Basejumper.com - archive

http://www.sfweekly.com/2011-02-09/news/base-jumping-illegal-ammon-mcneely-taser/#



Apology if this is a repost.

 
I want to publically apologize to all the jumpers about this. I fucked up big time and am willing to admit it that I shouldn’t have trusted the media. Lauren Smiley, the writer, lied and manipulated me on many, many levels. She assured me that the article was going to focus on how out of control the rangers are in Yosemite, abusing their power and wanted to shed light on our rights as a user group to be able to jump in National Parks.

She obviously didn’t address a single issue and the entire article back-fired on me, making me look like a rebel. She also wasn’t supposed to name any sites or post any jumping except with a blue background. After many red flags started going up I told her that everything I’ve ever said to her was off the record and that I didn’t want her to do the article and if she did I would pursue it legally, in court.

After a few comments about her saying, “I’m doing an article on Ammon”, I continually told her I don’t want the article about me but how unfair the rangers and the NPS are about jumping in the park. She completely turned it around as evident in her “story”. There are many things that I told her in confidentiality and made sure she knew it, but she wrote what she did, anyway. I have proof and am talking to lawyers about this entire incident.

Again, I AM TRULY SORRY. The outcome of the article was not my intention and I was honestly trying to raise awareness of what they are doing to us (in NPS) and how they treat such an innocent user group.

Lesson learned and many regrets, Ammon McNeely

I feel for you homeslice and having known about journalists' lack of integrity, i believe you. I have had the same shit happen to me on two occasions. I have been quoted as saying things I didn't actually say. I was walking along with this chick once when I was interviewed by a newspaper after a storm hit our area and damaged trees and powerlines. The article stated that I was having a romantic dinner with my girlfriend, the chick I was walking with, when the storm suddenly hit and ruined our evening. Caused me a bit of trouble with my real girlfriend who saw the article and thought I was fucking around on her. The fact is that news is entertainment, and these journalists are actually screenwriters.

The second I read the article I just kept thinking, this is definitely not the Ammon I know. That article was completely ridiculous. I know what you were trying to do brother, and Im sorry it blew up like it did. What a crazy bitch, and I know she reads these forums and that quote will probably wind up in an article, but yes, she is a crazy bitch.

Perfect title for the thread. This Smiley chick is most definitely a "Media Whore"! You don't have to personally know Ammon to know that Smiley totally put her own twist on the story. She's a writer, not a reporter.

Sucks.

I dont think you have anything to appologize for. I dont you but I do know your story. When I first heard about the tazer, I began planning a peaceful protest in The Great Smoky Mountians Natl. Park about their policies.

I think we all should start going to the press. I think its bull shit that I cant go to the valley and jump legally.

http://www.sfweekly.com/...mmon-mcneely-taser/#

good lesson here. if you are going to do an interview, use your own recorder. Tell them, this is being recorded, do i have your permission. then record all the interviews so there is no question what you said for this very reason.

Make use of this. When a journalists wishes to interview jumpers, and jumpers are reluctant, this will explain why.
But the number 1 rule is "NOTHING is off the record."
Take care,
space

Apology accepted...


http://www.blincmagazine.com/...yosemite-tasing.html

Great Idea.

Ammon,

I'm willing to offer a small donation for legal services, if you want or need it. I'm sure many other people would as well. I'm tired of people (not just jumpers) being misrepresented and having their trust abused by the "news" media and "documentarians".

Give them hell.

I understand why you want to shed light on the NPS policies towards jumpers, and i even understand why you would go to the press about it. I further know and understand how the press can fuck most things up!!! So no reason to apologize for that.

But what I dont understand is why you would take an outsider to watch and film you day blaze one of our local objects. An object that has absolutly nothing to do with Yosemite or the National Park Service.

If part of your story to Smiley about Yosemite required you to make a jump, then you should have made her pay for a trip to twin falls, or at the very least, chose a legal object , for which there are several here in the nor cal area.

You are not the first jumper this has happened to. All you had to do was get on this forum and ask if talking to this reporter would be a good idea.

You didnt think this all the way through before you acted. You didnt consult advise from those who have been there. You may of had good intentions, but went about it the wrong way. And now Smiley has shit on you.

Im in a bit of a bad mood today, and it might be coming through my post a little bit.

Im not mad at ya Ammon. I just think you could have gone about this in a much better way.

I was thinking the same thing when I read that he jumped, and hung out, before getting tazed. (I also realize the article might have got it wrong!)

tazing sucks.
NPS policy strikes me as unsupportable.

sadly, I know of no way to change either quickly.

changing loitering habits can be done instantly, without drama. sure, it can detract from the moment. it might have prevented the tazing episode (per the article).

we each get to make our choices. we each get to pay the consequences. we all need to choose wisely.

(just look at how alcohol users modify behavior to avoid DWI arrests.)

Other aficionados in the park estimate that 50 people regularly jump there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
NPS employee " what at leas 50 regular, so there must be same or more temporary jumpers may be 25,50, or even 100 in year multiply that by $2000.00 fine and sale of the gear, that means we can make over $100,000 or more a year with over time just like the California fire fighter with all them overtime"
NPS supervisor "yea we better get out the RV again and have around the clock surveillance for them BASE jumper again."
NPS employee "OK I well get the teaser ready"

 
Yes, like I said, I royally fucked up and went about this entirely the wrong way.

I did suggest we go to Twin Falls but LS said that wasn't possible and SFW wouldn't pay for it. She said, all she wanted was to see how the gear works so she could write the article correctly.

We made an agreement that she get nothing but blue sky or the ground with no landmarks visible in the photo.

As far as the loitering after the jump, that's not how it went down. There were several snags in the operation but will not go into detail about the specifics.

What more can I say? I'm a dumbass and have already lost a few friends because of this. All I can do now is learn from my mistakes and move on...

And in the mean time try and pursue this legally.

Oh, legal jumps in N. Cal? Really? PM me if you feel the desire, thanks

Chris...
Your sig line say's it all....
Go day blaze MY bridge and put yourself in a better mood...

cool.
I'd rather believe you than the "journalist."

you can email her here
http://www.sfweekly.com/...AnEmployee?to=515953

Executive editor of sfweekly
Michael Lacey

http://www.sfweekly.com/...Employee?to=corp:113

Well, count my little lucky ninja stars, I have never been busted. And my sig line, thats more of a work thing. And thats all im gonna say about that!

And your wrong, its MY bridge, Given to me by Jeremiah in Dec. 2005. And its Documented! lol.

I feel your pain dude

A couple years ago me and a few mates got conned into a very similar sounding situation by some cunt, current affairs journo with the same sort of bullshit story. He pretended to be an independant film maker who wanted to do an objective doco about base. What really goes on, no hype or spin... that sort of stuff we love to hear.

Next thing you know we're on prime time national TV being made to look like dick heads with file footage of stern police commissioners and psychologists explaining why we need to be saved from our selves.

Here's the lessons I learnt and put up on the ABA site.


As jumpers we're pretty easy prey eh. We go for a camera lens like moths to a flame, we love to stick stuff all over the internet that can provide free file footage to who ever wants it, most of the population already thinks we're at least a little unbalanced and we'll be best mates with anyone who says they'll listen to our story about how we're just fun loving and misunderstood.

BJ

Unless you've been busted or nearly gone in off that bridge, you can't claim shit.

It seems that's your sig line has made it's way into Your Nor Cal Base scene...

and that's all I'll say about that

btw. guess who's back? .....that bridge is gonna get date raped for the next two weeks.....

Your back in town, fuckin hell dude. Why didnt you call me! Slams is about to be back in a couple of days too. Shit is gonna be crazy. If only it wasnt raining.

Think it's gonna be his bridge for the next two weeks...

Ammon, is that 400' A on top of the hill in PA really wingsuitable?

Hello everyone.

I'm not a base jumper, though in the future would like to try. Give me a couple of years and some more skydives. I've been viewing this board for a while though.

In any case, I've had my own media experience in the past with reporters worried more about sensationalism rather then objective reporting. I don't trust reporters reporters farther then I can throw one out of my cessna. Most are inbred sensationalist hacks that would suck a male hookers scrotum just to get a jump on a story. I'm sorry about your luck, but be careful when dealing with these cock suckers.

Now you've got me all confused. Are they cocksuckers or scrotum lickers?

You cant be a world class cocksucker without some scrotum licking!

Not even close, the entire article is stranger than fiction... you could get a nice tarp ride if the winds were right, though :)