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Fine, let’s just call it even and you have to pass an FBI background check every time you want to exercise your constitutional right to vote. Also, you can’t vote directly by mail, but you can drop a ballot off and stand there while someone takes 20-69 min to validate whether you’re legally allowed to vote. Lastly, some guy in the govt decided arbitrarily that if you want to vote for anyone shorter than 6’, you have to pay $200 and go on a list that you voted for said candidate. I do understand what you’re saying, but had to point out how hypocritical it is for people to be so pro-gun control legislation, but lose their minds over voter ID. What do they want, no infringement of constitutional rights, or is it just on parts they don’t personally like? To be clear, not saying this pertains to you personally.

Show me a study that actually says the color of your skin is a biological reason for being at higher risk of Covid... I’ve looked myself and the reason minorities have a higher death rate seems to be due to socio-economic factors, health culture within the community, and medical access. Those are real issues of course, but the thing about socio-economic issues is that they aren’t only limited to people of color. Although I guess people really believe that these days (Joe Biden’s “Poor kids are just as bright as white kids” comes to mind), which is honestly a form of soft racism in and of itself, but that’s a whole other topic itself. Bottom line though, a white person can also be poor, unhealthy, and have limited limited access to health care. I’ll reiterate again why this policy is legitimately racist. A poor person of color and a poor white person live next to each other in a poor section of Vermont that has had higher rates of COVID death. Each person has the exact same biological risk factor, is the same age, is the same sex, same access to health care, and both have no at risk people in their house. Under the governor’s policy, the white person cannot get a shot simply because they are white even though the person next to them, who is by all other measures equal to them other than skin color, can. That is discrimination in its most pure and basic form!!! Its honestly embarrassing that people in this country would give that a pass these days.

Correct. It does not. but it does say you must be a citizen. So come up with a convenient and equitable method to prove citizenship and we’ll be all set.

Does anyone have an excel spreadsheet for contact info each ANG/AFR unit? I was going to start a shared excel sheet and list dates of meet and greets etc. Try to prevent squadrons from being bombarded with similar emails.

For some context on option A - it is still possible to get picked up at a fighter unit at your age. If it's really your lifelong dream, I wouldn't give up on it yet (provided you have a backup plan as brabus wisely suggested - given your background I don't expect this to be an issue). Also, consider heavies or rotary. You still get to fly awesome airframes and your mission is arguably much more useful to the military overall. I was in a similar boat to you - 90s across the board on AFOQT and PCSM, aero eng background, 6+ years at a reputable engineering company. I didn't even send in my first application until I was 28, kept at it aggressively for two years, and was hired in August 2020 to fly single-seat at the ripe old age of 30. If you want it bad enough and can make a good enough impression in your interview, you just may get what you're after.

Back on topic, COVID shot#2 complete after having COVID over Christmas. Typical symptoms of fever, fatigue, headache, etc, which I also had on shot #1 as well. Made for a crummy few days.

I would consider national healthcare if you are excluded if you can't pass a BMI or standardized fitness test. And someone's ability to vote can result in others being harmed due to poor policy.

Read what you wrote and then try again...

Thank you for explaining that you need an ID to adequately determine someone’s identity.

You could substitute "8" for "4" as well as "Obama" for "Trump" and the statement would be equally accurate. Both the right mainstream media and left mainstream media do it and we're all worse off as a result.

Can’t speak to the fighters, because I’m a fattyboi and pretty damn stoked about it. Flying is fun The first thing is to decide whether it’s more important for you to fly pointies, or fly/serve at all. I get the fighter love; most people want that when they’re growing up and heavies certainly don’t have as much glitz and glamour. That said, having seen behind the curtain in my brief time in, there are a LOT of other airframe considerations (lifestyle, flexibility, $$$$, deployments, travel locations, training, currencies, etc.) that are pertinent once you start looking at the forest through the trees. Only you can decide what’s right, but what I’m getting at is there’s more than just whether you sit in a pointies or heavies seat, so be sure to do your research. A big caveat you should think of or look into about your soul crushing defense contractor job: a good portion of them will pay your salary while you’re away in your training pipeline. That’s a nice bump to your 2LT pittance salary while you’re in the pipeline. Not saying be shady d-bag and take the money when you’re 100% never going back, but you also don’t know what the economy will be by the time you’re spit out at the end of the pipeline. COVID Part II: Electric Bugaloo could have the airlines looking like they have for the last year and you could find yourself without many prospects. So, keeping your foot on the bag at your current job while you’re in the pipeline might not be the worst idea. Especially when you’re getting paid to do so. Either way, as said by others, only you can decide. But, good luck with whatever you choose! It’s an awesome ride!

Exactly. I've had current unit members come in to interview with the "expectation" that the slot is guranteed. Wrong answer

That’s true, they did get an interview. But point is being home unit doesn't give them any amount of leg up in the interview/job offer itself. That’s why age is very important when considering enlistment for the ultimate purpose of getting a UPT slot. Enlist at 18-20, sure...20s post college maybe not. But that’s just an opinion based off how we specifically run our hiring. I know some other units are like us, and I know some are not. I also don’t know even remotely every unit’s stance on this subject. Play accordingly.

Option A: The highest probability for getting a fighter slot, but have a back up plan for life if it doesn’t work out. Option B: Very little chance of flying fighters (age), but if you’re content with serving in a non-flying capacity, go for it. Maybe more chance getting a slot at a heavy unit if that’s where you enlist, but that’s pure conjecture on my part. Option C : Doesn’t hurt to look into it. See if they’re offering OCS pilot slots...I’d rather fly fighters in the Navy/Marines than not fly fighters at all. Option D : You won’t clean up financially for a LONG time. Getting to CFI is expensive and then you make peanuts, then eventually you get hired by a regional...and make peanuts. Then God only knows how many years later you finally make it to a major. So somewhere in your 40s you’ll start making good money, after a decade+ of humping it for probably less pay than your engineering job. Maybe you get hired for UPT as a 30-something and avoid some of this, but are you content with the aforementioned path if UPT doesn’t work out? Also, very unlikely to get a fighter slot going this route (at your age). I can’t tell you what to do, but those are my opinions of the options you laid out.

The song that played 6.9 times at the now-closed Scooters in Altus.

But seriously only you can answer this obviously. How badly do you want fighters? Will you always regret you didn't go for it? 28 is still young. If you will regret not trying then go for it. I'd def stay away from the regional airline route though.

In other words, voting should be less regulated than purchasing firearms...because the results are less consequential?

It just shows the issue is political, that’s all.

This is a good and interesting argument as it exposes hypocrisy on both sides. I’ll use myself as an example. It won’t surprise anyone here that I am an advocate for stricter gun control. I would support mandatory background checks, licensing and training requirements for all gun owners (with a pass on the training requirements given to military and law enforcement personnel). This seems entirely reasonable to me as just handing an AR15 to a completely untrained civilian seems like a recipe for disaster to me. However the argument from gun rights activists is that gun ownership is a right guaranteed by the Constitution and that these restrictions would place an undue check on that right. On the flip side, many conservatives are incredulous that requiring ID should be such an impediment to voting rights. I mean, it’s a small inconvenience of modern life to spend a few hours at the DMV to get a license right? Well, for most of us that’s true, but for a slice of our population it’s not. For example, my grandfather didn’t have a current drivers license for the last ten years of his life. My grandmother never had a driver’s license. She didn’t need it. Could they have gotten an alternate form of ID if needed? Probably, as they had a support network of friends and family that could have helped. But what about people who don’t. The number of people in this country without a current ID and who lack the ability to easily get one is not insignificant and tends to be more black and brown than white. Where in the constitution does it state that you need a valid ID to vote? Of course, it doesn’t and Democrats use the exact same argument as Republicans here: Voter ID laws are an undue check on individuals’ constitutional rights. So what’s the answer? I don’t have a good one. These are thorny issues. But just as conservatives are (constitutionally justifiably) concerned about restrictions on gun rights, so are liberals concerned about people’s most solemn right to vote. Perhaps we’re overdue for a real conversation about adjusting our Constitution to better represent life in the modern world.

Probably because one is purchasing an item that can possibly kill or injure another human being? It is also regulated by federal law, unlike voting. It’s just very interesting that states wanting to require the voting ID requirement are the same states that had an highly contest election this past one. People like Matt Gaetz want voters IDs checked, just not from underaged girls he allegedly banged 😂

Brother, I don’t disagree with any of your points above. I’m in my mid 40s now and fitness and health are a higher priority for me now than ever. I’m going to do everything in my control to be around for my kids, grandkids, and hopefully great grandkids for a long, long time. I’ve seen a parent, in-laws, and many family members and friends suffer later in life for poor health decisions made as they transitioned into middle age. That said, even people who made poor decisions shouldn’t be condemned or abandoned during a global pandemic. What gets me about this whole thing is that people only seem to want to consider themselves when it comes to the decision to wear a mask or get vaccinated. I’m low risk, why should I have to wear a mask? I’m young and healthy, why should I get vaccinated? The reality is that these are really pretty easy things to do that will help prevent negative outcomes for hundreds of thousands of people. I get that this country is about personal freedoms and I like it that way as much as anyone. But just because we all have the right to be selfish pricks doesn’t mean we should. With regards to encouraging people to take charge of their own personal health, I’m curious as to what kinds of policies people would support to this end? Conservatives like to discourage any and all regulation these days but most of us readily accept government restrictions on substances that can harm us. Hard drugs, tobacco, even alcohol are al, restricted or regulated by the government on some level. Why should it be any different with the massive amounts of added sugar and high fructose corn syrup that have found their way into much of the food we eat? At the very least I’d argue that it’s time to end or greatly reduce subsidies to corn farming in our country. E85 and high fructose corn syrup aren’t helping anyone here.

I think the difference is that studies have shown that people of color have worse health outcomes due to COVID than whites. As of 7 March, blacks have COVID death rate of 178 per 100k, compared to 124 for whites. Indigenous, hispanic, and pacific islander all have higher rates than whites as well. While this policy is raced-based, I don't see it as being racist. They have also prioritized groups that are at higher risk like the elderly, immuno-compromised, and health care workers. Is everybody who is black going to be worse off? No, but you make public health policy off of the masses, not the individuals.

Please enlighten me on the point of of someone attributing a quote to someone who didn't say it. I thought it was pretty simple.

You had me convinced until that last sentence. What our society needs more is people who give a half fuck about themselves! With an obesity rate over 40% and increasing rapidly, it doesn't appear a large number of Americans gave a fuck about their own health before COVID hit. These same people who want everyone to wear masks for their benefit are the first ones in line at McDonald's drive thru to get the McRib sandwich when it comes out (too much work to actually get out of their vehicles to get them). It also contradicts your "thinning the herd" argument. Despite most Americans being the unhealthiest individuals in this country's history, our life expectancy has gone up from below 70 in the 1960s to over 78 today. We can credit modern medicine for that accomplishment; with the fringe benefit is the longer people live, the more that industry can profit off them. But I am also not quite sure this extended lifetime equals an extended quality of life. As one who is getting closer to the final quarter of his life (i.e., nearing 60), I realize the decisions I made during the first 75% of it will impact how the last 25% will go, and I accept that. But also knowing that death could unknowingly be minutes away at any time drives me to want to live and enjoy what's left of my life--be it a few more minutes or decade--to the fullest extent possible. As such, I firmly believe it is time to stop letting this pandemic control our lives and we as a nation return to the old "normal" as much as possible. Don't get me wrong, I am all for people voluntarily wearing masks, getting vaccinated, etc. to help end this pandemic; but I don't believe the government has the right to force such measures especially when I constantly see those "high risk" individuals continue with their unhealthy habits on a regular basis (the drive through at Whataburger is always crowded). Oddly, it appears now that some of the restrictions have been lifted in this state, most of those I see in Walmart or other high risk areas not wearing the masks are the obviously highest vulnerable (i.e. older and/or overweight/unhealthy).

We didn’t hire a single home unit person this board (we hired three last time). Not every unit puts a lot of weight into an applicant being a current member. Kicking ass at the interview is what matters most.

It’s even worse than that. A 16 yr old healthy, black person who has almost no risk of dying from COVID gets a shot while a 39 yr old white person who has a high-risk child or parent at home does not. This has nothing to do with risk and everything to do with political pandering. Congrats Gov Scott, now you’re not just an idiot, you’re a racist too.

Royal you

https://nypost.com/2021/04/02/couple-accidentally-paints-over-500000-work-of-art/ In other news, couple accidentally paints 3 'ugly' black splotches over already ugly art worth $500K. I don't know why anyone is pissed, those 3 black splotches clearly make this worth $650K now.

No idea but a 2 second google search before you attribute quotes to folks is pretty simple. Not pro harris in any way.

Hey that just means more flying for you! 🤪

We've already entered a single aircraft UPT world right now with UPT 2.5 By 2025 all the T-1s will (might) be retired and it doesn't seem like the money is there to buy enough T-7s to replace the T-38 in UPT. But if money it no object, I'd prefer UPT maintain a dual track pipeline where future fighter pilots can work on fighter pilot stuff and mobility pilots can practice copying ATIS.

Been doing this long enough now to see the slide from something I dreamed of doing all my life to something that is absolutely unbearable at times. Dad flew for 28 years before me and both of my grandfathers lived into their mid 90s. Both were WW2 vets and I knew them both well. I listened and learned from them and their stories. There’s a reason BO.net has seemingly endless threads with countless pages devoted to the self induced shenanigans of the military/AF. Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure which thread to post my response in. But, it’s the Tucker issue that has my attention so I’m posting here. Ben Shapiro has a really good take on the situation. Once again, he’s spot on. His point, as well as Tucker’s, is that the military has lost focus. The simple question is, what makes the military more lethal and more effective? There’s a reason we have standards. Those standards start at the very beginning of service. It actually starts in the selection process for service in the military and continues on through basic training. Those selection processes are designed to weed out people who are not fit for service. Am I saying that pregnant women should not serve? Of course not. But, I do agree with Tucker and Shapiro when they speak of this loss of focus - or misguided focus of our current military leadership. There’s a shitload of energy that is fired in the wrong direction by military leadership right now. I returned from my 6th deployment to the Middle East exactly 8 days ago. It was another 120 day deployment which is standard for my community. It was my 11th deployment if you consider other parts of the world. This time was much different though. I’m Guard so entitlements and pay matter. We didn’t get our tricare 6 months out. We didn’t get paid on time. We didn’t get hostile fire pay as we should have. The AF had NO consistent plan for dealing with COVID and how that related to getting to the theatre. There was a major battle between our home unit and the deployed wing commander as to who is responsible for the health of our folks and where they quarantine. We ended up quarantined for 2 weeks at an Army base. Other units didn’t have to. I could go on and on. And this was not on our local wing’s level of responsibility. This was absolutely the fault of big AF. Things were no better in theatre. Every mission we flew included issues with flight plans, local services (water, power), local pax services, local aerial port, local trans and the same could be said at EVERY stop we made around the theatre. It was a complete shit show from start to finish. Day after day after day. My point of all of this is not to sport bitch. It’s this. About a month into our deployment, the AF Chief of Staff, CMSgt of the AF and the Sec of the AF came to our base for a visit. I was one of the lucky ones who was invited to hear them speak. I couldn’t wait. I had many questions to ask based on the shit we’d been through leading up to the deployment and in the first month that we’d been there. There were about 5 questions asked that were pre screened. That was it. They spoke for about an hour. Only about 10 minutes of it were them talking about issues related to the theatre, procurement, budgets, manning etc. Nearly their entire speeches consisted of social justice issues. I was struck by the feeling of being preached to by two women and a black four star general about being held back. I really struggled. Everyone did. After a quiet ride back to the squadron we talked about it. I don’t see and have never seen issues that they spoke of. And their success proves we get it right as a whole. I get it. My view from a flying squadron isn’t the end all be all regarding issues in the military. I’m sure my squadron is very different than a ship in the Navy or a barracks full of 19 year old paratroopers in the Army. But, I am getting really tired of fixing big picture problems at the point of execution while being bitched at about things I don’t see my military having problems with. There is a lot of mis-directed energy in the military and our society. I think that was Tucker’s point. And I agree with him.

Showing a picture ID to buy a gun? Absolutely. To vote? No, there are different ways to authenticate one’s self.

If that’s good enough to prove someone’s identity, then why can’t that also be used when purchasing firearm?

Not quite grasping the point here, are you?

Doesn’t one prove they’re a citizen when they register to vote?