Muleshoe Bill SASS #67022

They are maintaining social distancing.... That not bathing thing you know...

Letter Carriers are employees of the Postal Service and not "federal agents" in a legal sense. Carriers are considered federal employees though. A law enforcement officer giving a lawful instruction can direct a letter carrier to "do not go down that street" in an instance where law enforcement has blocked a street off. Law enforcement can direct a carrier to not cross a flooded road crossing etc. Carriers interestingly enough may not give a LEO information about where someone lives, for instance, "Where does Joe Schmoe live?". We can answer a question such as, "Where is 123 Peach Street?" When confronted with a LEO asking for personal information about patrons, our instructions are to notify Management. Management may then instruct us to answer, or they contact Postal Inspectors who then either contact LEOs or come out and conduct their interface with LEO and Carrier. Several years ago a Carrier answered some personal questions from a LEO, about who got mail at that house, what kind of mail and so on. As a result of that event, the USPS removed that Carrier from employment. Under no circumstances may a Carrier answer a question from the general public about where someone lives, or who lives in that house. Nor may we give mail to anyone who drives up and asks for their mail on the street. Some Carriers do, and they if caught, pay the price. Sanctity of the Mail is a serious and real thing.

I was a City letter carrier for 35 years. There is a distinction to be made, there are Rural Carriers and City Carriers. The ways routes for the two crafts are calculated are very different. City Carriers - We do not get to haul back to the post office in inclement weather, we have to keep delivering the mail. Every year several letter carriers die from heat and some get frost bite badly enough to loos fingers, noses ear parts. As Diablo pointed out. The USPS has supervisors trained to go on a route with Carriers and monitor and record every motion, every minute of their day. Each hour is recorded in hundredths or 6 second blocks. You get 2 ten minute breaks a day and a 30 minute lunch calculated from delivery last made at a designated lunch location to the next delivery made. Carriers have been disciplined and fired for extending break or lunch periods. About the only reason a City Carrier can safely leave the route is at the command of a law enforcement person, or the USPS management. If confronted with a tornado immediately near you, you can go seek shelter but you first have to protect the Mail entrusted to you. Now a-days with all the computers, the computer tells supervisors how long the route should take and if the route is under 8 hours, deliveries are added from routes without a scheduled carrier or one that is going to be over in delivery time. This leads to a lot of clusterscrewups. People on routes they have no clue, which street they are on or where mailboxes are, who lives in a house or who has moved. Machines sort nearly 90% of the mail now into delivery sequence and Carriers are on the street 7 to 12 hours a day. I retired 8 years ago and miss my old route and patrons from my last route. Still see some around town and we talk....

But LEOs falling to the floor laughing and giggling like children... is not!

Years ago in Harris County... Booking an innocent suspect... Suspect - " Man I needs to make my call.... " CO. " Wait till we are done" Suspect - " cant wait, I needs to tell my wife I shot her old boyfriend" AO - CO exchange looks and die laughing

This is what really happened.

Trigger Mike, You earned 5 bonus points for this wonderful post. Utah Bob we all understand though may not fully appreciate your hurt of this illness, but you are a wonderful husband and your wife needs your strength. My prayers are with you two each day.

That Copeland guy could not even keep a straight face.

Leatherworkers project Got mine cut out, now have to punch holes and stitch

Stupid is as stupid does

True. It is just one part of it, but one I used to like. Goes back to sitting in MARS stations back in the early 60's. Oh well, I have a nice rig running a graphic equalizer to the speakers. Listen to the world in stereo. Noe all I have to do is get the antenna back up.

Ranges in Texas are considered an essential service. So, you can ship them here and I will make sure they function fine.

Morse code and I are at odds. My tinnitus and hearing loss make it almost impossible to distinguish code at any speed over... ohhh 5 letters a minute. I hear something and then have to decide if it is a buzz, a dit or dah at pitch. Sometimes the frequency of the code is right where my hearing has a huge hole and I miss the sound altogether. SUX. I once considered semaphore on HF, but never could wave two radios for any length of time.

KG5GYL here. Since the fire I have not had my antenna erected or HF station back on the air. The 2 meter rig is up and running. Should maybe sign on tonight and see if anyone is talking