Hi Bob,

On Tue 2038-Jul-06 17:32, Bob Klahn (1:124/311) wrote to Richard Webb:

 RW> I've always said that's what school is supposed to be,
 RW> we're preparing citizens to take on the responsibilities of
 RW> citizens.  Even this old fart noncomformist believes that
 RW> there has to be some preparation of young people to perform
 RW> the duties of the citizenry.  ONe of those duties is to
 RW> protect oneself and not wait for some bureaucrat to come
 RW> wipe one's nose every time something happens.

BK>  And to protect the one next to you. As the combat commander said 
BK> in the radio interview last week, you don't fight for the
BK>  country, or the country's values, you fight for the guy to your 
BK> left and the guy to your right.

That's the way I've always seen it.  I'm about the guy next
to me, my neighbor, my coleague on the job, etc.  WHen the
real stuff hits the spinning blade it's at that level, all
the lofty phrases be damned.

BK>  You know what they say, if you're not part of the solution...   
BK> You're a precipitate.

  Yep, and that's what programs such as cert teach
you, be part of the solution .

BK>>  Yep. And that's why obeying the chief's orders is important.  Aside
BK>> from being more experienced, he's also in a position where  he might
BK>> see things you don't.

 RW> OF course, looking at big picture, and a bit removed.  Hard
 RW> to remember not be be gung ho when you've got the mother
 RW> yelling "but my baby's under there."  SOmebody's got to
 RW> keep the clear thinking going on.

BK>  Yeah, it's a lot easier to keep your cool when you are not the  one
BK> thinking, "If I can just get my hands in there I can save  this
BK> kid.".

BK>  Then it all falls down on both of you.

YEp, and that happens a lot in such situations.

BK>>  Not only accomplish the mission, but show others what can be  done.

 RW> YEp, Kathy's already been an example the teacher trots out
 RW> when somebody says "I'm not real able bodied, I'm not sure
 RW> I'm who you want in your program."

BK>  It's so nice to be important, isn't it.

I like the fact the instructor of this course recognizes
this, and would rather not one of us be the example, but ...

BK>>  Time to work on that. Get to it buddy!

 RW> YOu got that right .  I usually forget it and say
 RW> "next time we set up you get to do all this" then when we
 RW> set it up I'm doing the hurry up so we don't have her do it
 RW> from unload to setup by herself.  THink that's this
 RW> weekend's project in the cool of an evening, we'll set her
 RW> in the back of the van and run the stopwatch.  For me it's
 RW> 15 minutes from roll in to on the air.

BK>  I don't know how many times I've put things off on that basis.  I
BK> do know how hard it is to stand back and keep your hands off  while
BK> the trainee is getting his experience.

Yah, well first, we gotta retrieve the tripod and the
antenna that goes on it from my wrecked van which is now at
a junkyard somewhere no doubt.  WE were oon our way between
stop on our weekly errand into the city when we rolled the
van.  I'm still not sure what happened, but i"m typing
sparingly as my right shoulder's bum.  Been icepacking it
most of the day.
That was an adventure, brought an ice pack home from the
hospital with me, and after emptying the water out and going to refill it
from the icemaker figured out that the clasp
thingy takes a lot of pressure to close to hold the ice
cubes inside, and a two handed approach, of which I only had one.  Had to
take my bag of ice over to the preacher's
across the street and ask him to assist me in closing it.
A sighted person might be able to one-hand it, as he could
see when the little pieces were properly lined up, but for a blind man it
was a two-handed job, and that wasn't working
well.  GOing to try it again though here in a few minutes
.


Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+