In case you haven't hear...Joey Crawford

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by GarthB

There are 19 and 20 year olds controlling professional baseball games.

There are 19 and 20 year olds running divisions in the military during a war. I guess war is not as hard as blowing the whistle in a game.

Peace

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

There are 19 and 20 year olds running divisions in the military during a war. I guess war is not as hard as blowing the whistle in a game.

Peace

While I agree with you in principle, this is NOT true. I doubt there are ANY 19/20 year olds running divisions in any military branch since divisions have thousands of soliders and are headed by very senior officiers (generals)...and there are NO 19/20 year old officiers, much less generals.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

While I agree with you in principle, this is NOT true. I doubt there are ANY 19/20 year olds running divisions in any military branch since divisions have thousands of soliders and are headed by very senior officiers (generals)...and there are NO 19/20 year old officiers, much less generals.

Maybe not complete divisions, but in a war, it's not unheard of for an E-4 or E-5 to be thrust into a leadership position due to "attrition."

Also, given that we're putting very effective and deadly ammunition in the hands of 18, 19, and 20 year olds and that the decisions they make with these weapons could potentially have global ramifications; Jeff's point remains valid.

It was the first thing I thought of when the airline pilot reference was made. The ramifications of an airline pilot making a mistake are much larger than a missed call on a basketball court.

[BillyMac]

ORLANDO, Fla., April 9, 2007: AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc., today announced that it supports the FAA's plan to change the mandatory retirement age of commercial airline pilots from 60 to 65. The FAA said that it intends to make the change within the next two years.
AirTran Airways' support mirrors the support for the change by its 1,400 member pilot union, the National Pilots Association (NPA). Recently, the NPA's Board of Directors voted unanimously to endorse changing the law to allow U.S. pilots the opportunity to fly an additional five years.
"AirTran Airways understands that raising the mandatory retirement age for pilots is a positive decision that makes sense for the industry," said Bob Fornaro, president and chief operating officer of AirTran Airways. "Our airline employs well-trained and seasoned professional pilots, and we believe in the great benefits that years of hands-on experience can bring to the job at AirTran Airways."

"The NPA Board of Directors also supports raising the retirement age for pilots to 65, and we are excited that AirTran Airways agrees with the decision," said Capt. Allen Philpot, president of the National Pilots Association. "Provisions need to be put in place now to keep those pilots who satisfy FAA medical standards on the job beyond age 60. It is crucial to keep our most experienced pilots in place just like our international counterparts."

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

ORLANDO, Fla., April 9, 2007: AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc., today announced that it supports the FAA's plan to change the mandatory retirement age of commercial airline pilots from 60 to 65. The FAA said that it intends to make the change within the next two years.
AirTran Airways' support mirrors the support for the change by its 1,400 member pilot union, the National Pilots Association (NPA). Recently, the NPA's Board of Directors voted unanimously to endorse changing the law to allow U.S. pilots the opportunity to fly an additional five years.
"AirTran Airways understands that raising the mandatory retirement age for pilots is a positive decision that makes sense for the industry," said Bob Fornaro, president and chief operating officer of AirTran Airways. "Our airline employs well-trained and seasoned professional pilots, and we believe in the great benefits that years of hands-on experience can bring to the job at AirTran Airways."

"The NPA Board of Directors also supports raising the retirement age for pilots to 65, and we are excited that AirTran Airways agrees with the decision," said Capt. Allen Philpot, president of the National Pilots Association. "Provisions need to be put in place now to keep those pilots who satisfy FAA medical standards on the job beyond age 60. It is crucial to keep our most experienced pilots in place just like our international counterparts."

Thank you, sir! So the current FAA age limit for pilots is 60, which just so happens to be what I recommended for HS basketball officials.

BTW on the lower end of age limits, our federal government has these:
House of Representatives = 25
Senate = 30
President = 35

Now why is that? What about that 34 year-old who could do a better job than anyone else as President, but is prevented from serving? Isn't that unfair?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

While I agree with you in principle, this is NOT true. I doubt there are ANY 19/20 year olds running divisions in any military branch since divisions have thousands of soliders and are headed by very senior officiers (generals)...and there are NO 19/20 year old officiers, much less generals.

If you use just a little common sense, you would realize was speaking in general terms. I was not suggesting that any 19 or 20 year old were running an "actual" military division to the point they were a General or other rank where they answered to the President.

I am sure in some cases there are 21 year olds that are officers after graduating from a military institution or ROTC program that make some pretty heavy decisions that could affect lives. If a person of that age can handle that kind of decision making, I am sure a 21 year old can handle a varsity game, which in many cases is not that big of a deal. All varsity games are not created equally.

Peace

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

If you use just a little common sense, you would realize was speaking in general terms. I was not suggesting that any 19 or 20 year old were running an "actual" military division to the point they were a General or other rank where they answered to the President.

I am sure in some cases there are 21 year olds that are officers after graduating from a military institution or ROTC program that make some pretty heavy decisions that could affect lives. If a person of that age can handle that kind of decision making, I am sure a 21 year old can handle a varsity game, which in many cases is not that big of a deal. All varsity games are not created equally.

Peace

Remember, I agreed with you in principle. If you wouldn't have so dramatically and inaccurately overstated the point, it wouldn't have merited my original reply. How is one to know if you were talking about an "actual" division or a "figurative" division when the context was suggesting the former. 19 and 20 year olds are no where close to even having a conversation with the ones running divisions (groups with 10-15,000 people). They are more likely running platoons or squads (usualy a couple dozen people at most....and mostly 18 year-olds).

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Remember, I agreed with you in principle. If you wouldn't have so dramatically and inaccurately overstated the point, it wouldn't have merited my original reply. How is one to know if you were talking about an "actual" division or a "figurative" division when the context was suggesting the former. 19 and 20 year olds are no where close to even having a conversation with the ones running divisions (groups with 10-15,000 people). They more likely running platoons or squads (usualy a couple dozen people at most....and mostly 18 year-olds).

Whether you agreed with me is not the issue.

The point was that 19 and 20 year olds are capable to handle very serious situations that involve life and death every single day. Calling a varsity game is not life or death. I am not a military expert nor do I have a personal experience in the military as it relates to the overall structure. And considering the multiple people here that are currently in the military did not even address what an "actual division" consisted of, says a lot about the point I was trying to make.

I think officiating is very hard to do very well, but it ain't life or death. Now are you going to evaluate my usage of the word "ain't?”

Peace