[Rick Masters]

Maybe combining with a parachute organization.

Absolutely. IMO, USHGA should have been taken under the wing of SSA, and PG should have been adopted by USPA.

a complete takeover of the org by PG

That happened many years ago when hang glider pilots sympathetic to paragliding joined with soaring parachutists to swing the USHPA BOD past 50%.

If we all quit then we have no choice in how the organization operates and paragliding will get even more promotion.

If the hang glider pilots all quit, they will have no choice in how a paragliding organization operates.
Sounds good to me. How PG promotes their sport will be their business, but no longer ours. Let each org sink or swim on its own merits.
I was thinking more of a lateral move: Accepting all USHGA and USHPA-HG numbers and ratings into the new org. Open regional elections. Starting a magazine devoted to hang gliding. Pretty much everything USHGA did before it radioactively mutated.

We need to support the H in USHPA.

We need to support the H in USHGA. A smaller, simpler national organization devoted to hang gliding.

[Rick Masters]

...telling Robin Marien and Gabe Jebb that they had no justification to remove me.

You mean there was no "workplace violence?" Wasn't that a justification by the USHPA BOD to expell you? Didn't the president of the USHPA use that term to make his case against you - even after the fact that it was invalidated? Oh never mind.

[Bob Kuczewski]

You mean there was no "workplace violence?"

Wasn't that a justification by the USHPA BOD to expell you? Didn't the president of the USHPA use that term to make his case against you - even after the fact that it was invalidated? Oh never mind.

You know, I've been thinking that the USHPA expulsion might be a blessing in disguise. It forces me to work harder to grow the US Hawks if I want to fly. It also brings up the monopoly issue regarding Torrey Pines. Why should the City of San Diego force people to belong to a private organization to use our public property? That's an approach that I hadn't really considered until this expulsion.

And that points out how much USHPA has shot themselves in the foot with this ridiculous expulsion ...

• USHPA didn't like me presenting to the San Diego City Council. But the expulsion doesn't stop me from doing that ... and I'll probably be doing it even more!!
   
• USHPA didn't like me testifying in court. But the expulsion doesn't stop me from doing that ... and I'm far less inhibited now then as a USHPA member!!
   
• USHPA didn't like me building the US Hawks. But the expulsion doesn't stop me from doing that either ... and I'm more dedicated to the US Hawks now than before the expulsion!!

So none of the things that USHPA claimed they didn't like will be stopped by this expulsion.

In fact, the only thing that USHPA has stopped me from doing is the one thing that they've never complained about me doing ... flying my hang glider!!!



The illogic in USHPA's actions shows what a broken organization they have become. They take actions that encourage the things they don't like and at the same time suppress the things they're supposed to encourage.

[wingspan33]

GREAT NEWS BOB!

. . . Regarding the "Jailed" topic, I again went to Torrey Pines today, and Robin Marien and/or Gabe Jebb again summoned the police. There was a reporter there and I showed the police the lease and the Judge's decision. One of the officers asked to borrow the Judge's decision, and I understand he quoted from it while telling Robin Marien and Gabe Jebb that they had no justification to remove me.



I ended up staying most of the day and then had a great dinner with our Torrey Hawks VP (Dave Beardslee) and the reporter!!

Thank you San Diego Police Officers Wilkinson and Nichola!!!!!

[Bill Cummings]

GREAT NEWS BOB!

. . . Regarding the "Jailed" topic, I again went to Torrey Pines today, and Robin Marien and/or Gabe Jebb again summoned the police. There was a reporter there and I showed the police the lease and the Judge's decision. One of the officers asked to borrow the Judge's decision, and I understand he quoted from it while telling Robin Marien and Gabe Jebb that they had no justification to remove me.



I ended up staying most of the day and then had a great dinner with our Torrey Hawks VP (Dave Beardslee) and the reporter!!

Thank you San Diego Police Officers Wilkinson and Nichola!!!!!

The illogic in USHPA's actions shows what a broken organization they have become. They take actions that encourage the things they don't like and at the same time suppress the things they're supposed to encourage.

I just copy/pasted Bob’s quote above and had to laugh hard.
The only thing spell checker underlined with a red squiggly line in the entire quote as being misspelled was “USHPA’s” (there it went again.)

I told Bob that as of 2015 I was going to hold double my annual USHPA dues (make it $200.00) in abeyance for either Bob or whomever sets up the first viable hang gliding focused only LLC, organization, or incorporation.

Meanwhile I have decided, due to Bob’s prodding, that I will remain with the USHPA to urge my regional 4 directors to do the right thing.

Since both of the current (2015) region 4 directors didn’t vote in line with my emails, postings and wishes about the expulsion proceedings I will no longer support either William Belcourt or Ken Grubbs and will actively work to unseat them.

I urge all other pilots residing outside of USHPA’s region 4 to also consider unseating the regional directors that voted to expel a pilot from the monopoly USHPA.
  EDIT  
Should any regional director relocate; their voting record is on this website and will follow them.

[JoeF]

'bout time! Good job, BobK.

GREAT NEWS BOB!

. . . Regarding the "Jailed" topic, I again went to Torrey Pines today, and Robin Marien and/or Gabe Jebb again summoned the police. There was a reporter there and I showed the police the lease and the Judge's decision. One of the officers asked to borrow the Judge's decision, and I understand he quoted from it while telling Robin Marien and Gabe Jebb that they had no justification to remove me.



I ended up staying most of the day and then had a great dinner with our Torrey Hawks VP (Dave Beardslee) and the reporter!!

Thank you San Diego Police Officers Wilkinson and Nichola!!!!!

[Frank Colver]

Certainly going to influence my Region 3 voting for BOD. However, it didn't help much when I voted for Bob K.

fcolver

[Bob Kuczewski]

Certainly going to influence my Region 3 voting for BOD. However, it didn't help much when I voted for Bob K.

I think you've put your finger on another reason that I was expelled. I've been running for Regional Director for years, and I usually get a sizeable percentage of the vote. USHPA must (by their rules) post my candidate statements in the national magazine. My statements have been openly critical of USHPA's leadership and I've requested very reasonable thiings (like open voting records by the USHPA Board, and fair treatment for local chapters). USHPA has been desperately trying to silence those criticisms and I know that was part of their motivation for the expulsion.

By the way, the US Hawks Board is currently discussing a whistle blower protection policy for the US Hawks so we can officially protect people who step forward to report problems. We're currently wrestling with the proper wording, so if anyone has any suggestions on how we could write such a policy, please post them here or in the Board of Directors area. Thanks!!

[Bob Kuczewski]

I was in court yesterday on my request for attorney's fees and my request for corrections in the judges written decision. The request for corrections was denied, but the Judge will consider my request for legal fees and issue a written ruling.

While I was there, Robin Marien's lawyer (Christopher Saldana) served me with a lawsuit that they've filed against me.

The document he handed me was almost 1 inch thick, so I haven't read it all yet. But the case is filed with:

Superior Court of California
County of San Diego, Central Division
330 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
Case Number 37-2015-00015685-CU-DF-CTL

Here's what it says on page 1:

COMPLAINT FOR INTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE WITH ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE; DEFAMATION; INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTION DISTRESS; NEGLIGENT INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS; DECLARATORY RELIEF; AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF

JURY TRIAL DEMANDED

[Rick Masters]

SLAPP suits get thrown out all the time in California
"California’s anti-SLAPP statute provides for a special motion to strike a complaint where the complaint arises from activity exercising the rights of petition and free speech. "
http://www.casp.net/california-anti-sla ... /statutes/

and

5/12/2015 2:23:00 PM
Cottonwood Council terminates Red Rock Skydiving airport lease
"The city says that Carl Priggee is a tenant with no other authority to police or remove anyone from the airport.
City officials advised Priggee that he may not exclude anyone from the public airport."
http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID ... leID=65703

and

"Workplace violence" seems to have a legal definition in reference to a relationship between an employer and an employee.
But BobK was a customer granted specific additional rights as well as a public person.
-------------
"The unpredictable nature of these suits induces many employers to, settle workplace violence claims to avoid the potential of sympathetic juries and unfavorable outcomes."

Claims brought against employers for workplace violence "have resulted in millions of dollars in settlements and judgments, bad publicity, and increased insurance premiums for employers."
See Sampson & Topazian, supra note 7, at 22 (quoting Robert L. Levin, Workplace Violence: Navigating through the Minefield of Legal Liability, 11 LAB. LAw. 171, 175 (1995)).
-- Marquette Law Review, Volume 81, Issue 1, Fall 1997, Article 8
Beyond the Exclusivity Rule: Employer's Liability for Workplace Violence
Stephen J. Beaver
http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1433&context=mulr Page 107
-------------
Once again, your opponents are demonstrating they do not understand the term "lawyer's playground" and have taken very bad advice.
I can't believe they were stupid enough to ask for a jury trial in San Diego after two false arrests.
Hang in there BobK. You will receive $atisfaction.