Driver's License Story

 One of the odd things about this Texas shooter.....he had no driver's license.  At age 18, you'd expect that.

For the first 15 years I was in the Air Force.....I had one single co-worker who had no license....a guy named Mike from Baltimore.

Mike was unique.  After a month of working with the guy....I came to realize Mike wasn't that bright, and probably more of a 13-year old kid than 19 years old.

About six months after arriving at the base (McChord, far NW of the US)....Mike wanted to take leave (going back to visit Baltimore for four weeks).   About four days before leaving....Mike said he didn't have much cash (he wasn't going to fly back....he was going via Trailways).  So we passed the hat in the shop and handed Mike around $150....enough for a R/T bus-ticket in those days.

Mike left and on day thirty...he failed to show up.  Day thirty-one.....our boss called Mike at the number he left, and his momma said he wasn't coming back.  

The next day, our First Sgt called Mike and spelled out the routine....but Mike was pretty blunt....no return.

They sent the cops there, and had someone from the unit fly into Baltimore....pick him up and bring him back.  He spent 30 days in the base jail, lost a stripe, and then told to just hang out for the remaining 2.5 years.  

After Mike....I was in my final three years before coming across five individuals (all coming into service around 1996-1997).....with no license.  

Excuse?  They didn't need it.

After retirement, from 2000 to 2009.....I worked around another five or six individuals with the same issue.  

It's one of those odd things you came to notice from the 1990s on....people were finishing high school without a license, and didn't care.  

AR-15/M-16 Chatter

 Years ago on the Air Force gun range....we had Sarge (the trainer) to get the question about the difference of the M-16 (we were shooting that day with it) and the AR-15.  He had a AR-15, which he could demonstrate.

So Sarge laid the two weapons down, and there were basically three basic differences: different trigger/hammer, different disconnector, and a safety modification. The safety?  On the civilianized version.....there was safe/single shot.  The military version had safe/single shot/3-shots/full-automatic.

Beyond that....it was the same weapon.  

And then came the shocker on history....the AR-15 was developed and ready in the early-1950s. It would be almost ten years later before the military reached a level of accepting the military version (M-16).

This led to a ten-minute sequence of Q-and-A, 

The ammo clip?  You can go back to the 1880s/1890s and view various developments between the French and Germans.  The box-magazine?  Already around in the 1888 period (British development).

So there was a open discussion then over weapons and maturity.  Sarge brought up a point, which has stuck to my mind over the years.  The services don't let you out of boot-camp unless you can show some maturity over handling a weapon.  If you go out to the Air Force or Navy gun-range in basic.....they spend a good amount of time talking over handling and behavior.  

During my day at basic training and the gun range.....somewhere down the line in another group.....some idiot went into some behavior like you'd expect a 7-year old kid.   Gun-handling?  He lost it....with the instructor grabbing his weapon before he did stupid crap.

Among gun instructors....they all have some story like that from basic training and note that if you act this way.....they won't have you on the range, and you are finished with boot-camp.  

If you asked most folks of today....attending military boot-camp, I would take a guess that more than 50-percent have never handled a weapon in their life.  

Observations

 1.  Beto O'Rourke showing up at the school shooting press conference.  It was a poorly thought-out moment, with parents in attendance.  His electability?  I'd say at this point....he's wrapped up in politics and should just concentrate on a mayor's job somewhere.  

2.  Key element of the shooting?  Empathy missing.  It's just an odd factor, from across the globe....almost all of the shooting (like 99.9-percent) are male-driven.  If females kill anyone....it's typically a one-on-one situation and they know the person they have intent upon killing.

3.  What's it really mean for 'known to the police'?  Well....someone called the police and they came out to interview you in a blunt fashion.  They typically write a report.  Maybe forty years ago....it'd be used to build a case for some real jail-time.  Today, you have have forty reports existing, with zero jail-time.  Reporters like to hype this angle of a story.

4.  I noticed some Senators have asked President Biden to turn over internal documents on this new Disinformation Board/Truth Commission.  I doubt that he will comply on this.

5.  After the primary in Georgia this week, Stacey Abrams noted that voter suppression still exists.