Air Force Exercise

 The Air Force came up and kinda admitted that manning for Civil Engineer squadron is hit-and-miss currently.  So they were wondering....if some contingency started up and you had to fill 'billets'....could you take finance, medical and logistical guys....to do runway repair and those war-time functions that Civil Engineer personnel would have done.

I just sat there laughing over this mentality.  Already in WW II, this concept was proven.

But the AF went off and flew around a hundred folks into an exercise to test the idea.

Other than heavy equipment operators....almost all of the wartime functions in Civil Engineering's 'list'.....could be done by marginally qualified people.  You might need two days to explain functions, and safety concepts....but it's simply not rocket science.  

Now....if you stood up and talked about electrical power work, power-production, or heating/AC work....that'd be a different story, and you'd have to have qualified people.  

Schools and Maxing Out

 I attended two schools in my youth.  Regional schools....farm-belt....rural surroundings.  In simple terms....you had pretty average teachers, in some cases....you had sub-standard instructors.

I had the science teacher from 6th grade through the 9th grade....who skipped around with the book and each year....skipped the evolution chapter.  I came to realize the impact of this at age twenty....while attending college (via the Air Force program).

I had an English teacher for the 6th/7th grade period....who wasted Fridays each week telling WW II stories.  If you tested me on the meaning of pronouns or adjectives....I would have failed miserably.

Over a four-year period (6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade) I had four math instructor who were dismal.  I was a straight D student, and it was wasted time.  In the 10th grade, I took a math class where the instructor handed you the book and said advance on your own (testing when you were prepared each week).  I was a straight 'A' student for the remaining three years in math classes.

From the 9th grade on?  I would have been better off if you'd just given me assignments and avoided class-time (home-schooling).  You could have tested me by the end of the 10th grade, and I could have passed any stupid test for graduation.  

Over the years, I've had this opinion that most kids are maxing out by the end of the 8th/9th grade era, and you'd be better off with some technical school or community college situation.  

Thirteen Mental Issues I Expect To Arrive Shortly

1. A least 3,000 Americans proclaiming themselves to be fairies.

2.  Guys to take up wearing Indian war-paint, and telling HR folks that it's part of their Apache tradition.

3.  Women to start wearing strap-on-dildoes and acting manly.

4.  12-year old kids openly smoking cigars.

5.  Fake-but-mentally-ill-Christians starting to carry anti-demon gear, and attempting exorcisms on people.

6.  Attempt to pass legislation to allow under-age marriage down to the age of 12.

7.  People start attempting first-name changes several times a week, and start wearing a name-tag to inform people of what they are to be called today.

8.  At least 10,000 Americans will proclaim that they are unEarthly aliens, and want to be treated as guests of the planet. 

9.  School systems start to agree to halt all math by the end of the 4th grade, deciding that the majority of Americans don't need any beyond that level.  Kids will agree, then ask why English, science, and the remaining subjects be treated the same way.

10.  Some doctors will suggest that sane people living in reality....are mentally disturbed and need to be treated.

11.  College kids begin to speak like Senator Fetterman....making no sense, and professors accept this as normal in grading for presentations.

12.  Several thousand Americans identify as Mrs. Santa Claus (the trans-Claus).

13.  Light intolerance will be proclaimed, with tens of millions of Americans wearing sunglasses all the time....even indoors.  Doctors will be stunned, as there is no science to prove this intolerance.