He remains one of the most trustworthy politicians of my lifetime, and he would be warmly welcomed in my home any time.
But he made a terrible President. The country suffered double digit inflation and ongoing energy shortages. But nothing showcased his weakness more than the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
I voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Ken is also a very good man. But Ken dealing with USHPA is like Carter dealing with the Iranians. I suspect Ken is following the same advice that was given to me as a new Director ... be nice, be respectful, don't make waves. That advice is fine when you're dealing with Norway or Switzerland. It's terrible advice when dealing with Iran ... or USHPA.
The wheels are falling off at USHPA. The recent insurance crisis is just the tip of the iceberg. A "nice guy" approach isn't going to fix it. That's why Alan Crouse has made absolutely no difference in the course of USHPA's history. He's another Jimmy Carter ... certainly a nice enough guy.
I went into USHPA vowing not to take a dime for my effort. I didn't file for travel reimbursement. I didn't file for hotel reimbursement. I didn't file for any compensation for any of my time, effort, or expenses. I went in there to do what was right and to stand up for the members in our region. I cannot imagine me standing by and watching one of our pilots (even OP or Barton) be expelled on false charges. I didn't even know David Beardslee - I had never met him in my life - when I took up the cause against his expulsion at Torrey.
I was also fair. I never abused my power to remove ratings from any of the people who opposed me. In fact, I renewed Steve Stackable's ratings at Torrey even though I knew that he was part of the Torrey concession. I never let politics interfere with the rights of pilots to enjoy the sport of flying. That's as it should be. USHPA's expulsion has crossed that line.
As Director, I stood for fairness. I stood for balancing the Torrey Pines Soaring Council. I stood for open voting records of Directors on the USHPA Board. I stood for due process for all pilots - friend or foe. I attended every meeting and never asked for a dime in compensation.
Yet USHPA couldn't wait to get me out of office, and Mark Forbes personally assisted the recall effort. And while the votes were being cast, Mark Forbes (and the other "USHPA insiders") passed a rule that any recalled Director could not be a Director again for two years. In other words, they didn't want to trust the members (you) to make your own decisions on how to vote. They applied that new rule after my recall even though it was passed while the recall was already underway and votes had already been cast. As you may remember, I didn't campaign very hard against Bill Helliwell because I believed Bill was a good man (like Ken), and if he replaced me, then I could run against Brad Hall in the fall. But USHPA changed the rules in the middle of the game so the members (you) wouldn't even have that choice.
For those who haven't followed the politics, the USHPA Board of Directors is controlled by a corrupt core. They thrive by herding the other Directors to participate in their deeds. They chew up "good enough guys" like Ken and Alan. If Ken and Alan tow the line, they may get appointed to some inconsequential committee chairmanship. If they don't, then they'll become persona non grata.
That's the core problem and that's why USHPA is so broken. That's why they lost their insurance. Or - more properly - that's why they lost YOUR insurance. It was your decades of membership money that had earned a fair insurance price, and USHPA squandered it protecting their buddies.
The sport of hang gliding is in a crisis now. We are losing more hang gliding pilots than we're gaining. USHPA doesn't care as long as the paragliding sector picks up the slack. How many years has it been since USHPA has had a hang gliding pilot as President? As Executive Director? Do you see USHPA making a special dedicated effort to save the sport of hang gliding? No.
Finally, I want to address the matter of my expulsion and the possibility that the SHGA might ban me from their site. I won't start with my own words, but instead I'll quote a recent post to the US Hawks by another very good man, Bill Cummings from New Mexico (see http://ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1813):
USHPA's abuses are causing pilots to take notice. There's a line being drawn in the sand. On USHPA's side is the power to deprive pilots of their wings for purely political reasons. On our side is a belief that our right to fly is a guarantee included in the list of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.Bill Cummings wrote:Open letter to Region 4 directors: Ken Grubbs, Bill Belcourt,
I've decided to let my long-standing USHGA/USHPA membership expire for the following reasons:
First, none of my letters, sent to the Region #4 Directors, addressed above, were responded to, according to my wishes concerning the "Vote NO" on the expulsion of Mr. Bob Kuczewski. I may renew my membership, within three (3) years, in order to maintain my ratings, unless USHPA randomly changes the rules in order to shorten the current rating-retention grace period. Should that action take place, I will be done with USHPA permanently.
Secondly, I am, further, severely disappointed in USHPA Directors for not disciplining a Torrey Pines site instructor who abused the FAA tandem exemption while giving joy rides to children. Regarding such reckless endangerment of children, it seems obvious to me that USHPA is simply following the money in favor of heedlessly endangering children. Hanggliding/Paragliding are not carnival rides for which there is a parent-informed, reasonable acceptance of safety.
My advice is to stop catering to the business community and return to catering to the recreational pilots.
With full understanding of how insignificant my and Mr. Kuczewski's combined total of $300.00/year may be to USHPA, please consider my membership expired until USHPA does the right thing by reinstating Bob Kuczewski's exceptional standing, history,. and membership in USHPA.
Sincerely,
Bill Cummings
Pilot 30448
Sylmar pilots and Sylmar leadership can decide on which side of that line they want to stand. I would be disappointed if Sylmar should follow the Crestline example of banning people from the forum with no basis in rules. But that's their decision. So far, I am just as proud of Sylmar's leadership as I am of people like Bill Cummings, Joe Faust, Sam Kellner, Frank Colver, Scott Wise, Rick Masters, and the many other leaders and pilots of the US Hawks. I hope to remain just as proud of Sylmar's leadership in the future.