JerryBaumchen

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Posts posted by JerryBaumchen

  1. 6 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

    Why?

    They're pretty limited as far as what they can do.
    They are often necessary for keeping the country operating.

    You know, like now when the "Freedumb CooCoos" are actively blocking any legislation that benefits Biden in any way.

    Also, it's kind of funny how loudly the conservatives scream about them when a D is in office, yet how silent they are about them while an R holds the position.

    Hi Joe,

    Does anyone know what the very first thing Pres. Reagan did when he got to the Oval Office after being sworn in? 

    He signed an EO freezing all federal hires.

    As you said:  yet how silent they are

    Jerry Baumchen

  2. 6 hours ago, wmw999 said:

    Well, some folks I knew complained mightily. But when you consider that our parents (the Greatest Generation mostly, or their Lost or Silent post and pre-generations) were very much of the "suck it up and pretend nothing happened" types, it's not surprising that Ford did that, or that there was as little pushback as there was.

    Wendy P.

    Hi Wendy,

    I was 33 at the time.  No one that I knew complained.  We had Watergate in the news 24/7 for over two yrs by then.  IMO the vast majority of us [ me included ] wanted to put it behind us & move on.

    Jerry Baumchen

  3. 1 hour ago, SkyDekker said:

    Regardless of motivation and consequence, it shows that people at the highest level of government thought there might be potential legal issues. Why else provide a pardon if a president couldn't have done anything illegal to begin with.

    Hi Sky,

    We all accepted the pardon at that time.

    I am no legal scholar; but, I do not believe it is possible to actually pardon someone when they have NOT been convicted of a crime.

    Nixon was never convicted of anything.

    Jerry Baumchen

  4. 1 hour ago, jakee said:

    That very link says that Ford pardoned Nixon for self serving reasons, not for the good of the country. Never mind that even his public justification was more concerned with the wellbeing of the criminal than the country. Imagine the outcry from the Right today if it was ever suggested that prosecutors should be careful not to harm the mental health of a suspect!

     

    Ford told Americans on September 8, 1974, that he had granted the pardon because Nixon had suffered enough, because the threat of prosecution was damaging Nixon's health, and because a trial of the ex-President would reignite bitter and divisive passions and prevent the country from moving forward. Privately, Ford worried that a trial would seriously harm his ability to govern, and he yearned for a presidency free from daily questions about the fate of Richard Nixon.

    Hi jakee,

    Ford became POTUS on 9 Aug 74; he pardoned Nixon on 8 Sep 74.

    I have no idea on when the bolded info in your post was written.  You probably do not either.

    Jerry Baumchen

  6. 9 minutes ago, SkyDekker said:

    Which is why Ford sacrificed his election to give him a pardon.

    Hi Sky,

    I disagree.  While one [ his pardon ] was a factor in his non-election, I do not believe it was a factor in his [ Ford's ] decision making, as regards the pardon.

    He wanted to put the past behind us & move forward.

    Jerry Baumchen

  7. Hi folks,

    In the Nixon-Frost interviews, Nixon said:  'If the President does it, it is not illegal.'

    Looks like not everyone agrees:  Presidential immunity would “inexorably lead to deep divisions between the armed forces’ political and military leaders and would place servicemen and women in the impossible position of either ignoring presidential orders they are sworn to obey or committing crimes at the President’s behest in violation of their oath — for which they may be prosecuted,”

    Former top military officers push back on Trump immunity claim | The Hill

    Jerry Baumchen

     

  8. 3 hours ago, lyosha said:

    For context, I'm asking because these guys use kevlar for plane attachment straps (kind of like the "risers" of the system)

    https://brsaerospace.com/

    And when I asked them "why kevlar?" they mentioned it was more abrasion resistant... which I found odd.

    Hi Iyosha,

    Re:   it was more abrasion resistant

    Every day, all over the world, engineers are working on development/improvement of 'whatever.'

    We do not live in a stagnant world.

    Jerry Baumchen

    Mech Engr, Ret'd

  9. · Edited by JerryBaumchen

    3 hours ago, wmw999 said:

    Just got to watch a total eclipse of the sun, from a Walmart parking lot in Vermont. Along with plenty of other people who had the same idea.

    No good pictures (I only had glasses, not a camera filter), so you’ll just have to trust me

    Wendy P. 

    Hi Wendy,

    About 5 yrs ago, I watched the one that was a total eclipse here in Oregon.  Not everyday we get to do these types of things.

    Jerry Baumchen

    PS)  Re:  Lucky me.

    Someone here in Portland just won $1.3 b in Powerball.  I was kinda close [ proximity only ]: but, as they say:  Close only counts in horseshoes, dancing & grenades.

    PPS)  This what it looked like in PDX:

    Photos of the solar eclipse in Portland

     

  10. 23 hours ago, BIGUN said:

    Yeah, but they are merely MINO's. :)

    I'm going to share the following link. I find it interesting that it encompasses poll type/politician/institution in the dropdowns and then reports who did the research and who funded the research. 

    https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/approval/joe-biden/

    As to your points on JFK vs. Nixon, etc. We all learn by looking back "retrospectively." Unfortunately, that doesn't help in the decision making for future leadership. I've voted for Democrats - admittedly on a local level primarily because they were more fiscally conservative than their republican opponents professed.

    Anyway, I don't think either team has a good choice and am faced with not voting for a P at all.

    Hi Keith,

    Re:  I don't think either team has a good choice and am faced with not voting for a P at all.

    The best instructor I had in college was a math teacher.  His position was that if had not tried your homework, you could not ask questions about it in class, later.

    My position is that anyone who does not vote for POTUS, should not comment on the outcome.

    Once I became eligible, I have never failed to vote in ANY election that I was allowed to do so.

    IMO it is our most important civic responsibility.

    Jerry Baumchen

    PS)  I've voted for POTUS 15 times; IMO only 3-4 times were there good choices.  C'est la vie.

     

     

     

    • Like 3

  14. Posted

    Hi folks,

    IMO we need more people like this:  

    Only five years after graduating from Lewis & Clark Law School, Peggy Nagae received a phone call from Minoru “Min” Yasui, a lawyer and civil rights activist she deeply respected. Yasui wanted to challenge his 1942 conviction for violating curfew laws targeting Americans citizens with Japanese ancestry during World War II.

    Today is Minoru Yasui Day. For this Oregon attorney, it’s been a life’s work - oregonlive.com

    Jerry Baumchen

    • Like 2

  15. · Edited by JerryBaumchen

    4 hours ago, Curtis Stone said:

    I'm looking to buy a used container or complete rigg. I'm 165 lbs

    Hi Curtis,

    I've been around skydiving for a while.  It is very easy for a Newbie to be 'taken' by someone wanting to unload their old gear.

    Talk to as many people as you can.  Do NOT buy on price only.

    Take your time & don't be in a hurry.

    Jerry Baumchen

    PS)  Lots of folks on this website will answer almost any question[s] you might have.

     

    • Like 1

  16. 4 hours ago, kleggo said:

    Hi Matt and others following this thread.

    The closest I got to Visions / Coors was occasionally sharing the DC3 with them.

    (and buying a Dactyl from Ken Crabtree, nice step up from my Hank Ascuitto (sp?) round)

    They were professional, efficient, friendly.

    Al was certainly the "face" of the team to my knowledge, but I don't know who the leader was, when.

    Hi Craig,

    As noted above, I've been wrong about some of this.

    Al K for sure was the 'face' and leader of Cap'n Hook & the Sky Pirates.  

    When Craig Fronk re-located to SoCal, he got on Al's team.  IMO it did not take long & Craig was running the team.  Then it became known as Visions & then Coors.  At least, that is how I remember things.

    I knew some of the guys on Cleareye Express quite well, but not Craig.

    See this:  who were the first 8-way world champs - Skydiving History & Trivia - Dropzone.com

    The last I heard of Craig was 'about' 20 yrs ago when he applied for the position of USPA Ex Director; he did not get the job.

    Also, the last time I saw Al K was at the memorial for Gary Douris at Elsinore, about 2009.

    Jerry Baumchen

    • Like 1

  17. 1 hour ago, dudeman17 said:

    Huh?? Did you look at the video I linked to? The 2nd comment, someone names the team members including Craig, and he can be seen several times in the video. Jerry Swovelin could clear this up, but I don't think he comes in here anymore except when he has news to post. I'm not on Facebook, but if you are (or someone else who's reading), maybe someone in the Old School Skydivers' page can confirm one way or the other.

    Hi 17,

    Yup, I was wrong.  I had not realized that Craig spent anytime with them.  Would it have been prior to his re-locating to SoCal?

    Jerry Baumchen

  18. 13 hours ago, dudeman17 said:

    Again, it's been a long time and maybe I've forgotten some things...  But the way I remember it, Visions ran for a number of years. I think the Coors sponsorship only lasted two seasons, then they went back to being Visions. I know Craig (and Hod Sanders) jumped with them for a bit, but I think that was only one season towards the end. Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but your term 'move out' sort of sounds like 'hostile takeover'. I can't imagine any of those people having anything but the utmost respect for each other. Maybe Al sort of retired from it at the end, but I don't remember that. I don't remember a Visions that wasn't led by Al, and I was a regular at Perris through that era. I was kind of hoping Kleggo would chime in, because he was too.

    I'm certainly aware of Craig Fronk, but I'm not as familiar with him. But you might be forgetting and conflating the years he spent with Mirror Image in Pope Valley (where he might have took over for Jerry Bird?) between his times in WA and SoCal.

     

    (thanks, Wendy!)

    Hi 17,

    My posting history shows that my memory is not perfect.  However, I do believe that Craig was never with Mirror Image.  I am quite sure that during those yrs he was trying to put a competitive team together here in the PacNW.

    Jerry Baumchen

    PS)  Re:   but your term 'move out' sort of sounds like 'hostile takeover'

    Would Al's 'retirement' sound better?  

     

  19. 12 hours ago, dudeman17 said:

    Well it's been a long time, but I thought Al was running the team the whole time, even when Craig was there. If Craig was who got them the sponsorship that may well be, but the way I remember it...

    But it has been a long time and I could be wrong myself...

    Kleggo, you reading this? Do you remember?

    -----------------

    On a side note, did you do anything to make that link a clicky? I don't know how that works, all I know is to copy and paste the url. Sometimes it embeds, sometimes it clickies, sometimes it does neither, and I don't do anything different?

    Hi 17,

    Re:   I thought Al was running the team the whole time, even when Craig was there.

    I first met Craig in about 1970; he had about 25-35 jumps.  He began his jumping at the old Issaquah, WA dz.

    Craig was a true organizer/team leader.  He tried & tried to build a competitive team here in the PacNW.  The weather would just not allow it.  So, he relocated to SoCal.  It only took him a few yrs to 'move' Al K out as the team leader.  

    C'est la vie,

    Jerry Baumchen

     

    • Like 1

  20. 3 hours ago, dudeman17 said:

    Not sure if you just worded that wrong, but that was not a demo. It was two highly experienced jumpers doing a tandem at the Perris dz. I believe it's number 5 on the first page of pchapman's list above. Dave Wilds was the TM, Terry Dean was the passenger. (I won't name the camera flyer out of respect for his privacy. It was not KC.) Dave and Terry were part of a world-class top-competitor 8-way team captained by Al Krueger. The team ran for a number of years and was normally known as Visions, but for a couple years they were sponsored by Coors. I believe it's Dave Wilds that can be seen at 0:46 to 1:07 in the video linked below, in the white jumpsuit and helmet, blue rig, doing the ultra-cool hands-behind-the-back swoop. Yes, that's what 'swooping' referred to back then. Horrifically sad day.

    Just thought I'd remember that...

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpaIZLdnZVc

    Hi 17,

    Re:   Dave and Terry were part of a world-class top-competitor 8-way team captained by Al Krueger.

    Not to argue; but, are you sure that Al was the captain at that time?  I 'thought' that by the time that they became the Coors Team that Craig Fronk was running things.

    I am fairly sure that Craig was the guy who got them the Coors sponsorship.

    However, I've been wrong before & will be again.

    Jerry Baumchen 

  21. 2 hours ago, ChrisHoward said:

    Remove all opinions from the question and simply look at the numbers. UPT and SunPath build more rigs than any other manufacturer. Either of those companies have most likely built more gear than all the other manufacturers combined. 

    If you take into account UPTs longer history and the fact that their Tandem Rigs also go into their Serial Number count, then I would be willing to bet SunPath has probably built more sport rigs over the last 20 years than any other manufacturer.

    Hi Chris,

    +1,

    Jerry Baumchen

  22. 3 hours ago, rjklein4470 said:

    Not sure what you are talking about. These were the pictures I took before I jumped it.  Dave’s riggers packed it at the factory. So can you be more specific?  
     

     

    Hi 4470,

    Re:  I believe that it is supposed to be semi-exposed.

    I have to say:  My mistake.

    All of Dave's earlier products use a semi-exposed RPC, such as Sunpath's Javelin; where Dave worked for many, many yrs before going on his own.

    Enjoy your rig & forget my Senior Moment.

    Jerry Baumchen

  24. 9 hours ago, 1918a2 said:

    What was the one with the blast handle that fired an explosive charge (blast handle..) against a piston that was welded to the two pins that opened the reserve? It was attached to an aircraft altimeter that was held in a sheet metal frame on the reserve. Once armed, it fired when the leads from the handle/charge closed at the altimeter. I had one of these go off at 2500 just as my main deployed at Trinity DZ (Charlie Spillman?) in NC near Charlotte. He was pissed that he had to pull me out of an oak that was about 100 AGL. I was pissed that he made me wear the damned blast handled reserve. Guess I showed him, huh?! I had 98 jumps and knew everything....

    AH HA! I think I had the Sentinel Mk 1, or was that the smaller one that came out in the early '70's?

    Anyway, I just bought a KAP - 3 as I want to jump my 1969 CAMO HALO Mk1 PC (okay so I didn't turn it in...they did give it to me) just once more before it goes to the SF Museum at FT Bragg NC.

    Thanks folks~!

    FJ Hale D2909

    FJ early parachute at Wilson Co Apt 001 (2).jpg

    Hi D2909,

    Re:  or was that the smaller one that came out in the early '70's?

    If you are referring to the 'smaller one' that was meant to fit into the stopwatch hole on the instrument panels back then, that came on the market in 1965, as I recall.

    I bought one not long after they came on the market.

    Jerry Baumchen

    D-1543

     

    • Like 1