Airman1270

...However, why kids in schools in Bavaria should be forced to see a man nailed to a cross during their biology lessons is beyond me... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Is there a way to explain its significance without being accused of "preaching," "prosyletizing," etc.? Cheers, Jon S.

QuoteGreat post.I also wish more people would hang out after jumping.You amost have to plan some huge party and advertise for a month to get people to stay. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes, this is the one aspect of the sport that has eluded me over the years, for a variety of reasons. In the old days, it was that 3-4+ hour drive home. In recent years, it's the wife & kids, dinner, baths, etc. that prevent me from hanging around and getting to know people better. Another major factor is the hysterical drunk driving laws passed in the last several years, coupled with increasing use of police roadblocks, that can snag a moderate drinker who dared enjoy three beers in two hours with his friends. This behavior poses no threat to public safety and would not have been noticed just 15 years ago, but today can easily land you in jail overnight even if the charges are soon dropped. Cheers, Jon S. DAMM - Drunks Against Mad Mothers

...the ACLU actually values other interests more than free speech... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ This is SO true. In fact, it appears these people have little interest in protecting civil liberties. The police are searching our cars. Employers are searching our urine. It is a federal crime to offer an opinion on a public sidewalk if there happens to be an abortion clinic nearby. Add to this the exhaustive list of restrictions continually being imposed by legislators who seem to believe that their job is to crank out laws, any laws, simply because we're in a new calendar year. Smoking restrictions, seat belt laws, bicycle helmet laws, HOV lanes, restrictions on political campaign spending, restrictions on gun rights, etc. etc.... Where is the ACLU? They offer little criticism and nearly NO actual opposition to such attempts to micromanage "free" Americans and criminalize things which used to be okay. But God help any school district that fails to censor the Ten Commandments... Cheers, Jon S.

Unless some politician somewhere is contemplating a law that would make it a crime not to purchase/store/prepare/serve/eat the nuts the way HE thinks we should, why is this topic offered here? Just wondering... Cheers, Jon S.

I've not spent time in that thread because I don't have the time/energy to keep up. What percentage of the replies offered lately have something to say that hasn't already been said numerous times? Cheers, Jon S.

...QuoteWhoops.... Thought this going to be a thread about Al Stewart....... (great track B.T.W)... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Same here. I've worked out a real nifty solo version of the song. The chords are a piece of cake, but trying to come up with a suitable version of the guitar & sax solos, along with the rythm, took some work. Anyone up for open-mic night? Cheers, Jon S.

...But he broke the rules by not telling anyone what he was going to do because he knew he would not get approval... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ This may be true, but it's not what's bothering you. Your casual dismissal of Christians as "Bible thumpers" indicates a deep hostility to the non-atheist community that goes far beyond any passion for following proper procedures. If a higher court ruled that the sun rises in the west, and a lower court judge refused to take this decree seriously (for the same reason as did Moore: the ruling has no basis in fact) would you be chastising the judge for refusing to obey orders, or would you acknowledge the fact that he has a valid point? Cheers, Jon S.

...Good question... There are plenty of bible thumpers down here, but hopefully, the masses will realize what kind of person he was for thumbing his nose at the government and sneaking a monument into a state building under cover of darkness.. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ My, such hostility. Of course the monument was brought in after regular business hours. That's when such projects are carried out, so as not to interfere with the daily court building activities. Moore had a valid point: The Ten represent the basis of law for all of western civilization, as well as the foundation of this country. The issue is not that he wanted to display this text, but that a significant number of people have been brainwashed into believing that such a display is "unconstitutional" when it clearly is not. (Read the Constitution before you attempt to argue...) I can't help noticing the deafening silence emitted by the civil liberties lobby, which is usually so passionate about fighting censorship. Cheers, Jon S.

23 years and I'm still scared most of the time. Not the crippling, first-jump kind of scared, but there is usually a healthy dose of anxiety. In addition, my whole jump career has been a series of long layoffs between jumps. My longest was about ten months between jumps #1 & 2 after my broken ankle healed, then a seven-month layoff when I had fewer than 150 jumps. During my student days it was not unusual to go 3-4 weeks or more between DZ trips. But back then nobody made a big deal about it. I just picked up where I had left off. Last year I took four months off, then had a wierd experience: On the way to altitude I felt NO fear at all. VERY unusual. Don't worry about the fear; It proves you're one of us. Cheers, Jon S.

My first was on #14 while a student on 10 second delays. (Couldn't find the main ripcord.) 24' chest-mount, non-steerable pilot-chute-removed round. The next was on #142. That was the real hard pull that I finally got out under 500'. My last one to date was on #540 after my main streamered. By this time I was in the habit of gently pulling the ripcord before the first jump of the day to make sure it moved. Got it out on the first try and got open around 1000' with enough time left to steer my round lopo into a small clear spot in a neighbor's backyard. (Pause while patting myself on the back.) There were guys on the DZ who had more jumps than I did who had never SEEN a round parachute... Cheers, Jon S.

Regarding the statement that we can't "sign away our rights": What "rights" are we talking about? Do we have a legal, constitutional right not to be injured? The example was made about the DZ failing to properly maintain student gear. How about the DZ that DOES keep all gear properly maintained?; However, the gear in question is a dozen years old? Obviously, there's nothing wrong with equipment designed & manufactured in the late '80's/early '90's. Many of us made our student jumps on gear far older than this. But would a lawyer claim the DZ was negligent because it did not provide the absolute latest, top-of-the-line gear? Particularly in a case where the student was injured due to his own personal negligence, such as failing to make a turn when told to do so? Perhaps it might be useful to agree on the correct definition of "negligence," with the understanding that the correct definition and the legal definition might not operate in perfect harmony with one another. Cheers, Jon S.

...It was made a holiday to commemorate someone who has done more for civil rights than anyone else in the 20th century... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes. True. If you'll check my original post, you'll see nothing to contradict this. You appear determined to find a way, somehow, to paint me as someone who harbors unkind racial attitudes, but the best "evidence" you can come up with is the fact that I refuse to tapdance on eggshells when the subject of race is discussed. When elected officials were debating whether to make this day a holiday, it was pretty damn clear that anyone who voted against doing so would be smeared as a bigot. If I'm mistaken about this, I'd like to see some evidence. Meanwhile, there are people here who are willing to describe someone as a "bigot" simply for describing black people as black people. I'm confused. Cheers again, Jon

While I respect the moderators for keeping things somewhat under control, I have a personal aversion to anyone being permanently banned from anything. Sure his comments were offensive, more so because it appeared deliberate. Still, if I had a vote, I'd cast mine toward the "eventually give him another chance" category. Cheers, Jon S. Deuteronomy 23:13

I rather like it myself. Makes it very easy to for people to show who they really are. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ By this do you infer a negative attitude where none exists? I don't do political correctness. The fact is that this holiday was made a holiday under pressure by people who were willing to smear anyone who did not agree as a "racist." This is the element of this whole thing that I find offensive. If you think I'm wrong, explain... Cheers, Jon

Well go out and get one. The rest of your rant is not worthy of comment. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I've been working on it. Mine is a difficult profession at times... Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Jon

...You can fight it in court, but if you've got a prior conviction, or you've got drugs in the car, your credibility is going down fast... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ True. In 1997 I was stopped while going 45 in a 40 zone. I was kinda surprised he would bother me about this until he said his radar indicated I was going 63! I later realized that his radar had probably picked up the Blazer which was speeding up behind my Camaro as we rounded the turn into the radar sights. Meanwhile, the cop saw "63" and when he looked up the first car in line was a Camaro. I knew I was screwed. I was able to get the charge dismissed, without having to hire a lawyer, but I'm sure my clean record going back nearly 20 years was a significant factor in this event. If I had had a few speeding convictions they might not haved believed me. Cheers, Jon S.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (...sssshhhHH - Don't wake them up....) Yes, you're right. Take the whole finance thing out of the government/tax mind set. Let parents keep their money and pay tuition at a school which offers what they seek. Jon

We have GOT to get you some man training. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I also fart... ("...And they all moved back, shook my hand, and we was having a great time there on the group "W" bench...) Cheers, Jon

.....The bill also says police "may stop any vehicle that bears a DUI plate without probable cause to check the driver."... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ They already do this. In my last radio news job I spent over four years reading police reports. They no longer restrict traffic stops to situations where they were just driving along, saw someone commit a violation, and stop the driver in respose to the violation. Now they cruise through their shifts looking for reasons to stop as many cars as possible and check people out. If they find something (warrant, drugs, expired insurance, etc.) they proceed with the arrest. When writing the report they claim the original traffic stop was justified by some minor violation that can neither be proven nor refuted. If they search and don't find anything, they let the guy go on his way, usually with a "warning." No report is written. The K-9 guys are the worst. The main reason they're on the payroll, at $35,000+, is to search as many autos as possible, especially on the interstates. (Property confiscation is a lucrative business.) When they write their reports (at least in Bartow County, GA) they frequently don't even bother to cite a reason for the stop or any justification for the search. I believe it is literally impossible for a couple of young men in their 20's to make a cross-country trip without being stopped and searched at least once. This is especially true for the non-white community. Let's give the cops a break though. Many of these guys who are younger than 35 graduated from the public school system after the 1980's, when the schools spent little time treating the Bill of Rights, etc., as a priority. They don't necessarily hold your constitutional rights in contempt; More likely they haven't a clue they're violating them in the first place. Cheers, Jon S.

For years now nearly everyone, including politicians and the public school leadership, has acknowledged that the current system is a disgraceful failure. (After all, they all support certain attempts at "reform," indicating they do not think everything is hunky dory.) However, these attempts to fix the problems are all based on increasing micro-management by government, such as the president's "conservative" NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND piece of nonsense. The solution is very simple. Part 1) Give the schools complete freedom to pursue whatever policies they please. Personnel, curriculum, discipline, etc.; In addition, give them immunity from lawsuits. Just let them do whatever they want. Part 2) Repeal all compulsory attendance laws. Don't make it a crime for parents to refuse to submit their children to a system that wastes their money & their children's time, insults their intelligence, and holds their values in contempt. Part 3) Sit back and watch the schools fix themselves. Cheers, Jon S.

I find this thread offensive, by both its title and its content. But the above comment is ridiculous when one considers the other holidays we celebrate. The fact is that MLK did more to pave the way to equal treatment of blacks than George Washington did to pave the way to equal treatment of colonists. After all, George lived to be our first president. MLK died before his potential could be realized. I'm almost ashamed to be posting on a site that permits posts entitled "It's Black Guy Day!" _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ C'mon, it's a parody based on a serious issue. We constantly have racial issues thrust into our faces. You can't even fill out a federal form without having to identify your racial background. The fact is that any business owner who attempts to run his business in a racially-neutral, color-blind manner, as Dr. King "dreamed," runs the risk of being branded a bigot and having Jesse Jackson and the federal government sniffing around and micro-managing the situation. THIS is what's offensive. I don't accept the premise that there's anything wrong with calling black people "black people." Cheers, Jon

...I mean, you start judging people on what they do, and suddenly Stephen Hawking might start getting more attention than Britney Spears - and we can't have that!... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Bill, that's about the funniest thing I've seen here since last year when someone started a parody thread in response to the issue of drugs on the DZ ("Sex on the DZ.") , Jon S.

Stupid, worthless, useless "holiday" imposed under duress by spineless politicians afraid of being smeared as "racists" if they didn't comply with the dictates of the "civil rights" plantation massas. The ironic thing is that, when these same politicians attempt to support policies which are in agreement with the basic philosophy of Dr. King, they are again smeared as bigots. The easiect way to be called a "racist" in America is to treat black people just like everybody else. Marty may deserve our respect, but why is he the only American considered worthy of a holiday in his name? Damn, at times like this I really wish I had a job so I could refuse the day off and go in and work. Cheers, Jon S.

...I think if a person could spank with no anger and with extreme judiciousness - it would be OK... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ On another tangent, I don't see what being angry has to do with it. The issue isself-control. There's nothing wrong with anger if it's directed at something one should be angry about. I might be "angry" when my little one blantantly defies me or fires off a snot-ass comment, but when I respond I'm in control. In addition, I also don't take it personally. This is a normal part of the learning process. My intent is to teach them and correct their behavior. So far it's worked. There are wrong things they used to do which have been corrected. Of course, now we're dealing with a different set of issues, but so goes the process... Cheers, Jon S.

I say we get rid of this whole "registry" thing. It's already being abused by forcing people to register even though they pose no threat to anyone. You mess up, then serve your sentence. Okay, now comes time for restoration and a second chance. A guy who diddles with a pre-pubescent child should be spending a few years in prison. (If you want to pile on, let the child's father know where he lives following his release...) But engaging in consensual behavior with a young lady who's old enough to know what she's doing, while technically illegal, does not mean that the "offender" is a threat to your family. At best, he's a "threat" to your young teenager if she has not developed the moral conviction to say "no." This attitude of continually piling on, narrowly restricting where ex-cons can live, work, etc. will backfire. The poor sap has served his sentence and has most likely learned a severe lesson. He wants to live his life quietly, without being noticed or causing trouble. But if he's constantly being harassed to the point where he can't get a job, find a place to live, etc. he will eventually react in a manner that will be considered by many to be "undesireable." Then people will demand even more laws, and the cycle continues. If you want the police to know where he's living, fine, but don't make it public knowledge. Cheers, Jon