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I have officially come full circle based on data. I not sure if I still support current vaccination efforts. All of this data I found - wasn’t given to me by a biased news source. 1) COVID spread is unimpeded by vaccination within months. Numerous studies show that: You’ll see that for those age 40-80+, vaccinated folks actually were MORE likely to have the virus. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1022238/Vaccine_surveillance_report_-_week_39.pdf Source: UK health surveillance. You can look at last week or the next week as well. This is not cherry picked - the data shows the same numbers multiple weeks in a row. Check out the other weeks, you’ll see similar data. 2nd Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02689-y 2) The rate of hospitalization and death is similar to that of the flu. No shit. And I used to make fun of everyone who said that. COVID hospitalizations: COVID Deaths Source: same as above CDC data on flu hospitalizations/mortality per 100k (couldn’t crop it well on mobile): Source: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2017-2018.htm So for an average person age 18-49, your risk of hospitalization for COVID is somewhere in the realm of 15-20 per 100000. For 2017-18 flu, the hospitalization rate for that age group was nearly twice as high at 36 per 100000. For death of those 18-49, its maybe twice as bad for Covid, around 2 per 100k, whereas flu was only 0.8. I am starting to lose any motivation to continue vaccination efforts whatsoever for those that are not at risk. It doesn’t and won’t provide herd immunity. And people without risk factors that are normal ages don’t need it. The counterpoint will be that it’s for the old. Well, first of all, that counterpoint is already invalid because getting the COVID vaccine as a 40 year old male does literally nothing to protect the old as it has been demonstrated to have virtually no effect on transmission after a few months. So a mandate for those under 50 I think still makes 0 sense. But let’s look at it for those 50+. Hospitalization rate for COVID for those 50+ is on the order of 80-100 per 100000. For 17-18 flu for those over 50 it was on the order of 500+ per 100000. Wtf. For deaths, COVID is on the order of 80 per 100000. Flu was slightly lower, maybe 50 per 100000. But they are way closer than initially thought. BL: COVID actually has turned into nothing more than a bad flu. And a bad flu that is actually easier on children than the actual bad flu. It’s not even a hyperbole. And we’re discussing additional mandatory boosters for healthy folks age 0-30. Just wanted to say that the data has changed my mind, significantly. It’s actually almost maddening.

no no no our prestigious generals knew EXACTLY what the ANA was capable of. but instead of "integrity first" they pushed bull shit rosy assessments for decades and touted "breakthrough" progress. the goal was always just over the next hill and almost within reach. No one had the backbone or balls at the flag level to call the spade a spade.

Not at all. The entire point of an airline career is to work little and get paid a lot...it isn't about the passion or enjoyment of flying. An airline career gives you both the time and finances to enjoy life outside of work, rather than simply cramming your families, hobbies, and other passions into the little crevasses around that supermajority chunk of your time and emotional energy that a military career demands. Manage that money correctly, and you'll be able to retire early and *really* do whatever it is you would do if you had financial freedom (like fly cool shit for fun!)

Fixed it for you.

I disagree. If that were true someone would have at least put up a fight for Kabul. When I was an advisor I could never wrap my mind around the guys who would abscond: we send them out of country for training and they just leave. But when they leave they left their families. They were a culture of men who were OK leaving their families behind. There was something fundamentally wrong with them. They lost and they deserved to. We’re the idiots who couldn’t see that obvious truth. Nor could we see that the Taliban, despite being assholes, had the fortitude to take everything we threw at them. The Taliban would see their friends blown in half yet wake up to fight the next day. Our GIROA allies tossed their guns down and fled. Loser culture.

The number of military age males that we evacuated was more than sufficient to defend Kabul, but they never tried. They should have fought, but they ran like cowards. We owe them nothing, and shouldn’t have evacuated anyone. I cannot understand any US military member who thinks we “owe” them safety. They should always have known that fighting for their own country and winning was the only option.

Still a U-2 guy, still the best job in the world. We’re always looking for kickass Bros that want to work hard and do cool things, so give us a call.

It's not red-pilled. He just took the effort to look at the data (which has pointed towards his conclusions for over a year now) rather than trust the cherry-picked misrepresentations pushed by a large swath of the media and political class. Neg usually has insightful posts. I'm more interested in his analysis as to *why* his conclusions based on easily-accessed data aren't shared by the politicians and authority figures pushing for mandates. I'm also wondering how many liberal-minded people will make the connection between misrepresentation of COVID-19 statistics and the misrepresentation of "racial equity" statistics.

Deaths would be near zero if media and our government (sponsored by Big Pharma) didn't suppress things like zelenko protocol or other methods. But there is no money in that so here we are... our immune system is turned into a subscription service.

I have been thinking about it and the difference is the infectivity or R0. COVID is significantly more infectious, maybe an order of magnitude higher. So from an individual risk perspective, it’s not significantly worse than the flu. But the total number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths will be an order of magnitude higher. Still don’t think that justifies mandates necessarily.

AMS Robot emails. Typically 3 hiring boards per year. One closed out yesterday. Applications typically due ~1-2mos before in-person interviews which are mandatory attendance if selected to interview. In-person interview is about a 6 day calendar commit but can be shorter depending on your circumstances. Min requirements used to have cut-offs for hours and the like , but the following are still true: AC or above in an MWS, IP in any manned aircraft, no single-seat only, 3 years TOS by a cut-off date, current/passing PT score. I PM’d you a link.

Three easy steps: Move to the Philippines. Marry LBFM thirty years your junior. Give middle finger to prior ex’s. Might seem a bit extreme but this is a well worn path my friends.

Lesson #1 in the ATP ground school should be - Avoid Marriage at all costs. Lesson #2 in the ATP ground school should be - Understanding the beauties of the Prenup (if you failed Lesson #1).

I figured the thread would morph into how airline pilot develop alimony mitigation strategies to deal with four ex-trophy wives.

Fair. But there were 80,000 weapons and millions of rounds of ammo sitting in a pile at HKIA that thousands of afghans ran by on their way to jump onto a C17. And the Taliban attack was about 600 on the first day. 10,000+ fighting age men threw down their weapons and ran in terror from 600 Taliban. And asked us to protect them. This is clean cut. This was a cowardly thing and they deserve to lose. And we shouldn’t save them. And US mil who are staying awake at night working ways to save these guys are way off the reservation.

In short we taught them our good habbits but we taught them our bad ones too.They were "making the slide green" on their readiness numbers to ensure following fiscal year funding etc... The Brits and French suspected this but never got deep into researching it. We, in all of our awesomeness to make the slide green, loved seeing the ANA slide's green. So we reported the good news up to our senior leaders and now our slides were green too! Noone ever questioned it. Why would they, the slide was green!

I'm baffled. How, after 20 years of doing the training, organizing, and equipping for them, did we not know their capabilities? The cynic in me believes we knew their capabilities, and each level of leadership painted an unrealistic picture to show "progress" while they were in charge.

We should’ve trained their women, they have/had more to lose following a Taliban takeover and would have fought.. plus, we would have scored points with the work crowd.

You mean like this shit? https://www.newsweek.com/us-military-defends-drag-show-largest-training-center-essential-morale-1603864

Yep—I understood your original comment. Our culture has become one where the majority of Americans want to not hold people responsible for their bad decisions, their lack of effort and willing to fight for what they believe in, etc. This culture shift has also affected the military, hence why so many members don’t blame Afghans for their country’s failures and likewise believe it’s the job of the USA to make their lives better. Not surprised at all.

Kinda fun finding out how many people are simply concerned with the authority to control others in a society, isn't it? Compliance is the only discernable goal.

Here is how poorly the mandate is being managed...in the words of the folks I talked to at Robins AFB, it has turned into a witch hunt. They are actively mandating EVERYONE get the vaccine regardless of circumstance including those with established December and January separation dates. Take the shot or be extended, subject to UCMJ and change class of discharge. Numerous other retiring folks at Robins with established terminal dates starting within the next few days have been told, get the jab or retirement is delayed, UCMJ and change class of discharge. I've been vaccinated but don't believe in mandates....this is pure lunacy going after these folks.

Right.. because everyone has behaved completely rationally for the last year and a half.

You didn't think we were in here because we love to fly, did you?