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One that doesn't require you to wear a face mask to protect you from the virus that you just got 3 inoculations against? I mean, really think about that. They're telling people with 3 shots over 7 months to wear a mask and social distance. That's insane. They're saying the vaccines are great and provide amazing protection, but also that vaccinated people have to keep following the emergency public health protocols that were being stressed before a vaccine was avaliable. How could a reasonable person not see the disconnect there? I know we've become inured and desensitized to mask wearing, but imagine telling your 2019 self that there's a pandemic on the way, and you'll soon be told to take 3 vaccinations and still mandated to wear a face mask. Hearing that, your 2019 self would assume that the vaccination had extremely low efficacy and/or the pathogen must be like the ones portrayed in the movies Outbreak or Contagion, where the premise was that exposure to the virus was a death sentence (involving pustulating sores, convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and death within 48 hours). But neither of those is true of Covid. The vaccines are highly efficacious and Covid is highly survivable. Any reasonably intelligent person in 2019, shown the data we have now, and told about that messaging disconnect, would be thoroughly confused about the ongoing farce. As others have said, get as many shots as you want. Tripple mask, ...and don't forget the face shield. Celebrate the holidays with family via Zoom chat. Go nuts. After all, the hardest part of 14 days to flatten the curve is the first 2 years. My family and I will pass, thanks.

You seem to be incapable of fathoming a simple fact for many who are hesitant to get the Kung flu prophylaxis. I will spell it out for you: The vaccine, for a virus that isn't species-threatening, is inefficient at best. It hasn't been tested rigourisly (sp?) and the data can only capture in the short-term at present. It is a literal unknown of any long-term effects these shots will have. The variety of, and number of, side-effects are larger than they should be for a well-tested and deployed vaccine. For me, having had Covid, the natural anti-bodies produced suffice for my risk mitigation assessment. You may not like my decision, but that's on you. I'm not against you getting as many 'vaccines' and boosters as you desire. Same thing for any children you may have. You knock yourself out. Leave me the fcuk alone. I am quite capable of making my own decisions. And Trump didn't institute mandates that have cost people their jobs. Imagine the sturm and drang if he had've. But dementia Joe, with his "I've got a plan to stop the virus," can't seem to do much at all. Even his kindly, knows what's best for me get a inefficient vaccine is getting slammed in multiple levels of courts and states that aren't cowering seem to be doing pretty well. Color me shocked. As for a military order, it is supposed to be lawful. Takes a lot of courage to fight an order that one considers unlawful so most don't - lack of financial resources to survive, to fight, etc. But some do. If they lose, those folks will face administrative and judicial punishment. Again, takes a lot of guts to push back. They should've never been put in that position. The pool of eligibles isn't that big. Despite the diversity push, this order probably discourages a not insignificant number of people to not raise their right hand. It will be interesting to see how many currently serving, but refusing this order, are actually punished/discharged.

3 pages back you you said you'd be a contentious objector after almost 20 years of service if your religious exemption got denied. So after almost 20 years of service, are you a contentious objector or aren't you? Or more direct question, if you're active duty; did your commander give you a direct order to take the Pfizer shot? And if so, did you refuse the direct order? How deep does your dedication to your beliefs on the Constitution (and what your view as an illegal order) go? More importantly, after 49 pages of thrash over the COVID shot, how many active duty members on this forum have actually chosen to separate over the military COVID vaccine mandate? Not asking Reserve or Guard, not asking waiting on a valid religious or medical exemption. I get that BaseOps is place that some come to bitch about military matters in general; if people stop bitching, there's probably something wrong. But I have yet to encounter an actual mass resistance on active duty to the mandate. I literally know of one person out of probably 500+ that has actually chosen to separate over the vaccine mandate. That person will be civilian in a couple weeks. I wish him the best of luck. I don't give a baker's fuck about the civilian side of this argument; I'm not a civilian and won't be for a couple years at least. FWIW, I don't think on the civilian side that the government should be able to go door-to-door sticking a needle in anyone's arms. That's not my farm and not my monkey's. This isn't even close to the dumbest vaccine the military has made me get (JEV and Anthrax would take that trophy). Seriously, how many on active duty on this forum have actually directly refused the order to get vaccine? And how many people, besides Negatory (noted exception, good for you), have actually changed their beliefs based on the dialogue on this thread?

You can make that case for every flu shot every year since it’s always new. If everyone had been up on arms about having to take an unproven vaccine every year since they joined the military for a low success vaccine against a disease that doesn’t kill lots of people of military age this would all make more sense to me. And this is because republicans are for pro liberty and individual rights like allowing families to personally make the call on abortion?To be clear, I’m against mandates and abortion personally I just understand how politics help form our opinions and make us all slight hypocrites, good or bad. I’m for your choice to do what you want. It just seems like some people, not everyone, are only against the vaccine to prove they can be. I’m for businesses making their own rules and not having authoritarian restrictions, but I bet most people who are anti vaccine and face mask immediately drop the mask even if the business says no masks for vaccinated. I’m for your right to choose, I just hope you don’t choose to be a dick. Follow what the businesses ask or just don’t give them your business if you are that angered. I got the vaccine not for me but because I hoped to limit the spread so I didn’t accidentally kill someone’s grandma. For some of you your health is more important then your buddies grandma, which is fine but that’s where some of the differences come from. And I don’t mean that as a shot, I understand the reasoning. Part of this is from knowing a few people, some our age that weren’t fat, that died of COVID. Finally, I don’t think there is anything illegal about the military making you get a vaccine. Tons of precedent for it. Even if the virus doesn’t kill you, keeping whole units from going down at the same time from an illness I think is a reasonable argument for readiness whether you agree or not, IE the flu shot. BIG jump to illegal order. I can understand not liking it and disagreeing with it but I don’t understand how it’s illegal.

If you live in a red state you'd know that commerce needs no such encouragement. People are uncomfortable because they are being told they should be. In the places where they aren't being frightened they are back to regular life. This stopped being about disease spread a year ago.

MARSRADIO continues to provide free HF communications for land, air and sea DoD assets as authorized by DoDi 4620.02. We want to say a big THANK YOU to our military, active and retired, for your service to our country. Come up to our net for any assistance that we can supply. In addition to regular official and morale phone patches, we have handled in-flight emergencies and even provided sports scores. It is all about supporting you. While still spotty, conditions are improving into Europe, Africa and the Pacific.

It can be used in a negative/humorous manner.... MANY years ago (before facetime and email), we were moving a couple Gunpigs around theater on a long deployment. We had a new guy on his first deployment and when we explained the set up he asked if he could call his wife. On the spare radio we briefed the other airplane, entered a fake frequency and the new guy went to work. The other airplane flawlessly pretended to be the MARS operator and added some appropriate sound effects. "Standby for your party, over", new guy thought his wife would answer and the sound of a dude threw him off. "Where is Rachael over?" "She is not here man, she doesn't want to want to talk to you, she is with me now - OVER." New guy melted down, I felt bad for him, even after they told him he had a hard time recovering. They finally got an actual phone patch to his wife and he recovered.

You completely ignored the study I posted, which is undisputed, that shows almost no infection prevention after a few months. Infection ≠ Serious hospitalization or death, which is reduced by the vaccine. But it doesn't reduce the spread for more than a few months, which means mandates are unjustified. But you're just trolling at this point, so carry on.

And I’ll add for clarity - that this is caused by the flap-slab interconnect, when rolling the flaps upon configuration for landing. The jet becomes a lot more pitch-sensitivite, and most students have difficulty, at least initially, with the added pitch sensitivity while trying to stay in position. Shack on the rest.

Yep. The legal filings are totally in good faith, and not a litigious stall tactic that skirts the actual issue. And since they imply that even the plaintiffs agree the order is lawful in principle, as long as Comirnaty labeled doses are offered, I would pay large money to see the government show up to court with nurses ready to administer shots to the plaintiffs out of vials with that divine piece of paper stuck to them that makes all the difference. It'd be a sight to see that courtroom clear as if somebody fumbled a live grenade onto the floor. Mere seconds before nothing but the dignity of the plaintiffs was left behind. Outside of stating that I oppose public mandates, I've made no mention of the vaccine. This has nothing to do with a vaccine and everything to do with a group of people that has made clear they only follow orders when it serves them personally. That's a cancerous thing in military command structure, and if they don't have the integrity to self-eliminate from the service, then they should be forcibly removed. Interesting take given I'm in that group. Damn, I'm like a self-hating black man. Always wondered how that dissonance could develop and now I'm living it. You got me.

NATO’s always been as much about keeping the Germans under our thumb as it has been about deterring Soviet/Russian aggression. Don’t underestimate the good things that come from keeping virtually all of Europe under one military alliance. A peaceful Western (and now Eastern) Europe is a valid foreign policy goal for the United States and is well worth the money and effort of the last seven decades. I’d even go so far as to argue that a Europe that depends on us for defense is a GOOD thing for the United States. It allows us to continue to dictate the western world order.

Yes, exactly... My favorite highlight was Toto losing his shit - in slo-mo. Next Saturday and Sunday will be very entertaining indeed.

Excited about the finale this year. Couldn’t have scripted it better. All tied up, top of the 9th. I wonder who’s going to be the victor.

Less than 8000 are active duty.

That may be true, but like it or not, Texas’s and California’s economies are intertwined. You live in a country that’s half blue. You don’t have to like it, but that’s reality. I choose to take a realist’s position here and “play the game” when it comes to masking. It’s such a small sacrifice, I really fail to understand all the histrionics behind the “masks are tyranny” crowd.

We did it in the Hornet in the RAG/FTU and fleet to show that you could bring back another aircraft through bad weather that didn't have the ability to ability to navigate or fly safely on its own due to aircraft malfunctions like a failed INS/GPS or lack of airspeed indications due to failed sensors. I had to bring back a Hornet for a section landing once due to the latter.

Steve - others have covered it well, but a bit more color. 100 years ago when I flew T-38's we would do a rudder effectiveness demonstration in the landing configuration. At altitude we would slow and configure the jet. As you got closer to touch down speed the IP would have the student move the stick form side to side, the jet was absolute mush and would barely roll. Next the IP would have the student rapidly apply full rudder, often you would find yourself hanging upside down in the straps. The change in pitch sensitivity Wheels mentioned along with the change in rudder effectiveness make for a different jet, especially when flying in close proximity to another aircraft and near the ground.

We should stay in NATO, let’s just not confuse it with some awesome military alliance. It’s a bureaucratic means to influence where 90% of the combat capability is provided by one member.

Getting into the landing configuration is typically a bit of a disturbance for the students as the aerodynamics change and they get back to position and then, the airplane does behave more mushy once configured for landing. Throw in a big power change for something like a go-around, and sometimes there are deviations. What makes it potentially more dangerous in the T-38 is that in addition to the ground proximity you mentioned the rudder gives you full authority in landing configuration, and that can go south very quickly. One or two considerations.

I have been receiving a lot of emails asking if we will be hosting any rushing events or allowing visitations. In order to be able to evaluate each applicant equally and without potential bias, we will not be hosting or allowing base visits during our application window. If selected for an interview, you will have plenty of time to get to know the Blacksnake’s.

You don't think we'd have had the same mandates under Trump? I do. Again...would you call influenza "species-threatening"? How about measles? Rubella? If "species-threatening" is your bar for vaccine mandates, then surely you're in the streets protesting against all the vaccines required before kids can attend schools, right? Here's another question for you - which vaccines have exhibited long-term harms that didn't show up short-term? Which vaccines at any time in our past had zero side effects for 10 years then suddenly manifested something a decade later? Do you have an issue with the fact that flu vaccines are reformulated every year, so we don't have ten years worth of data on each new one? Or is it sufficient for you that we have data on the component parts of the vaccines? What would you rate as an "efficient" vaccine?

Politics

False equivalency. The mil members in your example are concerned about their personal health and not trying to tell anyone else how to conduct their personal health decisions/force an opinion on others. The other side of the argument are trying to force their will on others. Different situations/approaches and not comparable…one side is filled with moral high ground pricks and the other just wants liberty for everyone.

Sometimes I get bored and just monitor 13927 and hear some interesting stuff. But yea always appreciate the help with info/phone patches.

Yeah, not to be a jerk, but you're not understanding it correctly. Married people are the benefactors in our current tax paradigm because they can make more income subject to a lower tax rate. i.e. a single person starts paying 35% as soon as they trip $216K. A married couple doesn't pay 35% until they make double that. The benefit to filing jointly is that it allows a couple with basically one bread winner to pay less taxes. If a married couple so chose (as some may because they are equal earners, etc), they could both file as single people and avoid the so-called penalty which you identify. Bottom line, a married couple can choose whichever path suits them best. No such choice is available for someone who's not married. Also, this is really how it has always been, under Rs or Ds.

THIS vaccine. I don't care about the technology behind it. No knowledge of future complications exist because of the rush to get it to market. If you are comfortable with that, cool - Take it and be happy. Why do you feel compelled to force others to have to take it? I believe in gun ownership but I'm not forcing everyone to have one in their home.

Pawnman, do you personally know or do you think anyone knows exactly what the long-term effects of this vaccine are?

CNN and the like seem to make a lot of noise about a Trump connection to Epstein. However, Trump appears a grand total of only once in Epstein's flight logs, on a 1997 flight from Palm Beach to Newark in Epstein's Gulfstream. Compare that to Bill Clinton, who appeared in Epstien's flight logs 26 times between Feb 2002 and Nov 2003.

For bros waiting on UPT dates and trying to “prepare”, PM me. I have a passed down 5-page guide from a soon-to-be- fighter pilot that recently graduated UPT.

Concerned about their personal health? WTF. Are you telling me it's acceptable to disobey an order if it's a threat to your personal health (which doesn't apply in this scenario, but I'll grant it for the sake of argument)? Taking Hamburger Hill was a threat to personal health. Landing at Normandy was a threat to personal health. Helicopter infil onto Takur Ghar to recover Neil Roberts was a threat to personal health. Stepping outside the wire for a routine low-risk patrol is a threat to personal health. Spending countless hours breathing aircraft exhaust, exposed to loud noises and high speed heavy machinery that could end you at any moment, is a threat to personal health. You mean to tell me every individual military member is empowered to refuse to do all of those things (and literally every other fucking thing the military does) because they might get hurt? Shit, I must have missed that memo. The foundation of military service is literally a concept of sacrificing personal well-being for a collective good. As I said...snowflakes.

Agreed. And for those who joined the military voluntarily and have come to believe that they're entitled to resist orders based on personal opinion and desire; they can fuck right off on their high horse of self-righteousness too. Snowflakes.

Pawnman, your level of reading comprehension is truly embarrassing. "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."