FourFans

Who needs C2 when you've got mission type orders?

Your upper-middle-class-first-world is showing. I'm guessing you haven't missed a meal or wondered where your next rent payment will come from in quite some time. I would estimate that a high percentage of working class America needs that money, as they live paycheck to paycheck, so if they can physically make it to work, they're going, no matter how bad they feel, because they need to get paid. You strongly appear to view the world through filthy_liar shaded glasses, through which everyone can and should make decisions and understand the world the way you do. Assuming you are, indeed, an upper-middle-class, non-blue collar, or even retired individual, as the tenor of your posts would indicate, your economic and social status make you vastly the minority in the US and the world. I recommend some travel.

So, a C-130?

I'll bet every time he speaks on live TV, that sign language chick thinks it'll be her last day, and just GOES for it.

Dude, I can tell over the internet that you are the asshat that gets routinely slapped in the squadron bar, regardless of how right or wrong you are.

That there is table built by a loadmaster so the tactics officer has a place to work at his computer...which then becomes an icon for the squadron. In part because it's awesome, in part because it's resting on the one pelican case that actually holds secrets...which each tactics chief has realized, to his own peril, and then ignored, until that fact is lost to the annuls of afghan lore. But seriously, don't forget to sign this certificate that you flew this flag. It's the 5th time, and it needs to be signed...

Dude. This is why I like you.

Um, no...and I never said I would. There's a boomer in the crowd that seems to think the world doesn't touch our daily life, so I gave him a daily life example.

Let me back it down a bit. On religion, I'm not attacking, simply pointing out that from my point of view he seems incoherent in his views and actions. That's across the board, and includes what I can tell of his religious beliefs, which are deeply personal. Fini on that topic. As to the politics, so I understand you clearly. You like what he's done with the economy, the border, energy, international relations, pandemic mandates, crime, LGTBQ and social equity meltdown, gun laws, and his own personal conduct (rolling together all the classified documents, his son's illegal affairs, etc). You're saying this is the man you wanted and you're happy with the job he's doing? Am I hearing that correctly?

Let me boil this down. Russia, Ukraine, and Europe DO impact your life. You not realizing that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Apparently I don't have the right verbiage to explain the 'how' in a way that you'll choose to hear, but let me put it this way: If you drink coffee, wear clothes, drive a car, or use the internet, those countries impact your life. Ignorance is not an excuse and it's certainly not a defense.

Kinda my point. The religion thing, without knowing any details, connects correctly with all the rest of the datapoints. I don't think this guy has done anything with sincere belief or true, unabashed good intention for a long while. I think he's abusing religion to try and rehab his image somewhat...and it's failing. So, you're willing to admit all the rest of his faults, recognize his overt lying and complete lack of integrity, yet dismiss the religion datapoint on...religious grounds?...as some one who yourself admittedly doesn't believe said religion? Interesting stance.

I'll disagree. The core of the problem here is that our president claims a personal belief that, in practice he so shuns that some practitioners of that believe system refuse to include him. Imagine a pilot you fly with that claims to be a good pilot, but is in fact entirely dangerous, and you refuse to fly with him. Personal preferences aside: It speaks strongly of our president's character, or lack thereof. He plays a key role in running our country and setting policy. What he does in private AND public flows from the same set of life rules, coherent or not. I'm pretty sure we should all give at least a little notice to his character.

Nope. When actions don't meet words, the actions tell the truth. When that happens a lot, we call those people politicians. National figures have been abusing religion to try and gain support since the beginning of time. Because we've been told what the absolute truth is (we ultimately are judged by God, and go to heaven and the new earth, or hell. If we've not established a personal relationship with Christ Jesus and accepted his salvation, we go to hell...which I'm guessing looks a lot like earth without God). Most people just don't want to accept that when they hear it because it's uncomfortable, truly incomprehensible (he's a God who exists in what to us seems like paradox), and exposes that ultimate of truths: We are not in control. Now,

I said what I said...and that's a large part of why I'm leaving the AF

...from a completely different perspective: I punched from AD at 17 years and am about to finish my 3rd good year in the AFRC. I AM NOT GOING ON ORDERS. I just rolled into year two at my major airline, and you would have to throw 7-figures+ a year at me to get me to go active for 3 more years. The BS level is simply not worth it, and the arithmetic is a wash on that active retirement.

You sure he wasn't in the Air Force?

We have many complete idiots in our country. We also have many not-complete idiots that actually trust government agencies not to lie to us or entrap us because they are naive, and often actively ignorant. In aviation, these individuals are commonly referred to as navigators. Everything you said is correct and, assuming gun owners self-educate and apply a little common sense. Those who choose NOT to be smart are the ones who will self incriminate, thereby ending up on a defacto gun registry and THEN start complaining about their rights. Lowest common denominator with shoot us all in the foot.

M2, you explore some truly unique corners of the internet.

Short answer: When this becomes law, SBR owners are required to register them. The process requires ATF approval, if they deny your request (btw if background checks take longer than 88 days, they are automatically denied), they now know that you have an SBR, that was not approved, making you a violator of federal law. In short, the ATF is trying to get owners to self incriminate before they know if they're approved to own the SBR that they already own. A federal administration having a list of approved and disapproved SBRs is, by definition, a registry. I doubt that's intentional, but it's an easy to see second order effect that shows they didn't think about this at all before implementing...soooooo....par for the course with this administration

Get the 'terp in here. I don't speak baguette. A: Epstein didn't kill himself B: Vaccines weren't magically available on time Does that mean that the plague was unleashed on the world and on a specific timelime? NO. No. Does it mean that a lot of self-minded organizations might have decided they could serve their own self-interests by acting together at very much the same time? Not out of the realm of possibility. ESPECIALLY considering the fact that the 2nd order effects hit them all differently. Everyone wants to hit the pop-up double. Not everyone it ready to score, and some people sacrifice a runner to log those two scores. There is no NWO or some WEF plot. It's really a bunch of back stabbers who want to profit in their own short term game. If you think some WEF James Bond villain can ACTUALLY CHANGE 'THE MARKET" then, why on earth do you continue to support that faction in your buying amazon, etc. ...

Most of us are trained to go-around in the event of a bus full of nuns or somesuch religious fanatics. Different rules in AC world. I like it.

Didn't know you were at American. WTF is going on in your house bro. After listening to the tapes that that JFK business doesn't looks so good.

Getting back to COVID.... Yes, we knew those things...because those are the things that viruses do, and we've known it for a very long time. Viruses are higher risk to those with pre-existing conditions...like being fat, old, or having respiratory or cardiac issues. Viruses attack children with less virulence because they have hormonal help from a developing and raging immune system. Viruses spread very fast indoors because of personal proximity and a more 'survivable' environment for the virus vs outdoors. This is nothing new. COVID acted like a VIRUS because it's a VIRUS...regardless of the fact that it was almost certainly a lab developed one: https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/report_an_analysis_of_the_origins_of_covid-19_102722.pdf That report is 26 pages long. Read it. WE as a country, and damn near as a species, acted like complete morons by letting politicians, unelected bureaucrats, and ignorant big-tech influencers...all with political agendas...to dictate the response to the virus. Yes it was man-made. Yes it was a nasty virus. But where was the call for healthy living? Where was the call to lower obesity? Where was the call to increase simple things (vitamins C, D/exercise/sunshine) that boost immune systems? Those things don't make money, and don't consolidate power. Lockdowns, mandates, 'emergency new...*insert miscellaneous vaccines/masks/ventilators/etc)' do. What started as a 'public health response' turned into a play for power at multiple levels within weeks. Hell, in China, it's still going on. It's in the playbook: "Never let a crisis go to waste." And politicians and bureaucrats certainly didn't. You think Fauci, or any other "I defeated covid" warriors will every have to worry about money or influence again? They'll be on the book/interview circuit indefinitely. Hopefully some of those interviews include congressional hearings. COVID is a virus. We should have treated it like virus. The panic surrounding it was completely unnecessary. Perhaps this is really a failure of public education. Apparently we all forgot basics like: live healthy and you get sick less. We could have treated it like any other virus, done the distancing, PROPERLY develop a vaccine, keep the economy open, protect the seriously at risk, properly address and punish those that introduced it to the world through unfiltered arrogance, and carry on. Instead we killed untold numbers with depression/suicide, and induced an entire generation to still to-be-discovered mental health issues. Again: https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/report_an_analysis_of_the_origins_of_covid-19_102722.pdf Read it. Those with common sense coupled to critical thinking knew most of this right out the gate. Unfortunately our leadership apparently doesn't possess those traits.

On USAF crews, anyone can say Reject and it's to be honored. I've had a flight doc call it, in fact, because he dropped his coke. He was banned from being on headset in our squadron after that. However, I'll take that over the 121 world where only the 64 year old captain who needs readers to see the instruments correctly can call it. I'm with you. I would call it if needed and take my lashes rather than try to amplify what I'm seeing and hope the CA agrees. It all depends on the situation. I've had several captains at my current company affirm that course of action too.