NPS POLICIES CAUSE ANOTHER BASE DEATH

[guest]

Once again, a skydiver has died as a direct consequence of the National Park Service's perverted policies. Neither Frank nor Jan would be dead today had it not been for this policy promulgated by an NPS sexual pervert named M. Scott Conelly and continued by individuals that can only be described as Connelly's Cops.

And we are Connelly's Kids: Connelly's Cops stick it to us the same way M.Scott sticks it to the young boys of whom he is so fond (remember, he's out of jail already and no doubt back to his delightful old habits).

Andy West can talk all he wants about personal responsibility, and he's not wrong, but he misses the larger point: Government accountability.

Frank would not have jumped into the raging Merced River and Jan would not have jumped El Capitan with borrowed gear had it not been for continuing persecution of BASE jumpers by the NPS. Period.

And now they are both dead because of it. It's happened again, and let no one lose hope over the outcome. Once again, a skydiver has died as a direct consequence of the National Park Service's perverted policies. Neither Frank nor Jan would be dead today had it not been for this policy promulgated by an NPS sexual pervert named M. Scott Conelly and continued by individuals that can only be described as Connelly's Cops.

And we are Connelly's Kids: The NPS sticks it us the same way M.Scott sticks it to the young boys of whom he is so fond (remember, he's out of jail already and no doubt back to his delightful old habits).

Andy West can talk all he wants about personal responsibility, and he's not wrong, but he misses the larger pointl: Government ACCOUNTABILITY.

Frank would not have jumped into the raging Merced River and Jan would not have been jumping El Capitan with borrowed gear had it not been for continuing persecution of BASE jumpers by the NPS. Period.

And now they are both dead because of it. But people, don't lose hope, and don't whine about Jan's death shutting down opportunities forever to BASE jump in NPS-occupied zones. This is simply a larger and louder wakeup call that this persecution and discrimination must stop.

The best way we can honor Jan's memory is to hold her alongside Frank as an example of how NPS's perverted policy leads to tragedy -- over and over and over again. That's the bottom line: How many more people have to die before the perversion stops?

Finally, let me say to all the flame weenies and back-seat whiners:

1) I counted Jan Davis among my very close friends and her death affects me deeply on a personal level, and I know her spirit is smiling at these words and saying, "Yeah, what he said."

2) Save your shitty little second-guessing remarks for your fellow defeatists. Now is the time to stand in solidarity together against the NPS instead of -- once again -- fighting amongst ourselves and pointing fingers of blame.

[guest]

I've heard a lot of this "blame the NPS" theme on the board, and it's time for it to stop.

First of all, let me say that I think the NPS policies are completely ridiculous and discriminatory. And although I've never met Mr. Connelly, he seems to have been on a mission to squash our sport and obviously has some serious personal problems to sort out. Lastly, I owe a debt of gratitude to those who participated in the protest jump, trying to gain myself and every other base jumper access to our parks.

But regardless of how wrong the NPS policies are, they are NOT to blame for Frank's death. Nor are they to blame for Jan's death. When we hurt...when we're mourning the loss of people who died too soon, we want someone to focus our anger on, because it's easier to be angry than anguished. And that's what we're doing. But the reality is, no one forced Frank to jump into the river. Before he jumped, he knew what would happen if he got caught, and he jumped anyway. At the moment of decision (or maybe he had even made the decision before the jump), he chose not to face the consequences of his actions, and tried to escape through the river. By his own choice, he ran into the river and it killed him. If he had submitted to the cops, he'd be out a set of gear and have paid some fines, but he'd still be alive. How many of his friends and family would gladly pay 10 times that amount now to have him back with them? Doesn't that put it in perspective? And with Jan, it wasn't NPS policy that killed her, either. We, the base jumping community, decided to hold the protest jump. We didn't have to. She didn't have to jump in it. She chose to. She knew what would happen after the jump before she decided to be a part of it. She chose the gear she would use, and she jumped off the cliff. Habit took over in her mind, I guess, and it killed her. But it was her decision to step off the edge with that gear on her back, and no one forced her to participate in the protest that no one forced us to have. The best way to honor the memories of these two fallen friends is not to make them into examples of what NPS is doing to us, but to learn from their mistakes while we continue to pursue a cause they believed in--legal BASE in national parks.

If I went out, bought a gun, loaded it, and shot myself in the head, would I then sue the gun manufacturer for my injuries? Of course not! Because when you boil it down to the bottom line, it was my choice and my action that produced my injuries. It is the same with jumping off cliffs and bridges and everything else--it is inherently dangerous, and no one can claim with a straight face that they didn't know that before they took the leap. And if you do something against the law, as dumb as the law may be, you cannot tell me that you did't expect to be punished if you got caught.

I know sometimes you just need to vent and place the blame on something/someone concrete, especially when the world around you seems full of unexplainable tragedies, but please know that it is dangerous to promote this "pass the buck" way of thinking. Eventually it will come back to bite us because it makes us look like a bunch of angry children who are too foolish or cowardly to accept personal responsibility for our actions and for the danger inherent to our sport. The government is not my babysitter (nor do I want it to be), and I do not hold it accountable for my actions.

Bottom line: We need to stand together in opposing ludicrous NPS policies, but we need to stand in the truth by putting the ultimate responsibility where it belongs. Even if it's hard to do in the wake of such painful losses.

My prayers are with Tom and all of you struggling with Jan's home-going (because we all know that angels on loan to us go back home to God)...

[guest]

As a climber and hiker and outdoor enthusiast, I am curious as to whether you have ever considered what would happen if/when a BASE jumper lands on someone ? There are some places where BASE jumping is fine. But Yosemite is a crowded place, especially under El Capitan. It is irresponsible and self centered to focus on your rights to pursue a fleeting adrenalin rush when you are putting others at risk. Have you ever thought that the NPS may have a fair reason to not want you jumping into a crowded area ?

[guest]

I guess with that attitude they should ban climbing and hiking because I wonder if you have considered what would happen if/when a Hiker/climber lands on someone? Did you ever consider that? Isn't that just as irresponsible and self-centered then? Would you like those rights taken away from you? Unless of course there are no climbing or hiking fatalities. If it would invade your sport, would you feel the same way? I think not.

[guest]

I do not BASE jump and I am not a ranger. But I was sitting in El Capitan meadow Friday and watched the most horrible event I will ever see. At first I was laughing at the circus going on around me. The swarming rangers and the protest banners and the picnicking families were surreal. The idea that I was about to watch someone jump off a 3600 foot cliff was surreal. I ate lunch, I soaked in the inconceivable beauty of Yosemite Valley.

The Event going on around me was very inappropriate for such a Valley. I thought to myself that the NPS and the BASEjumpers should not do this again, this was more degrading to the surrounding Wilderness than their battle of wills deserved. I watched bikes ride into the grass and protest signs dug into the soil of the meadow and big fat ranger boots digging in and damaging what was not being protected.

Then it began. We watched and were amazed at the first few guys that jumped. It looked beautiful. They fell along the granite for a brief frightening few seconds and then opened their parachutes and sailed slowly down to the valley floor. I envied them as I envy birds, I wished I could see what it looked like from up there.

On the valley floor everyone was cheering. The rangers were happy that this really was a peaceful protest. The jumpers shook hands with the rangers as they were arrested. The feeling in El Cap meadow was one of elation.

My friend and I were saying to each other, "They should be able to do this legally. This is just like hang gliding and they do that through organization and safety-related permits." Their cause was soaking in to us, we were general public on the fence that were being swayed.

Then the fourth person jumped. She fell and fell and fell and fell in a terribly infinitely long span of time. It was 20 seconds but seemed like a thousand 20 seconds. I thought "Wow, this person is really going." "Whoa, that's fast!" "That's a long..." "That's too long..." "That person is going to hit" "That person is going to hit right now in front of all of us" and then the body disappeared and there was a horrible deafening silence of hundredths of a second and then a Sonic BOOM that shook every person in the meadow to their core. The sound of Death. A lightning-fast public needless professionally-filmed Death. And then it was silent again. Til someone cried/screamed, "DID YOU SEE THAT? WE JUST WATCHED THAT PERSON DIE!!" and then I breathed again. I had just watched someone jump from the top of the most beautiful cliff on earth to a horrible death in front of me and her family and friends and supporters and detractors and everything.

Then the sirens went off and the employees of the National Park Service had to go deal with what was left. Normal people who you will never meet had to go pick up the pieces of a body all afternoon under El Capitan. Incident Commanders had to command, peons had to drive, workers had to work. Those employed by the Park Service had to deal with the horrific aftermath of the unspeakable event that we had just watched. My friend and I wandered away, slowly with everyone else.

I do not want to ever see that again. I am saddened that I now have this horror permanently burned into my memory. Jan Davis did not further her cause. She wanted to prove that this sport is safe and harmless to the Wilderness and that she and all of you should be able to jump from where you want. She wanted to prove that BASEjumping is appropriate for the Wilderness of our country. Yosemite should not be an event and it should never be a place for a circus. I will not argue that Yosemite is a sanctuary without problems, but Friday proved to me that this is a new circus that Yosemite does not need.

We all should have the right to do what we want. But that right does not supercede the right of Wilderness to exist. It does not overrule the wishes of John Muir and Roosevelt and Lincoln to set aside certain wonders of our world to be protected for all time. I do not have the right to drive a Humvee through El Capitan meadow, and I'm really glad. Someone has to protect Yosemite from all of our varied and personal wishes.

Jump off other things. Go jump in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne where noone will see you. Enjoy what you do for that moment that I envied early on Friday, and end your bitter battle against people you do not know that you conveniently lump into a faceless governmental child-molesting "Them". That's not reality and you know it.

I think BASEjumping would have had a real chance at becoming legally accepted if the protesters had proved that the sport is safe and not taxing on the Wilderness or the staff trying to protect and uphold Yosemite National Park. This was not proved. So now it will not be legal. Do not sully the memory of Jan Davis by petulantly trying to lay blame.

I will never be able to look at El Capitan and enjoy its simple natural beauty again. I will always think of the death that I watched. A senseless meaningless death. I now do not want anyone to have the legal right to do that again.

Hayes Roberts

[guest]

Mr Roberts,
I understand your reactions to the sight you witnessed, but you must understand that the events you describe are far from normal. Although NPS in not at fault in the incident, neither could this be described as normal conditions. Jan's death, was the result of conditions that would not occur in a legal jump.
I agree completely with your comparison to a circus, that kind of traffic should be left out of a beutiful sight like yosimite. That was particular to this jump and was a side-effect of the protest - A protest that would not happen if it were legal.
I have to ask you why the change of mind reguarding the legality of BASE? Was it because Jan died? Jumpers know the risk and choose to take it. Just like a motorcyclist, skier, or even surfer. There must have been witnesses to the accidents of Sonny Bono, Christopher Reeves, and countless bikers and surfers who have died doing their sports. It certainly must have been traumatic to them, but society cannot protect everybody from all forms of trauma.
The only difference is that BASE is high profile and has a low number of participants. It is the nature of human beings to fear that which they don't understand, but that does not justify prohibiting all activities that do not fall into "normal" classifications.
I was not going to respond to your post, but I am impressed by the fact that you used your name instead of anonymous. I respect that and thought it deserved an appropriate response.
Todd

[guest]

So you see something that offends you and disturbs you and so you think it should be made illegal.

Sieg Heil.

You represent what is wrong with this country, sir. Your eloquent, well-reasoned presentation was utterly sophist: It looks good on the surface, but is actually invalid... just as was the rhetoric of the Third Reich and the response of the NPS to adventure skydiving.

Sieg Heil!

Get a clue, Mr. Roberts: If it wasn't for the NPS's perverted policy, there would have been no circus in the Valley on Friday. Period. There are no circuses for the climbers, who die in greater numbers than the BASE jumpers and impact the poor workers more than do the BASE jumpers with their activities.

There is no circus when tourists in street shoes slip off wet rocks and drown in the Valley’s rivers -- each year in Yosemite in greater numbers than all the BASE jumpers who have ever been killed in Yosemite -- and seriously endanger the lives of all those poor workers you cited who have to try and rescue them or recover their bodies.

That was precisely the point of the protest. There should be no circus and there _would_ be no circus but for this policy promulgated by a pervert and those who continue to follow his lead by molesting us the same way M. Scott Connelly molested little boys.

And I guess you like your Death quiet, where you don’t have to see it. Where, sir, is your self-righteous indignation over Frank Gambalie’s death, precipitated by this same perverted policy? I guess it’s okay if you don’t have to be personally traumatized by it. Would that you had the same passion for the butchery in East Timor.

Sieg Heil!

Your eloquence makes me sick. You’re like the politician with the glib tongue who is utterly clueless as to the consequences of his actions, or even the meaning of his words.

You were certainly happy to experience the elation and joy of BASE jumping before the blood flowed. Why do you think that is, sir? It’s because if you are not a coward, you are too timid to take chances. You want rewards without price, and BASE jumping offers great rewards to participants and spectators alike, but it is not without price.

The purpose of the protest was not to "prove" that BASE jumping is safe; only a sophist like you would even entertain the notion that anyone would seek such a thing. BASE jumping is _not_ safe; it is dangerous and you can die doing it. Did it not occur to you that each and every one of the people jumping from that cliff could die? Does it not occur to you that each and every climber on that cliff could die?

And how dare you invoke the names of Roosevelt, Muir and Lincoln. Lincoln, of course, had nothing to do with the formation of national parks, so your ignorance shows on this one -- unless, of course, you meant Lincoln as the first president to abuse the power of the federal government over the sovereignty of the states, but that’s another story, though it is germane to this discussion in general terms.

And what do you think Mssrs Roosevelt and Muir would think of the Yosemite police state? Protect and sanctify the wilderness? When you protect the flowers and meadow grasses but turn Yosemite Valley into a prison, you do _not_ preserve the wilderness. I would rather be free in a garbage dump than jailed in a garden.

So you don’t want to see Death ever again.

Sieg Heil, you poor spoiled fascist child. Death touches us all, everywhere, all the time, and Jan Davis died in a brave and dramatic way, and you, Mr. Hayes Roberts, should get down on your knees every night and pray that you die as well as she did, because it is obvious you will never be able to live as well as she did.

So the "horror" of Jan’s death is "permanently burned into (your) memory." Poor poor cowardly Mr. Roberts. You know, if you had despised the jumpers and their pastime before Jan died, then you would be morally and intellectually justified to make such a statement. But you, sir, are such an unspeakable coward that you freely admit how much you loved the whole experience until the periodic consequences of that experienced smacked you upside your sophist head.

And factually speaking, Jan did not want to "prove that the sport is safe and harmless." She wanted everyone to know what unfair, illegal, discriminatory, _perverted_ policies are pursued by Connelly’s Cops against a group of adventure athletes who are being systemically molested in exactly the same way that M. Scott Connelly molested young boys. And yes, she should have put her life before her property, but that doesn’t change the perversion she chose to fight with her actions.

And you know something else? Martin Luther King said, anyone who isn’t willing to die for something doesn’t deserve to live.

So pray tell, Mr. Roberts, what are _you_ willing to die for? Humvee-free picnics?

And then you tell us to "Jump off other things. Go jump in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne where no one will see you."

Sieg Heil and don’t ask, don’t tell.

And the petulance you speak of comes not from those of us who understand political process and have long experience with NPS’s perverted police; you, sir, are the petulant one: "WAAAAAAA... I don’t want anyone to do anything that might upset my delicate little coward’s psyche. WAAA, Waaa, WAAAA!

You do offer one bright spot: I take comfort in the fact that you, indeed, "will never be able to look at El Capitan and enjoy its simple natural beauty again." As I believe Roosevelt himself said: "A coward dies a thousand deaths. A brave (wo)man dies only once."

So of course you see Jan’s death as meaningless, and of course you do not want anyone to have the legal right to do anything that might upset you -- that’s what all cowards do.

And so, Mr. Roberts, we can all hope that you will now leave this board alone and crawl into your hole where you can quiver in fear until God sends you to _your_ reward. And of one thing I am utterly certain: Wherever that reward is, it will never be alongside Jan Davis, because, as Teddy Roosevelt said, whether her death was a triumph or a failure, "(her) place will never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Sieg Heil.

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You must not be much of a Yosemite climber, pal, because if you were you'd know no one in their right mind ever hangs out at the base of El Capitan because the climbers urinate, defecate and throw all their trash down there while they're climbing.

So just where in your little fascist cosmos do you rank _that_ behavior, which could easily be labeled as the "irresponsible and self centered.... (pusuit of ) a fleeting adrenalin rush when you are putting others at risk."?

Not to mention the fact (see "Sieg Heil, Mr. Roberts, Sieg Heil!" below) that El Capitan Meadow and the Valley generally is huge and would not be crowded anyway if it wasn't for the perverted policies of Connelly's Cops.

[guest]

B * R * A * V * O !!!!!!!!!!!!

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Mari darling:

It is certainly noble of you to insist that we all take personal responsibility for our actions. And it is refreshing for both you and Andy to urge this in a society which seems suicidally set on blaming everyone and everything but the individuals themselves for the things that happen to them in life.

But in so doing, you miss the larger point: Government exists to reduce harm and when its actions increase harm, _it_ must be held responsible and accountable for _its_ actions.

Fair is fair, after all.

And unfortunately, your analogy about the gun is just wrong: Suing someone because they _allowed_ you to make a personal choice that resulted in your death or injury is unconscionable cowardice; fighting against a government because it _prohibits_ you from doing something -- and that prohibition results in injury or death, well, that’s a little different animal, wouldn’t you say?

A better analogy is back alley abortions. If government prohibits abortion, abortions continue, but in much more dangerous conditions, and so, if a woman because she chose to get a back alley abortion, was she responsible for her death?

Yes, according to your view, and you’re not wrong, but in the _larger_ view, the government which prevented her from getting an abortion in safe circumstances is equally culpable.

And you must consider consistency here too: Dennis McGlynn is now doing a federal prison sentence because the government said _he_ is responsible for Paul Thompson’s death – despite the fact that Paul drove his own car, had his own boat and gear, and simply hung out with Dennis’ group. Yet, Dennis got prison time because the judge considered him to be responsible for Thompson’s death.

Yet this connection is considerably more tenuous than the much more direct line responsibilities for Frank’s death that the NPS and the scumbag who narced him have. First, Connelly’s Cops cultivate and reward the coward who narced him. Then they set up a stakeout. Then they blow the arrest and chase him into the river. Even street cops pull off of felony pursuits when they think the pursuit might result in tragedy. Not so Connelly’s Cops: They go to the limit to molest us, just like their mentor did to young boys.

Ditto for Jan: The NPS’s perverted policy that _steals_ the private property of American citizens was directly responsible for her decision to use borrowed gear – and for an alleged "crime" equal to feeding the squirrels. Imagine, Mari, how you would feel – how the country would feel – if Connelly’s Cops seized your car (and KEPT it) because you or a friend tossed a piece of popcorn out the window to a squirrel.

That’s what we’re talking about here, and _that_ is an issue involving _government_ responsibility.

Connelly’s Cops are _utterly irresponsible_ and not answerable for their actions. No Connelly Cop will ever do time for Frank’s death or Jan’s. And why would they? Even the Great Molester himself, Marshall Scott Connelly, walked out of a Fresno court on his four felony counts of unlawful sex with minors after just 16 months in a mental ward – and that after the kidnapping charges were dropped (which would have brought 20 years). As Fred Morelli said, for a non-cop, the plea bargaining for doing little boys on video starts at 25 _years_, and the usual sentence is 16 _years_, not 16 months.

So Mari, let’s hear a little from you on government’s responsibility and accountability before you attack us for blaming NPS for this situation.

I know you mean well, but face the facts: When I jumped from the Royal Gorge Bridge with Carl Boenish in 1979, the cops grabbed us, but then let us go because the only thing they could charge us with was "throwing objects from the bridge." Not being Connelly’s Cops, the local gendarmes decided it would be silly to use that law – which actually had more foundation to it than the utterly inapplicable and illegitimate usage of the "air delivery without a permit" reg, which was written before BASE jumping existed and was designed exclusively to deal with the aerial resupply of squatters and miners in NPS-occupied zones.

Government can’t have it both ways: It can’t hold us to narrow definitions and reserve broad ones for itself. It cannot claim personal responsibility for our actions, then deny any responsibility for its own.

And I say again: think about what Frank’s final choice says about Connelly’s Cops and their perverted policy: He chose to risk death rather than let those perverts put their hands on him. Ditto for Jan: She chose a greater risk of death rather than let Connelly’s Cops put their perverted hands on her cherished parachute equipment.

There are countless examples throughout history of people who chose death before submission to barbarians, scumbags and criminals. And yes, they were responsible for their own actions and deaths. But does that responsibility make their attackers any less perverted and evil?

Mari, I don’t think unkindly of you, and in general I absolutely agree with your personal responsibility mantra. But the issue here is _government responsibility and accountability_ and when you shift the focus therefrom, you so the same disservice to this crusade as do the backbiters and second guessers.

So please keep your eyes on the prize: Ending the reign of Connelly’s Cops and bringing peace once again to the valley that John Muir called God’s grandest cathedral.

[guest]

Robin, tone it down brother. Your writing is so far out there that you just come off as a kook. This is not contributing to credibility for anyone. It is hard to believe that you think this is productive.

[guest]

Base44;

You are truly a most unbelievable, self-important idiot! I won't even begin to tell you the damage dipshit "rebels without clues" like you do to our sport, because brain-deads like you are always unable to listen. What a rant! Seig Heil indeed! SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!

Rob Carlson

[guest]

Todd,

My views of the legality of BASE jumping in general did not change with the incident. The legality of jumping off of a highly visible protected section of Wilderness in Yosemite is what I meant. And I did not ever mean to imply that anyone's life was meaningless, only that a death occurred that shouldn't have and that only made suffering for all those around.
I have never seen your message board until this afternoon and looked into it to see what is happening in this community that I was thrust into recognizing on Friday. I thought it would help you to hear the perspective of a member of the general public to whom this event was not a quick flash on the news, and to let you see another view of the government you are trying to work with.

I am sorry for everyone involved. And I wish you the best in your cause.

Hayes

P.S. Abraham Lincoln designated the Yosemite Land Grant sometime during the Civil War at the requests and descriptions of western travelers, never having been there but protecting it for all time.

[guest]

Just what part of my writing is so far out? Try being half as specific as I am and your complaint might have a little credibility... brother.

[guest]

I suppose I don't always listen as carefully as I should, Mr. Carlson, but at least I know how to read and I didn't sleep through history and civics class.