gowlerk

Yes, this. Ron is clearly cheering for the apocalypse to arrive before the end of his life. As so many before him have. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Or, simply that the PO is incompetent. Most packages these days are sent with postage paid labels. The PO probably just missed cancelling these stamps. I've received letters and parcels that way many times. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I don't have any opinion on what the appropriate "ban period" should be. I don't necessarily even see a need for a ban. What I do see is you coming here and asking a bunch of us our opinions. But not being there, not knowing you, only hearing your side of the story, and a general lack of information and context make our opinions completely irrelevant. Seriously, this forum is not a place for dealing with this. You may or may not have been overly disciplined. Bringing it here makes me question your ability to learn from your error and move on. Is is confrontational? I'm not sure. But it's likely that someone from your DZ is reading this thread and may or may not bring it to the attention of the person whose decision you are questioning. I guarantee that this will do nothing to improve your reputation there.

He does seem to appeal to the worst instincts of the American people. Some leaders bring out the best in people. Trump doesn't try, or even care. Your country faces a real test of it's character soon. Good luck. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

And Dylan Roof as well I believe. As far as the silly "false flag" talk goes, I would just tell them I sort of agree. But that it's really a "false flag false flag, or double false flag operation". That'll keep em thinking for a few minutes. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

It sounds like a lot of work mailing all those bombs. And I’m wondering if the post office gave them a bulk rate? It’s pretty obvious that none of them we’re going to succeed. I am wondering what the real motivation for this event is. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Really? You would come here and ask how long your discipline should last. I'm pretty sure that would depend nearly completely on your past record and your relationship with the person making the decision. It's quite possible you have exhibited bad judgement in the past. Looking for validation or support here is very questionable behavior.

Fair? It won’t matter if it’s not sustainable. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Illinois in general and Chicagoland in particular have some of the most aggressive drivers I've ever encountered. And they are almost always driving expensive vehicles. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

If a skydiver asked to me show our logs I would probably oblige. Just because it would be such a novel thing. Unless they were in the aviation industry they would not be able to get any real information out of them. Once again you are spouting off about things you know little to nothing about. Read more and type less please.

I think we all know, or should know by now that the ability to sell power back into the system is a subsidy. Subsidies are given for a reason. Usually to encourage a behavior. The problem with this one is that it is mandated by either government agencies, or sometimes legislated by bodies who don't have to directly pay for them. Clearly, if they are successful in inducing the changes they are aimed at on a large scale they are unsustainable. But fear not, somehow the grid will survive and the end customer will pay to make sure that happens. A system starved of resources is unable to maintain and upgrade it's equipment as needed. There are many examples around the world of electrical systems that don't function at a level we would accept in Canada or the USA. A lot of people, probably the majority want reduced CO2 emissions and this industry is an easy target for them. Compared to asking the population to drive and fly less that is. But if our air conditioners stop working and our food starts spoiling we will put up with coal burning to fix it. Nuclear? Only if the industry can get the capitol costs under control. And there is no real sign of that happening.

I know what you mean. I'm your northern neighbour here in Manitoba. Hydro power, we'll sell you some more if you like. On demand and reliable.

Just use regular Slink hats mounted upside down.

Yes, skydivers always talk about "growing the sport". Why? Same reason we all try to talk our friends into skydiving when we are just starting. We fail to realize that it is a fringe activity that contributes little to anyone but ourselves. Skydiving does not need to to grow. And with the popularity of wind tunnels it will probably grow even less because it is not needed. The only reason the world needs DZs now is as a gateway into the world of wingsuit BASE and proximity flying! Forgive me if I ramble a little this evening. I'm imbibing in a glass of The Low Flyer.

There were DZs before tandems and there would be DZs without tandems. Yes, there would be fewer and with smaller aircraft. And much less money for instructors. It worked before, static line and IAD would become common again. But it would be a very different scene from what we know now.

I can't answer to that. I do not know the makeup and occupations of the USPA BoD. I'm making some assumptions about what groups within the skydiving community have influence by inference from the decisions they have made lately. I'm speaking about the organization as a whole. And I'm not accusing anyone of nefarious behavior to be clear. I'm just saying that the people paying the bills do not hold the power.

Yes, true. But where do TIs come from? Around here they all came out of several years of being recreational sport jumpers. All our TIs here are weekend warriors. It's a weekend DZ, like most small operations. We don't have that much burn out. It's more like aging out. But we are not a tandem mill either. Our focus is fun jumping.

Wherever one group pays but another group reaps the rewards there is conflict of interest. It is inherent. There does not have to be examples of problems. But I'm pretty sure others will point some out. I'll start with the USPA working hard to keep skydiving ops under part 91 of the regs. That is not in the best interests of the people riding the airplanes and paying the dues.

I agree, but there is a flip side. No sport jumpers, no new TIs. Finding enough TIs is a problem for most DZs.

That depends on your viewpoint. Does USPA represent sport skydivers, or the skydiving industry? It can't really do both without conflicts. Since the membership provides it with most of it's revenue, and most of the members are recreational jumpers, there is a ton of conflict in the cozy relationship it has with manufacturers and DZOs. But mostly the members don't mind. If they did they would do something about it.

There is a lot of truth in this part of your post. The sport of skydiving is now largely dominated by the tandem business in a lot of places. It is where the bulk of the profit comes from and it is clearly driving decisions made by USPA at the top level. Making tandem procedures BSRs is the most ridiculous and pandering thing USPA has ever done. And it exposes the amount of influence manufactures have. Even over DZOs who used to have the most power. Recreational skydivers come a distant third in today's USPA. Money talks, bullshit walks.

How many Cosmonauts have died flying the Soyuz? How many astronauts have died flying the Shuttle? The time of the Shuttle has come and gone. Privatization of the lift systems is a conservative idea. And not without merit. But the private sector can't compete with NASA, so now we wait for capitalism to work it's magic. Thanks, Obama. (Even though Bush cancelled the program we may as well thank Barack.)

Pretty nice cave for the winter.

Keep your knickers to yourself in WY. https://www.localnews8.com/news/wyoming/panty-selling-may-cause-candidate-to-drop-out-of-race/808672988

Some people here sure do get worked up about this. Let me tell you a little secret I've known for a while now. Most members don't care who is on the BoD as long as someone else does it. A few people here act as though it is the leadership of a powerful organization with money and power in the hands of the unworthy. In reality it is a small recreational sports association. Serving on the board is a mundane chore that a few people feel called to do because the are passionate about the skydiving community. The next time you see one of these people, remember to thank them for giving a shit. Instead of attacking them for the way they do a job you wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. When are you running?