A few decades ago I was captain of my company's private fire department for 11 years. We had to go to the Phoenix Fire Academy (and once Luke AFB's Fire Academy) for state certification in structural fire fighting and Hazmat Response, each once a year.
One of my firefighters was from the company security team, and a former US Marine. He was an extremely intelligent and incredibly fit individual. While at an academy training session, he put the rest of us fat old men to shame physically, and really impressed the Phoenix Battalion Chief instructors with his skill & decision making. Myself and this young man were invited to dinner that night by the instructors, they said they would love to have him on the Phoenix department, but that it could never be. He asked why, and they told him in no uncertain terms that he was white, blonde, blue-eyed, straight, self-supporting, and hard working. It was not they way they wanted it, but it was mandated by the city and EEOC.
Being the man he was, he took that as a challenge. He began college level schooling at night, and when the next testing session took place, he applied and was tested.
He was they only person ever to score 100% on the written, the physical, and the oral testing in the history of the Phoenix Fire Department.
He did not get hired. He applied and tested for seven years straight, and did not get hired.
He finally gave up and left the state, and I lost track of him.
The battalion chiefs told me that they had to accept "candidates" with an aggregate score of 35 points, out of a possible 300, because EEOC said so.
They city wasted millions (of my tax money) hiring people who would not qualify as garbage men, let alone firefighters.
Tell me that is not racism. (comment removed, don't want to get banned)
And don't try to tell me the department was racist- at that time, they had a dozen minority Captains, (including two women) a black Battalion Chief, and scores of minority fire fighters, long before EEOC came along. I worked with many of them on drills & pre-planning at the plant.
Another liberal, left wing idea that has worked out just great.
