Ron

www.tunnelcamp.com "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Im not so much about breaking the law.....Ya know if I ever run for President I would hate that "Cubagate" weekend comming back on me. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

While I personally think they are shaky bastards. (And turned down a free paid skydiving trip to go there cause of it) We don't have them saying "Death to the USA"..In fact they made some really nice comercials saying sorry about the buildings after 9-11... Some of them do (Think OBL) but the Saudi GOVERNMET does not support them. (And OBL family has "abandoned" him). I think they are full of shit, but I have no proof they are plotting to kill us. If we did have proof, or they ignored UN resolutions...I'd say take them out. But they have not. Iraq did. Iraq didn't follow UN resolutions. Iraq supported terroists openly. Iraq used WMD's. Iraq tourtured people. I don't see Saudi doing these things in the open. The Saudi government is not yelling death to America while having had a stockpile of WMD's, and openly giving money to terror networks. All the time jerking the chain of the UN, and ignoring the UN resolution....Oh yeah they also didn't go off and invade another country 10 years ago. As Arab countries go...Saudi plays nice....At least on the surface. Thats why. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

OK my head hurts now... Should I buy a house or not? I have the VA behind me. House or Townhome? I only have about 6 grand saved up for the DP, but I don't need one with the VA...And I think I avoid the PMI as well. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

You don't show it. Hi ignoring the UN resolution was not a reason? Uh I think it is, and he did ignore it. The UN was spineless threatend force then didn't put up. With that act the UN has shown it is nothing more than a paper tiger. The US said we will invade unless you comply..They didn't comply, we invaded...Real simple logic there. He was the biggest on the radar, and he was ignoring the UN's efforts to control him. I don't think they do. But they were dancing in the streets when it happend. And they do support terror. And we are still looking for him. They died trying to free a country from a tyranical tyrant that tourtured people, used WMD's on his own people and supported terror. They died to make the US safer, and the world a better place. No one does...But invading Iraq was not a mistake...Not finishing the job 10 years ago was. Letting him make a mockery of the UN was, letting him support terror for as long as we did was. Letting him kill his own people and use WMD's was. All errors of a prior administration. They don't have to be a threat to us..They were a threat, and SH claimed to not have them. So he had a weapon that he was told to get rid of, that he claimed he did, and that he could use against other countries in the region...That region is fucked up enough without missles dropping all over the place. You seem to be missing the simple point..The UN told him to comply,a nd he didn't...Thats all the reason I need. If a cop thinks you have a weapon and yells at you "stop or I will shoot"...If you don't stop and he drops you..Thats your fault even if the perp is found without a weapon. Having served in the military I can tell you that no one wants to die for any reason. But they all signed on the line and willingly offered their lives for the good of the country....Just like I did...Have you? You can sign up...Have you served anything other than yourself? Here you show you know nothing about politics...If he said he messed up...that would be the new Dem party line. The people that really understand the situation know that him saying he was wrong would do nothing other than give the dems power to use against him. Like I said...fell free to join. Call 1800-USA-ARMY for a local recruiter... You talk about how people in the service feel...But you don't know since you have not been there. Unless you have been there I would suggest that you don't try to think how those dead soldiers would think...You have no idea. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I need no better reason than someone saying they are going to kill me and support people that are trying for me to kill them. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Um we would then be dead...I doubt we would have much to say. And that goes for both the ones supporting the war and against...so that proves nothing other than war sucks. And for your info...One of my buddies just got back 3 weeks ago. a 1sg in the 82nd...which I was also in. He said it sucked over there. The worst he had been in (And he had been in a few fights). But he also things we do belong there, and that we are doing good. That there are 5-10 % that want us out and they are starting all the problems. The IRA kept the English Army busy for years. So I have a close personal friend that just came back and he thinks we belong there and are doing good. But what would a 1SG that just got back know about anything? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

You know politics...If he said he made a mistake that would be the Dems campain poster. To say "I made a mistake" or "Iwas wrong" would kill him politically...And you know it. You don't hear Kerry saying "Yeah, I changed my mind" either. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Again...Grow up. You don't seem to be posting pictures from 9/11. You don't seem to be posting pictures from suicide bombers that Sadam supported? You seem to only be showing one side...what are you Fox news? War is hell. People die. The simple fact is if Sadam had not been an asshole, or followed the UN resolutions we would not have had to invade. People die in war...go visit the mass graves from the Sadam lunitic, and tell me that the THOUSANDS of people he killed is ok. Don't disgrace the American forces for doing it's job....Get a spine "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

How are you going to prove he didn't read anything? Or just create another user ID? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Uh I never said I would buy you a beer...I said I would get to know you since I think you will be around next year. I can get to know you while you buy the beer (Soda for me). Geeze he gets a little excited don't he folks? Tell you what...If you travel to Zhills..I'll buy you a beer. Otherwise its still on you "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I don't think Bush turned this into a religious war....He is trying to spread freedom...Maybe he screwed up with the words, but the US was founded on freedom and I don't find it strange that the US would want to pursue freedom in other parts of the world. BTW this IS a religious war....They hate us for not being them. They called for Jihad...That makes it a religious war even if we don't fight for a God..They already are. As for the speech...Well I think he bumbled some parts of it. Like every other political speech it really never answered the questions. I know that he was told not to admit he made a mistake...The Dems would kill him for admitting that he was wrong. I was not impressed with all his answers. However, I do believe the man is sincere. I still plan on voting for him...I don't trust Kerry the wannabe Kennedy. As for Bush's speaking...Well Clinton was a better SPEAKER, but less of an honest man. I'd rather have a guy I trust that is not silky smooth as a speaker, than a great speaker that is doggy. (Here I go bringing Hitler up) Hitler was a GREAT speaker, but a crappy person. Being a good speaker is not what I look at for a leader...I look for a leader. Bush is a leader. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

How do you know we didn't dicide it was OK a year ago? You don't. People die in war...thats what war does...If it created people it would be called sex. Your little part about the Hitler thing was BS also. Bush is not Hitler like..Sadam was. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

cool! how low? Cause if I didn't have to duck it was just a "regular pass". "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Beruit,USS Cole, the first WTC bombings.... Yeah better You think if Clinton was in office 9-11 would not have happened? Keep dreaming. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Another vote for "The Chicks". "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Ladies and Gentalmen...we have a winner! I have several jumps on a 69 Xbraced. And while I could land it fine...I was not so happy with the thought of HAVING to land it fine to survive the experience. So I got an 88. I now have MUCH more jumps and have a 107. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I'd love to, but there is this little problem with the US state Department not wanting Americans to spend cash in Cuba....So I might have to pass on that one. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Gee, I'd go with most low timers think their learning curve is better than it really is. And those of us that have both been there, and seen lowtimers go into that stage, and some not make it out alive or in one piece. The cool thing is the lowtimers think they are ready, yet they have to prove it to me. Just surviving a landing or two does not prove to me that you can fly that canopy. And attitude is everything. So the people with the experience of doing it, and the experience of watching it...semm to think its best to go slow....Huh, thats kinda funny. The guy that has the experience wants others to go slow, and the one without wants to go fast? Wow, I think I will throw my voice in with the guy that has already done it. And just becasue you think you are ready to go faster, and want to...Does not mean you are ready or safe. And the thing that makes me sick is how most 100 jump wonders think they are able to do all these things, and when questioned get all pissy. Yep, but almost all that should not think they should be allowed...So should we just let anyone do whatever they want? I say no. I say let them PROVE they can handle it then fine. But if they are not able to prove it...Then I don't want them on a HP canopy. Your "Essential skills courses" were not needed when not just anyone could go get a HP canopy. Before I got my first Stiletto, I had to talk to John Leblanc. Today a 100 jump wonder can walk into almmost anywhere and get one. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I like this guy....I will get to know this guy since I think he will be around next year. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

#1 answer is it is not needed. You can be very stable in the mantis...It is just not naturally stable, it must be actively flown stable...Just like the Pitts must be flown stable. A Pitts will fly MUCH more solidly than a Cessna. But you have to have your hand on the stick. In a Pitts if you roll it upside down, it will stay upside down. A Cessna will roll back over. You pick your aircraft based on what you plan to do with it...You should pick your body position based on what type of skydiving you want to do. All RW I use the manits. Tandems, I use the box, a BIG box. The other good reason not to bounce from one position to another is this...Fall rate. Changing from mantis to box will change your fall rate. 4 people changing fall rate will quickly become a pain in the butt. Third reason (And the last one I will send out this morning) You can't take the time to change from box in a random to mantis to make a move. My last comp we did a 15.4 avg. Thats around 2.2 seconds per point. Avg random speed for some jumps was 1.1 seconds per transition. You can see round two here http://www.4way.us/NSL/TVFSLTeiwaz.WMV .We did a 19 on that one. Thats 1.8 seconds per point. I think block 4 was taking us 2.3 seconds? (I don't have my stopwatch, and the video is kinda choppy). So our random speed had to be around 1.4 or so per point. Thats not enough time to change from a box to a mantis and back. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

And I don't know PADI very well. It could be different. But NAUI pretty much just copied a good portion of PADI's rules....In fact I don't know of any real deviation between the two other than the way you progress in the systems. Please do. come to FL, and we can do both. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Every kid wants to "be like Mike". And if Bob can handle a St120 with 1,000 jumps surely I can handle it with 400 right? Everyone thinks they are special. Everyone thinks they are safe...The ones filled with testosterone think they are cool. The simple fact is that while very few jumpers are good enough, and current enough to jump a X braced...There sure are a lot of them selling. The new guys want to be cool, so they buy the cool gear and skip the gear that will teach them safley. Rememeber a Stiletto is OK for a guy with 20-30 jumps right? Well that same Stiletto was killing guys with 1,000 jumps 10 years ago. It is still as high performance as it was back then...Yes, the instruction is better (Some places better than others) but the air around SDC is not any better for flying a canopy, and the ground is not softer. If a guy at SDC can handle a 1.4 loaded elliptical, whay can't I. Thats what the wannabes say. The wannabes don't see the PRO swoop team and say "One day if I am careful and take my time I will be that good"...Nope they say "When I can get the Velocity...THEN I will rea;;y learn how to swoop." Nah, most times they call you "uncool" or an "asshole" for trying to keep them from getting hurt since they are "better" than you were at that time..they say stupid shit like "Jump numbers don't matter" Uhn when it comes to landing a canopy...I can't think of a better indication of the ability to land a canopy than lnading a canopy...And last time I checked, there was only ONE landing per jump. And tunnel time may help a guy with 50 jumps skydive like a champ...But tunnel is not going to make them a better pilot. The only answer is going to be have the USPA get off its lazy ass and put in some sort of regulation that MAKES people jump appropriate canopies unless they can PROVE they have above average skills... Do I think this will happen? Do I think the USPA will do jack shit about protecting skydiving by getting involved and regulate this sport before lawsuits or legislation take its toll??? Nope. I think they would much rather have a cool new building, a museum, and the status and salary of a DC lobyist. Private Airports are going to be the only place we will be able to jump in 20 years...Insurance requirements are already taking their toll on small DZ's. Is the USPA doing anything about it? Nope. The FAA is going to wonder why most deaths in this sport are people taking a perfectly good wing and by pilot error getting killed. They are going to wonder why we let anyone jump anything when the FAA will not let some newbie pilot fly a HP plane without additional training. Goverments are going to pass laws that restrict skydiving around public areas for fear that someone is going to hurt someone. The AOPA does a good job of fighting for pilots rights...The USPA does shit. If we don't start doing something, if we don't MAKE the USPA do something...Others will, and the sport as we know it will not exist. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

risers or toggles Its just pushing the sport a little further. When I was in my first jump course, I was told not to turn low..Its dangerous. I swore never to do that....300ish jumps later I have a Stiletto loaded at 1.4. Just like some students say they would never pull below 3500 feet....Yeah, that lasts a few hundred jumps.. Done right its fun...done wrong its tragic. The problem is that no one really wants to do it right, they want to by pass levels and the valuable skills and experience those steps bring. AFF is more popular than SL cause its faster. People want to skip canopy sizes, and no one stops them. They can get an d jump any canopy they can afford. Thats stupid. But swooping is fun. The Ego is what kills. not many people are current enough and skilled enough to jump a Cross braced...But they buy them anyway..Why? Cause its cool. Stupid really. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Winsor...Well hell you gave me my first HP canopy class. And I get emails and PMs from folks that called me an ass a year ago are saying sorry...It's really funny. Accepted? Well after the initial tears of being called a bad name by the newbies that don't understand, I got over it... Now I kinda look forward to stepping on their toes...It's like my own little sick game. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334