One great thing about this job, (writing for the Tyler TX Directory), is that I’m finding all sorts of area events, activities and institutions that I would love to visit!
One bad thing about this job is that I’m finding all sorts of area events, activities and institutions that I would love to visit, but don’t have the time or money to do so.
Ok so I admit some of the things I write about I’ve experienced first-hand (quite a few actually), and some I’ve yet to experience. One of the later is skydiving.
Now there are a whole series of reasons why I’ve never participated in this activity, just one of which is: I’d have no idea where to go to take in a day of jumping out of airplanes.
As it turns out it seems I have one less excuse since discovering Sky Dive East Texas (located at the Gladewater Municipal Airport on Hwy 271 South).
They have been helping people jump out of perfectly functional airplanes for over thirteen years. And they can claim one hundred fifteen thousand jumps to their credit.
It should be understood that this isn’t the kind of thing patrons can do on a whim. In fact it requires at least a twenty four hour reservation.
Try going to sleep the night before that event! Also a non-refundable fifty dollar deposit is required. The reasoning behind this precaution seems perfectly self evident to me!
The whole cost of the excursion is not terribly cheap, but on considering, it may not be as expensive as one would expect either. There are a series of prices depending on how the visitor would like to record the experience.
The base price is just under two hundred thirty dollars. All beginners jump tandem, but after progressing through a series of classes and jumps customers can actually learn to experience the sport solo.
I can certainly recognize the appeal of this hobby. I have often said that given the opportunity I like to give it a try, although I may require some… encouragement at the airplane door.
Fortunately for me I’m not nearly out of excuses for avoiding this brush with my own mortality. The fact that I’m, er… big boned precludes me from making a day of it. In my own defense, I’m not morbidly obese or anything, but it seems that the weight limit for men is two hundred fifteen pounds.
Admittedly, I’m a bit over that. The limit for women is around one hundred eighty. According to the website those limits are flexible but it requires an additional charge of three dollars a pound for every pound over the weight limit.
Note to self: try dropping a few before doing a follow up on this article. All self deprecation aside; for those interested in an adrenaline rush and a memory never to be forgotten check out the website at www.skydiveeasttexas.com.
I should also note that for those interested in a private pilot’s license, East Texas Eagle Flight Training is also located at Gladewater Municipal Airport.
The flight school offers an instructional course that will walk the perspective pilot through the process of attaining his or her private pilot’s license. To look into their services visit the website at http://learntoflyeasttexas.com.
Houston Pastor Can Use Christ’s Name on Memorial Day
May 29th, 2011I was trolling the area events calendar this morning, looking for a good Memorial Day topic on which to write, and I came upon a story that, to my own discredit I had yet to read about. Every year, a Memorial Day ceremony is held at the Houston National Cemetery, at which, area pastors are asked to participate by saying prayers and making speeches. This tradition has been practiced for over thirty years.
This year’s ceremony was to include an invocation by Pastor Scott Rainey, who has delivered the invocation a couple of times in recent years. This year was different however as he was asked by cemetery director Arleen Ocasio to please submit his prayer in advance. While it seemed unusual, the pastor complied with the request. Upon reading the prayer, director Ocasio notified Pastor Rainey that while the prayer was well written “…I must ask you to edit it …The tone must be inclusive of all beliefs and non-denominational in nature.” Stated clearly, she objected to the prayer because its close was in Christ’s name. This despite the fact that his prayer specifically stated “While respecting people of every faith today, it is in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord that I pray…” But evidently this precaution was not enough for Ms. Ocasio who told Pastor Rainey that he would have to edit the prayer and remove the offending name of Jesus Christ before he could offer his prayer in public. Failure to make the changes would result in the pastor losing the privilege of speaking at the event. Wait, wasn’t Mr. Rainey chosen on the basis that that he is in fact a pastor, and thus does have a particular religious belief?!
When Mr. Rainey took his case to the Veterans Affairs Department, he was told that cemetery policy was to be non-sectarian, and that they couldn’t intervene. Finally the pastor took his cause to the Federal courts. Fortunately Judge Lynn Hughes agreed with the pastor citing the fact that despite the ceremonies location it was a private event and that forcing Mr. Rainey to edit his speech amounted to a violation of his free speech rights.
The frustrating thing to me (although in my opinion the story ends well), is that the military families scheduled to be present are predominately Christians, who strongly object to the exclusion of their faith, in favor of a tiny minority. No disrespect to Military families of any stripe! But why should the vast, vast majority be required to sacrifice their beliefs to the god of absolute inclusion? The case only illustrates the intellectual chasm that exists between the litigious bureaucratic class and average Americans who are not in fact trying to offend any minorities, but simply want to remember their loved ones in the context of a tradition that happens to be the majority tradition in the United States. I hate to see things like this go to the courts. But when they do, it’s nice to see traditional American values win one on occasion. All that being said, Happy Memorial Day East Texas! We honor our fallen servicemen this weekend. May light perpetual shine upon them.
Tags: 2011 memorial day, Discredit, Federal Courts, Houston Pastor, Invocation, Jesus Christ, Lynn Hughes, Memorial Day, Memorial Day Weekend, Name Of Jesus, National Cemetery, Pastors, Prayer Director, Precaution, Privilege, Public Failure, Religious Belief, Scott Rainey, Sectarian, Speeches, Texas memorial day weekend, Thirty Years, Veterans Affairs Department
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