Day 226

I don't know where these people learned how to drive, but their instructors should be strung up by their thumbs over a smoking pit of ten-day old garbage while being forced to listen to country music. I'm sure you've all seen video of local Iraqi's driving down the highway. If not, find a video on YouTube. It's scary. I am a what is called a Fobbit; one who never leaves the FOB, or post. I don't have to put up with the locals driving habits. Those of the American soldier, and civilian contractor, here on the FOB, are enough to give me nightmares. Maybe it is because they all know how poor a driver they are that they do not trust anybody else. People pulling right out in front of you because they looked right, but not left; driving the wrong way on a street, because it's closer; not understanding who has the right of way at a four-way intersection, when we all have stop signs. Hey! When it's your turn to move through the intersection, go! Don't sit there waiting for me just because you never learned when it was your turn. That's right; wave eight or nine other vehicles through. Never mind the five or six vehicles behind you, waiting, not so patiently, so they can travel to their destination. The geniuses of one unit here decided that when driving over a berm, with an extremely top heavy vehicle, the vehicle should be turned so it is at a 45 to 60 degree angle to the berm. Why did they have more than a half dozen roll-overs in a week? They couldn't figure it out. Somebody had to travel with them for a few days to pin-point the problem. Now that they are tackling the berm straight on, there are no roll-overs. I propose a new rule; nobody is allowed behind the wheel of a vehicle if their ACT score is in the single digits. (Is it digits or digit if there is only one?) Maybe this would be better; nobody is allowed behind the wheel of a vehicle until their ACT score climbs out of the single digits? Nope, we're back to digits again. I have it now; nobody is allowed behind the wheel of a vehicle if their ACT score falls below double digits. Ah, I get to use digits and it's even correct, and I don't have to worry about the singularization issue. What was I saying? Oh yeah, drivers. One day soon I will have somebody take a picture of me on each of the two vehicles in my section to post here. On Camp Grafton I drove an electric gator year round and here I sometimes drive a gasoline powered gator. Our other vehicle is a hummer which is not allowed on the roads, outside of the gate. It is a soft top with no doors or air conditioner or additional armor. At least it means we don't have to walk. 124 days left, but who is counting? Me!