**Blimp launch information** (and new banner photo)

[BeFranklin]

I highly doubt its a waste.

If it makes it, I'll call it the little blimp that could.

 

[Man from La Mancha]

The blimp MUST be in BOSTON FOR THE TEA PARTY!

NO EXCUSES!

Better start praying for good weather now.

.

 

[Menthol Patch]

No, it must be in Boston if they have to deflate the blimp, put it on the back of a couple flat bed trailers, and tether it to the ground somewhere in BOSTON!

 

[UtahApocalypse]

I highly doubt its a waste.

everyone who paid this company anything got taken to the cleaners. I know had I put money in I would be demanding a refund or calling a lawyer. Its quite apparent that the company has been issuing lies the whole time.

 

[Man from La Mancha]

Sad, I highly doubt at this point the blimp will ever make the tea party. Glad I did not waste any money on this

As much as I would want it there and gave money for it, if it just gets in the air and goes over some major cities it should generate a lot of TV time for the Tea Party.IMO

.

 

[Mckarnin]

Why didn't you mention any of this yesterday or perhaps when you began soliciting advertising space for a Dec. 10th launch?

No mention was made of a "planned" 10 pm arrival of one of the banners for a launch the next day. That is cutting it pretty damn close and thus you knew it was never going to launch tomorrow. You said the banners would arrive today, now it is a different story.

And, you spoke of needing no wind or breeze whatsoever to get the banners on, now you talk about doing it in the hangar.

This project needs straight forward answers, transparency and the faith of those who are buying the advertising time and right now you are not providing any of them.

Can you keep your story straight for at least 24 hours?

The owner, a RP supporter, was trying to make miracles happen for us and talking about the possibilities accordingly. The pilots, who just got back from vacation Sunday PM are realists and do not want to try anything crazy that could ground the blimp or hurt the crew to get the blimp bannered and airborne sooner than Friday. So, I have had multiple sources of information.

In addition at this time of year in New England in a hangar is pretty much the only place you are going to find no wind or breeze.

 

[JordanL]

Well when the blimp team tells me (and whoever else visits the site) that if they obtain $200,000 by Friday midnight they will be able to launch on December 10th, I hardly describe my questioning of this failed deadline to be narrow minded. Besides, I never said everyone gave for the similar reason I did.

Narrow minded may however by used to describe your attempt to tell me what "right" I have to question a company in which I paid for a service on a specific date, and then that service not being provided.

If we really want to get into finickey and narrow minded actions, we can talk about thisdecember16th.com, but we don't have to go there.

Seeing as how the donations "spiked" on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, I don't see it as a huge reach to determine that people gave to meet the Friday midnight deadline, thus ensuring a Dec 10th launch as promised...

Excuse me. All I said is that you were claiming to speak for me, and you clearly do not speak for me. Further, I find your hostility misplaced, misguided and mismanaged, and the fact that you tried to bring up an obscure slight against me over a blimp that will still be launching within a reasonable amount of time and making it's most important appointments is quite telling.

What does a website that I built, tried to coordinate, then redirect at the behest of the community have anything to do with a project which I have had no official involvement in except for the involvement we've all had?

You can go ahead and be self-righteously indignant about the blimp if you want. I don't agree, but whatever... you're a paying customer as well, so you have that right.

But to try and create the illusion that your opinion is anything but your opinion is disingenuous, dishonost and dismally unfair to those of us who appreciate the hard work that these people are putting in. They could have just as easily avoided this whole conversation by not relaying this information.

You may very well be sufferingly angry about these events. But do not lash out like a child at anything that moves simply because you hurt inside. I posted to remind you that there are others in this world that do not see eye-to-eye with your point of view, and you would do well to remember that when you make universal, unwavering claims and demands. And if you do not see or agree with that point, then you have no business supporting Ron Paul, because that is the essence of everything that he stands for.

EDIT:

Addressing your actual point specifically however, the blimp company only promised that the Friday deadline would give us the chance of getting off by Monday, and anyone who honestly thought that they could somehow play God and ensure that nothing outside of their control would go wrong is both naive and stupid. If you feel you got taken simply because the blimp folks ran into some problems that they had no control over, then I must personally disregard any complaints you file as the ravings of a fool who has been parted from his money.

I could not be happier about the money that I put in to the blimp, and refuse to let the high-strung screaming of a few ruin the mountains of effort which we all put into this entire campaign. Go suck a lemon.

You shills need to stop trying to dismantle this grassroots from the inside. I know that other campaigns need to destroy us in order to survive, but know this: that which does not destroy us makes us stronger, and never has that been more clear than now. Ron Paul and his supporters are not so easily perturbed by the organized few who would throw the entire group into chaos over frivalities.

 

[michaelwise]

everyone who paid this company anything got taken to the cleaners. I know had I put money in I would be demanding a refund or calling a lawyer. Its quite apparent that the company has been issuing lies the whole time.

That's my blimp your talking about, not yours. I paid for it and I still want it.

 

[RP4U&ME]

Those who would suggest that members of the blimp crew are lying are being disgraceful.
Remember, they actually issued a press release in which liftoff was scheduled for the 10th.
So to say that anyone is actively engaged in lying, you would also have to believe that they're trying to sabotage their own project.
They were told one thing by the blimp company, and the blimp company screwed the pooch.
It's been a totally dynamic process from the start, and it'll be fluid till the end.
Suck it up and deal.

 

[Charles Wilson]

Those of you calling for a class action lawsuit are being a little extreme don't you think? Do you have any idea what a lawsuit costs? We have not experienced a financial loss so what damages would you ask for? You are assuming a jury would grant a judgment for the plaintiff. Frankly I think the judge would throw it out of court before it could get to a jury.

Once again I want to thank everyone involved with the blimp. You guys have done an awesome job.

 

[Menthol Patch]

The blimp MUST be in the air in Boston for the TEA PARTY!!!

It would be a HUGE encouragement for EVERYONE and help us raise more money!!!

 

[alieas007]

Good work blimp team. I donated, I know you guys are working hard and people will see the blimp in the air. News will cover it. People will look up and say "who the f*ck is Ron Paul"?

 

[Indy Vidual]

Individuals support de-centralized grassroots....Did 'we' give Trevor too much power?

Individuals support de-centralized grassroots.
Did 'we' give Trevor too much power??

There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
And when she gets there she knows if the stores are closed
With a word she can get what she came for

Woe oh oh oh oh oh
And she's buying a stairway to heaven

There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
And you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook there's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven

Woe oh oh oh oh oh
And she's buying a stairway to heaven

There's a feeling I get when I look to the west
And my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking

Woe oh oh oh oh oh
And she's buying a stairway to heaven

And it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forest will echo with laughter

And it makes me wonder

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean for the May Queen

Yes there are two paths you can go by
but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on

Your head is humming and it won't go in case you don't know
The piper's calling you to join him
Dear lady can't you hear the wind blow and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll
Woe oh oh oh oh oh
And she's buying a stairway to heaven

There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
And when she gets there she knows if the stores are closed
With a word she can get what she came for

And she's buying a stairway to heaven

 

[Mckarnin]

I thought it was coming UPS now?

Someone asked why we were trying to ship it by air and I answered. I do not know for sure if UPS ground or air is shipping this. I just know that we've been promised it by tommorow.

 

[MozoVote]

I can't remember any post from the organizers saying it would be months to do banners. They have said that under normal circumstances it takes about a month, and that this effort is progressing faster than the airship company has ever seen in the past.

We've got a lot of techies on here, right? I'm sure you all know that launching a software program usually has some glitches and that major releases do get delayed. This is a big project.

Heck, if they can get it in the air from Jan 5 to Feb 5 that would still cover a lot of time from just before the NH primary all the way to Super Tuesday. These delays don't mean much, as long as it launches in the next few weeks.

 

[Mckarnin]

If they made a commitment to have this done (not just a 'we will try') then I would have their ass on the line for all actual costs incurred by Liberty Advertising above and beyond their estimated costs and I would consider other legal remedies for possible damages.

If they did not make a firm commitment then they should not have been given the task to begin with; there was no room for error.

How many other situations like this are still sitting out there to bite this project in the butt?

AND, this is not the best place to post this -- but you should be playing the delay up... feeding the media... and trying to get coverage. A well managed project always attempts to manage risks by turning those that cannot be avoided into something positive so that they will have less of an impact.

The blimp company had the contacts and contracts within the banner making industry and we had to leave it in their hands. We do not own the software to turn a graphic into a blimp banner graphic like the blimp company does and the blimp owner used his credit to get the work started because when the banner was first commisioned we had no money.

 

[RP4Pres2008]

I can't remember any post from the organizers saying it would be months to do banners. They have said that under normal circumstances it takes about a month, and that this effort is progressing faster than the airship company has ever seen in the past.

We've got a lot of techies on here, right? I'm sure you all know that launching a software program usually has some glitches and that major releases do get delayed. This is a big project.

Heck, if they can get it in the air from Jan 5 to Feb 5 that would still cover a lot of time from just before the NH primary all the way to Super Tuesday. These delays don't mean much, as long as it launches in the next few weeks.

If it doens't get in the air by Jan 5th, it would be a huge disaster...

 

[ronpaulblogsdotcom]

Can some of you go do your own projects for the campaign please? Everyone involved is a professional and is trying to get this done ASAP.

We understand your anxiety but you are not helping. It is nighttime in the USA. Go plan for calling or going DTD tomorrow. Go put a bumper sticker on your car. Email your meetup about what needs done. Stop flooding these blimp threads and causing problems.

Pretend like there is no blimp and no campaign ads at all. How are YOU going to get Ron Paul elected?

 

[Mckarnin]

Ummm.... Yes, but a well managed project has had a lot of risk management planning to make sure that the shit does not impact the project.

I agree... Boston is going to be difficult. It is a bit hard to do with a blimp, but I would go ahead and call off plans for the blimp at the tea party -- and then try to get it there as a surprise. That sets expectations... and beats them if possible. But again, we are talking about a 300 foot long blimp, so it is a bit hard to do that.

Lacrosseus, how big of a staff do most of the projects you work on have and how much money do they make? When is the last time you started a business and managed a $400,000 project and got it off the ground 3 days-2 weeks after you were hired?


That's what we are talking about here.

 

[Menthol Patch]

McKarkin,

What emergency measures will be taken to get the blimp into Boston if it cannot safely fly there?