DanG

I think Thantos is right on this one. They report on what sells papers/ads/whatever. If you really think the media gave Clinton a pass, then you have an amazing ability to forget the 24 hour media circus revolving around a hummer. George Bush gets hammered because George Bush is in the White House (and the country is having a lot of problems). If Obama gets elected, he will get hammered, too. Most of the American media would rather report on the latest missing, pretty, white girl (MPWG) than on anything of real substance. That's one reason I like NPR. They refuse to run MPWG stories and other sensationalist crap. Before I started listening to them, I always assumed a liberal bias. Once I actually started listening, I noticed that they go out of their way to cover both sides. It's refreshing, you should try it. - Dan G

He may be a great writer (I've never read Enders Game, but have heard it is good, maybe I'll check it out) but that does not mean that he is never wrong. This article is BS. I haven't seen any articles that lay the blame of the current crises solely at the feet of Bush and McCain. I've seen and heard lots of journalists try to explain a very complex situation by showing how both parties are to blame in their own ways. Then again, I get my daily news from NPR or the BBC, and for more in-depth analysis tend to read the New Yorker. Even that supposed bastion of left-wingery has not tried to blame the Republicans. This article is just another attempt to discredit all the negative stories about the Republicans as products of a biased media, while simultaneously ignoring all the negative stories about Democrats. There are certainly biases in any media source, but to claim that the entire US media is involved in some kind of massive cover-up is just not believable. Obviously there are media sources where anti-Democratic stories are being told, just read anything posted by piper17. This article is silly and one big strawman. - Dan G

I like skydiving. Do you have a point? - Dan G

Wow. That article has enough strawmen to fill all the fields in Kansas. As to factual content: Gosh, my history escapes me. Who was in charge of the White House and both houses of Congress four years ago? I seem to recall it wasn't the Democrats. Logic dictates that either the Republicans did not try to prevent the crises, as claimed, or that they are so horribly incompetent that they can't get anything done even whan they have total cntrol of the goverment. Take your pick. Neither party is 100% to blame. This article is even less accurate that most of the biased crap you reprint. - Dan G

Not intended to be a personal attack. I guess I should have left out the "Grow up a little" line. No offense intended, I apologize. I actually think Robin has some good points, especially in his discussion above regarding abortion. I was really just trying to say that people would take his points more seriously if he avoided the name calling and silly pejoratives that litter this site. Again, no PA intended, if anything I was trying to suggest ways to make his views more widely considered. - Dan G

Keep your chin up and your dick down. Smiling helps, too. - Dan G

I hope you realize that however thoughtful and insightful your argments are, as soon as you start refering to Obama as Messiah, you completely invalidate your credibility. And that goes for people who use McSame, RePUBICans, Caribou Barbie, et al. as well. Grow up a little, and maybe you people could actally sway others to your way of thinking. - Dan G

Guy in a black helicopter drinking a Red Bull. - Dan G

Sounds pretty harsh to me. Ed clearly respresented his region's members by making sure they got the ratings they earned. That's his job, and he does it well. Not everything is a conspiracy. - Dan G

You people are so far past reasonable on this it is crazy. Ed REPRESENTED his constituents by making sure they were not screwed. Digging up dirt for dirt's sake to satisfy the rubber-necking whims of people not in the least involved in the situation is NOT his job. You want to harass someone, harass the Executive Committee or, and this is a crazy thought, your own Regional Director. Ed, as your constituent, I officially ask you not to waste your valuable time on this isssue any more than is needed to make sure that members in the Mid-Atlantic Region are not screwed over. I, too, am curious as to what happened. But jumping in Ed's shit for doing the right thing as a Regional Director is just fucked up. Vote for Ed, he's the best Regional Director I've seen in the Mid-Atlantic Region in 13 years. - Dan G

I read it all. Did you? Nowhere does it say they did anything past writing letters. The rest is hyperbole and conjecture. - Dan G

Um, the Obama campaign wrote letters to TV stations asking them to take what they considered to be misleading ads off the air. What is wrong with that? It's pretty much standard practice. Do you really think that the McCain campaign has not written cease and desist letters? This is such a tempest in a teapot that I can't believe I'm responding. And nice choice of sources. All pieces you quoted are political opinion pieces, not investigative news. - Dan G

For most people I teach forward motion with hands in the neutral position. You shouldn't have to pull your hands back to move forward. If you do, you either have very short legs, or are just not extending them properly. I realize students may not be able to sense a 90 degree angle on their own, that's why I help them with it on the ground until they can feel it. The tunnel is also a fantastic tool to get the basic body position down without introducing bad habits. IMHO, pulling your arms in to go forward is a bad habit. - Dan G

I think Dave is talking about a much more exaggerated position that students sometimes put themselves into, with hands down near the shoulders and elbows in. I sometimes refer to it as having little T-Rex arms. I think some students get there because their instructors tell them to pull their arms in for forward motion, instead of focusing more on leg power. Then, when they have a backsliding problem, they automatically pull their arms back to correct it. I tend to see this position more with small women with short legs than with taller people. I believe it does cause a problem with grips, especially for people who get into that position as a cure for backsliding. As soon as they have to take a grip, their arms come forward, and they slide back because their legs weren't in the proper position to begin with. I personally prefer the arm position for students with 90 degree angles at the shoulders and elbows, and with the forearms flat to the relative wind (so they can see over their hands). I think that position gives them the most flexibility for turning and grip taking, as well as being stable and promoting proper leg positioning. Having the arms too far forward is also not ideal, as it makes turning difficult, and can also lead to instability during the pull. Crazy shit flies, but I think people should start with a well balanced position as students, and then add the crazy shit later. - Dan G

I'd also like to point out the activities of the fine folks at Westboro Baptist Church, who protest at the funerals of fallen service members. They believe that God is killing our troops because we're too nice to gay people. I wonder who those people support for POTUS? What I object to is your attempt to tie Obama supporters to the assholes on that plane. I think the vast majority of Obama supporters would not condone such behavior, just like to vast majority of McCain supporters don't condone Westboro. On the other hand, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution, which expressly recognizes the right to free speech. I fully believe those assholes (both groups) have the right to say whatever they want. I also fully believe that the 99% of the rest of the population, including Obama supporters, has the right to tell them to fuck off. (edited for really stupid typos) - Dan G

So you take a story about respect for service members and try to turn it into a partisan political comment? Real classy. I served two tours in Afghanistan and was severely wounded and disabled at the end of the second by a suicide bomber. Care to guess who I support for POTUS? - Dan G

I think a case could be made that corporations moved overseas during that time largely due to changes in technology. The Internet allows for much better communication and networking between remote sites. FedEx put in a shipping system that allowed smaller comanies without their own shipping infrastructure to be competitive while using foreign labor. Reliable satelite telephony allowed easy access to large pools of help desk types in India, etc. And I guess I always thought of the Republicans as the party of free trade. I guess not. I'm all for free trade, but free trade in goods also means free trade in labor. - Dan G

Actually, the OP said that his "friend" claims that the city police force is developing specific plans to counter riots if Obama loses. I very seriously doubt that this is true. Are police in large cities being trained in riot control? Of course. Is this training specifically because of fear of the coming race riots on the first Wednesday of November? I very much doubt it. The OP, or his "friend", has decided that police riot training (which probably occurs as part of the yearly training plan, regardless of the election schedule) is directed against a certain threat posed by black people. I call bullshit. Before I believe this crap I want more than a "my friend heard about this stuff going on" type evidence. This is just more fear mongering and racism by the Republicans. And you're right, I overreacted. Sorry. - Dan G

I'm really not sure what your perception of Democratic social programs has to do with post-election riots by "a certain type of people". I actually don't support a lot of the things that the Democratic party espouses. I just happen to think Obama will be a better choice for President at the current time than McCain. If McCain were the same man he was in 2000, I'd probably feel the opposite way. I tend to be fairly conservative fiscally, am very much a believer in the Constitution (the whole thing, not just the 2nd Amendment), but am liberal socially. It is the quite astounding social backwardness of the Republican party that disgusts me. Especially the "covert" racism displayed by many of the more diehard types here in SC. - Dan G

Bullshit. You people are exactly what is keeping this country from moving forward. I think you know it, and I think in a sick way you are proud of it, too. Here's some ideas to help with the problem: Maybe we should start rounding them up now. You know, since we're sure they're going to start riots if Obama loses. Maybe we should start branding them, that way they'll be easier to track. Hey, I know, if we assigned all of them to one of us to watch over, maybe call the responsible ones something like "master" it'll be easier to keep control of them. What do you guys think? It'll be just like the good old days. - Dan G

That's cool. I'm just trying to drive home the point that you need to get a canopy over your head NOW. - Dan G

Oh, and I like how its "white" Republicans. Do black Republicans have a history of rioting? Is that why you felt the need to make the distinction? - Dan G

Maybe that's because political and judicial events usually DO go their way. - Dan G

Correct answer: every 3-5 seconds just like you learned in your 1st jump course. Real world answer: never within the first 35 seconds after exit. Maybe once or twice after that. - Dan G

Why backslide? If you take 3 seconds to backslide and pull, guess what, you're not at 1200' anymore, you're at 600'. Or, if your AAD works, your reserve pilot chute is already on its way. At 1200' you have about 6-7 seconds before impact with the ground, and maybe 4-5 seconds before its too late to get an inflated canopy regardless of what you do. Don't waste time backsliding, turning, waving, pointing, or whatever. Just fucking pull. I don't think people realize how low 1200' is. The skydive is going to end in a few seconds one way or the other. You have mere moments to change the type of ending. - Dan G