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Which is kind of the core problem, IMHO. "Black lives matter" as a concept is really not controversial in any way. Yes, anyone who believes that all humans are individuals and of equal objective value philosophically can confidently agree with that. We might disagree on the degree to which the statement relies on an unproven implication that society inherently values the lives of individuals with a certain skin pigment less than other individuals with a different skin pigment, but that's leading us down a different path of discussion Unfortunately, "Black Lives Matter", the organization and movement is something that is completely different and stands for something that is completely different than the plain English phrase means (as evidenced by their now-deleted "what we believe" webpage. So, just like with a lot of sophistry used in the name of advocacy, not being in support of "Black Lives Matter" (the organization) gets to be weaponized against whomever states it as "racist" (or whatever other word from the deplorables litany one wishes to arm themselves with) by intentionally co-mingling the concept with the org.

There are bad actors who make bad decisions in the judicial system, that have resulted in unequal and unfair treatment, obviously. To distort that to mean the system itself is fundamentally flawed, or that the system is rigged against a particular identity group of people, is not a logical step. Even worse, to declare that the current system is so broken that it has to be torn down and replaced with something more "fair", without being able to specify what exactly is broken with the current system, or what the specifics of that other system that would replace it might be, is a bunch of postmodernist nonsense. BLM isn't at all interested in simply ending police brutality.

There are a ton of charities out there. Recommend checking out charitynavigator.org. It rates a ton of charities from all corners of the “market” and gives you a look behind the curtain on their ops (me personally: if more than 15% of my dollar goes to paychecks, you’re off the list). Even if you’re not religious, churches are a good avenue to learn about local stuff like food banks, shelters, etc. (you don’t have to give directly to a church).

Yes! I have some great information of a place you can stay for free! All you need to do is listen to my "90" minute presentation! Haha JK. But I feel ya man. I hate the snow too. Used to love it but as I got older I realised the cold, the shoveling and wearing a closet of clothes, just wasn't fun.

After pursuing the whole "Guard is the best kept secret" route to earning my wings with no avail for the past year, I bit the bullet and called up the line officer recruiter to put in an app for an OTS pilot slot, reason being is AD is so backed up, rated board in June of 2021, OTS dates not until Summer 2022, UPT probably Fall 2022, I wanted to get that clock started in the background while I continue shot gunning apps to Guard/Reserve units. I told the recruiter I had applied to a couple UPT boards with the guard and he said he can't push my AD application in that case, it has to be one or the other, and essentially if I get picked up at the rated board there's no going back... Anyone have any SA on this, or is he being selfish and not wanting to process paperwork knowing in the back of his mind if I get a guard call first i'll go that route which is 100% the truth and he'll have wasted his time. At the end of the day I'm just trying for a UPT slot, I think my best chance is the guard but I wanted to start the AD thing since it will take a 1.5+ years, but I don't want to screw myself if I were to get a primary slot with a guard unit in the next half year. Thanks in advance

No thanks, I'll take the knife set.

Not that I'm aware of with the fidelity required to be of any value. Most of the checkout and annual re-examination processes rely on actual butt-in-the-seat experience. We are actually somewhat fortunate that in the last 25 years there have been a bunch of fighters that have been modified into 2-seat, dual control versions which allow real hands-on instruction in them. Before that, the traditional method of getting checked out to fly any of the big piston fighters involved a whole bunch of time flying the T-6, and a checkride where you takeoff, fly, and land the T-6 from the back seat. This was apparently supposed to provide such a poor view on takeoff and landing that it simulated the long nose of Mustangs, Corsairs, etc. Even flying the T-6 itself is considered a "harder" airplane to fly than most of the pig piston fighters because of some of its bad habits both in flight and on takeoff/landing. The joke in the warbird community is that to prepare yourself for flying the T-6, go get checked out in a Mustang or a Bearcat. In the larger airplanes, the multiengine stuff, the key is still to have relevant taildragger experience prior to getting checked out....but you still need time in the seat with the engines running to actually get a checkout.

Agree with what brabus said here. We gave most of our first stimulus payment to our local food bank & homeless shelter. It seemed like a good way to help out those who lost jobs & housing while we enjoyed a steady paycheck. Obviously everyone's situation is different but I think money gets where it needs to go more effectively when it's distributed at a local level rather than with the efficiency of the federal government.

Until you sign paperwork accepting your AD rated slot (via OTS), you’re not obligated to shit. Maybe it’s even after that point, but not before (I do know you can turn down an OTS slot if you don’t like the AFSC offered). So do what you want, but I wouldn’t have an issue telling that recruiter you’ve seen the light and are all in for AD (while continuing to apply for guard units). Take the first rated offer that comes your way. Your recruiter sounds like he’s being lazy, like a lot of recruiters.

Highly disagree. Most military qualify (I barely slip in there because of joint filing) but definitely don't "need" it. The Rona has not impacted me financially at all except for what I choose to eat extra from local establishments. A lot of my family, even non-military didn't lose their jobs. Just thinking of way to help.

There's been RegAF interest in an ARC presence at KRCA for years... There is Reserve B-1 crewdog interest in an ARC presence at KRCA for the obvious reasons (Ellsworth is awesome). When I directly asked the previous 307 BW/CC about it 3-ish years ago, he made it sound like it was stuck in HQ AFRC feasibility study purgatory. Concerns over whether the ARC pilot lifestyle was sustainable with folks having to commute somewhere that isn't a hub and has few direct flights a lot of the year. (Also true of KABI, but Dyess is a 2 hour drive from DFW.) Seemed to me like they were underestimating the amount of interest pilots would have. More recently, in the context of B-1 divestiture planning, I've heard someone that goes to those meetings say "We're closer than ever to a Reserve presence at Ellsworth." But all the conversations I've heard make it sounds like it would initially be a detached flight from the Dyess organization.

I think we have to be skeptical of that number based on the evidence that is out there from the investigation. To wit: It isn't outrageous for someone to claim 1,000 hours in a year; I know numerous airline guys who hit this number somewhat regularly. Definitely unusual for a non-military, non-airline guy to be getting that amount of hours, but I wouldn't find it impossible to believe. It is, however, not possible that he flew 5,200 hours in one year. This would mean he was logging 14 hours of flight time per day, every day, for 365 days. And since he reported only 200 hours of time during the "last 6 months" of that year...well, apparently Mac was logging augmented crew time while he was sleeping. But, even that first number has to be taken in perspective of other evidence, like: So, if the B-17 was flying under 300 hours per year total, even if you make the assumption that Mac was flying every single one of those hours (which we know he wasn't - I personally know people who flew 909 during that timeframe, and not with Mac in the seat), where were the other 700-ish hours per year coming from? This would require him to fly *double* the amount of hours he was theoretically getting in the B-17 in some other aircraft on the tour. Remember, Mac was not a professional pilot at any point during his career and Collings was the only flying he was doing. The evidence here shows that there was some amount of "Parker P-51" time going on here. How much? Tough to say...but it could be a substantial amount based on the self-reporting from the FAA medicals. He had to understand that the hour report to the FAA on your medical is an official attestation of your flight experience. I admit, I bought into the Mac mystique too. The way he was spoken about by other pilots, as well as the way he spoke and carried himself, I'd have thought he was some old 'Nam vet, or old fire-bomber pilot, or retired airline guy. I was surprised to learn in this report that he'd only had his multiengine rating since 1999, and that he'd never actually had a professional flying career. The data here, as well as his actions during the emergency, give me many many questions about the authenticity of basically anything said about his credentials or experience.

We have been eating outside, getting to go, and tipping generously because not everyone has the same pay stability that the military provides. I feel like we should help keep our local economies going. Except clovis, let that place burn.

My sister is an RN at Fort Sam. She got the first shot earlier this week. Zero side effects.

Agree. Best thing I did was move my investments far away from USAA. expense ratio fees for most of their accounts are high. Vanguard is money.