Army now accepting recruits with mental health issues. Oh this can't end well.

Courtesy of MSN: 

People with a history of “self-mutilation,” bipolar disorder, depression and drug and alcohol abuse can now seek waivers to join the Army under an unannounced policy enacted in August, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY. 

The decision to open Army recruiting to those with mental health conditions comes as the service faces the challenging goal of recruiting 80,000 new soldiers through September 2018. To meet last year's goal of 69,000, the Army accepted more recruits who fared poorly on aptitude tests, increased the number of waivers granted for marijuana use and offered hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses. 

Expanding the waivers for mental health is possible in part because the Army now has access to more medical information about each potential recruit, Lt. Col. Randy Taylor, an Army spokesman, said in a statement. The Army issued the ban on waivers in 2009 amid an epidemic of suicides among troops. 

But accepting recruits with those mental-health conditions in their past carries risks, according to Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, a psychiatrist who retired from the Army as a colonel in 2010 and is an expert on waivers for military service. People with a history of mental health problems are more likely to have those issues resurface than those who do not, she said. 

“It is a red flag,” she said. “The question is, how much of a red flag is it?”

Oh I would say that it is a big red flag.

Especially considering that when the Bush Administration relaxed enrollment guidelines to allow in recruits with substance abuse issues and some mild mental health issues, it resulted in the Kandahar Massacre and of course the murders in Afghanistan perpetrated by Wasilla's own Jeremy Morlock.

Those men should never have been allowed to don the uniform and yet they were cleared for recruitment and sent overseas into perhaps the most stressful environment on the planet.

And now we are seeing an even further relaxation of the screening process which is supposed to weed out those who cannot handle the challenges of life in the military, and who may end up being a danger to themselves or to others.

Of course how can we really screen out the mentally unfit, when their poster child is currently occupying the White House?

School teachers report from the front lines about what they are seeing in Trump's America.

Courtesy of NPR: 

Previous surveys we've reported on, including one from the Southern Poverty Law Center, also found increases in school bullying related to overheated political rhetoric. 

The UCLA survey, unlike those, relies on a nationally representative sample: 1,535 teachers at schools whose demographics reflect those of U.S. schools as a whole, rather than pulling from self-selecting volunteers. Also, the survey was conducted after President Trump took office. Along with the survey, researchers at the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education and Access conducted 35 follow-up interviews by phone. 

Here are some of the key findings: 

• 79 percent of teachers reported that students have expressed concerns for their well-being or the well-being of their families because of what is in the news. Most commonly mentioned was immigration, but the list also included the much-publicized travel ban, restrictions on LGBTQ rights, threats to the Affordable Care Act and threats to the environment. 
• 51 percent of teachers reported more students experiencing "high levels of stress and anxiety." 
• 44 percent of teachers reported that students' concerns were affecting learning. In interviews, they spoke about students who seemed stressed, distracted and who were contributing less to class discussion for fear of drawing attention to themselves. 
• 41 percent of teachers reported that students were more likely than in previous years to introduce unfounded claims in class discussions, such as from Facebook or talk radio. 
• 27 percent of teachers reported an increase in students making derogatory remarks about other groups during class discussions. This included sexist as well as racist and anti-Muslim comments. 
• 20 percent of teachers reported heightened polarization on campus and incivility in their classrooms. 

These last two figures were higher for teachers at predominantly white schools, says John Rogers, lead author of the report and a professor at UCLA's graduate school of education. He noted that teachers in eight states used the word "emboldened" to describe some white students' increasingly racist and offensive behavior. 

The report is not comprehensive, and there's no easy way to compare its results with those during any previous administration. But it speaks to an ongoing national discussion about civil discourse and civic engagement inside and outside the classroom.

When I say in the headline that teachers are on the "front line" I mean that literally as they are often the ones who first recognize shifts in how young people respond to the mood of a country, or how attitudes are evolving concerning racism, sexism, or tolerance of "the other."

During the Obama Administration it seemed that the country was moving rapidly toward more progressive attitudes, hope for the future, and acceptance of others.

But now with Trump in the White House it appears that we returned to intolerance and divisiveness almost overnight.

The impact of standardized testing in public schools.

This is exactly how it feels to constantly have the threat of losing your job, or having your funding pulled, resting on the performance of a child who for various reasons may not be capable of meeting the testing standards.

Oh, and don't forget kids, school should be fun.

Is the stress from all of the recent bad news starting to get to Bristol Palin?

Courtesy of the Daily Mail:

She has certainly had a rough time of it late. 

And it appears the strain of recent events, including the claims made by her former boyfriend’s sister about her family, have taken their toll on Bristol Palin. 

The Former Dancing With The Stars contestant was spotted at W valet in L.A. yesterday and appeared weary and tense. 

Well I guess one would have to imagine that keeping all of those family secrets hidden, and attempting to put on that "We're the perfect family" facade, would wear just about anybody down.

A year and a half ago I might have felt badly for Bristol, but after what I have seen her mother and her do to the Johnston family I am just all out of sympathy.

Oh by the way for those who have been wondering, you can find a preview of the Mercede Playboy pictorial  here.