Missouri Bin Laden Scenario! (with info this time!!)

ok, i got back home and read the article in the paper, called them up and got some info here it is:
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Scenario will take place in Leasburg, MO on April 6 and 7

Registration info:
can register anytime up to and including the event day, before day of theevent is $20 per person, on day of event is $25, if sign up before March 18 enter drawing for free m98

More Prices:
Paint-field paint only, $60 per case of 32 performance or Zap

Air/CO2/Nit- approx. $10 all day fills

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He said they already had 300 people registered,and expecting another possible 300

For more info call The Paintball Store at 636-942-4422. or visit their shop at: 5645 Old Highway 21
Otto, MO

store hours: Tues-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm

Those are good prices. I'd go if it wasn't so far away.

Now I wonder why some people think Paintball has a direct link with Warfare? I am sure this event will draw in a lot of people, but so did feeding slaves to lions… good draws don’t always mean the event is a good thing.

I also don’t agree with making money off the tragedy of 9/11. How is this event making money off of the 9/11 events? Simple… most people didn’t have a clue who Bin Laden really was until that date, and you certainly did not see scenario games run about him.

This field owner may think he is benefiting, but I think Paintball as a whole only loses because of things like this. And since the original author stated he read the article in the paper… good press there folks… not.

But that is just my opinion….

Personally, I agree with Shartley. This is really sick, and only 6 months after 9/11 they pull this! I mean, how would you feel if (had paintball existed, and means of communication, media, etc...) the D-Day Scenario was held on June 5th and 6th, 1945? More over, what if someone you knew was killed in the D-Day attacks?

This is NOT a scenario. The scenario enviroment is a friendly and family oriented one. People will not be talking about this event for years to come, or about the fun times they had "hunting the Taliban". It's sick and disrespectful. Unless they donate 100% or MORE of the profits to the Red Cross, I see nothing benificial about attending this event. Even worse, if someone who has a family member or friend who was killed/injured in the 9/11 attacks, what if THEY come to play? You think they'll keep their cool on the field? You think they'll chrono correctly, or stop firing when they hear "hit" or "out"? This is paintball, not war. And America is still fighting the Taliban. The "scenario" here is distasteful, and it's timing is COMPLETELY wrong should it ever have occured to take place. I agree, that D-Day is war based as well, but it didn't start until 50 years after the original D-Day occured.

I feel sick.

OSM

Shartley... im not out trying to break on you, but IMO i think its kinda awkward the way you stated it. osama bin laden did attack america, and he is the most wanted man in the world. the game is just a big spoof on him. i dont know if it has anything to do with his actions involving the innocent americans, and i hope it dosnt in that scenario game. but if its like a big game of "Hunter" i dont see any harm as a player being portrayed as a terrorists.

if anything, if somebody at the scenario is dubbed "Alcaida", or "osama", i think it just gives clearer motives to play paintball harder and it adds more perspective to the game. i dont think this game shall give paintball a bad rep in any way, it just adds a new "twist" on how we view some of our games we love to play so much.

maybe somebody knows where im coming from, and kind of understand what im trying to say.
ah, anyways, those are just my thoughts.

and, for who posted above me, the profits shouldnt go to the red cross. that charity sucks. If you have watched the news, there have been many many problems where the red cross spends all the donated money on things besides victims. they were involved in money laundering and some other illegal things, so i cant view them as a respectable charity

Some people like to do war related senarios using paintball. This isn't going to "ruin paintball" and it isn't going to go away.

One of the best ways to attract people is to use topical ideas. Hence the Afganistan idea.

Micro - Oh, yeah! I forgot about that whole Red Cross thing... hmm, well, what I meant was that I hope they didn't turn a profit off of this, because it just seems really dirty to me...

Tramp - I wouldn't quite call 9/11 a "topical advantage to gain new players in paintball", but more of an "explotative plan to get more money by selling out people's beliefs". It might be an opinion call.

OSM

sheesh.. i expected this post to get some replies on some AO members maybe showing up...not turn into this political paintball stuff. You guys take a lot of things too seriously, i'm surprised your not jumping all over people that call them paintball GUNS, because that would relate them with real guns and crime, murder.. blah blah

almost as bad as the politians that blame video games for all the school shootings n junk

seriously it's a game....

Skoad
I have neither the time not patience to begin to explain to you how "off" you are on your analogies.... and the fact that you even made them would lead me to believe that it would be a waste of time anyway.

Go play your game... I said how I felt about it. Some of us think some topics are, or should be, off limits for “games” and “entertainment”. Some things ARE serious. If anyone else would like to explain it to you… they can have at it. I for one will not let myself get worked up online over it. We all know where I stand on the issue, and this IMHO is not a minor issue.

I guess this is a case of you either “get it” or you don’t. No hard feelings here… just a little dissapointment.

i don't agree with a war scenerio. our field is doing a marvel vs. dc which absolutely nothing to do with war.

skoad were exactly in MO is this? because i live in IL and would consider going but i need to know how far away it is. just tell me what part of the state its in.

shartley- You seem to get upset about alot of things. People are going to base things off military situations from the past. I really dont see what the harm in having a local scenario game involving a topic that all know about and draws intrest. Paintball is a military game in my opinion and its almost impossible to get away from that aspect of it. I mean how else are people gonna see other people playing around in the woods with the goal of shooting other people? I think paintballs image could be more transformed into a non military asspect but its what brings alot of people into the sport. I remeber playing games that involved the military when i was young. I had G.I. Joes and we would have little wars in the sand box with them when desert storm was going. We all had those little plastic army men to battle with(the greeen and tan ones) that we would shoot rubber bands at. Anyway when i saw a game that resembled war paintball really appealed to me. This is my opinion on the matter and i respect your veiws as well.

Snooky

Quote:

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shartley- You seem to get upset about alot of things.

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I wish some members would learn that there is a HUGE difference between not agreeing with something and getting “upset” about it. I am not upset.. in fact I said quite the opposite. Also, most of the time members assign me “anger” or being “upset” I am far from either.

Quote:

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People are going to base things off military situations from the past.

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The KEY word being PAST. Anyone care to explain to Snooky the vast difference between “past” historical events turned into a scenario and events that are still current? Anyone like to explain to Snooky (or anyone else that just doesn’t seem to get it) that our own troops are still dying doing the very thing that this “fine establishment” is going to make money off people “playing”?

I have already seen two poorly thought out analogies trying to compare Paintball with other things. I don’t mind debate, or differences of opinions, but please try to make relevant or “like” references or comparisons. Unless you do, your points or arguments are not worth the time it took to write them.

Again, all who think this is okay… have at it. I simply respect my country and those who have died, and are still dying, too much to even think about participating in such an event. But that is me… you have your opinions and reasons for them, and I have mine. And no.. I am STILL not upset.

(Added to post: Some of my post may seem a bit harsh, please forgive me if it does. My intent is not to hurt feelings. I do however feel very strongly about this issue. But feeling strongly does not mean I am upset.. which I still am not. After reading Snooky’s post again it hit me that he was playing with plastic soldiers during the Gulf War… this put things, as they pertain to him, in much better perspective. I hope that this also puts them in perspective for him as well….)

Quote:

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This field owner may think he is benefiting, but I think Paintball as a whole only loses because of things like this. And since the original author stated he read the article in the paper… good press there folks… not.

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You say the article hurts paintball as a whole, i disagree. Shartley if u want people to come to a scenario game u base it on something recent and or meaningful to a bunch of people. This does both. If a paintball field doesnt draw people to it it goes out of buisness. And if the paintball field goes out of buisness its bad for everyone. So by the field basing it on something to do with war it draws peoples attention to it. If u havent noticed most rec players like the warlike asspects of paintball. They arent trying to appeal to the public they are trying to appeal to rec players by putting the article in the newspaper. The publics opinion is already gonna be set on a game that involves shooting other people unless they play it themselves.

Snooky
Please try to understand.. your base argument is not in itself wrong, nor did I say it was. I never said paintball is not a “warlike” sport. I never even said that basing a scenario on a War or War event(s) was bad... What I said was basing one on THIS event and NOW is bad.

To make an analogy more fitting, might I try this….. You go to a stock car race and there is a massive crash where several of the drivers die. Then you decide to hold a “smash-up derby” and call it the name of the drivers or the track it was on. It would simply be in poor taste. You could use all the arguments you want about bringing people to the track, but it would still be wrong. (note: I do admit comparing such a slime as Bin Laden and his acts of terrorism to a stock car crash is an insult to stock car racing… but it was just an example… please excuse any inferences.)

Or how about this? Everyone seemed all up in arms about the “fake” site about the Columbine Shooting Scenario game and fields. Yet people don’t find holding a real scenario about Bin Laden even slightly offensive? There is just something fundamentally wrong about that.

And in my opinion, noone can convince me that this is a “good” thing for paintball or anyone… no matter HOW you look at it. I see it as just a way for that field owner to profit from the deaths of innocent people… nothing more. And people can try to justify it all they want, but it will still be blood money in my book. If this field would go out of business because it did not run a Bin Laden scenario they are a lost cause anyway, and no great loss for the paintball industry. And you mean to tell me that the owner could not think of any other scenario to run?

This was a choice the owner made, and I stick to my original and subsequent posts. If they were a local field to me, I would do my best to make sure everyone involved knew exactly how I felt. But I am quite confident that none of the fields in this neck of the woods would run such a scenario…. and credit to them for it.

I guess we are all entitled to our opinions.... right?

anywho...

It's kinda in the middle of missouri..sorta, i think its about an hour and a half away from st louis, maybe alittle longer??

try checkin yahoo maps, just put in where your starting from and where yourgoing to (leasburg, MO) and it will give you a rough estimate: http://maps.yahoo.com/py/ddResults.p...ntry=us&doit=1

Skoad - Sorry for "getting all political" in your post. I realize you were just trying to tell us about a game, and, would it not have been related to what it is related to, I probably would have attended.

Shartley - I agree with you in all aspects. Very well put.

Snooky - Look, I want paintball to gain members just as much as the next guy, but not off the explotation of people's emotions regarding NOT past but current deaths and tragedies. This is similar to an aviation club holding a "Pearl Harbor Fly-A-Thon" a week after it happened. Sure, they might get people to join the club, but would it really benifit them in the long run? No, just like this will not benifit us. Granted, the prices are lower, so people MAY be more inclined to come, but the subject matter will steer most away. Snooky, what we're (Shartley and I) trying to say is that we don't want people to join paintball because they felt affected by Bin Ladin and thought it would be cool to go to some field and shoot him with a paintball gun. You're views are leading you in circles.

OSM

P.S. - Sorry about getting all political again, Skoad.

No one has mentioned the most serious issue here! The scenario players on the Al Qeda/taliban side will have turbans and robe like clothing which deflect paintballs. That's cheating! ;)

Seriously though, if the field owner wants to do this scenario, he/she will probably discover quite a few people are uncomfortable with the idea. I personally wouldn't attend a scenario like this. The media might percieve this kind of event as "a bunch of rednecks playing an anti-muslim game".

If a bunch of mostly white paintball players got together to do a "blackhawk down" scenario and half the players made themselves look black, it wouldn't go down to well with the public in general. It would have racism written all over it. The Bin Laden scenario would come off the same way since it would seem to make all muslim or middle easterners out to be "bad guys".

You'd think they would at least wait until Osama gets what he deserves (a well placed bomb or bullet) before even considering a scenario about him.

says itll take 7 hours. i don't think im gonna make it. anyway have fun there.

shartley- i think you should put the disclamer in your sig:

i'm not upset, just stating my opinions

ok now for my rant. personally i think it's very distasteful. would i go if i could? no. does it matter what i believe? not really. i'm jsut one kid that doesn't live anywhere near this "event". would anything like that occur over hear(i live in ny)? probably not. am i offended? no. then again, i didn't lose anyone important to me on 9/11. those that are offended, might take some action to let those holding this know. i'm just going to do what i always try to do, and mind my own business. but in the end, it doesn't have anything to do with me.

on the issue of bringing people into the sport. honestly, let them run whatever scenerio they feel is needed. idon't care. i play paintball. i love paintball. i don't need to be convinced on how paintball is a safe and great sport. i already know. do i want more people to play, of course. is it really my fight to get all these liberal, riminal loving, close-minded, freedom hating idiots to look at paintball as nothing but the great sport that it is? not remotely. sure i'd love to see paintball to grow and be publically seen as a common thing. but really would that have any affect on me? i seriously doubt it. i seriously doubt taht there's ever going to be any one or series of things that can get paintball restriced or perminately banned from this country. it's just not going to happen, it's to big now. so really, i have nothing to worry about. and i know there is nothing that's going to make me look at paintball as a bad or unsafe sport. so in either case, i/we are really not affected.

i know that it seems like i'm a jerk. i just fail to see how concerning myself about things that don't have anything to do with me, serves a purpose. there's just no point. that doesn't mean i don't try to get people into the sport. believe me, i don't think there's a day that goes by that i don't ask someone to play some paintball. if someone asks me about paintball, they will hear nothing but praise. if something occurs that maybe needs attention that i can have an affect on, then yeah, i will do whatever needs to be done. but some yahoo holds a scenerio that i won't/can't condone out 2000 miles from me(or whatever the distance), don't expect me to do anything but just sit here and cruise AO some more. i'm done. i think i'm going to get some cinnimon toast crunch.