Zennie

HanWag's are the shnizzle. Great support, lightweight, waterproof (at least mine were until they got torn open by razor wire... long story). Mine have been to war and back. For a little added protection, buy some shock-absorbing sole inserts. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Hey, if you're gonna break 'em in, throw 'em straight into the fire. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Or a McConkey. At 210 hell I'd freefall that. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Not if you exempt essentials. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Ah OK, I thought maybe you were referring to another type of system. Carry on! - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

An investment tax would be an even bigger nightmare to manage than the current income tax. When you you calculate taxable income? By appreciated value? What if the value goes back down again? Keep it simple...

Most of the reforms that Perot advocated were of a more conservative nature than liberal. Campaign finance reform, tax code reform, etc. He may have pulled in some moderate to conservative Democrats, but I think he mainly pulled away moderate Republicans. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

God this is such a transparent ploy to draw disaffected libertarian types into the Republican fold right before the election. We've been arguing for this for years and just now they get around to thinking it's a good idea? And as-if it would actually make it through Congress. Nice try.... - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

There are Republicans who share your POV (maybe not here, but I personally know of a few). - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Yeah dude, you definitely don't want to do cliffs on your first jumps. Twin Falls & Moab are equidistant from Salt Lake City. We usually fly into SLC and then drive up to TF or Moab. I believe some FJCs will pick you up in SLC and then go on up to TF. Flights to SLC from Houston are about $250. You're more than welcome to come watch us jump sometime. Drop me a PM with your cell number. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Yay! If you were bruising that badly, I'm wondering if you hit your brachial artery rather than a vein. Arteries bleed like a mofo. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I've seen an awful lot of lineovers on the Bridge Day videos that were cleared via the line mod. I have a hard time believing that all of those were slider-down jumps where no tailgate was used. I can't prove it, just saying the odds seem very slim to me. I've stopped using line-release toggles on slider up jumps & now use Vertigo's big-grab Syko toggles. I have video on at least two jumps where you can see the line release tab partially deployed right after opening when I reach for the toggles. I KNOW that wasn't sloppy packing... I was very anal about making sure the tabs were seated properly. My suspicion is that somehow during the extraction sequence the tabs were catching on something and getting pulled down. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I am so looking forward to that. The trailer looked hilarious. Nice think about Parker & Stone is that they generally spare no one. Looks like MM & a fair number on the left get skewered as well. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Just by way of FYI, here are the Texas rules on the use of force to protect personal property... Sec. 9.41. PROTECTION OF ONE'S OWN PROPERTY. (a) A person in lawful possession of land or tangible, movable property is justified in using force against another when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to prevent or terminate the other's trespass on the land or unlawful interference with the property. ~ (b) A person unlawfully dispossessed of land or tangible, movable property by another is justified in using force against the other when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to reenter the land or recover the property if the actor uses the force immediately or in fresh pursuit after the dispossession and: ~ ~ (1) the actor reasonably believes the other had no claim of right when he dispossessed the actor; or ~ ~ (2) the other accomplished the dispossession by using force, threat, or fraud against the actor. Sec. 9.42. DEADLY FORCE TO PROTECT PROPERTY. A person is justified in using deadly force against another to protect land or tangible, movable property: ~ ~ (1) if he would be justified in using force against the other under Section 9.41; and ~ ~ (2) when and to the degree he reasonably believes the deadly force is immediately necessary: ~ ~ ~ (A) to prevent the other's imminent commission of arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, theft during the nighttime, or criminal mischief during the nighttime; or ~ ~ ~ (B) to prevent the other who is fleeing immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the property; and ~ ~ (3) he reasonably believes that: ~ ~ ~ (A) the land or property cannot be protected or recovered by any other means; or ~ ~ ~ (B) the use of force other than deadly force to protect or recover the land or property would expose the actor or another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I looked at the pictures and thought "Man that looks like an HK G-36" sure enough a little later is says is was influenced by the G-36. Nice to see we're coming into the 21st century. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

It depends on where you live. The general rule is that deadly force must be commensurate with the threat. So if a guy is running off with your television set, you can't use deadly force to recover it... unless you're in Texas and he just ran out of your house with it. In the example of the man breaking in, deadly force is justified because he is an imminent threat. Plus the general rule is that you can use any force necessary within your home (i.e. the "Castle Rule" in legal parlance). - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

If I were her lawyer I'd make that point. What's to say he wasn't going to finish her off before making his getaway? I'm not defending the murder charge in the slightest. Just presenting the legal points. I would argue self-defense on that basis, and, alternatively, that she was so badly beaten and disoriented that she couldn't possibly form criminal intent. Oh... and I'd show all sorts of nice, graphic pictures of her beaten face to the jury. Heh. Seriously, I hope this gets tossed out. Oh and I love this... "They're saying he's a rotten dangerous criminal and he's not. He's lovable" Denial isn't just a river in Egypt. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

And who's to say a knife is "more deadly"? Given the choice between a knife and a bat... give me the bat. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Speaking technically from a legal perspective, when she shot him she was not acting in self defense. He was in the car. That said, charging her with murder is absolutely sickening. It's pretty clear she was beaten so senseless she didn't seem to know what she was doing. At the very WORST, she's guilty of manslaughter. And that would be pushing it. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I would let the nurse give me an "exam". - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Also not slamming Johnny, who I think everyone agrees is an outstanding jumper. But one of the funniest stories I've heard regarding BASE competitions took place a few years back at Bridge Day, when the IPBC was having one of it's competitions at the bridge. One round required you to call your jump and you'd be scored on complexity and how closely you came to doing what you said. Well Yuri, who thought the notion of BASE competitions was a bit silly, said "I'm going to go off flailing and screaming like a newbie, pitch on my back, have the canopy come up between my legs and open in a perfect 180." And he did exactly that. Apparently he didn't score that well... but I would have given him first place. It's one Will Forshay's "Lemmings Exremes", if you ever want to see it. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I think we have a difference in semantics here. When I think "set" I think tensioning the steering lines so that there isn't any slack. My example was of the brakes not being stowed properly. Potato, potaahhhto. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

The one time I lost a toggle, I tossed the other one and landed with both rears. Just seemed more "symmetric", for lack of a better term. Besides not setting the brakes properly, I know of at least one situation where the person forgot to bring the brake stow loop through the keeper rings. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I just knew some smartass would pick up on that. OK, I don't normally jump in the daytime. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Color me slow today, but I don't follow. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon