This Sunday's Sermon was inspired by another elderly, rotund gentleman,
John Shumate (aka Nitrox), who has all but given up this LIST as a lost
cause, descended upon us on the DIR thread with his characteristically
refreshing and original thoughts.

On Sat, 6 Sep 2003 20:37:52 -0500, John Nitrox <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>        First off, Strike is a saint.

So was the formerly Snarl, still formerly known as St. Carl.  Just a
simple observation, with no intent to compare, praise, nor smear.  :-)



>George and Jarrod have made DIR so encompassing that a person can build
>a life on it while getting involved/or not in its more cult-like aspects.

Of course!  It is so easy to abolish thinking by simply establishing a
RELIGION, together with its dogmatic Commandments.  It is so easy for the
lemmings to chant happily, "Rule No. 1" and other equally meaningless
slogans while leaving their computer between the ears off, as directed
by the DIR folks about the use of dive computers.



>        From my perspective, I see giiii and Jarrod as being
overpoweringly
>interested in keeping divers alive through DIR.

THIS I'll disagree, with irrefutable evidence that's all in the Temple of
Giiii, the archives of the Techdivers List, that DIR is nothing but a
cover for G's d.i.r., "definitely imbecilic rhetoric".  I am giving G a
slight benefit of the doubt by erecting his bone-stealing status from
"idiotic" to "imbecilic".


Case in Point:

Background:  Giiii was once asked by Chuck Jones to show his C-card, for
something that REQUIRED a C-card.  G probably didn't even have one, but he
ego was so bruised that anyone dared asking him to show a C-card that ...

years later (about 6 years) when Chuck Jones was arrested with several
other archeologists for alledgedly violating some laws (such as doing
it without applying for a license), and I posted (via St. Carl) in
Techdiver the plight for their fellow cavers in Mexico, that before
knowing ANYTHING about the case, George Irvine III came immediately to
his verdict that "Chuck Jones should have been shot at the spot!"


Now ladies and gentleman -- that's NOT DIR under any circumstances.  That
is G's d.i.r.   G was petty enough to have used the incident 6 years
before to express his grudge in his fellow caver, to KILL HIM  -- which
is diametrically opposed to John's alledged reason for G that he was
"being overpoweringly interested in keeping divers alive through DIR."


Several days later, after Chuck Jones and all the archeologist were
cleared 100% of their charges, I asked Giiii how he felt about his
impulse to "shoot Chuck Jones at the spot", Giiii showed no regret and
repeated the samething, after Chuck Jone's innocence had been proved.


Giiii       is NOT interested in saving any lives at all.

Giiii       is interested only in promoting HIMSELF, even to the
            extent of wanting to kill other divers/cavers who
            really was DIR!!!

There are plenty of other like cases in the annals of Giiii's boneyard.



< Very well made points by John Shumate Nitrox snipped >


>If you think two divers 350 feet underwater that
>have penetrated four miles into a cave are safer than a solo diver at 30
>feet, I won't argue, but I would suggest that not everyone will agree.

An observation worth highlighting and repeating.

At least in THAT case, there's much to be said for DIR for the d.i.r.
loonies;  whereas in the Chuck Jones case, there's nothing DIR about
anything Giiii did -- including violating a DIR of having a CERT CARD,
and used it as a grudge to DIAW (Do It All Wrong) while whistling d.i.r.


>invertebrates, or coral that I've never seen.  An entertaining underwater
>environment, good wine cellars and restaurants, a handful of women in
>European beach wear, and a dive operation that will give me an accurate
>briefing on the dive site and won't leave without me is all I ask out of a
>dive destination.


I am more demanding in MY entertainment UW, but that's a different subject
possibly to be covered in a different sermon.

Meanwhile, I am taking a leisurely day off in the Metrotown of Vancouver,
before trucking back to the SEAttle airport tomorrow for a red-eye flight
to get back to Hotlanta!

The Orcas in the fjords and passes of the Alaskan passage are a sight to
behold, when they did their dolphin-like leap completely off the water
to yet another surface dive.  But one often forgets that behind these
beautiful, seemingly innocent creatures that even inspired a Hollywood
movie "Free Willie," they are the most savage, mean, and killing machines
in their natural habitat and environment, to the chagrin of many other
creatures in the Wild Kingdom.


Until another unscheduled Sunday, I bid you caveat about the important
difference between DIR and d.i.r.


ElPezNeuvo.