[Bob Kuczewski]

Today, President Trump announced his law suit against Facebook, Twitter, and Google.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzXsEgUdnKM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obzop8zx2js


Best of luck to President Trump!!!

[Bob Kuczewski]

Chris McKeon has reported to me that he's been unable to log into hanggliding.org for over a week now.

[Chris McKeon]

I for one would like to have those who have said or have done Unwarranted malicious Slanderous things to me would have had the decency to have the decency to Tell Me to my face. There is another un-named forum where the Head Pontiff apparently has chosen to Ban Me. Why did He feel the need to Ban Me I can not say why. For I was never informed by this Pontiff as to what I had done to anger Him. Or when I was in Vallejo Kaiser and while I was in a Comma, my attending Doctor responded to My Sisters request that He make it so, That an MRI be performed on my Left Shoulder. Well this piece of garbage who was standing next to my Bed, Note; I was in a coma. Well this Doctor told My Sister; "Why bother you can't have a conversation with a Potato" Upon hearing what THIS Doctor HAD SAID about me to My Sister, and knowing that My Brother was in the room. My Father who was infuriated told My Brother; "You heard what that Doctor said about your Brother, and you did not smack Him!" "I would have gone to Jail, I would have hit Him."

Well I could tell you guys a couple More instances of this sort of crap. But I think that you get the point.

[JoeF]

Let's be sure if a ban took place or not. Ask directly the Jack. Or is the matter confirmed already? Rule out non-ban misalignments like all caps on passwords, etc.

[Bob Kuczewski]

There is another un-named forum where the Head Pontiff apparently has chosen to Ban Me.

We can actually say the names of other forums and their Head Pontiffs here on the U.S. Hawks. I've heard that this concept has been called "Freedom of Speech". If "Freedom of Speech" feels strange to you, it's a symptom of spending too much time on hanggliding.org or ozreport.com.

Why did He feel the need to Ban Me I can not say why. For I was never informed by this Pontiff as to what I had done to anger Him.

I suspect that Jack Axaopoulos banned you because he felt he would not be able to control you as you continue to regain your mental faculties.

[Chris McKeon]

< THE TAIL TRULY IS WAGGANING THE DOG>


You Know it truly is a Case of the Tail wagging the Dig. Take my Home Flying site, I will not list the Name of the Mountain so that what I say will not be used against Me, or my Fellow Pilots. But try thus one on. One day I was talking to a Ranger who was giving Me a hard time for landing up on the Mountain. Well I interrupted his Banter by saying to this ranger by saying; "You should know that I am a Home owner and that means that I am one of the Owners of this site, for I pay taxes. And consequently that fact I am one of the many tax payers who pay for this Park and your salary. That makes you accountable to Me and My fellow Home owing Tax paying cohorts. This makes me one of your employers. He just stood there with His Mouth hanging open.

I tell you, it sucks.

[Bob Kuczewski]

You Know it truly is a Case of the Tail wagging the Dog.
   :
I tell you, it sucks.

This is exactly right Chris. Jack Axaopoulos isn't even a hair on the tail of the hang gliding "dog", but he controls the largest concentration of hang gliding voices on the web. Jack is a "nobody" in the sport of hang gliding, but he grabbed the domain "hanggliding.org" while the rest of us were out flying. Now he decides who can be heard and who is silenced. It's hard to imagine how much damage Jack has done to the sport of hang gliding.

Fortunately, Jack's abuses are getting more visibility due to his recent bans of popular pilots like Joe Faust and yourself. Participation on hanggliding.org has been steadily declining for years due to these abuses. Each ban touches and disgusts another circle of friends who lose their enthusiasm for that site.

This is the one time in the history of hang gliding when our voices should be most unified to protect the sport. Sadly, Jack Axaopoulos puts his petty personal gripes ahead of the sport itself.

Unlike hanggliding.org and ozreport.com, the U.S. Hawks has a Board of Directors to help ensure that our members get fair treatment. Thanks to everyone who supports free speech and open communication here on the U.S. Hawks.

[Bob Kuczewski]

This is a post from Craig's topic "Hawks and Larks". It's on page 11 of that topic and I'd forgotten about it until Craig mentioned it (Thanks Craig!). I think the "take away message" at the bottom is a better fit for this topic. Enjoy the music.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5JCrSXkJY

For What It's Worth

“For What It’s Worth” is one of the most widely known protest songs of the 1960s.

LYRICS:

[Verse 1]
There's something happening here
But what it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

[Chorus]
I think it's time we stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

[Verse 2]
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Are getting so much resistance from behind

[Chorus]
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

[Verse 3]
What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, "hooray for our side"

[Chorus]
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

[Verse 4]
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away

[Chorus]
We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going

We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going

We better stop
Now, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going

We better stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?



Produced ByCharles Greene & Brian Stone
Written By Stephen Stills
Release DateDecember 5, 1966

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your FORUM it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the "MOD" comes and takes you away

No one needs to be afraid on the U.S. Hawks.   

[Craig Muhonen]

The 1990 Influx and intrusion.

Liberal Conservatives need to grow some balls.

What made Paul Voight and so many others, give up their airframes in 1990, and start to parachute glide?
In the same year, why did UP, and the Wills brothers branch out into parachute gliders? (which were all made in China, Vietnam, South Korea, and then Germany)
There aren’t any parachute gliders that are made in the US. (maybe because of liability), never has been, wonder why?
Where as, the Hang Glider is American made, with an American heritage, and has an “A” frame. “A” for American made. Interesting comparison, the A frame, and the Chinese non frame logo.

Between 1972 and 1990 the Telluride Airforce had a ‘rating’ system, and Lloyds of London insurance, which stated that you had to be an H4 rated Hang Glider pilot, and be guided by a TAF member, to see if you qualified to fly off of Gold Hill. Then and only then were you were allowed to use this launch site. That all changed when in 1990 some parachute gliders brought their “nylon and stringed” air foils to Gold Hill, and said, “you have to let us fly here too, we have our own rating system, and we are qualified pilots”. Even though the TAF insurance policy was written in 1972, for Hang Gliding Pilots, and their wings, way before parachute gliding was invented, TAF finally gave in to the bulling, and let these guys fly, but did not change the policy to reflect parachute gliders, and the rest is history. TAF lost it’s insurance a few years back, but USHGA stepped in and took over Gold Hill Launch site.
The Telluride Air Force good name, and “HangGliding” was “stolen” in 1990 by these guys, and it went from 13 Hang Glider Pilots and their many friends world wide and zero parachute gliders, to 18 parachute glider pilots and only one Hang Glider Pilot, (Luigi), in short order. (even he is into parachute gliding now and politics, big time).
Maybe that was the change over in 1990, from ‘conservative liberal’, Hang Glider Pilots to, way left of center parachute gliders, and their “easy, and cheep way out”, and they have no history, or gliders that people can touch and sit quietly under.
Hang Gliding is “hard to learn, but easy to master”, where as parachute gliding is, “easy to learn, but never mastered”.
See how the words Hang Gliding and Paragliding have been thrown into the same air space, by a very crafty USHGA and USHPA marketing plan since 1990.
Nothing to be done except “inspire” new, and old pilots with a new wave of exciting Training Aids, and creative marketing.
I was inspired when I saw “Little Hawk” in that classroom in Florida.
I talked about setting up a static display, using cameras and backdrops and wind machines, and maybe music too, to let people strap into a harness and feel the wind in their face and have pictures and a video to take home and say, “I was flying this cool Hang Glider today”.

Just my long winded opinion.

Craig

[Bob Kuczewski]

... it went from 13 Hang Glider Pilots and their many friends world wide and zero parachute gliders, to 18 parachute glider pilots and only one Hang Glider Pilot ...

I much prefer the feeling of FLYING in a hang glider. But this site would have been the "U.S. Hawks Paragliding Association" if paragliding were being treated as badly as hang gliding has been treated.

Joe Greblo pointed out two things to me when he learned that I was flying both HG and PG:

1. A hang glider is a deficient aircraft compared to an airplane.
2. A paraglider is a deficient aircraft compared to a hang glider.

Since I came from flying airplanes, I realize that both HG and PG are a step down. To me, they are all varying degrees of risk/reward.

What bothers me more than the differences between flying machines is the differences between the people that I've found in both sports. There are some very very nice people in both sports, and there are some very very bad people in both sports. The abusiveness and the bullying and the greed and the treachery - by some members of both sports - is what I find most objectionable. That's what needs to be fixed.

Frank wanted to build a better training glider. Chris wants to build a better competition glider. I think those are all great aspirations, and I support them. But the thing that we need more than either of those is better human beings in leadership positions. That includes both USHPA and hanggliding.org. Both of those organizations have been led by people who do not have a fundamental respect for fairness, honesty, and human dignity. That's why we have this U.S. Hawks forum and that's why we have this "Banned of Brothers" topic.