Airman1270

...If someone at Perris showed up with an ancient Wonderhog (or even an old pullout Racer without riser covers, or an old Vector with 20 year old velcro holding the bridle to the belly band) ... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Interesting comment. I fielded one like it years ago from a rigger in Texas who sent a letter to PARACHUTIST regarding this subject. The premis is that if the rig is old, it probably is not well maintained. When I said I've jumped this rig for 20+ years without indident, it was with the understanding that it has been well cared for. Velcro has always been replaced as needed and the rig is stored in a climate-controlled room. My reaction at the time was: When did USPA begin issuing something called a Psychic Rigger rating which would enable someone 1000 miles away to evaluate gear he's never seen? Cheers, Jon

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I'll accept this as an opportunity to learn more, but for now I don't see how the 'Hog poses any more risk than any other rig. Especially when I've been jumping it for 20+ years without incident. Guarding handles near the door seems to work regardless of the rig in question. I do take an interest in this, because I frequently do hop & pops (especially when using this gear) and spend an inordinate amount of airplane time sitting near the door. As far as freefall is concerned, a premature opening only poses a hazard to people directly above (no matter what rig I'm using.) Since Basic Freefall Survival Rule #1 is to avoid being directly above anyone else, I'm still not seeing why this rig would require more caution than would otherwise be considered prudent. Cheers, Jon

Last week I took my Wonderhog/'Cloud up for some action & overheard one guy express concern that I posed a threat to his safety. Don't know whether he knew I was doing a solo, but he HAD to know that I wasn't part of his group. So what was the problem? What can possibly happen that might interfere with anyone else (that couldn't happen with any other rig?) Even if we WERE on the same dive, how can this rig possibly cause harm to anyone else who happened to be nearby? The comments from younger jumpers are amusing and go with the territory, but I wonder: If a pilot showed up in a P-51, would the other pilots snicker and question why he continues to fly that old piece of shit? After all, it IS 70-odd years old and has long since been outclassed in every possible way. Would they tell him to get with the program & buy something a little more up-to-date? May I remind people that the incident reports frequently involve people who are current and jump some of the best gear available? Cheers, Jon S.

Any cop who would arrest someone under circumstances described here is by definition a nazi who deserves to be shot dead in the street. Goddamn it, this is fucking war! What has happened to this once honorable profession? When I was growing up it was nearly impossible to be hassled by police unless you were doing something wrong. Even then, they tried to resolve a matter, if possible, without making an arrest. Thank you left-wingers who have given us the American police state. Thank you Democrats for your stupid petty laws criminalizing things that used to be perfectly legal. Thank you lawyers for creating a system in which a cop who cuts someone some slack can be held liable if the guy later gets hurt or does something wrong. Thank you public schools for failing to teach accurately about our nation's founding & history, and for creating an army of graduates who do not understand Constitutional rights and have no idea why it's offensive to be asked to produce ID simply because you're walking along the side of the road at night. They can video us, but we can't video them? The only way this situation will ever be reversed is if someone finally kills some cops and a jury has the guts to acquit. But... Thank you lawyers for manipulating the jury selection process to that only cluless people who pay little attention to such matters will ever have a chance of being selected for the jury. Cheers & a sigh, Jon S.

...Now, in the case of what airman said, he did it intentionally to be disrespectful... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No. I did it to expose hypocrisy. It worked. ...His statement was disgusting and shows a lot about his character... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get a thicker skin. It's a word I've almost never used. I've been paying attention to political issues for nearly 20 years and have grown weary of being called a "racist" by left-wing totalitarians who keep taking away my money and my freedom. These people direct their offensive insults at decent Americans who just want to be left alone. Your inability to keep things in perspective shows a lot about your character. ... The fact that he said it about the POTUS says even more.... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ OHHH! We can't say anything bad about the President? (1943) "Rabbi, I know you disagree with the deportations, but you shouldn't speak unkindly about Mr. Hitler that way, He IS the President." Really now. Do you remove those kneepads once in a while just to wash them? ...he is the POTUS and to say something like that shows a complete lack of respect not just for the man, but the office and the country... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It is Obama who shows a complete lack of respect for the office and country. His campaign was little more than a series of lies and vacuous slogans (as well as frequent remarks about his race.) He won the election BECAUSE he's black. Many of the people who voted for him never expected what they got. They don't pay attention to current events and didn't understand the ramifications of their vote; They jes' be wantin' a black President. He won election by fraud & deceit, then proceeded to shove an aggressive left-wing agenda down our collective throats. Not only is he wrecking the economy, but he has shown contempt for everything that has made this nation great. His response to the Gulf accident reeks of strong-arm bullying. Instead of a spirit of cooperation, his impulse is to treat BP as a villain, with talk of "investigations" & "hearings" spewing from his conceited mouth. I feel like a guy riding a rocking chair in a small room full of cats. Cheers, Jon

Try bringing these protests to the homes of abortionists and see how much cooperation from the police you'll receive. Cheers, Jon S.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Nice try. As I said, I do not bow at the altar of political correctness. 1) The word in question is a legitimate english-language word with a specific meaning. Look it up. 2) I used this word deliberately to illustrate a point regarding hypocrisy. Apparently, I scored a dead center. 3) My insult was directed toward someone who is destroying the economy (deliberately or not) and who has demonstrated strong totalitarian impulses. Whether "investigating" a plumber who asked a question during a campaign stop, or threatening a "jack boot at the throat" of a private industry in response to an accident, the pattern is consistent: When these people get what they want we all lose more money and more freedom. If you don't do what a goddamn Democrat tells you to do you end up in front of a judge. If you resist you get shot by police. The "teabagger" insult was directed toward millions of decent Americans who just want to live their lives in peace and be left alone. For whatever reason, you think they deserve to endure crude insults without the knee-jerk hyperventilating response on display elsewhere in this thread. If you're going to dismiss facts and cling to a vacuous political fantasy simply because you don't appreciate one's choice of words, then you have no business assigning standards of "credibility." Cheers, Jon

...Airman120 was in the wrong... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Wrong about what? (bullhorn:) "Swallow, get up off your knees, wipe your mouth and step away from the cock!" I do not tap dance on eggshells to satisfy the PC nazies. He used an offensive slur. I replied with an offensive slur. Now you're getting on MY case for using an offensive slur. You really don't see the hypocrisy here? Cheers, Jon

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ What about the people who call others "teabaggers?" Remember, both terms are equally offensive. Jon

Wow! That really says a lot... about YOU... Enjoy your little hate orgasm... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Way to go. You fell right into my trap. "Hate?" Did you read what he said about me & other decent Americans who happen to oppose Obama's totalitarian policies? He called us "teabaggers." Is this not "hate?" This is a derogatory sexual insult. NO LESS OFFENSIVE than anthing I said. Yet you're far more "offended " by the word "nigger" than you are by the word "teabaggers." I directed my insult toward people who are destroying the country (whether deliberate or not.) When these people get what they want we all lose more money and more freedom. He directed his insult toward decent Americans who just wanna live their lives in peace and be left alone. And WHOSE side are you on? Cheers, Jon

>Most offensive about this incident is the eagerness of Obama & ilk to >assign blame and pursue congressional witch-hunt "hearings" rather than >work with BP to help fix the problem. Both are important. Without determining what went wrong, no one can help ensure it won't happen again. Without getting the Coast Guard and the Navy to support BP's efforts, they would be very handicapped. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The oil industry already has plenty of incentive to learn what went wrong and take steps to make corrections. NO strong-arm "encouragement" from government is necessary. This process can take place without an aggressive us vs. them, jack-boot-to-the-throat attitude on the part of Obama and his merry band of totalitarian control-freak Democrats. Once again, the knee-jerk reaction is to criminalize an accident and treat everyone invovled as if they had done it on purpose. >What this situation calls for is yet another pompous speech... Apparently it calls for a pompous "blame Obama" post.,, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Obama has nothing to do with this. He is no more responsible for an oil rig mishap than Bush was for a bridge collapse or for a hurricane that ended up killing a bunch of people who were too stupid to heed warnings to get out of the way. Obama is the one pointing fingers and slinging blame, making accusatory public statements and inciting an atmosphere of hatred & contempt toward an industry that has done more to elevate our standard of living than this little nigger Hitler wannabe ever will. Why the hell does he think that every incident requires the direct invovlement of the President? Cheers, Jon

My old rig has a Strong 26' lopo. I've used it twice, both terminal openings. No "slam." They were smooth, as were the landings. (Perhaps I was thinking of the alternative?) My first reserve ride (& first terminal opening) was under an oscillating, unmodified non-steerable chest-mount 24' (pilot chute removed.) I trained on T-10's and have nearly 50 round jumps so the thought of a cutaway does not paralyze me with fear. My new rig has a square reserve. I used it once. Flies real nice. I'm beginning to understand why people have been using these things for the last 20+ years. Also, if I ever get the jones to "downsize" it's nice to know I can handle a 190. What I don't understand is the attitude of some riggers who won't pack a round because THEY would never jump one. Please guys, cut the crap. You were required to learn how to pack rounds in order to get your rating. If I ask you to pack my old rig, please just perform the service. You don't have to jump it if you don't want to. I'll even give you money. Cheers, Jon S.

Didn't you hear? They're now denying they ever said that... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Not sure what this exchange is supposed to mean. 1) Why are citizens being described as "tea-baggers?..." 2) What's wrong with oil? Its a natural substance, a very efficient fuel, and there's plenty of it... 3) Nobody ever said drilling for oil did not involve any risk whatsoever of mishaps & other imperfections. While these rare accidents are annoying, the overall safety record of the oil industry is one most riggers would be happy to shout from the rooftops. Remember Prince William Sound in 1989? Yes it was a mess, but nature cleaned it up. As She will do in the Gulf. Most offensive about this incident is the eagerness of Obama & ilk to assign blame and pursue congressional witch-hunt "hearings" rather than work with BP to help fix the problem. This is consistent with both the secular-humanist religious philosophy that drives left-wing politics (that is, that mankind can be perfected, therefore, any failure to achieve perfection is regarded as "negligence" with prosecution & punishment the proper response) and the anti-business, anti-"corporation," anti-capitalism prosyletizing to which public school students are exposed on a regular basis. What this situation calls for is yet another pompous speech... Cheers, Jon S.

Holy CRAP - in her 80's with two kids 7 and 6?... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ...In the 1980's. Sigh. Jon See 80's was 25 years ago - leaves her at about 50 now . . . You still have her number?... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ She was (and likely still is) older than me. She'd be 58 now. The girls are 33 & 32. Haven't seen them since the late 80's. I wonder if they'd still want to sit on my lap?... I've had well over 20 years to think about it and am pretty sure I made the right call. Damn shame. Wonder where this could've gone if she didn't have trouble keeping her pants on when I wasn't around. Sigh. Cheers, Jon

Holy CRAP - in her 80's with two kids 7 and 6?... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ...In the 1980's. Sigh. Jon

Yes, mid-80's. Widow w/two girls, 7 & 6. Dated on/off for three years, broke the engagement when I realized I was putting up with stuff I'd never put up with if she didn't have the kids. My first time being a "parent." I loved those kids and hated breaking up with them. She had visited the Ranch with me a couple of times in '85 and one day decided to try a jump. She made two static line jumps from the Cessna (yes, back when they were flying a Cessna.) Enjoyed it and never wanted to do it again. Cheers, Jon

You say that like there's something wrong with it Wendy P. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Depends on what they're "submitting" to. The Biblical model instructs the husband to love the wife. This includes looking out for her best interests, etc. According to this, the wife is submitting to a partner whose leadership is intended to benefit her & the family. If he's not following this example, she has no obligation to submit to behavior that is harmful to the marriage, the family, etc. Cheers, Jon

My strange dream was several years ago: A bunch of people were flying to another DZ. The plane was an "Otter" but the inside was like somebody's living room. We were all walking around & socializing as if at a party. Nobody was wearing a rig. As we approached the DZ someone opened the door & spotted, then a four-way group climbed out to float. I heard the count and ran toward the door to stop them but got there in time to watch them drop away. Seconds after exit they realized what they had done and their faces reflected shock & horror. Smooth exit, though. Cheers, Jon S.

...there were a few skydivers on my DZ, that turned racking up jump numbers into a competition...10 years later, it seems that out of this group, I am the only one still in love with the sport and still jumping... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Amen. I've always admired these guys and wished I could spend more time with them. A shame I couldn't jump more, but after all these years I still like everybody. Am still waiting for the day I decide I just don't want to do this anymore. Cheers, Jon

There will always be snobs but few of them will actually confront you & make fun of your progress. If you're averaging 60 jumps per year you are far more current than I've ever been, except for a few years in the '90's when I made 60-70 jumps per year (before the kids began arriving.) There is NOTHING wrong with making a few jumps a month, or even per year. It is not dangerous at all as long as you respect your personal limitations. Advancing will take much longer, of course, but it will happen. The big issues would be dealing with people who won't jump with you, at least not often (nothing personal, you're just not up to their skill level) and, more important, dealing with a DZ culture that has been brainwashed into believing that people who jump sporadically need frequent retraining and close supervision, lest they forget to pull or otherwise brainlock on basic survival skills such as EP's & landing safely. Cheers, Jon S.

...I'm not happy knowing freedoms I enjoyed 30years ago are not the same, I'm even LESS pleased when someone steals my things, sells my kid drugs, drives around drunk and uninsured... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ These things have always been illegal. This does not justify stopping people and demanding ID in the absence of any evidence of criminal activity. ...And again, yes there IS something wrong with throwing things in anger...It's a juvenile response to an emotional situation and clearly demonstrates a lack of discipline and control... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Didn't say it wasn't wrong. But it does not justify police intrusion or arrest. If something is perfectly legal to do when you're in a good mood it should not be a crime to do it when you're angry. By criminalizing various actions that might help vent some of the frustration you exacerbate the problem. I've been in an abusive marriage for 19 years. This has included a steady diet of sarcasm, being shouted at, and physical abuse on her part. So far I have not punched her out, although I did once beat the crap out of a chair. No, it wasn't a mature response but when placed in context I have demonstrated amazing restraint. There was nothing about this incident that would have justified my arrest. The whole purpose of these stupid "family violence" laws was to prevent people from being hurt. Nobody got hurt. No fair changing the rules & expanding the definition of "violence" to include behavior that does not cause harm to anybody. If you're saying you would NEVER, under any circumstances, react no matter how much provocation you endured you are made of stronger stuff than are most flawed humans. I'll bet if I mistreated you repeatedly & deliberately you'd eventually punch me out no matter how much patience & restraint you showed at the beginning. The main flaw in this argument is the attempt to use law to "prevent" bad things from happening. In a free society, we use law to set boundaries and punish violations. When we attempt to "prevent" bad things from happening we erode freedom, while still not eleiminating crime, accidents, & tragedies from the human experience. A good skydiving analogy is the AAD issue. A handful of people fail to pull & go in, therefore many DZ's require AADs, which places an enormous burden on jumpers and prices the sport out of reach of many who might otherwise become skydivers. We have lost a measure of freedom while still not eliminating risk from the sport. Cheers, Jon

Agreed. LEO's are no longer permitted to use judgement. If the call fell under the guise of child abuse they have no other alternative. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Two problems here. 1) The left-wing definition of spanking as "abuse," and 2) the willingness of cops to make an arrest in such a situation regardless of "department policy." The cop should have had the guts to refuse to make an arrest because it was not necessary, then look his supervisor in the eye and say "No, this is not why I became a cop." Otherwise he's no different than those cheerful people in Europe 70-odd years ago who may not have agreed with the policy but, nevertheless, helped heard people into boxcars. Cheers, Jon

...I kinda LIKE the idea of the police stopping someone walking country roads late at night...it's not normal... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Just because something is "not normal' doesn't justify police intrusion. This is the United States of America. We don't "show our papers" just because we're doing something "unusual." If we're not committing a violation we should not have to answer to the cops. Walking late at night is not a crime. Therefore, they have no business demanding to see ID. ...I've never been arrested for sleeping in my car but I have been woken up and asked to identify myself, no doubt they were just trying to ascertain if I was impaired and sleeping it off...that's a GOOD thing!... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ WHY? What's wrong with "sleeping it off?" Would they prefer you drive home drunk? Sadly, if you're impaired the BEST thing you can do is drive home. Otherwise, you get hassled. ...you seem to be seeing proactive enforcement as an infringement of your rights? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BINGO. You nailed it. It IS an infringement. This was universally understood 30 years ago. If the cop just stops briefly to ask if I need help, fine. But he has no right to demand ID. Even if I'm "impaired." As long as I'm not driving there's no threat to public safety, therefore, it's not a police matter. And sorry to tell ya this but, throwing a cup of coffee across the room is an indicator of being out of control... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No. "Out of control" means you just beat the shit out of her. (Depending on the circumstance, of course.) If it's not illegal to throw something when you're laughing and in a good mood, it should not be a crime to do it when you're angry. Cheers, Jon

Way to go Jim. (Envy, etc....)

QuoteSorry to state the obvious, but in none of this did you mention anything about the husband respecting the wife... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ahh, but I did. Hence my use of the term "mutual" respect. None of the cases I read about involved guys mistreating wives. Why are people so eager to assume I was condoning violence? Cheers,