NPS policy

[guest]

It is now the written policy of the NPS that BASE is not an appropriate activity in parks:

2001 NPS Management Policies

8.2.2.7 BASE Jumping
BASE (Buildings, Antennae, Spans, Earth forms) jumping— also known as fixed object jumping— involves an individual wearing a
parachute jumping from buildings, antennae, spans (bridges), and earth forms (cliffs). This is not an appropriate public use activity within national park areas, and is prohibited by 36 CFR 2. 17( 3)..
http://www.nps.gov/refdesk/mp/chapter8.htm

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So Between the lines, It means it was appropiate before?
And that it means the For the people, by the people is a load of diarrhea? Did Real democracy have a bad case of mission creep and turn into Major Crap?
Tell us Supt, certainly in such a Democratic Country, they asked the public to vote on the matter. Certainly they can vote again down the line and rescind this violation of something that used to be guarunteeed, Pursuit of happiness bla bla....Or was that only a written policy also?
Just wondering.
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[guest]

Mr. Walker, the federal government of the U.S. operates as a republic, not a democracy. When was the last time the citizens voted on an issue at the federal level? We vote on people to represent us. And my guess is that if BASE jumping in National Parks were put to a vote of the citizens, it would be soundly defeated, but we probably will never know. It looks to me like the efforts of U.S. BASE jumpers to call attention to their "right" to jump in parks did just that, get the attention of the government, but in a negative way. And now a policy against BASE jumping in NPS areas is on the government books. What's the next step?

[guest]

Mr. Supt.
If BASE Jumping is not an appropriate activity for the NPS, why is it allowed in West Virginia on Bridge Day.
What ever happened to Mr. Scott Connelly anyway? You must remember him? He was the NPSs favorite Yosemite prosecutor who loved prosecuting BASE Jumpers for this "now" inappropriate activity.
Oh that's right, he ended up serving only 11 months for 15 counts of raping and sodomizing under age boys, all of which he video taped himself.
The man should have been put away for life (as anyone else surly would have) but he ended up in the NPSs good old boy network and is now a free man. How many Jumpers did he actually prosecute (in his 18 year rein) for our inappropriate (jumping) activities?
I thought the NPSs mission was to "Protect and Preserve", not "Own and Rule" our NPs and NRAs.
The only places on our planet (with few exceptions) it is illegal to parachute from cliffs is here in the NPS areas in this great country of ours known as "Land Of The Free".
It is understandable for small minds to fear and kill what they do not understand. "Freedom to Pursue dreams as different as they may be from one another as long as no harm is committed to others or the environment"
It's really pretty simple Mr. Supt. It's called discrimination and the battle is FAR from over.
"Reason Is The Soul Of All Law" is written on the wall in huge letters in the United States 10th Circuit Court house in Denver CO. If there is any truth to that we will have our day.

Dennis McGlynn

[guest]

We all make choices. People who die BASE jumping have made a choice to participate in a dangerous sport. I don't believe any deaths have been attributed to being dragged to an exit point and pushed.

Underaged boys may not have a choice. And truthfully, I imagine some, if not all, of those boys wished they were dead at the time.

Who would you rather have over for dinner? Someone who voluntarily served time rather than sell out his beliefs? Or a fat bastard who violates innocent boys?

You wouldn't be one of those rangers who was too busy chasing BASE jumpers to catch the rapist/murderer in Yosemite are you? I bet their families would like to see their tax dollars better spent. Hmmmmmm......Search the park for the murderer, or stake out the meadow with 10 rangers? That's a tough one.

[guest]

Strategically it appears that the superintendent of Yosemite pushed BASE jumping through as an "inappropriate" activity so he could refuse that Korean war veteran's request for a permit, which all of us are aware of.
If BASE jumping is inappropriate at Yosemite, that's ok. This is a cliff jumping activity. I happen to know that that vet has never BASE jumped. He has jumped from the New River Bridge and from some cliffs but he had to go to two different continents to be able to jump from cliffs and those jumps were with the permission of the foreign governments. Why does the superintendent at Yosemite include BASE jumping with Cliff Jumping? The vet told me that he never intends to BASE jump because he does not intend to break the law. If the superintendent must dictatorially prohibit cliff jumping at Yosemite then Hang Gliding and Rock Climbing must also be inappropriate. It also must be stopped.
Also hiking . The hikers there are some of the most destructive and dirty people who use the park.
Have you ever noticed the slovenly housekeeping around the homes of the NPS employees?
So what is the basis on which this "man who can't be fired"(goverment job) for not allowing cliff jumping?
Have you ever checked the housekeeping around the visitors bureau? The parking lot? The entrance and exit?
Take a gander at the maintenance area. The guy in charge must have been fired from some civilian manufacturing company?
The conclusion to all of this is that the American Citizen is dealing with a low class, low moral, undisciplined organization, the NPS, which develops arbitrary regulations which become law. In this case cliff jumping.
The dregs of society end up working for the government because no industry will hire them.
That's what cliff jumpers are dealing with. That's what all of the citizens of the USA are dealing with. Ever try to discuss something with OSHA, the EPA, BTAF, the Post Office, the Interior Department, the Corps of Engineers etc. etc.??? We are stuck with a buracracy which is becoming more and more powerful. The new Secretary of the Interior is powerless to stem the tide. It is relentlessly taking over all of America and has become more powerful than the president. Remember when Prez Jimmy Carter was going to take them on? The agencies chewed him up and spit him out.
Maybe we should lower ourselves to joining the ALCU. They might put up a fight for us.
R