Glenn

My understanding was that it was the film crew that called it in - not a complaint, per se, but rather a, "Hey you might want to take a look at this, Trip" perspective.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/classic/news/story?page=Classic_2007_Live_Weigh_In

Angler Gerald Swindle, who began the second day of the 2007 Bassmaster Classic in ninth place, has been disqualified on Saturday for violating rules regarding safety and sportsmanship. Tournament director Trip Weldon told ESPNOutdoors.com that Swindle "ran too close to boats on the water," both those of competitors and non-competitors. The disqualification will virtually assure that the 2004 BASS Angler of the Year from nearby Warrior, Ala., will not fish Sunday's final day of the Classic. "I don't know the exact details," said his wife, LeAnn Swindle, when reached immediately after Weldon's announcement. "I just talked to Gerald about 10 minutes ago and he was still pulling them out of the water. He's very, very upset." The crowd favorite has been criticized in the past for perceived aggressive boating. Two years ago at a tournament on Table Rock Lake near Camden, Mo., he hassled angler Zell Rowland off a section of water under a bridge that both had been fishing the previous day. Saturday morning at launch, Swindle was quick out of the take-off, passing several other boats on the way onto Lay Lake. A BASS photographer called Weldon telling him that Swindle was on plane too close to boat near Randy Howell on the north end of the lake. Bassmaster tournament director Trip Weldon said he violated rules 5i, and 6ii (Bassmaster Rules).

Yes, we had rules. He just felt we weren't being fair, which is VERY common when somebody's post is edited/locked/deleted. They ALWAYS feel we're being unjust, attacking them, too liberal or conservative, too biblical or agnostic, playing favorites or singling them out, or are interpreting the rules wrong; then they want to argue/debate the rules to suit their own personal agendas. Given that politial/religious threads are almost always at the heart of this issue, we are no longer going to allow them here. What happened with him was just the last straw. I never change policies/rules because one person thinks I should. I do so only after a trend or pattern has been established. I WILL NOT talk about him any longer. What's done is done, it's not open for review. He can come back, however, since he was never banned. But it seems he destroyed his profile, which cannot be reversed. He would need to start over again, with brand new profile. Too bad knee-jerk reactions based on assumptions and fueled by tempers can cause irreversable results.

Couldn't have said it better, Russ! Jim - nobody is blaming you for anything. Paparock is in control of his own actions. You didn't force him to leave. In addition, this isn't the first time this has happened. We've been increasingly clamping down on such topics as a result, and then people STILL leave because we clamped down on them! It's a no-win situation. :-/ So, as LBH stated, the mods and I have decided to just ban those topics outright. Hopefully this will avoid the situation all together.

We have an extremely rigid and inflexible policy towards religious and political posts, references, icons, signatures, avatars, etc. Simply put, if it's slightly religious or political, it's in violation. This includes petitions of any sort and activist-type messages. Three rules to remember: 1. Don't bother posting about politics or religion, it will be edited or deleted. 2. This is a fishing forum. If you wish to argue about political and religious beliefs, find a suitable forum about politics and religion. 3. Refer to rule #2 If your post is deemed political or religious in nature, it will be subject to edits or removal. If you get upset when that happens and wish to contend the ruling, refer to rule #4. 4. This policy is not open to debate. If you feel this rule is confusing, doesn't apply to your post/avatar/signature/etc, feel it's infringing upon your freedom of speech, or want to contest it, then you need to find another forum. If you are banned for failing to abide by this policy, the ban is permanent. There are no review processes nor conditions whereby access to the forum may be restored.

He wanted to debate how I run this forum. I will not entertain e-mails and PM's designed specifically to argue over how I run this site. It's not open to debate. I don't need to defend myself everytime somebody is caught with their hand in the cookie jar and doesn't like it, then wants to start a debate with me over the policies.

Hey BigAl, Weren't you here on the forums years ago? Granted, it was the old format, so things are a teensy bit different now. Hey if it is you, welcome back! And if it isn't you..... Welcome Back!

Ah, ok.. wrong FAQ. I'm speaking of the forum FAQ. Click the link in my sig below.

Actually, Nick has a pro-staff position with Legend Boats. Not bad, eh?

A couple of things to keep in mind folks: 1. If you favor one over the other, state the positive reasons why that one is better. Bashing the other isn't what this sport is about. Let's keep it positive. 2. Keep in mind BASS made it clear a few years ago they were going "all pro", which means phasing out the weekend warriors. They have been doing just that. You don't have to like it, but it should not be a surprise nor secret to anyone. I'm not defending them.... it is what it is. So with that said, if you're ready to go all pro, then it's a decision between the two. Otherwise, it's one of the FLW tours (BFL, Sten Series, TTT, etc.).

Yes - there's one about the kicktail in the FAQs.

I gotta agree with RW on this one. Just for safety sake, if for none other, the caution should have been thrown instantly.... maybe if it were Jr. leading they would've thrown the caution earlier. Then again, I'm not so certain Martin would've liked to have won under those circumstances. Hard to say. Just seems very odd they delayed throwing the caution. They crossed the finish line, but NASCAR says it officially ended under caution. Huh?? Seems kinda suspect, too, that a full-time driver would win vs. part time if they delayed the caution. I smell ratings. On a positive note, Sadler finished 6th after dragging the tail end of the field for most of the day. He needed to make up the points, so I can't complain about that!

Read the FAQ.

Remember to click the BPS banner at the top of the page when you go shopping!

Avid - you are as funny as you are wise.

I agree. Let's get back to talking about fishing!

You are indeed correct that those countries did not threaten Germany. However, the German public was lead to believe by it's leaders that those countries posed a serious threat to them. Reason 1 The Russian Revolution led many Germans to fear that a communist insurrection would occur in their own country. Shortly after World War I, the communists attempted to seize power in the country, leading to the establishment of the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic. The Freikorps helped to put down the rebellion and their forces were an early component of the Nazi Party. Part of the reason for the Nazis popularity was due to their staunch anti-communism platform. Which later came into play when Germany attacked Russia. Reason 2 The Treaty of Versailles can be said by some to be the single most important, indirect cause of the war. It placed the blame, or "war guilt" on Germany and Austria-Hungary, and punished them from their alleged "responsibility" rather than working out an agreement that would assure peace in the long-term future. The Treaty resulted in harsh monetary reparations, lost land to Lithuania, France, Poland, and Denmark. Notable losses included the Polish Corridor, Danzig, the Memel Territory (to Lithuania), the Province of Posen and the most economically valuable eastern portion of Upper Silesia. The economically valuable regions of the Saarland and the Rhineland were placed under the authority (but not jurisdiction) of France. The result of this loss of land was population relocation, bitterness among Germans, and also difficult relations with those in these neighboring countries. In addition, it indirectly hampered the German economy by causing rapid hyperinflation. Another important aspect of the Treaty was that it created bitter resentment towards the victors of the World War I, who had promised the people of Germany that U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points would be a guideline for peace; President Woodrow Wilson was never able to get the allies to agree to adopt them. The Nazis used this to invoke a feeling amongst the public that they were being prosecuted by the world, lied to by international leaders, and that eventually Germany would be destroyed by these evil forces. By starting with the real grievances of the Versailles Treaty, the Nazis were able to stoke a sense of grievance throughout Germany to redress perceived wrongs. The Nazis claimed that only they could free Germany from international subjugation. Reason 3 One other important political element the Nazis used in the years leading up to WWII was the Dolchstosslegende. The Dolchstosslegende was a theory used to explain their loss in WWI. The theory proclaimed that the public had failed to respond to its "patriotic calling" at the most crucial of times and some had even intentionally "sabotaged the war effort." In essence, it claimed lack of patriotism back-stabbed the country and caused it to lose the war. Reason 4 And finally, German Nazis professed concern for the rights of ethnic Germans living in portions of Poland and Czechoslovakia which had been taken from Germany and Austria. Hitler's aides produced multiple reports alleging atrocities against ethnic Germans in nearby countries, which Hitler invoked in support of Germany's claims to its former territory, as well as instilled fear amongst the Germans by showing them what these countries would do to them (the atracities were never confirmed). The reasons for the Nazis popularity included their renouncement of the Treaty of Versailles, staunch anti-communism, the Dolchstosslegende and promises of stability and economic reconstruction. They also appealed to a sense of Germanic identity, superiority and entitlement, which would play an important role in starting the war, as they demanded to restore the "rightful" boundaries of pre-World War I Germany. Hitler was also portrayed by himself, his party, and his book Mein Kampf as an almost otherworldly savior for the German people. So you're correct, those countries didn't pose a threat. But the Germans were led to believe they did pose a threat, using real events and "patriotism" to whip them into a fervor using a powerful psychological mechanism called "herding", which makes conforming to the group a stronger impulse than breaking out, even if the individual does not agree with what the group is doing. So long as the gradual changes in group behavior are small, herding can eventually take the group towards a state that is far removed from past behavior and is more and more extreme. Interesting paradigm when you fast-forward to today. We're being led to believe Muslim extremists are out to destroy America, and certain countries are supporting their agenda. And that we're unpatriotic if we think otherwise. Conversely, Muslim extremists are being led to believe "the Crusaders" (Christians) are out to destroy their way of life and religion, and that THEY are being attacked. They believe that they are defending their very existence. And to think otherwise would be a denouncement of their religion. Avid summed it up quite nicely. Learn from history, so that we don't make the same mistakes!

PowerBait for me, please! ;D

Kim Jong is terribly paranoid the world is going to attack him, hence his military build up. He's infused a near-panic state in his country. They live in fear of emminent attack. A little aid, an olive branch, and on outstretched hand can go a long way to disarm his rhetoric and the fears of his followers. You can attract more bees with honey than a heavy fist - especially when it come to Kim Jong. If y'all are sitting there scratching your head as to why they're getting all this aid, then you best start reading up on all that "boring" political stuff that's happening around the world. Then it will become self-evident. And if you still believe 911 happened on that date because of our emergency 9-1-1 system, then you REALLY have some serious catching up to do!

Hi Folks, This is gettting a little out of hand. Talk of war, and using religion as a reason for it, is quite the oxymoron. "Thou shalt not kill" , or was that somehow forgotten? Troutfisher & Redneck - I highly recommend you read up on political German history in the years leading up to WWII, and the reasons millions of otherwise normal people felt compelled to lash out at the world and "get them before they get us". Their actions, as we all know today, caused the utter destruction of the very country they felt they were trying to protect. Learn from history, my friend. It has a tendancy to repeat itself. All - I leave you with this quote to ponder: -- Hermann Göring, second only to Adolf Hitler in the hierarchy of the Nazi Party. It is said Göring was the mastermind behind the Nazi secret police (Gestapo), and he is considered one of the architects of the concentration camp system that murdered millions of Jews.

Yes, I'm acutely aware of the site slowness issues. I'm working on resolving the problems and optimizing the server and applications for maximum performance. Please excuse the slow performance and occasional downtimes and interuptions while I work on the issues. Thanks, Glenn

Start here: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/guide_to_tournament_fishing.html Then read the articles linked at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Great unit. I have one in the front of my boat. First, turn off all the "auto" functions, and never turn them back on. It's a pain at first, but you'll love it once you learn it. I like to put mine on split screen, so I can see the whole water column plus see up close. Set your depth range a little over twice the depth you're going to in. Then you can tell when you go across hard bottom like rocks and roadbeds because you'll see a double echo. For example, you'll see bottom at 15' (a very solid black line), and then another black line at 30'. The more filled-in it is in between, the more solid the structure. There's a lot more to learn, but that will get you started on your way!

Too cool. Congrats!