panzwami

Isn't is Congress that designs and passes budgets, and appropriates funds for pretty much everything? I don't know if the President himself has the fiscal authority to buy a cheeseburger.

Good point. I completely agree.

I'm not sure I understand your point. Are you suggesting only Presidents who have military combat experience should exercise use of the US military?

What's your point?

If that's the case, those "some people" should call their Congressional representatives and lobby them to change the law. The authority President Bush used to send forces to Iraq was granted under the War Powers Resolution of 1973 (which, by the way, was written and passed in large part as a result of what happened in Vietnam.) The War Powers Resolution of 1973 allows the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to introduce American forces into areas where he feels they are necessary and in the best interest of the United States. However, he must receive from both houses of Congress either a declaration of war or "specific statutory authorization" within 60 days. If such authorization is not received, forces must be withdrawn. This was the procedure that was followed prior to military action in Iraq in 2003. President Bush sought and received approval from Congress, passed 296-133 by the House and 77-23 by the Senate. Without such approval, the President would not have been able to do much of anything. The powers of a President to initiate military action are checked by Congress, and thus, through representative democracy, by the people. Congress controls the creation and ratification of law. If someone is unhappy with the way the law is written, they should pick up the fone and call Capitol Hill, or vote for the other guy the next time around.

That's a valid point, and that's not the angle I was trying to take. I completely agree that it's the loss of a family member that has lent these people credibility, without which I believe they would be viewed as "normal" protestors. The baggage comes into play when the message reverts from emotional appeal to overtly political, or when acts of destruction and violence are used.

I think that's my take on the whole thing, as well. It seems that while both sides have a genuine message they want to put forth, there is too much extra baggage for either message to have any weight. Rather than create a worthwhile dialog or debate on the topic, I think the end result here has been most people simply getting tired of it and turning off the TV.

I don't know if they have a *right* to use a soldier's name without permission from his family. I believe they should have gotten an OK from the family of each of the soldiers whose names they wanted to use, and should take down a name if requested by the family to do so. I believe the father was well within his rights to take down his son's name and demand it not be used. That said, I think driving one's truck over another's lawful protest, no matter how much one disagrees with that particular protest, is a bad move.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050821/ap_on_re_us/peace_mom_8 Possibly the same core article, but much longer and with more info. It seems the father in question is upset in large part because Cindy and Co. have used his dead Marine son's name on one of the crosses in their display. After the father took down the cross with his son's name on it and told them not to use his name anymore, they replaced it multiple times. I also love how the Sheehan protestors will openly condemn the President to anyone who will listen, but will not debate with family members who support the President because "We don't want to debate with people who don't understand our point of view." This whole thing makes my head hurt.

eggplant?

...arch...wave...reach...pull...don't let go of the ripcord...hey it opened...damn that Manta 288 is HUGE.

if you work it out for all numbers from 2 to 10 (the limits as mentioned in the instructions), you can see the pattern emerge. It comes up after performing step 4.

http://www.georgia-navigator.com/maps/atlanta Real-time traffic info for ATL metro. It's the new hotness.

If you think the song is addicitive, go find the video. It's, uh, nice.

Any specific part of Atlanta? Certain suburbs are noticibly closer to certain dropzones (if driving time is an issue). Also, what are you looking for? Freefly? RW?

looks like it... http://www.airnav.com/airport/KDFW

clicky

Skydiver's Information Manual. You can get excerpts from it on USPA.org, or you can order a full, bound copy. It's a great resource for any skydiver, but especially for someone who's just starting out. And definitely get in the tunnel if you can. It's a bit expensive, but some tunnel time at this point in the game will really help develop good habits and avoid bad ones. Oh, and I think the sig line kicks ass.

IIRC, at your level (student, not yet A-licensed), you need to jump at least every 30 days to stay current, so you're right. If you feel uncomfortable jumping after that much time or think you may have forgotten something important, talk to an instructor or coach at the DZ before you jump. You'll probably want to do this anyway because boogies always have a million things going on and you want to make sure to get a good briefing before going up. Jumping out of the CASA is a piece of cake. I personally think it's easier to get stable from a CASA than it is from a Caravan. If you have doubts about exiting, talk to an instructor before the jump. It's a pretty good rule to follow while you're still a new skydiver: If you have a question about something, ASK. There are no stupid questions.

Switch it for the analog on your left wrist. It works great in freefall as well. Keep the analog as a backup or sell it.

careful what you say! He could live in Arkansas and take that literally! but what she said! screw the family. Life is short, skydive hard! or he could live here.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/079tehyf.asp Watch how Cynthia McKinney accepts money from people tied to terrorism to finance her campaign. edit: clicky, duh.

lucky for you this part usually lasts 6-8 weeks.

That may seem like a lot, but I would guess that most of the people on here have done at least half the things on that list. Everyone is going to make mistakes. That's why we have things like AFF and the BSRs. I'm not afraid of people that make mistakes. I'm afraid of people who make the same mistakes over and over, refuse to learn from them, and insist on arguing that it's always someone else's fuck up. Sounds to me like you're actively trying to make yourself a better skydiver. I can't argue with that.

it is absolutely possible to hurt yourself on *any* jump, even if you do everything right. Skydivers train and practice to minimize these risks as much as possible, but the simple fact is, you can break yourself skydiving.