funjumper101

QuoteI've a lot to say with two posts in the thread - this one makes three. Hmm...perhaps your definition of 'a lot' differs from my own. Quote You post here on many subjects. The consistent theme of your posts is that republicans are always correct and democrats are always bad. Both parties suck in their own way. You excoriate "liberals" without comprehending that the progressive thinking has improved society in ways beyond measure. The forty hour work week, social security, OSHA, child labor laws, civil and voting rights for all races, allowing inter-racial marriage, etc, etc. The list is so long that it isn't possible to list everything. None of these things came about through conservative politics. They never would have happened. You consistently defend ShrubCo and the republicans and trash "liberals". ShrubCo has borrowed more money than the previous 42 administrations combined. Fiscal responsibility is supposed to be a bedrock republican principal. ShrubCo has engaged the USA in a premeditated war of aggression. This was accomplished by lies and deception. Our so-called moral superiority in the world has been completely destroyed by this administration. In 5 years they have made the world immensely less safe for all. Yet you continue to defend them and their kind. You whip yourself into a righteous fury over the Clinton administration's perceived failings, but don't hold ShrubCo to the same standards. Not even close. The republican "Contract on America" has really screwed up the USA. I hope that we can recover. I have my doubts. Quote School vouchers should be allowed in FL because the government has taken on the burden of providing a uniform education for all children in Florida. It says that right in the FL constitution, which you would know had you read it. When public schools FAIL to perform, that constitutional requirement is not being met, i.e. the government is FAILING to live up to its responsibilities. Vouchers allow the government to mitigate that failing. They also simultaneously reduce class size in the failing schools for the children whose parents choose not to avail themselves of the vouchers. Quote The government is not a monolithic entity. Of the people, by the people, and for the people. Sound familiar? If the systems and institutions are broken, they need to be fixed. This takes organized and coordinated effort on the part of involved and committed citizens. What do you do to improve "failing" schools? Other than support vouchers... Quote If you would like a voucher program to hire a security firm then call you congressman and ask him to introduce a bill to fund such a program. I don't think one necessary as the onus for home and personal security ultimately falls upon the homeowner or tenant, but think however you like. Quote I don't think school vouchers necessary as the onus for education ultimately falls upon the parent and student to use the resources provided. I am not in favor of requiring every kid to go to public school. I believe that those that want private schooling for their kids should pay for it themselves. Here's that pesky personal responsibility thing, again. A republican value, isn't it? Do you agree or disagree? A simple yes or no will suffice. School vouchers do nothing to solve the underlying issues related to "failing" schools. They are a government subsidy (tax break) that allows people to purchase private services that they should pay for themselves. Just like private security services. If I want them I am free to pay for them. Quote FYI, I tutor calculus and physics, not that it's germane to the argument at hand. Do you? If not, perhaps you should. I had a fantastic education in college by the way, though my public school education wasn't all that hot. I transferred from a private to a public school in Appalachia quite early on in my development and will never forget the experience. I know how bad public schools compare to private ones from my own experience. The voucher program is needed and was working for 700 kids. Quote I work for a public school district. I deal with the IT side of things. I do teach computer skills to student aides when I can. Mostly I make sure that the systems used by management work well and that the computer labs used by the students run well. I make a special effort to ensure that the english as a second language programs have good equipment and up to date software. My grandparents were immigrants who did not know english. It means a lot to me. I spent more than 20 years in private industry before I started working for the district. In other words I have actually been in the real world. I now am directly engaged in improving a public school district to the best of my ability. What are you doing to help? It is unfortunate that your parents did not work harder to improve the schools you were in. It is sad that they did not feel that the sacrifices required to keep you in private schools were worth it. You are a living example that blaming failing public schools for later failure is not legitimate. It is especially unfortunate that the "fantastic" college education you received appears to have lacked the portion related to critical thinking skills and comprehension of the big picture. Quote I didn't read how happy you were that these 700 kids will be going from a good school to a failing one. Any thoughts on that? You also failed to find flaw with my argument against the rulings of the FL courts - SC on uniform public education and the lower court on religioun and public $$. May I assume that you can find no flaw and are just ranting against the voucher concept in general? Quote You assume that the 700 kids affected came from "failing" public schools and will return to same. You further assume that the private schools they were enrolled in were providing a superior education to the public schools. These are very broad assumptions. What facts do you base these assumptions on? How do you know that a significant portion of these people aren't religious nut jobs that wanted their kids in religious schools that may have questionable academic standards? Oh, yeah, the party line, I forgot. Facts are meaningless. The party is always right. As you tutor calculus and physics I'll assume that you have no formal legal education and are not a member of the bar in any state. If my assumption is correct then you are totally unqualified to second-guess the decisions of the courts in Florida. Your argument is meaningless if you have no training or experience in the legal profession. The legal professionals tasked with interpreting the law have done so. If my assumptions regarding your legal education and experience are incorrect, let us know. In my opinion, goverment vouchers for private services are wrong, period. It matters not to me if they are for education, personal security, or whatever else is the issue of the moment.

My commute is great. 37.2 miles door to door in 35 minutes through beautiful countryside. I live where people go to vacation. Uncrowded beaches, great wineries, and little traffic. I am very lucky. Of course, I make half what I used to when I lived in a major metropolitan area. It is worth every cent...

I think that you meant to type "cretinous people". ;-)

Historically, the age of consent was set up to coincide with the onset of puberty. Does anyone know which states have the age of consent set as less than 18? Are there any left? If there are, what state(s) are they and what is the age of consent? Jerry Lee Lewis got in a heap of trouble in the late fifties when he married his 14 year old cousin. It was legal. It just pissed off a bunch of moralistic pinheads.

Competency exams in real world skills should be required to graduate high school. Things like balancing a checkbook, filling out job applications correctly, basic math skills, and basic english language skills should be tested. The NCLB tests are a typical republican mandated program. They are slightly useful for assessment of skills that aren't required to function in society. They make for great PR. They are also using up a lot of resources that could be used elsewhere. The NCLB crap is required by the feds, but the feds DO NOT fund it. They force school districts to use their already scarce resources to implement a punitive testing and assessment program. If the feds paid for all of the costs associated with NCLB it might be more palatable. That they don't is par for the course. If I remember correctly Connecticut is suing the feds over NCLB. Forcing implementation of NCLB without paying for it is the issue. ShrubCo pushed it through without providing funding. This is exactly the kind of thing the republicans claim the dems do. Then they go and do it themselves. Pot, Kettle, Black? There is an old saying... a working person voting republican is like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders (KFC, aka, Kentucky Fried Chicken) How about not having any kind of assessment (assessment tests as comparative tests b/w schools and school districts) at all... How would that work out? I know it does, because over here there are no "school/district/state wide assessment test" prior the A levels (a series of nation wide tests that are taken in upper secondary school when you are about 18/19 years old to have a go for the unis.)

Why do you think that tax dollars in the form of vouchers for private schools should be allowed? Why can't I get a government voucher to pay for private security for my property? The police in my town are much less than competent. I can get much better security from the private sector. If the police had to compete against the private security firms then they would have incentive to improve, right? Oh yeah, nobody is preventing me from hiring a private security firm. I just have to pay for it myself. Same deal, different government service. No one is preventing parents from enrolling their children in private schools. They just have to make it happen on their own money, effort, and time. Not with tax dollars. The concept is quite simple. You can have all the personal freedom YOU can afford to pay for. The concept should be understandable to any true red republican. Why don't you get it? Concerned parents, community volunteers, and qualified school boards improve failing schools. Taking money away from failing schools does NOT improve them. You have a lot to say. Much of it seems to be parroting the party lines. Do you ever volunteer any time for tutoring, coaching, PTA fund-raising, or other meaningful contributions to your local school system? Step up and do something useful. Actual involvement in solving real problems would provide you a great education. Personal responsibility and community involvement. These are concepts that are supposed to be core values for republicans. Try it, you might like it.

Absolutely!!!!! Absolutely!!!!! The question is does funding that type of crap really contribute to the greater good of society. I think it's questionable at best. Walt From my experience, the amount of waste in the district I work in is breathtaking. Computer labs get new computers every few years when the teachers are begging for current textbooks, paper, and pencils. Teachers are charged for making more than a certain amount of copies on a copier. It is pathetic. School districts have multi-million dollar budgets. The board of directors is elected. The qualifications required to be a school board member are that you can win a local election. No understanding of education, budgeting, business operations or how school funding works is required. You can be a high school dropout (or even a convicted felon in jail- LA Area, it actually happened) and be elected to a school board. In the private sector no multi-million dollar organization would survive with such unqualified management. What is required to make the system work is a well educated population that holds the board members accountable for the success and/or failure of the district. Most people don't care enough to be informed as to the issues and problems, so the board just does what it wants. As long as nothing controversial happens, they get re-elected. And so it goes...

Riding in a airplane doesn't make you a pilot. You were a passenger. Riding in a boat doesn't make you a captain. You were a passenger. Doing tandem jumps doesn't make you a skydiver. You were a passenger. In my opinion, until you have - 1. jumped out of an aircraft without anybody holding on to you. 2. deployed your own parachute 3. flown it safely to the ground you aren't a skydiver.

Part of participating in a civilized society is contribution to the greater good of the society. I don't have kids and I don't plan to. I don't mind paying the taxes to support public schools. A well educated population is required to sustain this country. The ideal is that the schools teach kids to be productive, contributing members of society. The ideal is not always achieved. With the un-funded "No Child Left Behind" act the schools have been "dumbed down" quite a bit. Much effort is expended in "teaching the test". It certainly takes away from teaching analytical thought, research skills, and critical thinking. I know this first hand. I work at a school district. The biggest obstacles to successful public education are lazy, ignorant parents and vindictive management. It is really easy for the school administrators to load the classes of teachers they don't like with rotten students. It isn't possible to teach lazy, unmotivated students well. It doesn't matter how good the teacher is. The parents don't discipline the kids, make them do their homework, check their test scores, etc. The blame wrongly goes to the teacher. It is the student and the parents who are responsible.

What part of the Florida Supreme Court's decision did you not understand? A creepy fucker from the Bush family pushed through a law that turned out to be against the state constitution. Picking and choosing what laws to follow (or not) is not how this country is supposed to work. That is how it is going now, but we, the people, can change that. Bushes are above the law since the day they were born. It is bad enough that they can live that way in their private lives. We can not accept it in public life. They MUST follow the law. We can't have it any other way or the USA is doomed. Anyone who can afford to pay for a private school can send their children to one. Those that can't pay must deal with the public school system or seek scholarships or other creative financing. If they don't like the school system they can move to a better one or work to improve the one they are in. If people have children and want to raise them a certain way, they are free to do so. As long as they can pay for it with their own time, effort, and money. (home schooling, part time jobs, etc) Expecting tax money to be made available to pay for private schools is not OK. It doesn't matter if the school is secular or religious. It is WRONG! Isn't personal responsibility, fiscal responsibility, and small government supposed to be the bedrock of the republican values? How come y'all don't hold your leaders accountable? How come y'all get your undies in a bunch when the dem's and the rest of the world try to? How does bailing out of a failing public school system benefit society in general? Please explain. When the next presidential election rolls around let us all remember that "a program Gov. Jeb Bush considered one of his proudest achievements" turned out to be against the Florida constitution.

When I was a student (1983) a transient jumper was at the DZ when I went out to do my second jump. I have no idea who he was. He had a video camera on his helmet and a belly mounted recorder. He also had a VCR and a TV that he carried around in his van. In those days that was a lot of $$ worth of equipment. In the evening after jumping was over and the beer was flowing he set up his stuff in the hangar and started playing videos. At one point he played a copy of "Proof". I have never laughed so hard. It was awesome as my first few jumps were on a 35' T10 with a belly wart reserve. The airport/DZ was very much like the one in Proof, right down to the airplane parts scattered around. It was surreal and hilarious. The videos shown that night totally hooked me on the sport. Several years ago I was told that Jean Boenish owned the rights to the movie. I wrote to her asking about getting a copy. The letter included a stamped, self addressed envelope with a sheet of paper in it. I expected at least a note back from her. I never got a thing. Nice... Around that time I was offered a tenth generation VHS copy. You couldn't really see most of the video and the sound was atrocious. I passed on it. Is there any way to get a reasonably clean copy of "Proof"? DVD would be preferred. I have a DVD recorder and somewhere in my collection is the VHS deck that was retired several years ago. PM me if you can help. Thanks, Funjumper101 PS. Unique skydiving lesson - On every ride to altitude, at 1000', look at the ground and memorize what it looks like from that altitude. On every canopy ride, at 1000', look at the ground and memorize what it looks like from that altitude. If you find yourself in freefall and the ground looks like it does at 1000', pull your silver handle. You are about six seconds from impact...

Dying or being killed by voluntarily participating in dangerous activities like skydiving, motorcycling, heroin use, or other personal choices are significant. Even on a small scale. The crime associated with illegal drugs is directly related to the illegality of same. The illegality means that the profits are high. When there is big money involved in criminal activity people die. The "War On Drugs" has been and continues to be as successful as the Volstead act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act It didn't work then and it isn't working now.

Ford Motor Company recently received a "backbone check" related to where they were placing advertisements for their products. It seems that some of the so-called "christian" organizations weren't happy with them for placing car ads in publications that cater to homosexuals. These so-called "christian" organizations threatened a boycott of Ford products. FMC initially chickened out and cancelled the ad campaign. I guess that FMC ran the numbers and figured out that ignorant christian bigots (ICBs) probably buy less cars than homosexuals. Once FMC figured out the numbers they magically re-grew a backbone and revived the ad campaign. I don't believe that FMC was motivated by anything other than the almighty dollar. Censorship is alive and well in the USA. At the moment the ICBs have a lot of power. The pendulum will start back in the other direction in due time. The sooner, the better.

Where are the cries of outrage that the DOJ isn't investigating who authorized the illegal activities? Oh yeah, Bush already copped to it, so the DOJ already knows who is responsible. All that legal mumbo-jumbo doesn't apply when you are fighting the "war on terror". Why would the DOJ actually go after a lawbreaker that happens to be their boss? How silly it is to expect them to do their job. The Bush Administration = Anything goes, right up to a premeditated war of aggression, kidnapping, torturing, and anything else that seems like a good idea at the time. The Constitution and all other laws are trivial bullshit when it comes to fighting the "war on terror". They just don't apply when we are at "war". I am finally beginning to understand Anvil, Rushmc, and the some of other folks here. The Constitution and all that other legal stuff have aged out and are no longer applicable. How could I not see that? We need to convert to a theocracy in the US ASAP. We already created one in Iraq. Clearly it is the wave of the future. Our current method of government doesn't work. There are too many pesky people trying to make our government follow its own laws. If we had a nice christian theocracy and a great man like shrub running it we would all be better off. It is so obvious to me now. We could kill or expel all those that don't think like us and make this a really great and unified country. And we can do it in the name of god. How cool is that? Thank you so much for your contributions here. You have another convert. The enlightenment I feel is awesome! Thanks again. I really appreciate it. How can I help further the cause? I have to go download some Rush Limbaugh and Michael Medved shows and get cracking on my education. I'll be setting up my Tivo tonight to record Fox news and the O'Reilly Factor. I promise I'll watch them over and over until they make sense. Are there any other sources of unbiased information that you can recommend? I'm stoked.

I actually read your post and Bill's. What makes you think I didn't? You absolutely backpedaled when confronted by the facts regarding Gore's involvement in the creation of the Internet as it is now. How could you possibly say otherwise? Do you know what a talking point is? You seem to know how to regurgitate them pretty well. If you understood what they meant I am not sure you would be so quick to vomit them up so fast. You failed to comment on the quotes from Kay Bailey Hutchison. Why? I am happy to hear that you believe that perjury should be punished. Please direct me to the source of your version of the Sandy Berger allegations. I have read conflicting versions of the incident. If his alleged actions were properly documented he could have and should have been prosecuted. Allegations aren't facts. Given that no charges were ever filed, odds are there is little substance to the allegations. ShrubCo/Ashcroft would have prosecuted him if there was any truth to the allegations. There are plenty of "conservatives" who have been trying to spin PlameGate as "criminalizing politics" and "technicalities". Do you read any newspapers? Do you read any online news sites? Do you watch any TV news? Do you listen to the news on the radio? (Not talk shows, news) If the answer is "yes" then it is totally implausible that you "I haven't heard such". Maybe you didn't comprehend it, but you certainly heard it.

Here is a link for more info - http://www.australianpolitics.com/usa/clinton/trial/statements/hutchison.shtml

***Er...I was complaining about GWB's betrayal of fiscal conservatism and other things...not the internet. I rather like the net. Especially on nights when i'm not feeling well and can't go out for drunken revelry and merriment. *** NICE BACKPEDAL!!! You write the official party line/talking point about Al Gore and the genesis of the Internet. Once presented with factual information you backpedal furiously. Are you lacking factual information to refute BillVon's post? Yes, you are, because there ISN"T ANY!! One of the new party lines/talking points is that perjury and obstruction of justice are "technicalities" and aren't really important. Do you believe that one? Here is a quote from Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) Texas - "I certainly hope that if there is going to be an indictment that says something happened, that it is an indictment on a crime and not some perjury technicality where they couldn’t indict on the crime so they go to something just to show that their two years of investigation were not a waste of time and dollars." There are similar quotes from other Republicans readily available on the internet. This was a really big deal to these folks back in 1998, 99, and 2000. Now they aren't. Why is that? What do you think?

Din't Alan Keyes get something like 30% of the vote in Illinois? In other words, they'll vote for an idiot... why not a pig? Well, at least he limits it to average citizens...more than I would do. All you people who vote straight party ticket....your party may run a pig for office. Are you going to vote for the pig? Yeah it's been done before.

I pulled this list of questions off of a usenet newsgroup some time ago. I didn't write it. I found the questions interesting and thought-provoking. There are 157 questions. I'll post them 20 at a time. The answers should be interesting... begin quoted text>>> SO YOU WANT ME TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN? I come here to combat the fraud and illusion of your conventional, institutionalized religion. As with all such religions, your institution moves toward cowardice, it moves toward mediocrity, inertia, and self-satisfaction. -Frank Herbert, Children of Dune If you're reading this booklet, it most likely means I've given it to you because you were proselytizing to me and you are a Christian. I'm giving you this paper to save us both some time; you see, I'm not a Christian, although I used to be. I don't belong to any religion that you could name; I have developed my own faith as an ongoing process of study, discussion, experience, prayer, meditation, and heartfelt searching. Since I used to be a Christian, I do know quite a bit about the religion, although I might not know much about your particular sect. I became a non-Christian because I didn't like what I knew about the Christian religion. If you are interested in converting me, you have to settle certain problems for me. Specifically, you have to answer the questions below. Answers to each question should be typed or neatly handwritten on separate sheets of paper. Try to answer each question in 100 words or less. This is because one of the reasons I left Christianity is that it was so complex, and I've found that the simplest answer to a question is usually the right one. Quotes from scripture are OK as long as you can refute other quotes from scripture that contradict the passage you are quoting. If you return this paper to me personally, or if you mail it to me, and if I think that your answers may justify my return to Christianity, then I will get in touch with you. You should also study the references listed at the end of this document, as you will be quizzed on them if I decide I like your answers to these questions. They describe, in part, my own religious beliefs, and I don't see why I should bother to learn about your religious beliefs if you won't take the time to learn about mine. The questions follow. Under no circumstances will "The Lord works in mysterious ways" or other arguments in that vein be acceptable. If a question does not apply to your particular sect, explain why. Thank you! QUESTIONS 1. If necessary, explain any unique beliefs (i.e. different from all other Christian sects) your sect has about the nature of your god, heaven, hell, the Bible, the Holy Spirit/Ghost, Satan, etc. 2. Explain why your god's only son had to die so we can go to the Christian heaven when we die. 3. Did everyone who died before Jesus died go to Hell? Justify your answer. 4. If you are a Catholic, justify the Inquisition and other persecutions of so-called "heretics" throughout the centuries, concentrating on why the Pelagianists, the Priscillianists, and the Manichaeans were persecuted. If you are a Protestant, justify the witch trials and the brutal subjugation of native Americans by Protestants. If you are a member of an Eastern Orthodox church, justify the persecutions of the Old Believers after the reforms of the seventeenth century. 5. Explain why your sect (whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox) pursued, tortured, and killed people who were not Christian. 6. Explain why your sect (whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox) pursued, tortured, and killed people who were not members of your particular sect. 7. Explain why I should believe that your god is purely good and completely without evil when the only real information we have about him is the Bible, which clearly describes him as both good and evil. (See Isaiah 30:32, Luke 14:26, Numbers 31:17-18, Matthew 10:34, Amos 3:6, Deuteronomy 18:8, Deuteronomy 20:16, Exodus 20:5, Exodus 32:27, Isaiah 45:7, Psalms 52:5, Luke 22:36, and Jeremiah 18:11 for a small sample of Biblical passages which describe Jehovah as having an evil morality at times). 8. Explain why Jesus made apparently racist statements (see Mark 7:25-29). 9. Explain why the Bible seems to support discrimination against women. Your answer must deal with 1 Cor. 11 and 1 Tim. 2:11. 10. Explain why the Bible seems to support slavery. Your answer must deal with 1 Peter 2. 11. Explain why children should submit to their parents' decisions even when those decisions are evil. Your answer must deal with Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Proverbs 13:24, and Hebrews 12:7-8. 12. Explain why, if your god loves us all, more than half of us are going to Hell after we die. Specifically, refute or explain the following words of Christ, as presented in the New Testament: "Many are called but few are chosen," and "Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto salvation, and few there be that find it." If your god loves all of us, couldn't he find a better way? 13. Explain what type of offense could possibly justify eternal, unbearable torture in Hell; if your sect does not believe in Hell, then refute every passage in the Old and New Testaments which describes Hell (such as 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 and Revelation 20:15). 14. Explain how your god can be both just and merciful, when these terms apparently contradict each other. 15. Explain why possession by demons and/or other evil spirits was common during the time of Jesus, but hardly mentioned in the Old Testament, and apparently has been explained completely away today by things such as epilepsy and schizophrenia. 16. Explain how, if the personality resides in the soul, things like drugs and brain damage can affect someone's personality. 17. If heaven is a place where everyone is perfectly happy, then explain how I could be happy in heaven if I had loved ones in Hell. 18. What is Heaven like? 19. What is Hell like? 20. Explain why original sin exists. Why should I be eternally tortured for something that distant ancestors did over six thousand years ago? If you believe that children are born stained because they were conceived sexually, explain why I would be punished for something my parents did. If this does not apply to your sect, explain why.

Doesnt sound very original though...... Probably borrowed that phraseology from the NPR/Kerry/Moveon.org/ fascists Sorry to disappoint you, but the phraseology is my own. I didn't copy anything from anywhere. I have this really tough problem. I read a lot of material from all sides on issues. As I was educated to exercise critical thinking skills when I come to conclusions, I often come up with unusual and interesting results. I try to translate the results into original and creative ways of expressing myself. Up until 1995 I was a registered Republican. After the Contract on America came about, I started to realize that the way the party was going was antithetical to their stated principals. As time has passed this has proved to be more true than I could possibly have imagined, much to my horror. I believe in small government, fiscal responsibility, minimal regulation of personal activities, and personal responsibility. The Republican party as it is now stands for NONE of those things. They are in the process of ensuring that the US ends as a second rate power, much like the UK after WWII. China is financing the US budget deficits. When they call the notes due, interest rates will go up three to five percent in one whack. That will cause the US economy to crash and burn pretty badly. We will have a tough time recovering. When it happens, all the folks who were on the ShrubCo/Republican bandwagon will be wondering how the hell it happened. The correct answer is abject cluelessness and a major lack or critical thinking skills on the part 51% of the US Population. Sheeple is an accurate description of this mentality.

It must be tough to go through life with such a thin skin. "Sheeple" is a mild way of describing the state of mind of those that believe that ShrubCo, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc, speak honestly and have the best interests of the American people motivating them.

Which quotes do you think are factually incorrect? I don't see any.

I came across the following message on a Usenet newsgroup. This is for all the ShrubCo/Limbaugh/Hannity sheeple to mull over. Begin quoted text>>> A Message to the Crawford Memorial Vandal Aug 17, 2005 Mr. Northern: I am a Veteran of the Iraq war, having served with the 4th Infantry Division on the initial invasion with Force Package One. While I was in Iraq,a very good friend of mine, Christopher Cutchall,was killed in an unarmored HMMWV outside of Baghdad. He was a cavalry scout serving with the 3d ID. Once he had declined the award of a medal because Soldiers assigned to him did not receive similar awards that he had recommended. He left two sons and a wonderful wife. On Monday night, August 16, you ran down the memorial cross erected for him by Arlington West. One of my Soldiers in Iraq was Roger Turner. We gave him a hard time because he always wore all of his protective equipment, including three pairs of glasses or goggles. He did this because he wanted to make sure that he returned home to his family. He rode a bicycle to work every day to make sure that he was able to save enough money on his Army salary to send his son to college. At Camp Anaconda, where the squadron briefly stayed, a rocket landed inside a tent, sending a piece of debris or fragment into him and killed him. On Monday night, August 16, you ran down the memorial cross erected for him by Arlington West. One of my Soldiers was Henry Bacon. He was one of the finest men I ever met. He was in perfect shape for a man over forty, working hard at night. He told me that he did that because he didn't have much money to buy nice things for his wife, who he loved so much, so he had to be in good shape for her. He was like a father to many young men in his section of maintenance mechanics. They fixed our vehicles with almost no support and fabricated parts and made repairs that kept our squadron rolling on the longest, fastest armor advance ever made under fire. He was so very proud of his son-in-law that married the beautiful daughter so well raised by Henry. His son-in-law was a helicopter pilot with the 1st Cavalry Division, who died last year. Henry stopped to rescue a vehicle belonging to another unit on what was to be his last day in Iraq. He could have kept rolling - he was headed to Kuwait after a year's tour. But he stopped. He could have sent others to do the work, but he was on the ground, leading by example, when he was killed. On Monday night, August 16, you took it upon yourself to go out in the country, where a peaceful group was exercising their constitutional rights, and harming no one, and you ran down the memorial cross erected for Henry and for his son-in-law by Arlington West. Mr. Northern - I know little about Cindy Sheehan except that she is a grieving mother, a gentle soul, and wants to bring harm to no one. I know little about you except that you found your way to Crawford on Monday night in August with chains and a pipe attached to your truck for the sole purpose of dishonoring a memorial erected for my friends and lost Soldiers and hundreds of others that served this nation when they were called. I find it disheartening that good men like these have died so that people like you can threaten a mother who lost a child with your actions. I hope that you are ashamed of yourself. Perry Jefferies, First Sergeant, USA (retired)

Take a look at the news report at http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_222165020.html A truckload of explosives blew up an important highway in Utah. Image what a truckload of higher quality explosives could do in Washington, DC. Funny how the national press hasn't picked up this story and started beating the drums to ban all truck traffic from major cities. They go after general aviation consistently. Why don't they go after the real threats?

All jumpers have a high opinion of their skills. You are no different. IMO, your asshole comment about your shoes makes you come across as a dickhead skygod. Read my post... if the USA were invaded or directly threatened, I would be fighting for my country, one way or another. Given that I am legally blind without corrective lenses I was unable to enlist. I didn't slam you for your medical condition. Diabetics are often prevented from having drivers licenses. IIRC, diabetes can prevent you from passing an FAA third class medical. Jumping with a medical condiditon that may put others at risk doesn't strike me as the smartest idea. Your opinion obviously differs from mine. Your own sig says "This sport does not care who you are, How much experience you have, or how nice you are...It WILL kill you if you screw up." I don't care if you kill yourself jumping with a known medical condiditon. I do care if you put others at risk of death or serious injury through your selfish decisions. Saftey first, not just yours, but your fellow jumpers, too.