Andy9o8

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Everything posted by Andy9o8

  1. Andy9o8
    Source; http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/18/us/florida-ucf-body-found/index.html The tone of your thread title implies you think some non-existent law could prevent this. The tone of your reply implies that you think you're Claire Voyant. How do you dress on Saturday nights?
  2. Andy9o8
    This is Bonfire. How come nobody's said, "Nail him while he's still warm"?
  3. Andy9o8
    I doubt I fully appreciated the risk when I made my first jump a few days after my 18th birthday. But I certainly recognized that I might die, and I chose to make that decision for myself. I don't think my capacity to make that decision would have been all that much less had I gone thru only a pre-tandem briefing rather than a 5-hour FJC. To me, it's a matter of having sufficient mental and developmental capacity and judgment to knowingly assume that level of risk for oneself. Of course, it's a moving target. But the particular risk of possible death inherent to all parachute jumping is quite unique compared to just about any other activity, even the riskier ones. Re: juveniles: some 16 year-olds do have this judgment, some do not; but the average 12 or 13 year-old who doesn't grow up very close to skydiving generally does not.
  4. Andy9o8
    Sigh. Next time I do open mike night, I don't want you in my audience.
  5. Andy9o8
    The only skydiving algebra I know is the 45-degree Rule.
  6. Andy9o8
    and that would rid you and every other TI/TM of 90% of all passengers Nonsense. You're just twiddling with my point, which doesn't advance the discussion, and doesn't merit a serious rebuttal.
  7. Andy9o8
    But we do: there's gay marriage, flag burning and whether Obama is an Indonesian Moozlim.
  8. Andy9o8
    Roger that. Even an innumerate social sciences major understands that exponent.
  9. Andy9o8
    Que?? My ass got a hold of the phone. Outside of the purview of the First Lady? How about that of a Senator? Secretary of State - okay, I'll grant you that. 2008 Presidential candidate who backed civil unions but NOT gay marriage? There's the rub - it's not taking a stand to do the right thing because now the public is generally in support of it. The stand should have been taken 20 years ago when she was First Lady. First Consorts are under tremendous pressure to either support the Head Honcho's line or STFU, so I give her a pass on that. Besides, she was too busy baking cookies then. As senator - ok, I'll grant you that.
  10. Andy9o8
    Que?? How is gay marriage as domestic policy in the US within the portfolio of a sitting Secretary of State?
  11. Andy9o8
    All legalities aside, I'm opposed to allowing skydiving (in any country) by anyone who, in terms of mental, intellectual and emotional development or condition, does not have a truly realistic appreciation of the unique risk of death inherent in any and every parachute jump. For juveniles, as a general rule (with some individual exceptions), I think that kicks-in at around the age 15-16 mark. I'd feel the same way re: someone of any age who is developmentally delayed (formerly known as mentally retarded) or suffering from dementia or brain damage; those latter instances would have to be determined on a case-by-case basis (which I admit may be totally impractical).
  12. Andy9o8
    But according to you, the White House interior decorating will drastically improve. I urge you to vote for her.
  13. Andy9o8
    Of course you are.
  14. Andy9o8
    ..... If the First Amendment was treated the way people want the Second Amendment treated, there would be proposals for an "assault words" ban, after finding that there are words out there with a tendency to breach peace and security and can be regarded as terroristic, seditious and/or other threatening. You're generally correct; but sadly, there remains at least one glaring exception: The Smith Act, 18 USC § 2385, , which is still on the books, which criminalizes advocacy of the overthrow of the US government. Over the years, the federal courts have invalidated portions of it, but allowed other parts of it to remain in existence, and thus technically still enforceable.
  15. Andy9o8
    It's a "the other teams sucks" piece. Long on bash, short on policy. At my middle-age, I've lost patience with them, coming from either side of the aisle.
  16. Andy9o8
    Here's more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/opinion/sunday/the-right-to-counsel-badly-battered-at-50.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
  17. Andy9o8
    One of the first law-related books I read, I'm pretty sure in high school social studies class. For good or ill, it began a certain effect on me.
  18. Andy9o8
    Supports your thesis: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/opinion/gideons-muted-trumpet.html
  19. Andy9o8
    Sometimes it can. For the reasons stated in my post #26: because (IMO) it debases society more than it protects it. Here's a list of the top-20 death penalty countries in terms of numbers of people executed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment#Global_distribution 1 China 2 Iran 3 Saudi Arabia 4 Iraq 5 United States 6 Yemen 7 North Korea 8 Somalia 9 Sudan 10 Bangladesh 11 Vietnam 12 South Sudan 13 Taiwan 14 Singapore 15 Palestinian National Authority 16 Afghanistan 17 Belarus 18 Egypt 19 United Arab Emirates 20 Malaysia 21 Syria The US is #4 on the list. In terms of culture, values, society, government or legal system, I think you'd be damned hard-pressed to find much else the US has in common with the other 19 on the list.
  20. Andy9o8
    This is not a new revelation if you know the deep history of the players back then. For example, I recall reading about essentially most of this in Walter Isaacson's biography of Henry Kissinger.
  21. Andy9o8
    It should also be noted that most countries do not consider sub-contractors as on-going/permanent employment which is the basis of any work VISA. . That's beside the point, which is that any kind of employment for any kind of compensation, even of a temporary or transitory nature, may have certain laws, rules or regulations that restrict it. It varies from one country to another; there is no one blanket rule that applies to all countries. You cannot just presume what rule does or does not apply before checking it out carefully. You must check out what applies to your particular situation in the particular host country you're visiting before your trip. Doing anything less than that is not adequate pre-trip planning, and could get you into a world of grief in the country you're visiting if you do the wrong thing, even if unintentionally.
  22. Andy9o8
    One thing everyone, from any country, should always investigate before seeking skydiving-related employment in any other country is the host country's visa laws regarding employment. Many countries require you to have a specific type of visa or other official permission, beyond just a tourist visa, in order to lawfully do anything that qualifies as employment for compensation - technically, even something like packing or helping out around the DZ in exchange for jumps or being allowed to sleep in the hangar. This should be among the earliest part of your pre-trip planning.
  23. Andy9o8
    http://wolverine52.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/elroy.jpg
  24. Andy9o8
    Please stop drunk-moderating, Paul. You're giving me a complex. . And don't call me undesirable.
  25. Andy9o8
    Balls. I've been thinking of semi-retiring my Pilot and getting a Spectre (although larger than a 150) because my spine is roughly as old as you are. I'm reading this thread with considerable interest.