up a bong when they could enjoy some Dom Perignon...after all, Dom Perignon was a Catholic Monk. OBTW, Catholic Priests and Monks did not discover beer or wine but developed a lot of methods to improve distillation and fermentation. Next time we all take a tug on that ice cold beer after the green light goes on at the end of jump day, take a second just a second to thank that no name Catholic that helped make the taste of that beer oh so good! Truly, truly folks, I had a good time and some good laughs and honestly take no offense reading these posts. Sounds like no one really cares or gives a proverbial rip. If that's the case, why did this subject even make this forum? Something tells me deep down y'all REALLY respect this guy, Pope Francis I. Good choice, this new Pope is one courageous guy with a pair of brass ones, albeit humble and quiet. I think you're going to be impressed with him and I can assure you, he'll pray for you, just ask him! Best wishes for a happy and enjoyable jump season! - A Catholic

Depends what you want to use them for!

Perhaps you may be right with respect to the invective. Then again, being stereotyped as a knuckle dragging, bitter clinging, backwoods, low intelligent, rednecked bigot by the other side is bit over the top as well. All attributes of the aforementioned, I am not. However, I would contend that some of the soundest wisdom imparted to me have come form those "backwoods low intelligence rednecks (hardly bigots) whom the other side views with abject contempt.

In the National Archives and above the US Constitution is the Declaration of Independence, a "pre-Constitutional document as you refer to it. I've read all of the document so I am not "cherry picking" by zeroing in on the following language: "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." Now if the Declaration of Independence is no longer relevant, why is it STILL in the National Archives and still considered one of our most sacred documents? Do you suggest we remove it? You are right, I don't see any language in the Constitution that justifies overthrow and rebellion. But let me direct you to the words of Lincoln; "Our safety, our liberty depends on preserving the Constitution of the United States as our fathers made it inviolate. The people of the U.S. are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts - Not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution. — Abraham Lincoln

You have some compelling points. Here are a few of mine. Just before and during the American Revolution, the technical advantage of weaponry was in the possession of private civilians i.e. frontiersman who had rifled barrels and not smooth bore muskets. The rifled barrel as many of us know impart the necessary lateral spin on the ball to keep the ball's track accurate to the line of the target. The smooth bore musket worked best in massed formation where the "spray and pray" principle prevailed. Focus enough firepower and you're bound to hit something. The frontiersman were not rich and so to put food on the table one shot one kill was an economy needed. "The average weapons owned by the private citizen including semi auto weapons are totally inadequate to fend off a modern army? My friend, a well coordinated insurgency as we saw in the Warsaw Ghetto, Viet-Nam, Afghanistan and Iraq is very capable of fending off a modern army. It's a numbers game of 300 million guns in the hands of 80 million people against...? The argument about having fighters, tanks, nuclear weapons as posed by gun grabbers is a bit of a stretch. Any government using such weapons against its own people has already lost its legitimacy to govern. Finally, we are a governed people, not a ruled people. We are not serfs. Private ownership of guns per the Second Amendment is to ensure that our elected leaders know they are public servants temporarily entrusted with power and the limits of that power are defined in the Constitution and that they need to behave themselves...an armed citizenry ensures that good behavior.

New guy here, 22 jumps, still in student status but almost to "A" license and enjoying every minute of it. A museum? Why not! In doing the arithmetic, approximately 1 out of every 10,000 people in the US have a USPA skydiving license. Perhaps the remaining 9,999 unfortunate souls who have not known the joy of freefall will get some, albeit very small semblance of this great sport. Skydiving has a history worth telling and I'll be donating to the museum as well!

I'm 57 and started about two months ago. If I were 30 years younger I might have my "A" ticket by now but I'm not and that's OK. I'm jumping, training and acquiring skills. My wife is doing the same and we are having the time of our lives. What I find is that after 50 and given a sport like skydiving, diet and exercise are important. Get on a good diet and work out to develop your strength and endurance. A couple of weeks ago, I finished my "D" jumps and riser turns can be done but they take a degree of strength and I was tired when I landed but I landed well. The point i that you made a level of strength and endurance to use your risers if presented with an emergency where the risers are needed to get down safely. Age is a number. If you're realistic about your strengths and weaknesses and work with your instructors this could end up being a good time for you. Finally, chances are you'll need some tunnel time and the tunnel is a great trainer.

Operating in its first year, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures (BRSA) is owned by a dynamic husband/wife team whose respective roles as instructor and manifest manager provide a smooth rhythm and outstanding ops tempo during jumping hours. Outstanding Instruction is thorough, challenging but not difficult!! Instructor is superbly assisted by another outstanding instructor who is an Instructor Examiner, FAA rated Master Rigger and AFFI. Both instructors have a unique way of teaming producing a singular and consistent instructional voice. Instruction is in full accordance and compliance with the standards of the USPA SIM. Students are provided a pre-jump brief covering all expectations and tasks required during the training jump to pass to the next level. The post jump debriefs and evaluations are comprehensive, fair, and highly constructive. Instructors are always available to answer questions during times of self study and practice in between training jumps. Be on time for training! Respect the instructor’s time as they respect the time of their students. The training day begins with a rigorous round of emergency procedures. All training equipment is in excellent condition and impeccably maintained. Packing area is large, very clean, and well maintained. More than sufficient notification is provided for the student to prepare for the next training jump. Nestled in between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountain Ranges, the view under canopy is spectacular. My wife and I count ourselves fortunate to have discovered Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures for our AFF training. With each weekend, we see new faces of licensed skydivers showing up and we think for good reason. The word is getting out that BRSA is a great drop zone.

I don't know about numbers but I think you'd be surprised that many Christians including myself do accept evolution as a viable mechanism with respect to the origins of the universe in totality. The Roman Catholic Church has accepted the Big Bang Theory and in the interest of full disclosure, I'm Catholic. First, evolution as we currently understand it does not confirm or deny the existence of God. I would posit to you that evolution is a mechanism of how it all came to be understanding that the Bible is not a book of science, it is a book of faith. I would gently encourage anyone here to read the "Contingency Theory" as put forth by Thomas Aquinas. This is one of his five arguments for the existence of God. You may agree or disagree but at least a source is provided for consideration. I'll close with some humor. The story is told of a very perplexed gorilla under observation by one of the zookeepers. The gorilla was sitting all alone with the Holy Bible in one hand and Darwin's "Origin of the Species" in the other hand. The gorilla was confused for he did not know if he was his brother's keeper or his keeper's brother. God Bless & Blue Skies

My wife and I will begin AFF training mid June and hopefully have "A" license by end of September just in time to jump on our 30th wedding anniversary. At this point, I'm not ready to commit to buying any gear yet. I've talked to instructors at our chosen DZ and they say wait till 4th/5th jump on to begin buying gear, altimeter, suit, helmet etc...rig much much later down the road. I see a lot of helmets both open face and closed face. A few of the closed face helmets have excellent peripheral vision and I'm only considering closed face, no attachment mounts (I'm a few thousand light years away from even thinking about attachments like a Go Pro) Intuitively, it would seem that the closed face helmets provide a better degree of protection to the full face and head. At the same time, full face might have at least two drawbacks. First, if one is claustrophobic, a full face helmet might not be good. The other concern is restrictive fresh breathable air flow which might induce a semi hypoxic or total hypoxic condition in which the effects range impairing judgment and situational awareness to loss of consciousness. I welcome comments. Admittedly, there's so much I don't know but just trying to get some answers and thoughts from those more experienced than i. Best Regards, B'Dog

Well, I'm 56, winning a battle with cancer and what does my wife give me for last Christmas, an AFF lesson. I tell her the insurance policy will not leave her a rich widow and then she tells me she's going to jump as well. So, 16-17 Jun upcoming we jump and I'm giving it very very serious consideration to getting my A license and making skydiving an important part of my life.