Election Year or Fear!

[Trickytreesreds]

Link doesn’t work but I can probably guess the tone given the source.

The point surely is, he’s now - regrettably - the leader of the U.S. He’s supposed to act responsibly and with dignity and empathy at times like this.
A less dignified response I cannot imagine and a less responsible one, which is already in danger of prejudicing the inquiry, is also hard to imagine.
There are many examples of people making claims with zero evidence on here and elsewhere. We don’t need the leader of the ‘free world’ to join in.

of course it works, but seeing as you are being you.
Andrew Brigida, 35, scored 100 per cent in his training exam but claims he was denied a position in an air traffic control tower because the recruitment process of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) favoured diverse candidates.

He is part of a class action lawsuit filed against the federal agency.

Speaking after the disaster that killed 67 people, Mr Brigida claimed that years of diversity hiring meant it was only a matter of time before an accident happened.

“You want to hire the best and the brightest for this kind of job because it is a very stressful job and it can take a toll on you, age you prematurely,” he told The Telegraph.

“You want to make sure that the people that are doing it are the best.”
Mr Brigida graduated from Arizona State University’s collegiate training initiative in 2013 – a partnership program with the FAA that was previously used to train and select the most qualified applicants.

After scoring top marks in his air traffic control selection and training examination, he was placed on a preferred candidate list, until the FAA changed the rules.

Under the Obama administration, the regulator replaced a skills-based test with a biographical questionnaire to attract more diverse applicants.

When Mr Brigida tried again to become an air traffic controller under the new tests, he said he failed the biographical questionnaire because he “didn’t fit the preferred ethnic profile”.
American Airlines flight 5342 in Washington on the FAA’s recruitment policies.

Mr Trump said he candidates with “severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities” had been hired as air traffic controllers.

Mr Brigida said previous administrations were to blame for the air traffic control staffing crisis because they “got too comfortable because there has not been an incident in a long time”.

He said: “There have been plenty of stories of near miss events that have been the cause of staffing issues, it’s surprising that it’s gone on this long without being properly recognised by the government.”

In November 2019, attorneys for Mountain States Legal Foundation sought class action status in a lawsuit for more than 2,500 aspiring air traffic controllers who they say were harmed by the FAA’s racially discriminatory hiring policies.

They argue that the Obama administration endangered public safety by prioritising racial politics and owes compensation for the “grave injustice”.

The FAA and the US transport department are contesting the lawsuit.
With the case expected to go to court early next year with 900 claimants, Will Trachman, the lead counsel, said Joe Biden tried to sweep the diversity scandal “under the rug”.

“This started under Obama but it’s the Biden administration that tried to sweep it under the rug and assert attorney-client privilege over 14,000 documents and has been trying to oppose and dismiss this case,” Mr Trachman said.

“It’s one thing to do it but the Biden administration refused to recognise the error of the FAA’s ways and so they dug in and, in fact, tried to go bigger on diversity measures.”

[Trickytreesreds]

Lets not forget, the RAF did it here in 2022 and got caught with their pants down, rigging the entry level, to satisfy targets.

The Royal Air Force has for the first time admitted "mistakes were made" with its recruitment practices following a slew of allegations that the service prioritised ethnic minority and female candidates over white men to hit "impossible" diversity targets.

In the latest revelation, a leaked email exposed concern about how an IT recruitment system that ranks candidates on merit would be "problematic" for the RAF and have "huge implications" on how the air force hits its ethnic minority and female targets.

The internal message, dated 9 April 2021, also claimed that the top recruitment priority for Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the RAF, was ethnic minorities and women.

Written by an officer in the recruitment branch, the email discussed how the Royal Navy was developing a "scoring matrix" as part of a new IT system to rank recruits according to ability.

It said the RAF could "certainly use it on occasion".

But the flight lieutenant wrote: "I still hold the view that moving to a merit-based sift using scores achieved from assessments for candidates would be problematic for the RAF with huge implications on how we do things to achieve our targets."

Responding to questions about the leaked email and following weeks of wider allegations about concerns over the certain RAF recruitment actions and their legality, an RAF spokesperson issued a new statement on Monday evening.

"The RAF is constantly reviewing its recruiting practices, including the introduction earlier this year of the new Recruiting IT System, to improve the diversity of its workforce," the spokesperson said.

"While overall standards did not drop, in hindsight we accept that despite the best of intentions, some mistakes were made.

"The RAF is now confident that our approach is correct however we are investigating some processes and decisions taken in the past. It would be inappropriate to comment further while this is ongoing."

The spokesperson was unable to say at this time what the specific mistakes had been, noting that an inquiry was launched by the Ministry of Defence earlier this month following the resignation of the head of RAF recruitment in August.

The group captain resigned - as revealed by Sky News - because she had refused to implement what she believed to be an "unlawful" order to prioritise the selection of ethnic minorities and women over white men for training courses.

The latest leaked email was first revealed by former RAF fast jet pilot Tim Davies on his YouTube channel.

"Just get this straight," Mr Davies said in the video posted on Sunday.

"If they select based on merit that's going to be a problem for the Royal Air Force because they have targets they need to achieve.

"More officers in the service, honestly think about challenging this! I don't know why I'm doing this work for you guys. I'm not even in the service right now. It's embarrassing."

Asked about the authenticity of the email, Mr Davies told Sky News that he believed it to be authentic.

Read more:
Meeting on RAF diversity claims dismissed as 'whitewash'
'No drop in standards' amid diversity row, head of RAF says
Head of the RAF says he will address 'legitimate questions' over diversity and harassment 'as a priority'

Howard Wheeldon, a well-regarded defence analyst, called the revelations "utterly shocking".

"Make no mistake, this is not an issue that can easily be swept under the carpet because it impacts not only on those seeking to join the RAF but on all those who are within the service today and on where it could ultimately impact on their personal progress and potential promotion in the future," he wrote in a blog post on Monday.

"We can I am sure all agree that policies of diversity and inclusion are important and that they should, where practical and sensible, play a part in promoting a more diverse range of people into the military. But in the military, this must never be done at the expense and importance of merit being seen as the primary objective for excellence and advancement."

Air Chief Marshal Wigston has previously defended his service's recruitment practices.

"We continue to recruit people based on merit," the chief of the air staff said in early September. "We will always pursue a more diverse RAF in ways that are fair, and there is rightly a healthy debate inside the Royal Air Force about the best way to tackle this."

An RAF source said recruitment, in general, is always a top priority for the service, not just for ethnic minorities and women.

[Trickytreesreds]

I agree quotas are not a good thing. In my career I've never known someone employed because it enabled someone to hit a quota.

I have however been witness to discrimination based on ***, disability and race.

With zero evidence to furnish, I would be still willing to bet that there is still far more discrimination when it comes to the workplace than satisfying quotas.

and I would agree with you on that.
But I won't agree on anyone, placing a lesser qualified person in a high risk role, like air traffick control/ flying a Euro fighter just meet quotas, to satisfy equality cry babies.

[ramAnag]

I apologise. When I first clicked on the link it didn’t work. Just tried again and it did.
For the record I’m not a fan of positive discrimination and never have been however this was not the time for the POTUS to start making such politicised claims especially seeing as first impressions (nothing more) would attribute this horrible accident to the twin possibilities of pilot error and a momentary (?) shortage of air traffic control staff.

[Andy_Faber]

there is more than a kernel of truth in the observation that affirmative action re DEI isn't a sound policy for all jobs. If it's for flipping burgers then no worries

Tell that to the fellah on the breadline who falls outside Burgerflipper PLC's DEI parameters

The Rooney rule was doomed from the start, the owners no doubt pay lip service but ultimately won't suffer having to appoint a second rater at the heart of their billion pound investments for the sake of DEI (although they make enough mistakes on other criteria)

[swaledale]

of course it works, but seeing as you are being you.
Andrew Brigida, 35, scored 100 per cent in his training exam but claims he was denied a position in an air traffic control tower because the recruitment process of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) favoured diverse candidates.

He is part of a class action lawsuit filed against the federal agency.

Speaking after the disaster that killed 67 people, Mr Brigida claimed that years of diversity hiring meant it was only a matter of time before an accident happened.

“You want to hire the best and the brightest for this kind of job because it is a very stressful job and it can take a toll on you, age you prematurely,” he told The Telegraph.

“You want to make sure that the people that are doing it are the best.”
Mr Brigida graduated from Arizona State University’s collegiate training initiative in 2013 – a partnership program with the FAA that was previously used to train and select the most qualified applicants.

After scoring top marks in his air traffic control selection and training examination, he was placed on a preferred candidate list, until the FAA changed the rules.

Under the Obama administration, the regulator replaced a skills-based test with a biographical questionnaire to attract more diverse applicants.

When Mr Brigida tried again to become an air traffic controller under the new tests, he said he failed the biographical questionnaire because he “didn’t fit the preferred ethnic profile”.
American Airlines flight 5342 in Washington on the FAA’s recruitment policies.

Mr Trump said he candidates with “severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities” had been hired as air traffic controllers.

Mr Brigida said previous administrations were to blame for the air traffic control staffing crisis because they “got too comfortable because there has not been an incident in a long time”.

He said: “There have been plenty of stories of near miss events that have been the cause of staffing issues, it’s surprising that it’s gone on this long without being properly recognised by the government.”

In November 2019, attorneys for Mountain States Legal Foundation sought class action status in a lawsuit for more than 2,500 aspiring air traffic controllers who they say were harmed by the FAA’s racially discriminatory hiring policies.

They argue that the Obama administration endangered public safety by prioritising racial politics and owes compensation for the “grave injustice”.

The FAA and the US transport department are contesting the lawsuit.
With the case expected to go to court early next year with 900 claimants, Will Trachman, the lead counsel, said Joe Biden tried to sweep the diversity scandal “under the rug”.

“This started under Obama but it’s the Biden administration that tried to sweep it under the rug and assert attorney-client privilege over 14,000 documents and has been trying to oppose and dismiss this case,” Mr Trachman said.

“It’s one thing to do it but the Biden administration refused to recognise the error of the FAA’s ways and so they dug in and, in fact, tried to go bigger on diversity measures.”

Interesting that you accept without question this BS. So I thought I'd have a chat with a guy I know who works in aviation in the US.

Unsurprisingly, he confirmed these claims and the majority of what you have posted above is not correct! For the record the diversity programme in no way involved the selection tests for the candidates being lowered.

He does agree that the FAA have had issues with recruitment and indeed problems with aging equipment and organisation, however, the Republicans and others have used these to criticise the diversity programme, making unfounded claims that this is the problem. In reality of course it isn't, but hey why focus on the actual issue that is, when one can pander to the prejudices and ignorance of those who believe such BS?

So we have a familiar right wing play book here, seen being used by Republicans and the Tories and indeed Reform to attack a policy that they think will stir up their "base" and use an issue, which does require attention to do this.

I mean lets think, oh knife crime, child abuse, general crime, lack of housing, lack of jobs all valid issues but used irresponsibly and inaccurately to attack immigration. As always the truth and the facts are bent to fit a particular agenda that old adage, include enough truth to make it believable then spin it and the gullible will jump on it as it fits their bias.

So its not surprising to see you spout such nonsense, demonstrating that as always you are incapable of independent thought, that you swallow and parrot the BS put out by these right wing grifters who have no interest in the truth. , or indeed in improving matters, but are focussed solely on whipping up ill judged comments from idiots like yourself.

Even for someone as dim as you repeatedly demonstrated on here, it must be obvious that Trump, if he wanted to ensure that whatever the cause of this accident was properly investigated and reported and was acting as a responsible leader would not have made such unsubstantiated statements, but would use his position and power to ensure there was a thorough investigation and the facts reported.

Instead he has thrown out random comments, in a deliberate act to put this thought that it was diversity that caused the crash. Knowing full well that the dumb and ignorant, will swallow this and not accept that any other factor could ahve been the cause. As Right Wing populists know, many people will accept and repeat, as you have done, theories and falsehoods that suit their own prejudices, in place of facts.

I can only conclude that you are a sad deluded individual.

[swaledale]

Tell that to the fellah on the breadline who falls outside Burgerflipper PLC's DEI parameters

The Rooney rule was doomed from the start, the owners no doubt pay lip service but ultimately won't suffer having to appoint a second rater at the heart of their billion pound investments for the sake of DEI (although they make enough mistakes on other criteria)

The only problem with this, is that Diversity programmes don't as a rule involve appointing second raters, but hey who am I to question your jaundiced view of the world? No doubt you will have anecdotal "evidence" to the contrary, but I'm sure your bright enough to know that this doesn't prove anything.

Obviously as with anything involving human beings, there can be flaws, mistakes and indeed misguided handling of issues. But this doesn't negate the importance of combating the natural bias which does occur. Its a fact that people tend to recruit in their own likeness.

I've seen at first hand how over zealous equality and indeed health and safety issues can be negative, but in the majority of cases I've seen only positive effects.

My anecdotal evidence suggests that whilst I have lost out on jobs to a woman, it has always been the case that they had equal qualifications for the job. I could have quibbled about experience and about aptitude of the successful candidate, I could also do that about male candidates who were chosen over me. In reality, one feels upset at losing out in any situation and its natural to look for reasons that explains that and diversity is an easy hit. One just hopes people have the maturity and self awareness to not use that.

But I guess if the perspective is one of women, people of other ethnic backgrounds or those who are disabled should not be encouraged to have careers and the barriers to doing that be removed, then one will never agree.

Oh and why should it be just a fella that misses out?

[ramAnag]

Interesting that you accept without question this BS. So I thought I'd have a chat with a guy I know who works in aviation in the US.

Unsurprisingly, he confirmed these claims and the majority of what you have posted above is not correct! For the record the diversity programme in no way involved the selection tests for the candidates being lowered.

He does agree that the FAA have had issues with recruitment and indeed problems with aging equipment and organisation, however, the Republicans and others have used these to criticise the diversity programme, making unfounded claims that this is the problem. In reality of course it isn't, but hey why focus on the actual issue that is, when one can pander to the prejudices and ignorance of those who believe such BS?

So we have a familiar right wing play book here, seen being used by Republicans and the Tories and indeed Reform to attack a policy that they think will stir up their "base" and use an issue, which does require attention to do this.

I mean lets think, oh knife crime, child abuse, general crime, lack of housing, lack of jobs all valid issues but used irresponsibly and inaccurately to attack immigration. As always the truth and the facts are bent to fit a particular agenda that old adage, include enough truth to make it believable then spin it and the gullible will jump on it as it fits their bias.

So its not surprising to see you spout such nonsense, demonstrating that as always you are incapable of independent thought, that you swallow and parrot the BS put out by these right wing grifters who have no interest in the truth. , or indeed in improving matters, but are focussed solely on whipping up ill judged comments from idiots like yourself.

Even for someone as dim as you repeatedly demonstrated on here, it must be obvious that Trump, if he wanted to ensure that whatever the cause of this accident was properly investigated and reported and was acting as a responsible leader would not have made such unsubstantiated statements, but would use his position and power to ensure there was a thorough investigation and the facts reported.

Instead he has thrown out random comments, in a deliberate act to put this thought that it was diversity that caused the crash. Knowing full well that the dumb and ignorant, will swallow this and not accept that any other factor could ahve been the cause. As Right Wing populists know, many people will accept and repeat, as you have done, theories and falsehoods that suit their own prejudices, in place of facts.

I can only conclude that you are a sad deluded individual.

Fancy quoting someone who actually knows and has experience, Swale. You know what the populist Right, and Michael Gove in particular, had to say about experts. Tricky and delightful Donald always know best.

[SithHappens]

I said before I think people are more likely to be overlooked for a job because of their race, religion , *** or disability, even if they are the best person for the job. BUT, let's assume someone offers a role to someone to meet a quota, I genuinely believe that no one is going to make that offer and compromise safety, or put someone in a dangerous position.

It's just not going to happen.

[MadAmster]

Post #2557. Totally unbelievable. Someone getting hired above Swale? Never happened

Post #2551, an independent view on the content. The guy feels a less qualified person got a job he believes he should have got and, it seems, the person who got the job wasn't a white Caucasian male. There is a court case going on. We, not even you TTR, know what the outcome of the case will be. Is he right in his accusation or is he wrong? As yet, we do not know, do we TTR?

The chopper/plane crash. People, Trump for one and, if I'm correct in understanding why the Brigida case was brought up, TTR seem to think air traffic control made a mistake. We don't know that they did. Even accepting that there was just the one ATC'er present when there should have been two, does not automatically mean that the ATC'er present made a mistake. Wouldn't it be much wiser to wait for the results of the investigation before pointing a finger?