Michael Plevin
Something that I wanted to bring attention to was the continued mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic by the Trump administration and broader sections of the US government on the whole. As I'm sure many other people find themselves doing during this time is checking the news and social media more often for the simple fact that it is something to do and as I'm sure everyone doing that has noticed the news cycle is replete with examples of governmental mismanagement. An example that I wan't to draw attention to as evidence of a broader trend is the mismanagement and cover up thereof of the COVID-19 pandemic within the military. The idea of the military covering stuff up shouldn't be surprising to anybody, however, what I would like to draw attention to is the fact that the military is prioritizing projection of power over actual power and the safety of our enlisted men and women. The above meme is about the firing of Brett Crozier captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt over a letter he sent to his superiors over their orders to remain in active readiness despite the outbreak of the pandemic about the aircraft carrier under his command. As any student of history should know outbreaks of pandemics aboard ships are frequent and do to the lack of space and generally lower levels of sanitation are often deadly. Because Captain Crozier spoke out about this fact and petitioned for at least some of his 2,000 sailors to be let ashore while they are docked at Guam so as to enable proper quarantine procedures and the subsequent leakage of his letter to the press he was fired by the Navy, essentially, for implying that there was a problem at all. as can be seen from countless videos on social media his sailors understood the Navy's actions, however, they and their families were grateful for the actions of their captain in putting their safety above all other concerns and, at the very least, he received a full throat-ed sendoff from his men. Consolations aside, however, this is simply the most recent example in the military's continued cover up of the pandemic within its ranks wherein our armed forces have chosen to project strength than prioritize the health and safety of our soldiers and I think it is something that we should all keep in mind while considering who can, and cannot, shelter in place. 1. https://www.reddit.com/r/democrats/comments/fu94ir/uss_roosevelt_captains_brutal_choice/
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/crew-of-aircraft-carrier-with-coronavirus-outbreak-cheers-ousted-captain/2020/04/03/7927e202-75af-11ea-ae50-7148009252e3_story.html