wolfriverjoe

Well, people keep asking why the right is so afraid of her. The right keeps pretending it's because of her rather outlandish proposals. It's becoming clearer and clearer that they are afraid of her because she keeps asking questions they don't want asked.

Nope. While it used to be that campaign funds could be used any way the candidate wanted to, that's changed. Jesse Jackson Jr & his wife went to prison over misuse of campaign funds. Of course, the fact that it's illegal won't slow Trump down much. Link: https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/making-disbursements/personal-use/

They are 2 for 5 in satellite launches. That's not a level of reliability that encourages attacks. An EMP attack would be devastating to the US, but really wouldn't affect our response to the DPRK. The military has enough capability, 'hardening' and work arounds that if the DPRK launched a nuclear attack on the US, they would cease to exist in a day or two. China and Russia would simply stand on the sidelines and watch. China might bitch about the fallout, but they really wouldn't be willing to get involved. KJU knows this. He really has no interest in attacking the US. He does, however worry about the US attacking him. So he wants his nukes. They really are a hell of a deterrent. That's why he wants them. And, thanks to Trump's amazing negotiation skills, he has them and will now likely keep and improve them. That likely would have happened anyway, but over a much longer time frame. Trump has elevated his prestige and given him a huge opening to increase his capabilities.

Absolutely. He may never be a direct threat to the US. While Russia & China may well sell him missile technology, I think they are doing it more to make money than to destabilize the region. While having KJU be a threat to the US has advantages, the idea that he may actually launch an attack is a 'bad thing'. But to your point, Trump's idiocy at the 'negotiating table' has given KJU a lot of power. That will not go away quickly or easily. Maybe not at all.

The goal of KJU is to stay in power. Keeping his nukes is only a part of that, although an important part. Trump has done a hell of a lot to help him in that goal. The ground he has given KJU is substantial, and taking it back is going to be difficult if not impossible. The prestige of sitting down as an equal with the POTUS, the praise, fawning and kowtowing Trump has done, even the 'walking away' from the table. That little stunt made KJU look like the stable, rational adult at the table. The preliminary crap, where the US said it wasn't going to hold the DPRK accountable for all it's nukes pretty much gave KJU the acceptance he wants. There's virtually no way that the Rest of the World will be able to get him to give them up, now, near future or distant future. He's also moving along with his missile program. Supposedly, as part of the 'negotiations', Trump wanted to limit that. Now it's unlikely to happen. And the reality is that the DPRK having nukes, or even missiles* isn't that big of a threat. What it does do is make it virtually impossible to 'bring them down'. The threat of nukes makes KJU very secure. Which is what he wants. KJU remembers quite clearly how long Khadaffi lasted after he completely surrendered his nuke program. * - The DPRK 'missile program' is a long, long, loooooong way from being an effective threat. Getting a missile to launch is one thing. Not easy. Re-entry (in one piece) is a lot harder. Accurately targeting the Re-entry vehicle is harder yet. For the DPRK to be able to accurately target, say Hawaii (like the false alarm a while back) will take a lot more development. Development that will cost a lot of money. Possibly more than the DPRK can afford.

Toldja. Maybe try the 'Glory' thread?

In what way does the DPRK pose an 'existential threat' to the US? Handful of nukes, no delivery system, no real navy. They are a regional threat, and really not that much of one. Any really aggressive action would result in their destruction. KJU knows that. And how would you propose China 'bring them down'? Replaced with what? (that was the real mistake in Iraq) The Mango Mussolini has imposed idiotic tariffs on Chinese imports. Their retaliatory actions have done far more damage to us than ours did to them. As a side note: Fox hammered on Obama for even considering talking to KJU & the DPRK. When Trump did it, they just about fell over themselves praising him. Disgusting, even for them. https://nowthisnews.com/videos/politics/fox-news-different-reactions-regarding-negotiations-with-north-korea

Yes. Most of the time anyway. No. Landed after the first one and said "I have GOT to do that again. Cut back on other things. I don't eat out much, I don't go out to movies, my vacations are to other DZs. Prioritize. I have every other weekend off. So my free weekends from April to October are spent at the DZ. Other stuff gets done during the week. Or during the winter. Yes. Lots of folks start and stop before getting their license. Some jump for a year or two and move on. The ones who stick it out for a long time are actually the rare ones. What does your husband think of this?

Where did you get the idea of spraying the line stows with silicone to avoid bag lock?

Wasn't Otto Lilienthal German? On a slightly different note, I found it both funny and pathetic how Pence went after the "Medicare For All" proposal. His previous lies about Medicare & Medicade expansion seem to not matter. Of course, none of the Trumpettes care about that.

Ask Billy.

Trump walked out because he has the maturity of a three year old. He did the exact same thing during negotiations with the Ds during the shutdown a couple months ago. He's a fool. And KJU played him for one, both this week and last year. I find it amusing that you realize that KJU is a 'murderous scumbag', yet Trump has publicly stated how great he is, how much the people of North Korea love him, and how much Trump loves him. Trump said he didn't think that this 'murderous scumbag' had anything to do with the death of a US citizen in DPRK custody. I guess I don't find compliments and kowtowing towards a 'murderous scumbag' and acting like a spoiled child 'something different' in a good way.

Pfft. Betcha a beer he can dig himself deeper. Edit to add: Now that we are out of the Women's Forum, all of the one liners that I've been fighting off can come out.

Gonna guess that USPA has a pretty good idea of what would happen if this wasn't mandatory. They don't have 'enuff' faith in the members. They do have 'enuff' experience in receiving (or more accurately not receiving) accident reports. They know damned well that there are a LOT more accidents than they get reports on. I can think of at least a half dozen people who suffered fairly serious injuries (broken bones) that were never reported to USPA. They know full well that if they relied on voluntary reports of AAD fires on student jumps, that they would receive reports on only a fraction of the actual occurrences.

Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I came out ahead. Both my marginal & effective rates for federal taxes went down some. The big factor was that although the personal exemption went away, the standard deduction went up. The increase more than made up for the removal. Of course, like everyone else, I ended up owing on my federal. I've gotten fairly good over the years at adjusting my withholdings. My idea of 'perfection' is coming out even. Not owing or getting a refund. I've come pretty close a couple times (net, that is - owe some on one and get almost the same back from the other). This year I will end up owing more on my federal than I'm getting back on my state. No big deal. Other than the 'smoke & mirrors' con game of lowering withholding so that the suckers think they are paying less. Of course, my mild gains pale in comparison to what the truly wealthy are seeing. I'd be fine paying as much as in the past or even more... As long as everyone paid their fair share. The idea that the rich are getting huge tax breaks while the government deficit goes through the roof makes me want to puke.

Well, very few pilots make 'big money.' Freight haulers, commuter airlines, even jump pilots. All of them make 'survival wages'.

It's very difficult to give you a good answer based on height differences alone. The easiest way to get a good answer is to go to the manufacturer's site, go to the 'how to measure' page and get yourself measured. Don't try to do it yourself. A rigger or tailor is your best bet, but the reality is that anyone who can read a tape measure and follow directions can do it adequately. Then take those measurements and the serial number of the prospective rig. Send those to the manufacturer and ask them.

Yes, it should. But we have Trump. He already has targeted people he doesn't like. He has done a zillion things that the office of the President 'should be' above. I would think at least some of those should be impeachable offenses. But the Trumpettes simply don't care. And the R party is totally spineless in the face of those idiots.

Well, technically, Keller isn't on the furniture. She's on the husband. Labs are awesome.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Read Namowal's cartoons about the Duck. http://tailotherat.blogspot.com/2011/08/sky-diving-duck-ii-chicken-of-sky.html She tells the story of her AFF & beyond in a cartoon blog. It's pretty cool.

Ok, you asked. I did Static Line progression. I didn't have any issues with canopy control, in part because I am a licensed pilot and understand flight, flaring, landing and that sort of stuff. BUT... I had a hell of a time getting to free fall. S/L does 2 'just jumps', 3 practice pulls, Hop & Pop, then higher jumps with longer delays (timed) up to the point where you start watching the altimeter during free fall to decide when to pull. I had about a dozen H&Ps. I had a very hard time keeping my arch and staying stable. When I finally got to free fall (10 sec delay), I freaked out. I probably looked like a cat being put in a bath. I de-arched. When I went to pull, I forgot to bring the other arm in. So I did a barrel roll. And pulled on my back. I watched the D-bag come up between my legs and had just enough time to think 'Oh crap. This is NOT good' before the bag got to line stretch. I was yanked around in a 3/4 flip to upright, then my momentum carried me up and over again. My left arm was still extended, so I ended up with the risers on that side wrapped around my bicep. I nearly dislocated my shoulder unwrapping the riser, and had a full twist in the lines. Yes, it was a true 'flip through', not a 'step through'. I've heard people say that a flip through is impossible. I can say for certain that they are. And that's not the worst part. The worst part is that after I took some time to calm down, thing about it and practice my arch some more, I came back a week or so later... And did it again. Same 'cat being forced into a bath' free fall. Same 'forgot to pull my other arm in' barrel roll. This time, I saw the D-bag come up between my legs and had just enough time to think "Oh no, not again" before the 3/4 flip to upright, momentum carrying me through the risers and a flip through again. With the riser around my arm again. After that, the mental block got so bad, I couldn't jump. I tried twice, and just couldn't get on the plane. I ended up doing a two instructor AFF jump (just one). I knew it was a mental issue. My reasoning (discussed with the instructors and they agreed) was that I didn't trust the arch. If I had a couple of 'training wheels' (the instructors) who I could trust to keep me stable if I couldn't, then I could get comfortable enough in free fall to relax and arch properly. It worked. After about 4 or 5 seconds in free fall, I could arch. The rest of the jump went perfectly. The instructors said they could feel when I 'got it' because I stopped fighting the air and let it mold me. While the rest of my journey to my license and beyond was not flawless, once I got past that mental block, it went a LOT better. You can do this, if you want to.

You don't have the slightest clue who & what Nataly is, do you? Or any idea of the reason behind the avatar pic?

Pffft. If the US goes after Russian operations, Putin will have Trump's ass.

'Cuz they're sick assholes (not Muff Bros type assholes). Same mentality that tortures small animals or boobytraps Halloween candy.

Yup. That was "3 Strikes". While the overall idea of getting repeat offenders 'off the street' had some merit, the implementation of it was really, really stupid.