Newbie

You know I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way. BTW in my book someone who commits murder (not self defence) is not in their right mind anyway, i.e. they are insane. It shouldn't be an excuse. but if you use this arguement, all murderers are "insane", hence they could all get off on an insanity defense case, couldn't they? If someone doesn't know right from wrong (and i'm not sure in this case what i think, i just know the guy definitely seemed to have mental problems), surely it beggars the question of why are they allowed to walk the streets like this anyway. They should be in a secure institution, either for our or their own protection, where they should be receiving some kind of treatment. But i guess that costs too much, so we may as well just shoot the rabid dogs now and save the tax payer some money eh? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

without turning this into a pro/anti death penalty post, i'm wondering what peoples views are on this - and similar cases - where mentally ill convicts are sentenced to death. On a side note, why is it Texas has no "life with no parole" sentence? If this were the case, then at the least, when those classed as mentally ill or incompetent come for sentencing, there could at least be an alternative to executing someone who might not even be aware of what they have done or why they are on death row. http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/05/19/texas.execution.ap/index.html "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i'm not saying this isn't true, but can you show me evidence for this? I'm genuinely curious to know if this was the case. Thanks "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Of course not. Everyone knows it's the fault of the gun manufacturers. [sarcasm off] i don't think it's the manufacturers fault. But if you ask me, being able to legally buy weapons like what they did at 17 is nuts. Um, I think you're confused, because there was NOTHING legal about the way in which they obtained their firearms. Numerous laws were broken. Where did you get the idea that they "legally bought" those weapons? - In this article : http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/shooting/0822fata1.shtml it says: "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Of course not. Everyone knows it's the fault of the gun manufacturers. [sarcasm off] i don't think it's the manufacturers fault. But if you ask me, being able to legally buy weapons like what they did at 17 is nuts. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

All of the other points aside (and I agree with many/most of them), they did not go bowling that day. There are many many websites now exposing the lies, deceptions and inaccuracies contained in Michael Moore's farcical "documentary" Bowling for Columbine, and one of the first points some of them make is that even the title is wrong. The two murderers skipped their bowling class that morning. - you're absolutely right, after i read what Kennedy had said, i went and checked and did some research and you're right, they skipped bowling class on the day of the shooting. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

see my post above. My bifocals were dirty, apologies all! "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i get it now. Could it really have killed 100,000s though? .... I know it depends on a number of different variables (if it fell into a concentrated area, wind direction etc) but 100,000s deaths seems quite a high number. He said "or", not "of". Blues, Dave excellent point - i must remember to read things properly in future! "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Am I the only one who actually read the article rhino posted? If it had been fired from a 155, there would have been more than two casualties. Because the sons of bitches used it in an IED, they rendered it ineffective. It was a WMD right up to the point where the IED around it went off. IF THEY USED IT AS INTENDED, IT COULD HAVE KILLED HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS. IT WAS MADE LESS EFFECTIVE BECAUSE IT EXPLODED WITH THE IED. i get it now. Could it really have killed 100,000s though? Is that realistic from one shell? I know little to nothing about sarin other than what i found out about from the Tokyo sarin attack, which i posted in a post above. Is it fair to say that if 3 concentrated litres of the stuff that was released to the point where liquid sarin was spilling over the floor of subway cars, which in itself a "sealed" environment (underground) only ended up killing a dozen people, that 100,000s would have died from this one shell? I know it depends on a number of different variables (if it fell into a concentrated area, wind direction etc) but 100,000s deaths seems quite a high number. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

good point, you could be right. PS whats a POS? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

So, I can take a nuke and diminish it's power by not detonating it correctly - and that would make it a simple bomb - not a WMD, because it didn't kill thousands - it only hurt a very few. Nice Logic. the difference is, that shell detonated correctly - it blew up before it could be defused from that report. Outcome = 2 soldiers were decontaminated and sent back to work that day. The result of a nuke detonating as it should have done would have been pretty different, i'm sure. Yes sarin in the right numbers, spread through the air in high enough concentration could wreck havoc - but i think you are talking about a lot more than a pin head size amount (it has to be airborne), over a wide area, with the right wind conditions, and no access to any sort of antidote (which sarin has) to even be comparable to a nuke going off (and even then, you're still not in the same league IMO) Sarin was used in the Tokyo subway terrorist attack, and it only killed 12, and injured 6000 - and that was from more than 3 concentrated litres of the stuff, opened by several different people at different stops, in a closed off system (subway). A nuke going off down there would have caused unimaginable devastation by comparison. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i find 2 things really weird about this whole episode, maybe someone can enlighten me. 1 - Why did British troops fake these photos, knowing the sort of recourse it would bring to their comrades-in-arms who are serving out there? 2 - Why was everyone at the Mirror so upset when Piers was escorted from the building by security? I read on saturday that many were nearly in tears, and that drinks at the Mirrors local afterwards were a sombre affair. I would personally have been swinging from the chandeliers and putting my party hat on - anyone who refuses to apologise for publishing something that will do nothing other than act as a recruit poster for more terrorists and their subsequent attacks, profesing their validity, even after it comes to light the pictures were fake, deserves to be sacked, at the very least, if you ask me. If you can't put your hand up, apologise and eat humble pie at that point, you certainly have no role running the editorial of a national newspaper. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

if you read some of the background on the 2 boys, and their pattern of behaviour for the year leading up to the massacre (that's how long they spent planning it), you will see that, while both the kids had various "issues", it's hard to lay blame on anyone for the out-of-the-blue action that took place at the school, IMO. You would have thought these kids would have come from completely messed up home lives, that scarred them emotionally - they didn't, it was quite the opposite in fact, which is why i understand the parents when they say that it could have happened to anyone. Sure there were signs that they weren't angels (they got into trouble with the cops for breaking into a van), but nothing to indicate what they had planned. All the research on Columbine points to the same thing, namely that many people had a little something of an issue or concern with these kids, but no one had the full picture. Hiding stuff from your parents isn't hard, concealing emotions from them isn't hard - both these kids went bowling on the day of the shooting, that says a lot to me about the mental significance they placed on this event. Hiding something that, to you, isn't a big deal (in terms of emotional distress) will make it that much easier to hide, no matter how horrific it seems to most of us "normal" people. I think it would have been quite easy for them, in that mindset, to hide a lot from even those closest to them, namely their families. What in your opinion should the parents have done to ensure that the massacre didn't happen? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Ah read below. It is a WMD...Just cause its old, and they didn't use it correctly does not mean its not an WMD. yeah, true. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

this is just my opinion, but i would say a WMD is just that - a weapon of mass destruction. What exploded contained sarin, sure, but the 2 soldiers involved in the "fallout" were back to work several hours after it went off. That to me is not considered something that poses a threat to entire nations/countries and would warrant an invasion. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

did i say Bush was the anti christ? I think that's a little unfair, he makes the anti christ look like papa smurf No but seriously, i don't think party politics should enter into this - all i'm doing is reporting on what the BBC said. I had no intention to discredit anyone, and i would LOVE them to find a huge cache of WMD (seriously, it would give us allies the backing/justification for being there, and morale boost needed right now). I just think this thing does not qualify as WMD, that's all. From the original BBC article.... "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

for those that didnt get it, here is a follow up which Kim Griffin sent out which explains the situation.... Hello from DeLand. Karel Goorts emailed a letter in regards to the Vigil to a large mailing list of skydivers last week. I am replying because I have been requested to do so by many skydivers/dealers. I will try to make it brief and to the point, as I have no wishes to be involved in mudslinging. Mr. Goorts owns a marketing company in Belgium that was hired by Advance Aerospace Designs (the engineering company that manufactures the Vigil). Mr. Goorts did indeed play a role in developing and marketing the Vigil. Early in the year, A.A.D. (owned 100% by Mr. Jo Smolders) decided discontinued the use of Mr. Goorts' marketing services and paid any outstanding invoices in full. Mr. Goorts has made his discontent very clear to Mr. Smolders. The disagreement between these two men has no bearing on how the Vigil is produced or is distributed. Mr. Goorts' slanderous comments about safety come purely from his anger towards Mr. Smolders - spite, not fact. I believe A.A.D. has taken the high road in releasing its findings to the public about the static electricity problem. It has also bent over backwards (and spent a lot of money) to make sure the problem was remedied and the new Vigils tested extensively both in test chambers and on live skydives (Gap, France) - the new Vigil performed perfectly, BTW. The new Vigil starting shipping in mid-April. A.A.D. and Vigil USA are working overtime to get replacement Vigils out as quick as possible. Some new Vigils, such a DeLand Majik's, already have a bunch of jumps on them. Best Regards, Kim ___________________________ Kimberly Griffin Vigil USA, LLC Sales Manager 1606 Palmetto Ave DeLand, FL 32724 USA Tele: +386-736-8464 (M-F, 9-2 EST) Fax: +386-736-8468 (Anytime) kim@vigil.aero If you have any questions about this matter, please telephone or email me directly. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Or SH could hide it really good...It was his back yard. Funny though that its a WMD in a country that didn't have any. according to this report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3722255.stm it doesn't qualify for a WMD - it's from decades ago. From the link: "However, a senior coalition source has told the BBC the round does not signal the discovery of weapons of mass destruction or the escalation of insurgent activity. He said the round dated back to the Iran-Iraq war and coalition officials were not sure whether the fighters even knew what it contained" "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

what do you guys go on to make sure the mouth of the BOC is tight enough (for those without freefly puds). My rig has been checked so i'm happy with it, but i'm wondering about what i should look for over time to tell me it's still safe. What are the signs that the pouch needs to be replaced? Call me paranoid, but recently i could swear the mouth of the pouch has lost a little of it's elasticity... "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

damn, this is a work of art i would LOVE to see! I was just at the Alamo Drafthouse last month (great cinema) and wish this had been showing then. This is a long article, but worth the read. Over the course of 5 years, these 3 kids shot Raiders shot for shot, recreating everything faithfully - apparently. If anyone from Austin gets to check this out, please let me know what it was like, and if we can get copies from anywhere! Raiders of the Lost Ark - the Adaption "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Did you even bother to read the articles i pasted? Let me recap the areas in question that had led to my original post. From the first article: 1 Growing US demand and production cuts by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have compounded the problem. And from the second article: 2 Oil prices have risen 27% since start of year, driven by demand in the United States, where stocks are low. No i don't believe everything i read in the papers, which is why i wrote the post in the first instance, to see if anyone could expand on how much impact - if any - on how growing US demand can affect prices at my pump. I do know stocks are depeleting and there is continual growing demand in the US, however, but i'm no economist. And i have lived for a couple of years in the US, in San Francisco. I rode a bicycle and took the bus/MUNI (apart from out of state trips, when i would fly). I did have a hire car for 3 days (Mustang) which - while fun - did make me feel guilty about just how much gas i was going through, even in light of it costing less than half what my super compact costs to fill over here, believe it or not. Just because everyone does something and it's the done thing, doesn't make it right thing to do. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

If you reread my original post you will see i am asking IF i pay more due to US consumption (i asked a question), not stating i DO pay more because of the US consumption rate. I'm not blaming Americans for anything, im curious to know if the consumption/demand that the US has for oil has a knock on effect for me in the UK. If you read the article i posted, and this one, you will see that there could be an amount of evidence that links US consumption to worldwide price increases, and that was what i wanted someone to help me understand. Edited to correct link "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i just got the following email from Karel Goorts. I have no idea why it was sent to me, or how they got my email address but there you go (i own a CYPRES). I don't know it's validity, or whether this should even be posted but i figure if it's wrong, a mod can delete it. It makes reference to jumpers lives potentially being endangered and not knowing anything much about the Vigil or the recent replacement issue, i thought i should post this, apologies in advance if it was the wrong thing to do. On a side note, it seems more like a personal rant/disgruntled business partner issue, but again i really don't know. Here is the email i got......... Overijse (Belgium), May 2004. Dear Skydiver, In the past we have been in touch for the Vigil AAD. Now that my 'partner' Jo Smolders publishes an official document on the USPA website where he connects my name with the recent troubles that the Vigil has, I must inform you about the real situation. I worked for more than 5 years on this project and invested way over 150.000$ in it. The Vigil was my idea, from the design, the concept, to the name. I was promised half of everything that the Vigil concerns, and never saw a dime of it. Since January 2004 I'm not involved in the Vigil project any more. I NEVER received a decent explanation regarding the numerous malfunctions. Disregarding my insistence as a skydiver, as an instructor, as a rigger and as a partner, I never got any answer on my questions regarding the safety of the product from Mr. Smolders. I told him that under the present circumstances the lives of the skydivers are endangered. Anyway, due to this situation, I have been forced to consider possible alternatives. I'm sure that we'll meet again on a DZ sometime. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at +32 (0)485 86 87 88 or bookmark my personal email address: karel.goorts@skynet.be. Blue skies, Karel Goorts "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Unfortunately, if you read what YOU wrote, you would see that it was pure substantial; an opinion. There are sections in the Koran that support that kind of behavior, and evidences from Muhammad's life that also support that statement, but the book of Islam is not about Muhammad, so you will not find that quote in there. Furthermore, the reference quote that you responded to said "95% of his quotes", not all of them. Although I can easily find the verses in the Koran, I can find no verse to support everything he says about the man himself. If this is a source of tension and anger for you, there is therapy. I would love to quote from the Koran and on Monday I will bring it to work. See, I have no internet access at home, only at work. So Monday, I will quote anything you wish me to quote. Deal? Deal. I know what i wrote is my opinion, but what i quoted was what Winn had said was fact (according to him). I'm just curious more than anything to find out where in the Koran lies evidence that paints this sort of picture of Islam and Mohammed (not being familiar with the Koran i'm intrigued to see how he gleaned these facts). I know he said only "95% of the quotes" but that statement he made seems pretty self assured about what Mohammed and Islam represents. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

thanks nac, interesting article. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts