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I use to follow this site when I was going into UPT and trying to get into OTS. I still surf around and follow some conversations from time to time. There are usually some interesting perspectives here. I separated from the AF and work in Oil and Gas now and have had a great career for the past 10 years. I'll add my .02 on energy from my perspective. Keystone XL. There already is a Keystone pipeline. The XL would allow more crude to flow from Canada. Canadian Crude is heavy sulfur or sour crude. Sweet crude is more often found in the Middle East and is just below the surface. Most of the northern refineries and midwest burn Canadian crude. You need special equipment to turn products out of it. Enbridge Pipeline has several lines running across the border and even under Lake Michigan (Line 5). The benefit of Canadian is that it's dirt cheap. However, it is harder on equipment. The coastal refineries dont allow it to be processed. Their crude comes from the middle east. The US is the largest oil producer in the world. But US oil is really only profitable at around $40/barrel in most locations. Middle East crude is something under $10/barrel. I dont know how many jobs are lost if XL is cancelled. It's a stupid amount of steel though. It's push against energy in general that has me worried. There was a brain drain in the industry in the late 80's. But with the Bakken and Eagle Ford basins there was a massive demand for bodies. You can have a GED and make $100k. I have 2 reports that are Navy Vets with only a GED making over $200k. I dont think many people on the coast realize how many people make a great living in this industry and no they can't just go get windmill jobs. We have Aerospace Engineers working with us that make more on pipeline engineering than they ever did at Lockheed. This past year has been bad on the industry. I dont think Biden has a clue not just cancelling XL but putting a target on this industry how bad it could be. Also interesting note about Nuclear Plants. The largest plant is west of Phoenix, Palo Verde. They use public city waste water for cooling. Also since CA closed their plants, Palo Verde sells power into the CA grid.

If we learn one thing from the madness of the past 2 years, it's that local politics have a much more immediate impact on peoples lives. If you want to affect change, get involved. Unless you're a gay father of mixed race children trying to get on the school board in San Francisco...

Well, it’s official. CC notification is 16 Feb and public release is 23 Feb per the Rated Assignments page...whoever called Tuesday was spot on.

Well it’s the Air Force sooo that checks... 😂

If you can't see why my opinion is better than yours, we have nothing to talk about. Well... Bye. The others have already covered the errors of your post, but one more I'll add: The race riots were far from organic, and they were not born from the George Floyd murder (murder, not racist murder). They were a continuation of social unrest where protests and riots spring up everytime a black American was killed by the police (or non-black person) in circumstances that were murky enough to exploit. Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, George Floyd, just to name some big ones. Remember Hands Up Don't Shoot? Was that *blatant* fantasy an organic response as well? What's hilarious in your response is almost perfectly timed support of my allegation. Me: The false depiction of a looming apocalypse is exactly the fear mongering tactic politicians are using to generate donations and votes. The side effect is it's making us hate our neighbors You: If you don't understand how the latter [i.e. your side's social unrest] is far more dangerous to our country than the former [my side's social unrest], we don't have a lot left to talk about.

As mentioned above, you’re not taking into account TSP matching which the legacy program doesn’t provide.

Thankfully it is not an AETC Family Day sauce: https://www.jbsa.mil/Portals/102/Documents/COVID-19 GMs/2021-2022 AETC Family Days.pdf?ver=ZXVuE5JlWgxHhTivFLtYAw%3D%3D

No you can’t fix it by changing out immediate echelon electorate officials in local government... See what you need to do is blame the President and blame Police Unions as the convenient scapegoat as to why you can’t change anything at the local level... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I mean, in reality, BRS is only a loss of 5-10% if you get the match (and the market works as per normal).

Already building the FY22 Application since it will convene, and release results sooner than this one.

Honestly, we could use a few more senior leaders that bounced back from issues early on rather than the risk adverse ones we get.

Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday!

The benefits outweigh the negatives on the XL extension. The main benefit being increased North American energy independence. We are better off getting petroleum from North American land vs the Middle East. Offshore carries unique environmental risks that are difficult to mitigate (busted well heads and crashed tankers). The jobs will help, although the estimates vary widely. The DoS's estimate was 40k jobs, of which 10% would be during the construction period. When compared to a typical 180k/month job creation rate in the US, it isn't much but every little bit counts due to COVID impacts. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-benefits-from-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-and-dakota-access-pipeline-pros-cons/ There is a technology and investment piece here also. Tar sands are significantly more corrosive than other petroleum suspension mediums, thus risking oil leaks. It is solvable in the near term via brute force (more metal, catchment systems) assuming the private sector is willing to pony up the funds. I'd like to see nuclear power regain a viable position and grow. Of course, there are limits regarding suitable conventional plant locations (large bodies of cooling water), construction materials (steady supply of rare metals due to neutron embrittlement), disposal, and uranium. That said, the hysteria around safety is largely overblown. If the Navy can run reactors on warships, we should be able to figure it out for commercial energy needs. Due to particulate pollution, hydrocarbons affect far more people on a per-kW basis than nuclear plants. Another 50 plants could supply 15-20% of our current electricity demand.

If you have a DP checked PRF, with good push line, you’re in a strong position to be promoted. Good luck Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

And the career bonus of 2.5 x annual pay at year 12.

Congrats man. Still a good sign. I'll hope the best for you.

So I got my PRF back for the upcoming O-5 board. Keep in mind that I am a 4x APZ, but I got the following on my push line: #1/2 Eligible, #5/24 O-4's, Def Promote I also got a DP I checked last years stats and APZ, w/IDE complete, and a DP was 15/15 selected (for my board). But, it would be really on-brand for me to be the first ever (under the new board process) APZ w/DP to not get promoted. So that is what I am expecting. But, who knows.

My rough math when I was making the choice between the 2 showed BRS ahead for the first 7 years of retirement, then falling behind the legacy system for the rest of time, based on 5% annual return from the market (very conservative return). The big takeaway was I also need outside investments, since just legacy high 3 or BRS (at the minimum matching) just provides a comfortable retirement, but isn't going to buy toys and travel.

No matter how woke you are, at some point the woke mob will turn on you.

Not for tinker we are full ops tomorrow.

That is cruel and unusual if they went from a Monday release to by the end of the week to waiting over a long weekend.

It's a family day for AFGSC. Same for most other MAJCOMS as well I believe. With it being an extended weekend I'm not anticipating results prior to Tuesday sine Monday is a federal holiday.

Curious how they plan to square this decision with the "need for diversity" they keep pushing, given the IG report that shows minorities are more likely to be punished than white dudes.

Slightly faster: From air force portal home search rated assignments, first result, UFT board (second from the bottom on the left). Once you're there if you want to see the discussion click the undergraduate flying training (UFT) board link at the top, but the announcement is the same on both.

Does that 401k matching also include a defined benefit and retirement healthcare in the retirement benefits package? It's about the whole retirement package, not just one aspect. There are great retirement plans out there in the civilian world (UPS seems to have a great one with both 401k contributions and pension) GI bill transfer to a kid is also valuable; essentially puts one kid fully through college with very little to no debt without the need for scholarships or grants. Though I suppose if you have a kid before you have 6 years in service, you'll have the transfer commitment complete when your UPT commitment expires. If you have your first kid later in life, well, you can't transfer the benefit without incurring some extra commitment of you want the transfer benefit. Sure, BRS sucks compared to high-3 IF you make it to 20 and retire. BRS is fine if you're a going enlisted person only doing one enlistment compared to the old system. If you're somewhere between, then you at least get a small retirement benefit (I'd bet smaller than most big businesses will match) to keep the pension as a carrot for retention.

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2499406/all-services-including-department-of-the-air-force-to-furnish-adverse-informati/ Seems like the one-mistake air force just got a little more one-mistakier. It even retroactively includes all paperwork and inquiries/investigations back to 2012.

This post exemplifies the real crisis in our country: an inability to talk to each other. Your first paragraph is filled with assumptions you believe to be facts. Your second paragraph is also assumptions masquerading as fact. The foundation of a functioning democratic society is disagreements are civil and resolved by good faith conversations. That means listening to the other side and asking yourself “could they be right? Can I understand their viewpoint? How can I convince them of mine?” You’re right about one thing: we don’t have much left to talk about if “talking” just means I’m brow beat with your opinions. How do you think the country hold together when convincing conversations cease and power is used to force those you disagree with to obey?

Let's re-frame this discussion then. People see the George Floyd video, and that sparks protests about police killing black Americans. Those protests then devolve into riots in some major US cities. Key Point: Those riots and protests weren't just because of George Floyd, although his death likely elevated the issue. They were about the 'systemic killing of black people by police.' Which is a lie. Period. The Washington Post created a database to try and prove the theory... and they came up empty, along with other journalistic/academic outlets. That reality didn't dissuade prominent media personalities, our current VP, and others from creating bail funds for those doing the rioting, and going along with that lie... because it made them powerful. ------ Fast forward 6-8 months. Some people see that their state voting laws are being changed without their legislature's consent due to legal action by the Democratic party/and or action from Democratic state officials, and that bothers them. Election night rolls around, and more people see "massive dumps of mail-in votes" that happened throughout the night, and several uncorroborated accounts of "fraud" being perpetuated. When coupled with that previous discontent, they believe the election is likely stolen. (Then) President Trump seizes on that narrative... because that gives him political power. Tying it together: Both the cases rely on factual things that happened to base their alternate realities. George Floyd did die at the hands of a cop. States did have their voting laws changed to boost mail-in voting. Attached to those truths are an entire web of lies that create the full conspiracies, and thus build the emotional fever required to sustain a movement. Cults work in very similar ways, actually. You could even say the same thing about QAnon... with the factual basis being Jeffrey Epstein. Moving on though, both sides took those false ideas and engaged in violence to support them. For BLM it was rioting and looting. For the right it was Jan 6th. We can debate over which was "bigger" or which made the larger "impact," but fundamentally they are the exact same thing. Political violence committed because of a conspiracy. A lie. Trump didn't invent the fraud conspiracy, he simply weaponized it for his gain. Just as Kamala Harris and other Democrats didn't invent the lies that BLM used. They simply weaponized it for their gain. Both sides in a deeper way understand this, which is why the debate naturally comes down to which side is more morally righteous. Ex. "You seriously can't compare racial oppression to a crazy stolen election theory." Which is an attempt to add slavery/Jim Crow/racism to their side of the seesaw in a clever slight of hand... by calling you a racist.

Man, I think it’s been three years or better since I’ve looked at Baseops. Almost Five years since I retired. Since everything went crazy, I found myself wondering what the BO crowd was saying.Tonight, I finally looked. I’ve read through a few threads, and must say...I am still impressed by the level of discussion here. Y’all are awesome. And also, thanks to Congressman for standing up for what he believes is right. Takes some nuts. Props to y’all for great discussion as well. Quality people here, man. Proud to have served with most of ya!

I used to have a civilian job before I decided one day to apply for an OTS pilot slot. I don’t know your background, but to those here that have only known the Air Force as a job in their adult lives (or a kush airline pilot gig afterwards that was enabled by your AF job), I would caution that the civilian world isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it can be unimaginable doldrums where entire years run together into the same memory, and then you die. Even a non-flying AF job has more excitement than 99% of the jobs out there. It’s like an Air Force staff job, except that the things you’re doing are not important whatsoever. Maybe at staff you’re just a cog in the military machine (“Why am I working on Afghanistan stuff, we shouldn’t even be there. Balancing this stupid $690m budget”) but as an average civilian you’re more like a cog on a worn out typewriter that has already been donated to Goodwill and no one’s told you. You’re certainly not doing stuff that kids would be interested in during career day. Plus the constant financial stress of things like a recession, COVID, and company underperformance that has nothing to do with you. Some kind of Neutron Jack comes in and deletes entire divisions overnight, college grads first. Civilian workers are cast offs and liabilities that take money directly from their bosses wallets. Your Air Force boss might be an asshole, but not like that. All I’m saying is the grass ain’t greener, and I wouldn’t stop any of my kids from joining the military. Well maybe except the Army.

I'll be excited to read what the AF wanted it to say! 😁

I guess since I let the cat slip out of the bag in the VA Loans post, y’all are due for an update. For those who care read on... For those of you who don’t know my story, the short version is came back from a deployment to find out my wife of over 10 years and high school sweetheart had been cheating on me. Once she got caught in the 2nd affair (I know now that there were more than just the two I caught her in) she filed for divorce but let me take the kids and move out of state. I swore then that I would never get married ever again. I did the single parent thing for a while and then randomly her and the boyfriend decide they are going to move to the city I and the kids are living. Then they start coming to my church, then the ex tries to sign up for the same bible study I had been going to. (Crazy, I know). I start dating a girl and the ex starts texting me news articles about her, that she had found online (nothing serious, just some school awards and pictures of her with her old boyfriend). I ended up breaking up with that girl and doing the tinder and bumble thing (for the eagle drivers out there, it’s like grinder but for guys looking for girls). I was on a trip at my airline and the captain saw me doing the whole swipe right thing and he challenged me to hang up the internet dating thing. His wife had left him and his son years ago. He had been in the same situation I was when a widow and her two daughters moved into the house next door. They ended up falling in love and getting married. He told me to trust that God had a plan for my life and he would bring someone into my life when the time was right. I ended up logging off tinder after being tired of dates with crazy nurses and girls looking to tie down any man who would take them. It was just around this time when I decided to sign up for a bible study at my church (the same bible study my ex tried to sign up for before the leader told her that it wasn’t a good idea for us both to be in the same class). On the first day of the Bible study I met the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Total smoke show. She had a very similar story to mine (married to a narcissist, serial cheater/liar, etc). I asked her out for coffee and we started casually dating after realizing we had so much in common. The best part was that both of us swore that we were never getting married to anyone ever, so there was no pressure at all. After a couple months, COVID hit and both our jobs became telecommuting and all of a sudden we were spending almost every minute of every day together. I prayed about where our relationship was going and it became very obvious that I didn’t want to live without her. Maybe it wasn’t fair to judge every female just because I made a mistake 15 years ago and married a crazy narcissist with serious mental illnesses. So I asked her to marry me and she said yes. I’ve never been happier. My parents love her, my kids love her and call her mom. She is just all around amazing. So I haven’t been around here lately because I’ve been pretty busy merging our lives together. Thank you all who supported me and encouraged me through a rather dark time in my life. I am always an open book so if anyone has any questions, feel free to send them here or PM me and I’ll be glad to answer them. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Dear Penthouse Forum (insert Duck nurse story here) Glad it all worked out bud Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk