wolfriverjoe

My first marriage ended because of sin and ignorance. I take full responsibility for its failure. My second marriage was Christian based and I applied Biblical standards. My wife did not. She left because she did not like living in FL and moved back to CA. My third marriage is Christian based and we both apply Biblical standards. We just celebrated 17 years together. Am I a disqualified defender of Biblical marriage, in your opinion? Well, considering that one of those "Commandment" thingies says not to commit adultery, and that elsewhere in the Bible (OT, not sure quite where) it says that while divorce is acceptable, remarriage is adulterous then yes, you, as an admitted adulterer (as defined Biblically) are disqualified as a "defender of Biblical marriage". "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

The problem with that argument is that faith is belief without proof. Faith is trusting that God exists without a need for him to have created the universe. Proof would remove the requirement for actual faith. And yes, I know this is an adaptation of the Hitchhiker's Guide passage about the Babelfish. You've seen the subjective evidence and interperted it as demonstrating (not proving) he doesn't exist. I've seen subjective evidence and intepereted it as demonstrating (again, not proving) that he does exist. And I love how the YouTube vid in the OP has the dude talking to little kids. I'd be interested in seeing him give the exact same talk (well, with vocabulary adjusted for age) to a group of college students. Maybe in a biology class. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Nice way to stack the odds there, Bill. I didn't limit it to the past 4 years, or to "shot and killed". You don't have to kill the guy, nor even shoot him, to defend yourself with a gun. NRA Armed Citizen using the keyword "wife" in a search. 594 results. Edit: I can't seem to make the link go to the search results page, it keeps linkng to the search page. If you are motivated, type "wife" into the search box. If someone else can make the link go to the search results page, I would be grateful. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

This thread has maintained a false dichotomy - I already posed it to you. It's not a choice of the restraining order versus the gun. We already know that restraining orders fail often. In some tragic cases, while the person is on a 10/15 day waiting period to pick up a gun. The question, still unanswered by fact, is does a RO have any value over not having one if you have to shoot an attacker. I don't believe it does, or not very much. Going to John's question, the key distinction between them is that with the RO, you rely on the possible bad person o respect it or not. With the self defense option, you're in control of your fate. Bill put out a story about a pathetic negligent discharge, but it doesn't take much to avoid those. To accidentally kill your wife, you have to violate pretty much all of the basic rules for handling guns. Does a RO have any value if you have to shoot the subject of it? I think so. I don't have any facts, case law or personal experience to back it up, but I think any case of self defense would be substantially strengthened by being able to say that the dead (or injured) assailant was in violation of a court order by even being in the premises. It certainly can't hurt. SivaGanesha's post #26 is pretty much in line with my thinking. Both a gun and a RO are tools. Each is effective in some situations, but not in others. And it's not an "either/or" situation. It's a "which one makes you feel safer?" situation. And I have to admit I chose RO in part to yank JR's chain a little "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I would agree with you that that would be a win in that situation. I agree that self defense is far, far better than being a victim. But I fail to see how being arrested, perhaps charged and tried, perhaps even convicted of some sort of murder wouldn't be "more problems". Your wife (and you presumably) would still both be alive. And that would be worth paying the price. I am fully in favor of self defense. I really, really wish that it wasn't as adversarial as it is. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Just out of curiostiy, on the 2nd one did you still maintain altitude awareness, pull on time, plan out the landing pattern? Having a blast doesn't mean you can't still learn stuff. But I don't want to rain on your parade (you're a woman so I can't "bust your balls" ) It's really cool that you got back up. Even cooler that you still love it. It sounds like you decided to keep at it. I happy for you.

Translation: the US lost the balls to do it the way it always has. It's easier to kill him than to capture him. Not really. It's a lot easier to kill him with a drone strike because having a team on permanent standby, close enough to swoop in and capture him during the very brief window of opportunity that he was vulnerable is logistically impossible. Having the Yemeni goverment capture him is impossible because what little government that exists is way too busy fighting for survival and is way too corrupt. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Yep. So we go get him. We secure Yemen's consent, go get him, bring him back, and try him. Or, we help Yemen do the deed (Yemen didn't like him much, either). I just have a serious problem with a President of the US acting as judge, jury and executioner. I understand where you are coming from, but what you state above is fantasy. My understanding it that he was under a "Capture or Kill" order. Kind of a "Wanted Dead or Alive" deal. The chances of actually arresting him were near zero. The logistics of it are nearly impossible. He was an avowed enemy of the US. He was directly involved in the Ft Hood shooting and the "Underwear Bomber" case. He knew he was under this "Capture or Kill" order. There was a lawsuit filed over it (His father maybe?) He chose to continue to fight against the US instead of surrendering or publicly announcing his decision to quit (either of which probably would have stopped the C or K). It is a slippery slope, but I don't see us descending too far down it yet. I don't see a whole lot of difference in the situation just because he was a US citizen. These drone attacks have done a pretty fair job of taking out the leadership of AQ. Of course there are up-and-comers, but they don't have the experience and will be easier to target. Which will make the future up-and-comers a little less enthusiastic. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Source? AACFI carry class. http://www.aacfi.com/pdf/MNEverythingYouNeedToKnow-Intro.pdf This link is the intro to the "Everything You Need to Know About Carrying In Minnesota". Second page (page 14) about a third of the way down. For the record, I am pro-gun rights. I just hate the ideas some people have about self defense. It's not simple, or easy or fun. It's a life and death decision. Often "his life or my life" and it will have consequences. AggieDave (most know that he's a Texas cop) has stated that the average cost to the citizen for a "No Bill" (no charges filed) CHL shoot is in the area of $50,000. I really feel my life is worth that. But not my car stereo. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No. Not at all. I own and use guns on a regular basis. I also understand (as in really understand) what the consequences are for having, carrying and using them. If I was in a situation where a restraining order seemed necessary, and I had reason to believe that the subject of the RO would choose to ignore it, then I would carry, regardless of the legality (into places where I shouldn't but could most likely get away with it). Guns don't solve problems. They often (usually) create more problems. Using one certainly will make more people involed in the problem. But dealing with those problems (police, prosecutors, plaitiff lawyers, media, ect.) sure beats being dead. My point was (and is) that having the RO demonstrates that she was enough in fear of this dude to go to the effort to file and process and have it served. That action will go a long way in lessening her subsequent problems. Being able to establish before the incident that there was a distinct possibilty of this dude attacking her will go a long way towards her claim of self-defense. My point is that guns simply give you an effective means of fighting back (a good thing). But the responsiblilty of having them and the consequences of misuse of firearms are immensely under-rated in most conversations. The RO give you a far better chance at winning in court, which is usually a lot longer, more expensive and less fair fight than the gunfight that starts the whole process. Edit to respond to Kelpdiver: The RO doesn't give you free reign to murder, nor is it a "get out of jail free card". It will be a help for the legal battle that is almost sure to follow, Anyone who shoots someone should plan on being arrested, handcuffed and thrown in jail regardless of the circumstances. Plan on a legal bill in the low 5 figures. Even with a Castle Doctrine (which basically removes the requirement to retreat in the face of a threat) shooting someone is considered really serious by the LEOs. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Make sure I'm clear on this. It's the entire family going. G'ma, parents and their kids. Your daughter is good friends with one of the kids (girl, right?). As long as your daughter (and her friend) are reasonably responsible, intelligent and mature (kind of oxymoronic for 14YOs, but you know what I mean) then go for it. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Thanks. Once more you have made my day. Please keep these up. It's good to hear that your anxiety level is decreasing. To misquote Yogi Berra "Skydiving is 90% mental, the other half is physical". I agree that your breathing problems are probably failing to breathe out. You just keep trying to pull more air in, and soon can't. Ironically, exiting without "screaming like a girl" probably contributed to it. Screaming on exit got you breathing out. You then got past the exit breathing properly and were fine. Maybe deliberately exhaling as you go out the door (scream optional) will help. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Oh please! Just install a widow's walk on top of the roof!

Not a good idea. You've been bashed pretty hard from the financial sensibilities, so I'll bash you from the practicalities (and a bit on the financials). Reliable? Usually. Room? Not so much. The trunk will hold golf club bags, so groceries will fit, but it's a 2 seater. More than one friend just won't happen. It's mid-engined, not rear so the handling is more civilized than the 911s, but it can and will bite you in the ass if you let it. And once goes too far, you have become a passenger, not a driver. This is true of any sports car, but mid-engine isn't as forgiving as front engined. Winter is going to be a major issue for you. If it has good tires on it (and most of them do), you will need real snow tires on it. The weight distribution of the mid-engine will make traction in snow a big problem. Maintainence will be big bucks. The mid engine is hard to get at, some stuff requires a lot of "removal to access" that runs the cost up a good bit (search around a bit and find out the estimated time for a simple spark plug change). Porsche dealers are "premium" maintainence facilities and charge premium prices (BMW is the same FWIW). If you don't do most of your own wrenching, then the shop costs will kill you. You can do a little better with an independent shop, but a good one (good as in actually know how to work on Porsches) will still command premium prices. I don't have a Boxter, but I do have a 944 as a summer car. It gets parked in winter. I use it on a daily basis in the summer. I do most of my own work and have a friend who is a mechanic to advise me on most of the rest. It's been in the dealer once. And that was a good chunk of cash. It's pretty reliable (for a 28 year old car) and does get better milage than my Blazer (27 vs 16 overall) but trying to tell myself that it is "more practical" is cheap rationalization. It's a toy. No more, no less. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No, his comments make perfect sense (to me at least). Keep in mind that any self defense shooting is a major issue. ANY legal documents in place that would help establish the prior threat are very valuable. The effort taken to file the restraining order and to have it served go a long, long way in establishing that the dead guy had no intent of respecting the law, and was probably intent on hurting or killing the woman. Establishing those things before the shooting make it a lot easier to prove the self defense claim. A gun doesn't make me feel safer, it acutally makes me feel less safe, mainly because of the consequences I'll face if I have to use it. If I decide those consequences are less than the consequences of not using the gun, then the gun gets used. If not, not. The restraining order would make me feel safer because it greatly helps lessen the potential of those consequences. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I was jumping a Big Man Piglet then. Went from pilot chute to parachute chute right now. Sparky As far as I'm concerned, snivel is a nasty word! (I have a feeling we're talking in code ) It's not really code, but now the "younguns" understand how we feel when they talk. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Sabre2s can open soft, but they can also open hard, and anywhere in between. I understand it to be pretty sensitive to packing. I'm told it's especially sensitive to how the slider is quartered, particularly the sides being pulled out properly. I pull the sides of the slider well out and make sure it stays put during the rest of the pack job. That gives me openings that are pretty consistenly soft. But I don't have a whole lot of jumps on it. I've had it slam me once or twice, once really hard from a paid packer. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Your profile lists a pretty small canopy. You might want to rent or borrow a bigger one for the first few jumps. A good ground refresh would probably be smart. You might ask if you can sit through a FJC as an observer. Then a good session in the hanging harness for EPs. That would give you a good starting point to decide if you can safely go with just a coach, or if you want to go with an AFFI. Of course the DZ will have final say on all this, and may even have a "recurrency class" program already in place. I don't see any videos on mals, but the SIM is always a good place to start for that sort of thing. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Sure. Lots of stuff out there that has yet to be jumped. How good at you at circumventing security, how good is your lawyer and do you have a bail-bondsman on retainer? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

True that Aerodyne didn't know about it, but Justin was "assisting the police in their investigation" for 3 months before the story broke. He could (should?) have warned them not to run the ad... If he had been honest. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Namowal went through the exact same thing. Two tandems and then AFF. She blogged about it with cartoon drawings. It's been a pretty big hit here on DZ.com. Tandem #2 AFF1 AFF2 She tells the story far, far better than anyone I've seen before. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Thoughts on love? Sure. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Most kindergarteners that I know behave better than that. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

75/K, not M. And it was a place called "Academy". They had some kind of issue and accidentally ordered WAY too much 7.62 X 39. I was told they were selling it for 75/k and went in to buy 2k. The sales person asked (almost begged) if I would take more. I ended up leaving with something like 6k rounds. I gave 1k rounds to a buddy of mine and kept the rest. I still have 4k rounds left. Sorry, I'm old. "M" as in "per M" (x/M) is per thousand (per K). http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictM.html 2nd definition, based on Roman numerals. Lucky you. A bunch of us got together a few years back and ordered a huge amount from J&G. They were giving great prices... If you ordered 20M (20K if you wish ). I had a pretty big stack for a while. Shot a bunch, sold some off. I had a nice little side table by my loading bench. Stacked crates. Heavy enough that it was really stable. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Where in the world can you get 7.62 Soviet for $75/M?? I haven't seen prices like that in 15 years or more, even on big quantity discounts. Did you know that 6 crates stacked on top of each other make a nice nightstand?? Big quantity discounts are cool, you just have to figure out what to do with 10 or 15 crates of the stuff "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo