thebulwark--2020-04-21--What Makes SARS-CoV-2 the Perfect Pathogen

Who bears responsibility for the COVID-19 pandemic ?
While a detailed forensic accounting will ultimately reveal the contribution of people and institutions to the current crisis , we must take care not to lose sight of the most important culprit : the unique character of the virus itself .
To a first approximation , a virus can be defined by two parameters : R ( “ R-naught ” ) is the basic reproduction number , which measures how transmissible the virus is .
Meaning : If you ’ re a typical patient who has knowingly or unknowingly contracted the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infect on average ?
The Case Fatality Rate ( CFR ) measures how lethal the virus is .
Meaning : If you are infected , how likely are you to die ?
Viruses that are extremely deadly , such as MERS and ebola , have tended to be relatively self-limiting , in part because they are so lethal .
Less deadly viruses , such as the measles , are incredibly contagious—but not especially deadly .
SARS-CoV-2 , the virus behind COVID-19 , occupies what former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb calls “ the middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ lethal enough to be very virulent , very threatening , but transmissible enough that it could reach around the world.
” It is , in a phrase , “ the perfect pathogen.
” Beyond it ’ s descriptive numbers , SARS-CoV-2 harbors additional characteristics which make it especially problematic .
First there is its protean clinical presentation .
Some people who are afflicted with COVID-19 are almost immediately laid low , acutely aware that something is profoundly wrong with them .
Others seem to endure infection without any symptoms whatsoever .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivery centers in New York City during the height of the pandemic identified SARS-CoV-2 in 33 of 214 pregnant women ; only 4 of the 33 exhibited symptoms—the vast majority were asymptomatic .
Another just-reported study examined a statistically representative sample of 3,330 people in early April in Santa Clara , California , and looked for evidence of an immune response to SARS-CoV-2—a measure of how many had been exposed to the virus ( perhaps without even knowing it ) and had recovered .
The result : between 2 percent and 3 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s “ 50-85-fold more than the number of confirmed cases , ” according to the authors .
In other words , at least according to this estimate , far more people are exposed to the virus than are getting diagnosed .
In part , this could simply reflect the lack of adequate testing—many of these patients might have been demonstrably sick .
Or it could suggest that the percentage of asymptomatic cases is much higher than we currently believe .
Or , despite the best efforts of the researchers , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a way that makes extrapolation from this one study not especially solid .
As if the problem of asymptomatic patients wasn ’ t problematic enough , consider fresh data suggesting that among COVID-19 patients who do show symptoms , the most contagious time is likely one to two days prior to symptom onset .
Which , if true , would mean that stopping the spread through measures such as temperature checks would be difficult .
Taken together , these three studies highlight the challenge of containment , especially in the absence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( even assuming good self-diagnostics and total honesty ) or temperature checks might be insufficient to identify many COVID-19 patients who will spread the disease .
And even in the cases of patients who remain asymptomatic , they might transmit the virus to more vulnerable people .
These results highlight the critical importance of widespread testing—as business leaders , multiple cross-functional task forces , and governors , including those from rural states , continue to call for .
Vice President Pence insists that the federal government “ has no higher priority ” than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know .
Not good is that our testing capacity is still far below where it needs to be .
But even if we eventually get testing right , we ’ re still only stalling .
Life won ’ t durably return to normal until we achieve what ’ s known as herd immunity .
If we are lucky , this will be achieved through a vaccine .
But again , this virus may conspire to make things difficult .
First , it ’ s unclear how long immunity lasts for this category of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Immunity to SARS-CoV-1 is relatively durable , but immunity to two other betacoronaviruses , HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1 , wanes within a year .
The point is that even after exposure to the virus—or a future vaccine—it ’ s possible that someone could become immune and then , in a year , become susceptible again .
It ’ s also possible that coronaviruses could mutate over time , as influenza viruses do ( influenza is a different class of virus , but carries a similar genetic payload ) .
If that is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development—the way we need to design a new flu shot each year , and generally only get it partially right .
COVID-19 has challenged the country on many levels and in any catastrophe , it ’ s natural to look for some figure to blame .
But I suspect that right now , we would do well to redirect much of that energy toward efforts to understand and defeat the real enemy : the perfect pathogen .
And also : be kind to each other .
Correction : An earlier version of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARS-CoV-1 instead of SARS-CoV-2 .

Who bears responsibility for the COVID-19 pandemic?
While a detailed forensic accounting will ultimately reveal the contribution of people and institutions to the current crisis, we must take care not to lose sight of the most important culprit: the unique character of the virus itself.
To a first approximation, a virus can be defined by two parameters:
R 0 (“R-naught”) is the basic reproduction number, which measures how transmissible the virus is. Meaning: If you’re a typical patient who has knowingly or unknowingly contracted the virus, how many new people will you infect on average?
The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) measures how lethal the virus is. Meaning: If you are diagnosed with an infection, how likely are you to die?
Viruses that are extremely deadly, such as MERS and ebola, have tended to be relatively self-limiting, in part because they are so lethal. Less deadly viruses, such as the measles, are incredibly contagious—but not especially deadly.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, occupies what former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb calls “the middle space.” It is, he explains, “lethal enough to be very virulent, very threatening, but transmissible enough that it could reach around the world.” It is, in a phrase, “the perfect pathogen.”
Beyond it’s descriptive numbers, SARS-CoV-2 harbors additional characteristics which make it especially problematic.
First there is its protean clinical presentation. Some people who are afflicted with COVID-19 are almost immediately laid low, acutely aware that something is profoundly wrong with them. Others seem to endure infection without any symptoms whatsoever.
A recent study performed at two obstetric delivery centers in New York City during the height of the pandemic identified SARS-CoV-2 in 33 of 214 pregnant women; only 4 of the 33 exhibited symptoms—the vast majority were asymptomatic.
Another just-reported study examined a statistically representative sample of 3,330 people in early April in Santa Clara, California, and looked for evidence of an immune response to SARS-CoV-2—a measure of how many had been exposed to the virus (perhaps without even knowing it) and had recovered. The result: between 2 percent and 3 percent of the overall population, a figure that’s “50-85-fold more than the number of confirmed cases,” according to the authors.
In other words, at least according to this estimate, far more people are exposed to the virus than are getting diagnosed. In part, this could simply reflect the lack of adequate testing—many of these patients might have been demonstrably sick. Or it could suggest that the percentage of asymptomatic cases is much higher than we currently believe. Or, despite the best efforts of the researchers, the sample may have been unknowingly skewed in such a way that makes extrapolation from this one study not especially solid.
But wait, there’s more.
As if the problem of asymptomatic patients wasn’t problematic enough, consider fresh data suggesting that among COVID-19 patients who do show symptoms, the most contagious time is likely one to two days prior to symptom onset. Which, if true, would mean that stopping the spread through measures such as temperature checks would be difficult.
Taken together, these three studies highlight the challenge of containment, especially in the absence of robust testing. Relying on either self-reporting (even assuming good self-diagnostics and total honesty) or temperature checks might be insufficient to identify many COVID-19 patients who will spread the disease.
And even in the cases of patients who remain asymptomatic, they might transmit the virus to more vulnerable people.
These results highlight the critical importance of widespread testing—as business leaders, multiple cross-functional task forces, and governors, including those from rural states, continue to call for. Vice President Pence insists that the federal government “has no higher priority” than expanding testing. That is good to know. Not good is that our testing capacity is still far below where it needs to be.
But even if we eventually get testing right, we’re still only stalling. Life won’t durably return to normal until we achieve what’s known as herd immunity. If we are lucky, this will be achieved through a vaccine. But again, this virus may conspire to make things difficult.
First, it’s unclear how long immunity lasts for this category of virus, technically known as a betacoronavirus.
Immunity to SARS-CoV-1 is relatively durable, but immunity to two other betacoronaviruses, HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1, wanes within a year. The point is that even after exposure to the virus—or a future vaccine—it’s possible that someone could become immune and then, in a year, become susceptible again.
It’s also possible that coronaviruses could mutate over time, as influenza viruses do (influenza is a different class of virus, but carries a similar genetic payload). If that is the case, it would require constant vaccine development—the way we need to design a new flu shot each year, and generally only get it partially right.
COVID-19 has challenged the country on many levels and in any catastrophe, it’s natural to look for some figure to blame.
But I suspect that right now, we would do well to redirect much of that energy toward efforts to understand and defeat the real enemy: the perfect pathogen.
And also: be kind to each other.
Corrections: An earlier version of this story’s headline incorrectly referred to SARS-CoV-1 instead of SARS-CoV-2. The original text said “infected” (which technically describes something called the “Infection Fatality Rate”), rather than “diagnosed with infection,” the correct measure for CFR; to officially be a “case,” you must be formally diagnosed.


thebulwark--2020-04-21--The Ten Weeks That Lost the War: A Timeline of How Trump Lied, Bungled and Screwed America in the CO

The Ten Weeks That Lost the War: A Timeline of How Trump Lied, Bungled and Screwed America in the COVID-19 Crisis

In the social media fog of war it can be easy to lose the thread as to just how the COVID-19 crisis came to our shores and what the Trump administration did and didn ’ t do to respond .
This timeline provides a look at the key inflection points in the crucial ten-week period where the United States lost the ability to effectively respond to the virus that is causing unprecedented death and economic destruction .
• CDC is first alerted to a public health event in Wuhan Province , China .
• Former Trump Advisor : `` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of coronavirus .
Coordinate ! ''
• Azar ca n't get through to Trump to speak with him about the virus until Jan. 18 .
Trump redirects conversation to vaping .
Washington Post : Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar struggles to get through to Trump about the threat of COVID ; • `` The first human infection with new coronavirus has been reported in the U.S. '' • Conservative media begins to sound the alarm , with the Drudge Report running “ VIRUS ” as a banner headline .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and again , we do expect additional cases in the United States '' The CDC ’ s Nancy Messonnier announces in a briefing that more cases are expected in the United States .
• `` We have it totally under control .
It 's one person coming in from China . ''
On CNBC ’ s “ Squawk Box , ” Trump dismisses the possibility of a coming pandemic .
• Intelligence agencies began warning Trump Admin that China was n't being honest about the scale of the crisis as early as January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China 's efforts and transparency .
I want to thank President Xi ! ''
Trump tweets a thanks to China and President Xi “ on behalf of the American people ” • Joe Biden : Short-sighted Trump has left us unprepared for a dangerous epidemic Biden op-ed on how Trump ’ s actions have hampered the U.S. ability to respond to coronavirus .
• Former Trump Admin Officials : `` Act Now to Prevent an American Epidemic '' Scott Gottlieb and Luciana Borio op-ed in the Wall Street Journal offer 4-point plan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published on the need to address mask hoarding and shortages .
• From National Review article on the Senator who saw the virus coming .
• `` Well we pretty much shut it down coming in from China ... Getting along with China .
Getting along with Russia . ''
In an interview with Sean Hannity , Trump dismisses any threat from COVID-19 .
• The Trump administration restricts travel from China for immigrants and noncitizens .
This was not a travel ban as Trump claims .
Americans continue to fly between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strong measures now , we may be able to blunt the impact of the virus on the United States ” Public health officials around the world prepare for “ social distancing ” measures .
• Fox News host Tucker Carlson begins covering COVID seriously after a friend with `` access to intelligence '' informs him of the extent of the threat .
• `` It ’ s time to start testing more people , even if they haven ’ t visited China or been in contact with someone infected '' In the Wall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gottlieb & Luciana Borio urge the administration to expand testing , provide more protective equipment , and accelerate vaccine development .
• HHS Secretary Alex Azar requests $ 2 billion for respirator masks and other supplies .
Trump officials balk , wait weeks , then ask for only $ 500 million .
• `` Just left the Administration briefing on Coronavirus .
Bottom line : they are n't taking this seriously enough ... Local health systems need supplies , training , screening staff etc .
And they need it now . ''
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is sending 17.8 tons of medical supplies to China .
• “ A lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat—as the heat comes in.
” At a White House press conference , Trump suggests that COVID will go away as the weather gets warmer .
• Former Trump Officials Gottlieb & Borio urge expanded testing and increased vigilance against COVID .
• `` President Xi loves his country .
He ’ s working very hard to solve the problem and he will solve the problem .
Okay ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Xi Jinping at a press conference .
• Harvard School of Public Health official Michael Mina issues a warning on limited COVID tests and the lack of transparency on testing failures .
• `` Coronavirus very much under control ... Stock Market starting to look very good to me ! ''
Note : The Dow Jones was at 27,960 that day .
It has dropped as low as 18,591 .
• `` You should seriously consider buying these { stock market } dips . ''
• Dr. Robert Kadlec at HHS requests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide social distancing recommendations .
Meeting is cancelled .
President did not make social distancing recommendations until 3/16 , 21 days later .
• `` Cryin Chuck Schumer is complaining ... that I should be asking for more money than $ 2.5 Billion to prepare for Coronavirus Trump requests $ 1.8-2.5 billion for COVID response , mocks Democrats for saying more is needed .
• CDC Expert Nancy Messonnier : `` Disruption to everyday life might be severe . ''
Messonnier warns Americans to start preparing for school and business closures in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shouted at his staffers in response to the warning , complaining that she was scaring people .
• `` When you have 15 people , and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero , that ’ s a pretty good job we ’ ve done '' • `` It 's gon na disappear one day , it 's like a miracle , it will disappear '' • A Washington state man in his 50s became the first person to die from COVID in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health and Human Services stated that they had only about 1 % of the respirators needed for a full-blown pandemic .
• Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) wears gas mask on house floor to mock those expressing concerns about the coming pandemic .
Within a few days , Gaetz is under quarantine and has one of his constituents die of COVID .
• `` President Xi is working very , very hard in China ... Their numbers have gotten much better with respect to the coronavirus , very much better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Xi on his performance fighting COVID .
• `` I ’ ve heard the numbers are getting much better in China , but I hear the numbers are getting much better in Italy '' Trump states that the number of COVID cases are going down in both China and Italy .
Note : China has faced widespread skepticism over its reported numbers , and in early March Italy ’ s cases were beginning to skyrocket .
• `` I like this stuff .
I really get it ... Every one of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know so much about this ?
’ Maybe I have a natural ability . ''
Trump during a tour of the CDC in Atlanta .
• “ I didn ’ t know people died from the flu.
” A Trump remark during a tour of the CDC in Atlanta .
• “ I do n't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that was n't our fault ...
I 'd rather have them stay on , personally.
” Trump suggests that he doesn ’ t want Americans sickened by COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States , because it would make the numbers of infected in the country look worse .
• “ Anybody who wants a test gets a test.
” Trump lies about test availability during a tour of the CDC in Atlanta .
Note : On this date just 1911 tests were conducted in the whole country .
• `` We do n't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward '' • Conservative journalist Tucker Carlson flies to Mar-a-Lago to implore Trump to take the coronavirus threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu .
It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year .
Nothing is shut down , life & the economy go on . ''
• `` People you voted for have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem .
It 's definitely not just the flu . ''
• `` It ’ s now or never for the U.S. if it hopes to keep coronavirus from burning out of control '' Tom Bossert , Former Homeland Security advisor for Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus to prevent catastrophe .
• `` It will go away .
Just stay calm .
It will go away . ''
• `` Viruses that spread like this tend to spread more .
In certain communities at-risk people need to listen to social distancing recommendations.
`` CDC official Nancy Messonnier sounds the alarm again .
• `` A looming shortage in lab materials is threatening to delay coronavirus test results and cause officials to undercount the number of Americans with the virus '' POLITICO reports that US testing is threatened by lab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rita Wilson have contracted the virus .
An NBA player has it .
Stock market futures plunge again .
The NBA season is canceled . ''
The scope and severity of the crisis becomes tangible .
• “ If we get rid of the coronavirus problem quickly , we won ’ t need [ economic ] stimulus.
” • “ The bottom line is it ’ s going to get worse ... the number could go way up and be involved in many , many millions '' Remarks from Anthony Fauci , head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Infectious Diseases , as the US death toll reaches 37 .
• `` I do n't take responsibility at all . ''
• Jared Kushner said it was on this date that he began to `` build a team '' to address the logistics of the COVID-19 crisis .

In the social media fog of war it can be easy to lose the thread as to just how the COVID-19 crisis came to our shores and what the Trump administration did and didn’t do to respond.
This timeline provides a look at the key inflection points in the crucial ten-week period where the United States lost the ability to effectively respond to the virus that is causing unprecedented death and economic destruction.


thebulwark--2020-04-22--Trump’s Immigration Ban Is a Self-Defeating Distraction

Immigration is Donald Trump ’ s go-to excuse for what ails America , so it should be no surprise that he has announced that he will halt all immigration to the United States for at least 60 days to solve the current economic crisis .
With more than 22 million Americans unemployed and more expected as the COVID-19 crisis continues , Trump is betting that his move will be popular—certainly among the Fox News crowd and his die-hard supporters .
But it won ’ t help put Americans to work and could compound the economic damage the pandemic has caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the U.S. labor force , but they are not evenly distributed across all sectors .
They disproportionately work in service jobs – including as health care workers in hospitals and assisted living facilities – as well as construction , agriculture , and meat processing .
The jobs they occupy are often low-paid but essential .
Most immigrant workers have legal status , but in some jobs , undocumented workers make up a significant portion of the work force .
And in this pandemic , those workers are especially crucial to putting food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in appallingly unsafe conditions so that we can continue to eat .
Outbreaks at meat processing plants in Colorado , Iowa , Nebraska , South Dakota , and elsewhere threaten to disrupt the supply of meat nationwide .
Does President Trump seriously believe that Americans will be lining up to take jobs on poultry processing or hog butchering lines , standing shoulder to shoulder with each other on cement floors slick with blood and viscera for 8 to 12 hours a day ?
When summer comes , will Americans take to the lettuce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harvesting our vegetables under the 95-degree sun ?
With unemployment compensation available , would you ?
No one seems quite sure what legal authority President Trump will invoke to shut down immigration .
As is his wont , the president used Twitter to announce the new policy with no attention to details .
But Stephan Miller and other hardliners in the administration and Congress are betting that the courts will uphold the president ’ s right to halt immigration as a health emergency .
No one wants infected individuals coming into the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the president claims , it would be possible to determine whether a person was infected before he or she gained entry .
That is essentially the method used in the early 20th Century at Ellis Island to refuse entry to those with tuberculosis or other communicable diseases .
Mandatory quarantines could also ensure that sick immigrants not infect others ; but given the high incidence of COVID-19 in the U.S. , it is probably the new immigrants who should be worried about getting the disease from us , not the other way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has already effectively shut down immigration .
The state department is not issuing new visas or work permits , the Border Patrol is turning back asylum seekers and repatriating illegal border crossers , and the Office of Refugee Resettlement has halted the program this year .
Even naturalization hearings and ceremonies have stopped .
The president ’ s action is aimed primarily at distracting his supporters into thinking he ’ s actually doing something to protect them and their jobs .
But stopping immigration in the long run will cost everyone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy , a 2018 study by the Brookings Institution indicates that nearly a third of our STEM workers and students are also immigrants or the children of immigrants .
When researchers find a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 , we shouldn ’ t be surprised that an immigrant or first generation American will be on the team , or even leading it .
In the meantime , the orderlies , nurses , and doctors caring for patients in hospitals around the country are increasingly likely to be foreign born , with immigrants accounting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 40 percent of health aid workers , according to a study by the Migration Policy Institute .
This is no time for President Trump to be riling up his base when immigrants are literally risking their lives to save us all .

Immigration is Donald Trump’s go-to excuse for what ails America, so it should be no surprise that he has announced that he will halt all immigration to the United States for at least 60 days to solve the current economic crisis. With more than 22 million Americans unemployed and more expected as the COVID-19 crisis continues, Trump is betting that his move will be popular—certainly among the Fox News crowd and his die-hard supporters. But it won’t help put Americans to work and could compound the economic damage the pandemic has caused.
Immigrants make up about 17 percent of the U.S. labor force, but they are not evenly distributed across all sectors. They disproportionately work in service jobs – including as health care workers in hospitals and assisted living facilities – as well as construction, agriculture, and meat processing. The jobs they occupy are often low-paid but essential.
Most immigrant workers have legal status, but in some jobs, undocumented workers make up a significant portion of the work force. And in this pandemic, those workers are especially crucial to putting food on our tables, risking their lives in appallingly unsafe conditions so that we can continue to eat. Outbreaks at meat processing plants in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and elsewhere threaten to disrupt the supply of meat nationwide. Does President Trump seriously believe that Americans will be lining up to take jobs on poultry processing or hog butchering lines, standing shoulder to shoulder with each other on cement floors slick with blood and viscera for 8 to 12 hours a day? When summer comes, will Americans take to the lettuce and tomato fields to bend over, harvesting our vegetables under the 95-degree sun? With unemployment compensation available, would you?
No one seems quite sure what legal authority President Trump will invoke to shut down immigration. As is his wont, the president used Twitter to announce the new policy with no attention to details. But Stephan Miller and other hardliners in the administration and Congress are betting that the courts will uphold the president’s right to halt immigration as a health emergency.
No one wants infected individuals coming into the country, but if testing was as ubiquitous as the president claims, it would be possible to determine whether a person was infected before he or she gained entry. That is essentially the method used in the early 20th Century at Ellis Island to refuse entry to those with tuberculosis or other communicable diseases. Mandatory quarantines could also ensure that sick immigrants not infect others; but given the high incidence of COVID-19 in the U.S., it is probably the new immigrants who should be worried about getting the disease from us, not the other way around.
The truth is, President Trump has already effectively shut down immigration. The state department is not issuing new visas or work permits, the Border Patrol is turning back asylum seekers and repatriating illegal border crossers, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement has halted the program this year. Even naturalization hearings and ceremonies have stopped.
The president’s action is aimed primarily at distracting his supporters into thinking he’s actually doing something to protect them and their jobs. But stopping immigration in the long run will cost everyone. While most immigrants work in the service economy, a 2018 study by the Brookings Institution indicates that nearly a third of our STEM workers and students are also immigrants or the children of immigrants. When researchers find a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, we shouldn’t be surprised that an immigrant or first generation American will be on the team, or even leading it.
In the meantime, the orderlies, nurses, and doctors caring for patients in hospitals around the country are increasingly likely to be foreign born, with immigrants accounting for almost a third of physicians and nearly 40 percent of health aid workers, according to a study by the Migration Policy Institute. This is no time for President Trump to be riling up his base when immigrants are literally risking their lives to save us all.


thebulwark--2020-04-22--Remember Who The Enemy Is

Remember Who The Enemy Is

Everyone knows that a drama is often most compelling when it has an identifiable villain .
But in real life , it ’ s not always easy to know who the bad guy is .
Modern-day struggles often involve an evil that is invisible—carbon dioxide , pathogens , existential dread , etc .
This is the conundrum for the politically-minded in America right now—the COVID-19 virus doesn ’ t have a face .
It doesn ’ t laugh maniacally .
It doesn ’ t tie you up , deliver an extended soliloquy about what its plans are , then leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while you wriggle to freedom .
And there are consequences for using metaphors for medical circumstances .
Unable to vilify a microscopic organism , society ’ s aspiring dramatists have turned against other humans as the cause of their woes .
The bad guys in MAGA-world are now America ’ s governors , all of whom in some fashion have shut down schools , businesses , and socializing in the wake of what has now become America ’ s leading cause of death—in little over a month .
Viruses don ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ascribe them to both Republican and Democratic governors .
According to these self-appointed true patriots , governors are delighting in flexing their authoritarian muscles , robbing freedom-lovers of their constitutional rights .
Had James Madison only known the joys of Outback Steakhouse , they argue , the nation ’ s founding document would have protected an individual ’ s right not to have to get a Bloomin ’ Onion via takeout .
Under this theory , governors across America are huddled with their staffs , calculating that the best way for them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic activity in their state , costing thousands of people jobs , and leaving schoolchildren uneducated .
Naturally , this makes for a suboptimal yard sign come November .
“ Aha !
” Team Red Hat yells through their unmasked mouths in between coughs .
“ They are purposely trying to destroy the economy that President Donald Trump built in order to make him look bad during the election !
” This is not an exaggeration : This theory , however , would be news to Republican governors like Maryland ’ s Larry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , both of whom took swift action to close their states down when the true threat of the coronavirus was known .
Again , Republican and Democratic governors alike have taken strict actions to mandate social distancing ; even the GOP-led states like Arkansas and South Dakota , while not issuing strict stay-at-home orders , have closed schools and requested businesses institute social distancing measures .
Partisan motives aside , it is insane to believe governors are exercising this authority because of a political agenda or that they “ don ’ t care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Governors are keeping a close eye on their states ’ jobless claims—but they are paying more acute attention to their states ’ health statistics .
Governors care very much about their bars , restaurants , and salons—but they also care very much about their constituents dying .
Hopefully , we will soon see states enact more aid programs to help stem the tragic loss of jobs we have seen—but a job can return .
A human being , with one notable exception , can not .
Sure , there are some governors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 heat lamps .
Michigan ’ s Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer has been issuing orders that reach way too far and make little sense , leaving the people of her state confused and angry .
The real tragedy of the overreaches by Whitmer and others is that they give the “ open America now ” crowd a straw to grasp .
Now people in Ohio and Minnesota and Wisconsin are acting like their governors are one step away from instituting marshall law .
Over the weekend , thousands of Americans gathered in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their individual states .
The same erstwhile Tea Partiers who once advocated for more local control rallied against federalism when Donald Trump is at the controls of the national government .
For more than a month , well-meaning Americans have voluntarily sacrificed and stayed indoors—but aspiring hot spot-based protesters are now trying to make sure all that effort is for naught .
Protesting measures to prevent sickness by doing the thing most likely to get you sick is like protesting gun control by letting people shoot at you .
It ’ s almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comic book trope where every superhero trying to save lives is vilified as a bad guy .
Just imagine if there were a governor who just reopened his or her state ’ s elementary schools , college campuses , and restaurants by snapping their fingers , letting “ herd immunity ” run wild .
They would over-night be the new darling of the MAGA Right—guaranteed to be named America ’ s Awesomest Governor , holding concerts and baseball games and doorknob-licking contests .
But there ’ s a reason nobody from the reddest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Herd immunity , ” of course , has traditionally been known as “ vaccination.
” But in the absence of a vaccine , it is best known as “ let ’ s let everyone get sick , and even though millions of people might die unnecessarily and our medical systems will be overwhelmed , at least we ’ ll get it over with sooner.
” And if you ’ re looking for a governor ’ s true motivation , it is to prevent exactly this from happening .
Purposely killing grandmothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As John Barth wrote , “ Everyone is necessarily the hero of their own story.
” And in order to be heroes , the “ I need a haircut ” crowd has made enemies of politicians that deserve a lot more credence .
The “ hidden ulterior motive ” for these executives is to keep Americans alive .
Every governor in America is aware that these orders to stay home are going to anger their residents and ultimately might cost them their jobs .
But they will ultimately keep more people alive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t vote .

Everyone knows that a drama is often most compelling when it has an identifiable villain. But in real life, it’s not always easy to know who the bad guy is. Modern-day struggles often involve an evil that is invisible—carbon dioxide, pathogens, existential dread, etc.
This is the conundrum for the politically-minded in America right now—the COVID-19 virus doesn’t have a face. It doesn’t laugh maniacally. It doesn’t tie you up, deliver an extended soliloquy about what its plans are, then leave you hanging over a pool of sharks while you wriggle to freedom. And there are consequences for using metaphors for medical circumstances.
Unable to vilify a microscopic organism, society’s aspiring dramatists have turned against other humans as the cause of their woes.
The bad guys in MAGA-world are now America’s governors, all of whom in some fashion have shut down schools, businesses, and socializing in the wake of what has now become America’s leading cause of death—in little over a month.
Viruses don’t have motives, so right-wingers have been happy to ascribe them to both Republican and Democratic governors. According to these self-appointed true patriots, governors are delighting in flexing their authoritarian muscles, robbing freedom-lovers of their constitutional rights. Had James Madison only known the joys of Outback Steakhouse, they argue, the nation’s founding document would have protected an individual’s right not to have to get a Bloomin’ Onion via takeout.
Under this theory, governors across America are huddled with their staffs, calculating that the best way for them to achieve re-election is to shut down economic activity in their state, costing thousands of people jobs, and leaving schoolchildren uneducated. Naturally, this makes for a suboptimal yard sign come November.
“Aha!” Team Red Hat yells through their unmasked mouths in between coughs. “They are purposely trying to destroy the economy that President Donald Trump built in order to make him look bad during the election!” This is not an exaggeration:
This theory, however, would be news to Republican governors like Maryland’s Larry Hogan and Ohio’s Mike DeWine, both of whom took swift action to close their states down when the true threat of the coronavirus was known. Again, Republican and Democratic governors alike have taken strict actions to mandate social distancing; even the GOP-led states like Arkansas and South Dakota, while not issuing strict stay-at-home orders, have closed schools and requested businesses institute social distancing measures.
Partisan motives aside, it is insane to believe governors are exercising this authority because of a political agenda or that they “don’t care” that their small businesses are suffering. Governors are keeping a close eye on their states’ jobless claims—but they are paying more acute attention to their states’ health statistics.
Governors care very much about their bars, restaurants, and salons—but they also care very much about their constituents dying. Hopefully, we will soon see states enact more aid programs to help stem the tragic loss of jobs we have seen—but a job can return. A human being, with one notable exception, cannot.
Sure, there are some governors who appear to be melting under the COVID-19 heat lamps. Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been issuing orders that reach way too far and make little sense, leaving the people of her state confused and angry.
The real tragedy of the overreaches by Whitmer and others is that they give the “open America now” crowd a straw to grasp. Now people in Ohio and Minnesota and Wisconsin are acting like their governors are one step away from instituting martial law.
Over the weekend, thousands of Americans gathered in public to protest the actions taken by their individual states. The same erstwhile Tea Partiers who once advocated for more local control rallied against federalism when Donald Trump is at the controls of the national government.
For more than a month, well-meaning Americans have voluntarily sacrificed and stayed indoors—but aspiring hot spot-based protesters are now trying to make sure all that effort is for naught. Protesting measures to prevent sickness by doing the thing most likely to get you sick is like protesting gun control by letting people shoot at you.
It’s almost as if America is playing into the comic book trope where every superhero trying to save lives is vilified as a bad guy.
Just imagine if there were a governor who just reopened his or her state’s elementary schools, college campuses, and restaurants by snapping their fingers, letting “herd immunity” run wild. They would over-night be the new darling of the MAGA Right—guaranteed to be named America’s Awesomest Governor, holding concerts and baseball games and doorknob-licking contests.
But there’s a reason nobody from the reddest to the bluest state has done it.
“Herd immunity,” of course, has traditionally been known as “vaccination.” But in the absence of a vaccine, it is best known as “let’s let everyone get sick, and even though millions of people might die unnecessarily and our medical systems will be overwhelmed, at least we’ll get it over with sooner.”
And if you’re looking for a governor’s true motivation, it is to prevent exactly this from happening. Purposely killing grandmothers has traditionally been an unsuccessful election platform.
As John Barth wrote, “Everyone is necessarily the hero of their own story.” And in order to be heroes, the “I need a haircut” crowd has made enemies of politicians that deserve a lot more credence.
The “hidden ulterior motive” for these executives is to keep Americans alive. Every governor in America is aware that these orders to stay home are going to anger their residents and ultimately might cost them their jobs.
But they will ultimately keep more people alive. Remember, body bags don’t vote.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled martial law.


thebulwark--2020-04-22--How Trump’s COVID-19 Failure Betrayed Our Military and Veterans

The failure of Donald Trump ’ s administration to heed warnings and prepare for the arrival of COVID-19 have been well documented .
Less well understood is the extent to which Trump also failed to protect both America ’ s armed forces and veterans , too .
The novel coronavirus is currently spreading among active duty military with more than 3,000 positive cases documented .
Meanwhile our veterans are being put in vulnerable positions in facilities susceptible to spread for the virus as their healthcare providers have been forced to ration personal protective equipment at the same time that staffing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve increasing numbers of infected patients and staff .
As of April 17 , the VA system had 5,468 documented positive cases and 339 veterans had officially died from COVID-19 in addition to 10 VA healthcare workers .
The same nightmare the rest of the country has experienced over the last month is unfolding within the VA and the Department of Defense .
And the causes are the same , too : a lack of preparation , equipment , and supplies .
All of this is known within the Trump administration .
Representative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four tours in Iraq and serves on the House Armed Services Committee , wrote to Vice President Mike Pence and the top officials at the CDC , HHS , and DoD on February 25 to express his “ grave concern over recent misinformation and testing setbacks.
” Moulton urged them “ to center preparation around widespread and accurate testing as well as the broad dissemination of only evidence-based information to the public.
” Four weeks later Moulton , who gets his healthcare from the VA , was sick with coronavirus-like symptoms .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested .
“ There are hundreds of thousands of vets who should have been tested and should be being tested now .
People are dying because of it , ” Moulton said , adding that Trump “ certainly has the blood of fellow Americans on his hands because of his total failure as commander-in-chief.
” And Moulton was not the first person to warn the Trump administration .
The New York Times reports that on January 28 , Dr. Carter Mecher , a senior medical advisor at the VA , wrote to public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ various universities warning that “ any way you cut it , this is going to be bad.
” Mercher added that “ The projected size of the outbreak already seems hard to believe.
” The list of government officials on Mercher ’ s email list included Dr. Jerome Adams , the U.S. surgeon general , Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , and Dr. Robert R. Redfield , Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention , and others at the Health and Human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the State Department .
The administration ’ s failure to heed these warnings is threefold : • The spread of the virus among armed forces contributed to a decline in military readiness .
• The spread within the VA broke the nation ’ s compact with our veterans .
• The VA ’ s “ fourth mission ” is a federal charge to step in and serve as the nation ’ s backstop when civilian hospitals are overwhelmed in a crisis .
That mission too , has been a failure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ failures ?
The commander-in-chief .
Trump threw out the pandemic preparation left by his predecessors and slashed response resources before denying reality for 70 days while the virus spread out of control .
And he made it virtually impossible for the leadership at the DoD or VA to get out in front of him as he insisted to the nation that the threat was “ very low ” and that the virus would disappear , “ like a miracle.
” “ He has created a leadership climate that stifles the kind of transparency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s required in a crisis like this , ” Michele Flournoy , the former undersecretary of Defense for Policy , said of President Trump .
“ What we have learned about pandemic response is that it ’ s impossible to over-communicate , even with imperfect information .
It ’ s important to be as truthful as possible and communicate as clearly , consistently and as frequently as possible.
” Today , four aircraft carriers have positive cases of COVID-19 .
A sailor aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt has died and 660 of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Submarines are a critical concern , because isolation and distancing are impossible on those vessels .
And so is the fact that social distancing is slowing both recruiting and training , meaning that maintaining a proper posture of force disposition is going to become difficult in the medium-term future .
Meanwhile active-duty military leaders who already struggle with two competing goals—protecting the health of U.S. troops while keeping detailed information about force disposition away from America ’ s adversaries—have learned that communicating honestly , let alone sounding alarms , is now a danger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is Capt .
Brett Crozier , the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt , who forfeited his career in an effort to force his superiors to protect his crew from an outbreak .
Frustrated by what he believed was an inadequate response from the Pentagon , Crozier wrote a letter that leaked to the press .
He was relieved of command and then personally attacked—called “ too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this ” —in front of his former crew aboard the Theodore Roosevelt , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why this reaction ?
Because Modly was acting on what he perceived to be the wish of President Trump , who said while he didn ’ t order Crozier ’ s firing he agreed with it .
“ I thought it was terrible , what he did , to write a letter .
I mean , this isn ’ t a class on literature.
” ( Ironically Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn , infuriated his superiors and colleagues when he publicly criticized our intelligence system while serving as chief military officer in Afghanistan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his National Security Advisor .
So , as always , these rationales are situational . )
Most of this story is well known .
Less well known is that chief of naval operations Admiral Michael Gilday is reviewing the incident and has indicated that he may reinstate Crozier , should his review show that Crozier ’ s pleas weren ’ t adequately addressed by superiors before he took them outside of the chain of command .
Gilday is surely aware that reversing Crozier ’ s termination order could cost him his job .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s predecessor , Navy Secretary Richard Spencer , for opposing Trump ’ s controversial decision to pardon Navy Seals convicted of war crimes .
The Roosevelt has become a canary in the coal mine , spreading fear among commanders that they could find themselves in the very same situation as Crozier .
Former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus tweeted after Crozier ’ s firing : “ This comes from the top…Our military , like our national government , has no overall plan on # COVID .
Firing CO sends chilling message to other commanders.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American military has been forced to deal with the pandemic .
The Wall Street Journal reports that , contrary to the initial assumption that sailors aboard the Roosevelt were infected during a port visit in Vietnam , the outbreak likely resulted from the ship ’ s flight operations .
( The first cases were within the carrier ’ s air wing . )
This is worrisome because it suggests , as the Journal puts it , that “ the U.S. Navy ’ s decision to curtail port visits may not alone stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Navy just last week regarding cleaning and disinfecting , treating the sick , segregating and separating those exposed or with symptoms .
This memo was an implicit acknowledgement that the DoD assumes that the virus has spread : At the end of the April 15 memo there is a reminder in all caps : “ WE HAVE NO NAVY WITHOUT OUR PEOPLE AND OUR SHIPS.
” Defense Secretary Esper , who announced last Saturday he would extend the DoD travel restrictions through June 30 , said that decisions about moving troops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by science.
” While Esper has been credited with increasing communication through the crisis—he has held town halls and his team has held regular daily Pentagon briefings—he has also been criticized for a slow and uneven response .
For instance , on January 22 , after the first diagnosis of COVID-19 in the United States , he was asked whether the virus was “ still not an issue ” for the military leadership .
Esper replied , “ It ’ s just—I just saw it on the news last night , so I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that he was sure his “ people ” were following it , but that there was just one known case in the country .
On April 18 , when asked about the high rate of asymptomatic transmission in positive cases among the crew of the Roosevelt ( 350 of 660 cases ) , Esper sounded as though he was unfamiliar with this key fact : “ That has revealed a new dynamic of this virus , it can be carried by normal , healthy people who have no idea whatsoever that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re learning a lesson there and making sure we communicate that to our broader force.
” Here , Esper sounded alarmingly like Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp who , in early April , said that he had only just learned about asymptomatic transmission of the virus .
As with Kemp , it ’ s unclear if Esper was truly this uninformed about the basic facts of the coronavirus , or if this was a pose being struck to stay on President Trump ’ s good side .
Nearly a month after his late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email to his list about the VA ’ s lack of PPE .
On February 25 he wrote : “ We should plan assuming we won ’ t have enough PPE— so need to change the battlefield and how we envision or even define the front lines.
” This warning , too , went unanswered .
Like other healthcare systems , the VA didn ’ t have adequate supplies of PPE for its frontline workers .
But unlike civilian healthcare systems , the VA refused to publicly admit that this shortage existed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throughout March and April , VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and his top officials conceded last Friday they have been rationing PPE .
The reversal came only after numerous reports from military publications and veterans ’ advocates such as Paul Rieckhoff .
The founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and host of the Angry Americans podcast , Rieckhoff has been tweeting every statistic he can find about nurses and doctors lacking PPE at VA facilities , the woeful lack of testing in the VA , how many people are testing positive among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have died alongside the hashtag # Where ’ sWilkie .
Wilkie , who is part of the White House Coronavirus task force , had spoken only twice at the president ’ s daily briefings and had given interviews only to friendly conservative media outlets before speaking with the Wall Street Journal on April 17 .
In the interview Wilkie used a number of formulations which seemed designed not to communicate directly and transparently with veterans and the public , but to not upset President Trump .
For instance , he said “ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we would have in an optimal situation , we have the supplies that we need as the CDC prescribes.
” Wilkie then went on to argue that shortages couldn ’ t have been avoided anyway : “ The normal operating procedure can not be maintained in a once-in-a-century crisis.
” Finally , While claimed that testing had expanded at nursing homes and spinal-cord injury centers .
But he would not say whether or not the VA could yet expand its testing throughout all its facilities .
And it wasn ’ t just veterans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dupe .
It was also withholding information from Congress .
Beginning on March 18 , the House Veterans Affairs Committee started sending requests to the VA asking for documents relating to supplies of PPE .
The committee sent 17 of these without receiving any answer .
The VA responded only to the 18th request , on April 17 .
And then only after the committee accused the White House of muzzling the department .
In a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force dated April 15 House committee chairman Rep. Mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in VA briefings stood in stark contrast to “ alarming disclosures from VA employees ” and asked that the administration “ allow VA to cooperate with Congress and provide key documents essential to empower lawmakers with the ability to aid America ’ s veterans.
” The stalling , the letter from committee lawmakers stated , “ leads us to a simple conclusion – your administration has hamstrung VA ’ s ability to ensure Congress is fully informed of the full extent to which it is prepared to care for veterans and fulfill VA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilian health care system.
” Takano added : “ We don ’ t need to waste any more of Secretary Wilkie ’ s and Dr. Stone ’ s valuable time with further requests for these documents when it is clear that the White House and OMB are holding up their release.
” Two days after that letter went public , the VA provided some—but not all—of the requested documentation to the committee .
If it looks like the VA is covering for Trump , well , yes , they were .
And not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had actually expressed its urgent concern about the virus to the House committee early on in the outbreak , staff for committee members said .
Why didn ’ t these VA officials make their concern public ?
Because they didn ’ t want to be at odds with President Trump while he was downplaying the threat .
On March 4 , Sen. Jon Tester , the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Veterans Affair , was informed by a top VA official that the VA initiated its response to COVID-19 two months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was weeks before the first known case in the United States .
In written responses to questions from Tester , Dr. Richard Stone , undersecretary for health at the VA , noted that response including embedding a VA physician with the CDC in Atlanta .
But these early warnings did not translate into an adequate response from the DoD or the VA .
These two departments—which comprise the two largest budgets in the federal government—could have brought enormous resources to bear in a national effort to fight Coronavirus .
Instead they sat on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president , who was committed to selling the country a series of untruths about the outbreak .
Today the VA is struggling to keep infections down at the 170 medical centers and 1,074 clinics it operates .
It also runs some nursing homes while certifying other state facilities to care for our nation ’ s veterans .
One of those facilities—Soldiers Home in Holyoke , Massachusetts—has already lost 57 veterans to COVID-19 .
And then there is the VA ’ s “ fourth mission ” of providing aid to the nation ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of crisis .
The results here have been , at best , modest .
Some beds , staff , and clinicians and a mobile pharmacy trailer have been dispatched for Michigan and Connecticut .
Some non-veterans are being cared for in VA facilities in Louisiana , Massachusetts , Rhode Island , Illinois , New Jersey , Michigan , New Mexico , and New York .
The VA ’ s original estimate was that the department would be able to aid 1,500 non-veteran patients .
To this point , the VA system has absorbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse than that : An inspector general review in March warned that an inability to care for veterans might actually reverse the agency ’ s fourth mission—meaning that some veterans would have to be transferred to non-VA hospitals and facilities for care .
And even here , it is a sign of failure .
Because while some parts of the VA are being stretched beyond capacity , others are actually underutilized .
According to a Bloomberg report last week , more than 60 percent of the VA ’ s acute care and ICU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical resources empty ?
Because the VA doesn ’ t have the human resources to take advantage of them .
According to a General Accounting Office report last September , the VA had a “ severe ” staff shortage , with more than 43,000 open jobs for doctors , nurses , psychiatrists and additional medical staff .
In March , Wilkie called this GAO report “ silly ” and denied that vacancies would impact the VA ’ s COVID-19 care because they are mostly in mental health and sub specialties “ like cancer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to praise President Trump , saying “ we have never delivered as much and we have never delivered as varied services as we have in the last few years and I owe a lot of that to the attention that the president of the United States has given to veterans.
” And of course he ’ s right , in a sense .
President Trump pays a great deal of attention to veterans when they are available to be used as props for his performative nationalism .
He does , however , seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a political inconvenience .
At that point , they become somewhat more disposable .
There is some history to this .
Veterans are much more vulnerable to COVID-19 than the average American .
Of the 9 million veterans in the system , half are over the age of 65 and many have underlying health conditions related to their service or their age .
The VA knew how tough this pandemic could be for our veterans .
A COVID-19 plan the VA released was fairly explicit .
It predicted that as much as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitalization ; that 30 percent of the VA ’ s workforce could become unavailable ; and the pandemic could last 18 months or more .
Jeremy Butler , the head of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , called these “ troubling assumptions ” and warned that the VA was not adequately prepared .
And in the VA , the impact of the pandemic has spread beyond patients with COVID-19 .
Elective procedures and other appointments have been cancelled , there have been difficulties connecting to service providers , and transitioning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All in all : A massive disruption of services for veterans .
And this disruption has taken place inside something like a media blackout .
“ We need strong leadership to get the message out , regardless of what the implications are , ” Butler said .
“ The public isn ’ t hearing from the VA and we ’ re not getting full transparency.
” Rieckhoff said that he believes Trump bears some responsibility for this failure .
“ Trump made a choice , ” Rieckhoff said .
“ He could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CVS and the My Pillow guy , or stood up with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the VA. ” Indeed , the president did make his choice .
Rieckhoff also notes another problem .
In New York City , 29 police officers have died of the coronavirus and 25 percent of the NYPD is offline .
What happens if 25 percent of America ’ s Navy Seals were suddenly to go offline , too ?
“ Our national security is endangered when people we hold up as American heroes are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t seem to care or even know , ” Rieckhoff says .
One former Pentagon official told me that the pandemic has underscored just how much the military depends on competence , discipline , and good order and that Trump hit the worst challenge of his leadership at a deficit .
“ There was already discomfort in the military and throughout the active corps about whether we have a competent commander-in-chief , ” the official said .
“ And that was the opening frame through which we entered into this crisis.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who served as both director of the CIA and the NSA , was willing to say what few others will : That this was all predictable .
In Hayden ’ s book , The Assault on Intelligence , he wrote : Hayden told me last week : “ Sadly , it turns out that passage was absolutely descriptive , prophetic to our current situation , and dishearteningly true.
” Moulton agrees that we should have expected this sort of response from Trump in a crisis , because “ every step of the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what principled leaders do .
That ’ s why he ’ s so dangerous for our troops and our vets.
” “ He shirks responsibility rather than accept it , he hoards credit rather than praise his troops , he cares about his own image rather than the success of the mission , ” Moulton said .
“ It ’ s literally the opposite of everything we learn in military training.
” Unlike white evangelical voters , who Trump works hard to please and dares not cross , the president panders to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the political support of veterans and those serving in uniform .
A Military Times poll shows that , despite military voters leaning more conservative and Republican , this is a mistake : The month before the outbreak , Trump ’ s approval was at 42 percent among active military , with disapproval at 50 percent—a net swing of -17 points since his election .
So Trump isn ’ t just underwater with the general public .
He ’ s underwater with the military , too .
None of this would surprise anyone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the military and veteran community .
For starters , there ’ s Trump policies : The withdrawal of troops from Syria after multiple threats and retreats ; the abandonment of the Kurds ; and the announced withdrawal from Afghanistan ( accompanied by a deal with the Taliban that strengthens their hand and releases their prisoners without a pledge to cease hostilities toward allied forces ) .
But there ’ s also his offenses : For a man who was lucky enough to be diagnosed with bone spurs just in time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward a number of veterans and active-duty soldiers .
There are his repeated attacks against Sen. John McCain—both in life and after death .
There was his ugly campaign against a Gold Star family in the summer of 2016 .
He has trashed decorated war veterans serving his own administration—from Bill Taylor ( Purple Heart ) to Alexander Vindman ( Purple Heart ) to John Kelly ( four-star general and father of a fallen soldier ) and Robert Mueller ( Bronze Star , Purple Heart ) .
The most audacious was his belittling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the military who Trump hailed as “ a true general ’ s general ” when he appointed him as Defense Secretary , but later dismissed as “ the world ’ s most overrated general ” after Mattis resigned in protest .
When Trump pardoned three war criminals , impeding the ability to prosecute future war crimes , he then publicly attacked the military leadership which had objected to the pardons , boasting at one of his rallies , “ Just this week , I stuck up for three great warriors against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help save the USPS , which is the second largest employer of veterans in the nation and which needs emergency funding to survive .
In January the Veterans of Foreign Wars asked that he apologize for dismissing traumatic brain injuries as “ headaches , ” and “ nothing too serious.
” He refused .
Last year he boasted that he rented out U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia for $ 1 billion , as if they were mercenaries for hire .
In all of this , Trump has brought the same strategy to managing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics : Polarize the landscape and keep his side loyal and energized .
The problem is that the American military , as an institution , is not designed to be aggressively politicized and doing so tears at the cohesion that keeps it strong .
As Cedric Leighton , a retired Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst , puts it : Our men and women in uniform and harms way—and our veterans—deserve better .

The failure of Donald Trump’s administration to heed warnings and prepare for the arrival of COVID-19 have been well documented.
Less well understood is the extent to which Trump also failed to protect both America’s armed forces and veterans, too.
The novel coronavirus is currently spreading among active duty military with more than 3,000 positive cases documented. Meanwhile our veterans are being put in vulnerable positions in facilities susceptible to spread for the virus as their healthcare providers have been forced to ration personal protective equipment at the same time that staffing shortfalls and vacancies threaten the ability to serve increasing numbers of infected patients and staff. As of April 17, the VA system had 5,468 documented positive cases and 339 veterans had officially died from COVID-19 in addition to 10 VA healthcare workers.
The same nightmare the rest of the country has experienced over the last month is unfolding within the VA and the Department of Defense. And the causes are the same, too: a lack of preparation, equipment, and supplies.
Podcast · August 15 2023 A.B. Stoddard: All the Ex-President’s Conspirators Donald Trump has been a low-rent mobster for his entire career, and now he’s getting…
All of this is known within the Trump administration.
Representative Seth Moulton, a Marine who served four tours in Iraq and serves on the House Armed Services Committee, wrote to Vice President Mike Pence and the top officials at the CDC, HHS, and DoD on February 25 to express his “grave concern over recent misinformation and testing setbacks.” Moulton urged them “to center preparation around widespread and accurate testing as well as the broad dissemination of only evidence-based information to the public.”
Four weeks later Moulton, who gets his healthcare from the VA, was sick with coronavirus-like symptoms. He self-quarantined because he was unable to get tested.
“There are hundreds of thousands of vets who should have been tested and should be being tested now. People are dying because of it,” Moulton said, adding that Trump “certainly has the blood of fellow Americans on his hands because of his total failure as commander-in-chief.”
And Moulton was not the first person to warn the Trump administration. The New York Times reports that on January 28, Dr. Carter Mecher, a senior medical advisor at the VA, wrote to public health experts both in government and at various universities warning that “any way you cut it, this is going to be bad.” Mercher added that “the projected size of the outbreak already seems hard to believe.”
The list of government officials on Mercher’s email list included Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and others at the Health and Human Services Department, the Homeland Security Department, and the State Department.
The administration’s failure to heed these warnings is threefold:
The spread of the virus among the armed forces contributed to a decline in military readiness.
The spread within the VA broke the nation’s compact with our veterans.
The VA’s “fourth mission” is a federal charge to step in and serve as the nation’s backstop when civilian hospitals are overwhelmed in a crisis. That mission too, has been a failure.
Who is at fault for these mission failures? The commander-in-chief.
Trump threw out the pandemic preparation left by his predecessors and slashed response resources before denying reality for 70 days while the virus spread out of control. And he made it virtually impossible for the leadership at the DoD or VA to get out in front of him as he insisted to the nation that the threat was “very low” and that the virus would disappear, “like a miracle.”
“He has created a leadership climate that stifles the kind of transparency, communication and truth telling that’s required in a crisis like this,” Michèle Flournoy, the former undersecretary of defense for policy, said of President Trump. “What we have learned about pandemic response is that it’s impossible to over-communicate, even with imperfect information. It’s important to be as truthful as possible and communicate as clearly, consistently and as frequently as possible.”
Today, four aircraft carriers have positive cases of COVID-19. A sailor aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt has died and 660 of his shipmates tested positive for the virus. Submarines are a critical concern, because isolation and distancing are impossible on those vessels. And so is the fact that social distancing is slowing both recruiting and training, meaning that maintaining a proper posture of force disposition is going to become difficult in the medium-term future.
Meanwhile active-duty military leaders who already struggle with two competing goals—protecting the health of U.S. troops while keeping detailed information about force disposition away from America’s adversaries—have learned that communicating honestly, let alone sounding alarms, is now a danger to their careers.
Patient Zero here is Capt. Brett Crozier, the commander of USS Theodore Roosevelt, who forfeited his career in an effort to force his superiors to protect his crew from an outbreak. Frustrated by what he believed was an inadequate response from the Pentagon, Crozier wrote a letter that leaked to the press. He was relieved of command and then personally attacked—called “too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this”—in front of his former crew aboard Theodore Roosevelt, by acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly.
Why this reaction? Because Modly was acting on what he perceived to be the wish of President Trump, who said that while he didn’t order Crozier’s firing he agreed with it. “I thought it was terrible, what he did, to write a letter. I mean, this isn’t a class on literature.” (Ironically Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn infuriated his superiors and colleagues when he publicly criticized our intelligence system while serving as chief military intelligence officer in Afghanistan. Seven years later Donald Trump made him his National Security Advisor. So, as always, these rationales are situational.)
Most of this story is well known. Less well known is that chief of naval operations Admiral Michael Gilday is reviewing the incident and has indicated that he may reinstate Crozier, should his review show that Crozier’s pleas weren’t adequately addressed by superiors before he took them outside of the chain of command.
Gilday is surely aware that reversing Crozier’s termination order could cost him his job. After all, Trump fired Modly’s predecessor, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, for opposing Trump’s controversial decision to pardon Navy Seals convicted of war crimes.
The Roosevelt has become a canary in the coal mine, spreading fear among commanders that they could find themselves in the very same situation as Crozier. Former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus tweeted after Crozier’s firing: “This comes from the top. . . . Our military, like our national government, has no overall plan on #COVID. Firing CO sends chilling signal to other commanders.”
This is the atmosphere in which the American military has been forced to deal with the pandemic.
The Wall Street Journal reports that, contrary to the initial assumption that sailors aboard the Roosevelt were infected during a port visit in Vietnam, the outbreak likely resulted from the ship’s flight operations. (The first cases were within the carrier’s air wing.) This is worrisome because it suggests, as the Journal puts it, that “the U.S. Navy’s decision to curtail port visits may not alone stop coronavirus infections.”
New guidelines were issued by the Navy just last week regarding cleaning and disinfecting, treating the sick, segregating and separating those exposed or with symptoms. This memo was an implicit acknowledgement that the DoD assumes that the virus has spread:
GOAL IS COVID free workplace but asymptomatic personnel will be present! Day-to-day actions must assume COVID is present => face coverings, hand washing, routine ship disinfecting.
At the end of the April 15 memo there is a reminder in all caps: “WE HAVE NO NAVY WITHOUT OUR PEOPLE AND OUR SHIPS.”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who announced last Saturday he would extend the DoD travel restrictions through June 30, said that decisions about moving troops and their families will be “driven by science.” While Esper has been credited with increasing communication through the crisis—he has held town halls and his team has held regular daily Pentagon briefings—he has also been criticized for a slow and uneven response. For instance, on January 22, after the first diagnosis of COVID-19 in the United States, he was asked whether the virus was “still not an issue” for the military leadership.
Esper replied, “It’s just—I just saw it on the news last night, so I’m not tracking that.”
He added that he was sure his “people” were following it, but that there was just one known case in the country.
On April 18, when asked about the high rate of asymptomatic transmission in positive cases among the crew of the Roosevelt (350 of 660 cases), Esper sounded as though he was unfamiliar with this key fact: “That has revealed a new dynamic of this virus, it can be carried by normal, healthy people who have no idea whatsoever that they’re carrying it. We’re learning a lesson there and making sure we communicate that to our broader force.”
Here, Esper sounded alarmingly like Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp who, in early April, said that he had only just learned about asymptomatic transmission of the virus.
As with Kemp, it’s unclear if Esper was truly this uninformed about the basic facts of the coronavirus, or if this was a pose being struck to stay on President Trump’s good side.
Nearly a month after his late January warning, Dr. Mecher sent another email to his list about the VA’s lack of PPE. On February 25 he wrote: “We should plan assuming we won’t have enough PPE— so need to change the battlefield and how we envision or even define the front lines.”
This warning, too, went unanswered. Like other healthcare systems, the VA didn’t have adequate supplies of PPE for its frontline workers. But unlike civilian healthcare systems, the VA refused to publicly admit that this shortage existed for nearly two months.
Following repeated denials throughout March and April, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and his top officials conceded last Friday they have been rationing PPE. The reversal came only after numerous reports from military publications and veterans’ advocates such as Paul Rieckhoff.
The founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and host of the Angry Americans podcast, Rieckhoff has been tweeting every statistic he can find about nurses and doctors lacking PPE at VA facilities, the woeful lack of testing in the VA, how many people are testing positive among staff and patients, and how many have died alongside the hashtag #Where’sWilkie.
Wilkie, who is part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, had spoken only twice at the president’s daily briefings and had given interviews only to friendly conservative media outlets before speaking with the Wall Street Journal on April 17.
In the interview Wilkie used a number of formulations which seemed designed not to communicate directly and transparently with veterans and the public, but to not upset President Trump. For instance, he said “We don’t have the supplies that we would have in an optimal situation, we have the supplies that we need as the CDC prescribes.”
Wilkie then went on to argue that shortages couldn’t have been avoided anyway: “The normal operating procedure cannot be maintained in a once-in-a-century crisis.”
Finally, Wilkie claimed that testing had expanded at nursing homes and spinal-cord-injury centers. But he would not say whether or not the VA could yet expand its testing throughout all its facilities.
And it wasn’t just veterans the general public the VA was trying to dupe. It was also withholding information from Congress.
Beginning on March 18, the House Veterans Affairs Committee started sending requests to the VA asking for documents relating to supplies of PPE. The committee sent 17 of these without receiving any answer. The VA responded only to the 18th request, on April 17. And then only after the committee accused the White House of muzzling the department.
In a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force dated April 15, committee chairman Rep. Mark Takano noted the information shared with lawmakers in VA briefings stood in stark contrast to disclosures from VA employees and asked that the administration allow the VA “to cooperate with Congress” and provide the committee key documents and information.
The stalling, the letter from committee lawmakers stated, “leads us to a simple conclusion—your administration has hamstrung VA’s ability to ensure Congress is fully informed of the full extent to which it is prepared to care for veterans and fulfill VA’s fourth mission of augmenting the civilian health care system.” Takano added: “We don’t need to waste any more of Secretary Wilkie’s and Dr. Stone’s valuable time with further requests for these documents when it is clear that the White House and OMB are holding up their release.”
Two days after that letter went public, the VA provided some—but not all—of the requested documentation to the committee.
If it looks like the VA is covering for Trump, well, yes, they were. And not for the first time.
The VA had actually expressed its urgent concern about the virus to the House committee early on in the outbreak, staff for committee members said. Why didn’t these VA officials make their concern public? Because they didn’t want to be at odds with President Trump while he was downplaying the threat.
On March 4, Sen. Jon Tester, the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Veterans Affair, was informed by a top VA official that the VA initiated its response to COVID-19 two months earlier, on January 4. This was weeks before the first known case in the United States. In written responses to questions from Tester, Dr. Richard Stone, undersecretary for health at the VA, noted that response, including embedding a VA physician with the CDC in Atlanta.
But these early warnings did not translate into an adequate response from the DoD or the VA. These two departments—which comprise the two largest budgets in the federal government—could have brought enormous resources to bear in a national effort to fight the coronavirus. Instead they sat on the sidelines so as not to embarrass the president, who was committed to selling the country a series of untruths about the outbreak.
Today the VA is struggling to keep infections down at the 170 medical centers and 1,074 clinics it operates. It also runs some nursing homes while certifying other state facilities to care for our nation’s veterans.
One of those facilities—Soldiers Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts—has already lost 57 veterans to COVID-19.
And then there is the VA’s “fourth mission” of providing aid to the nation’s civilian healthcare providers in a time of crisis.
The results here have been, at best, modest. Some beds, staff, and clinicians and a mobile pharmacy trailer have been dispatched for Michigan and Connecticut. Some non-veterans are being cared for in VA facilities in Louisiana, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Illinois, New Jersey, Michigan, New Mexico, and New York. The VA’s original estimate was that the department would be able to aid 1,500 non-veteran patients.
To this point, the VA system has absorbed 135.
And the reality may be worse than that: An inspector general review in March warned that an inability to care for veterans might actually reverse the agency’s fourth mission—meaning that some veterans would have to be transferred to non-VA hospitals and facilities for care.
And even here, it is a sign of failure. Because while some parts of the VA are being stretched beyond capacity, others are actually underutilized. According to a Bloomberg report last week, more than 60 percent of the VA’s acute care and ICU beds are empty.
Why are these physical resources empty? Because the VA doesn’t have the human resources to take advantage of them. According to a General Accounting Office report last September, the VA had a “severe” staff shortage, with more than 43,000 open jobs for doctors, nurses, psychiatrists and additional medical staff.
In March, Wilkie called this GAO report “silly” and denied that vacancies would impact the VA’s COVID-19 care because they are mostly in mental health and sub-specialties “like cancer and primary care.” He then pivoted to praise President Trump, saying “we have never delivered as much and we have never delivered as varied services as we have in the last few years and I owe a lot of that to the attention that the president of the United States has given to veterans.”
And of course he’s right, in a sense. President Trump pays a great deal of attention to veterans when they are available to be used as props for his performative nationalism.
He does, however, seem ever so slightly less attentive if they are a political inconvenience.
At that point, they become somewhat more disposable. There is some history to this.
Veterans are much more vulnerable to COVID-19 than the average American. Of the 9 million veterans in the system, half are over the age of 65 and many have underlying health conditions related to their service or their age. The VA knew how tough this pandemic could be for our veterans.
A COVID-19 plan the VA released was fairly explicit. It predicted that as much as 20 percent of those infected could require hospitalization; that 30 percent of the VA’s workforce could become unavailable; and the pandemic could last 18 months or more. Jeremy Butler, the head of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, called these “troubling assumptions” and warned that the VA was not adequately prepared.
And in the VA, the impact of the pandemic has spread beyond patients with COVID-19. Elective procedures and other appointments have been canceled, there have been difficulties connecting to service providers, and transitioning to telehealth or tele-mental health for many patients. All in all: A massive disruption of services for veterans.
And this disruption has taken place inside something like a media blackout.
“We need strong leadership to get the message out, regardless of what the implications are,” Butler said. “The public isn’t hearing from the VA and we’re not getting full transparency.”
Rieckhoff said that he believes Trump bears some responsibility for this failure.
“Trump made a choice,” Rieckhoff said. “He could have stood up with the CEO of CVS and the My Pillow guy, or stood up with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the VA.”
Indeed, the president did make his choice.
Rieckhoff also notes another problem. In New York City, 29 police officers have died of the coronavirus and 25 percent of the NYPD is offline. What happens if 25 percent of America’s Navy Seals were suddenly to go offline, too? “Our national security is endangered when people we hold up as American heroes are getting decimated and our wartime president doesn’t seem to care or even know,” Rieckhoff says.
One former Pentagon official told me that the pandemic has underscored just how much the military depends on competence, discipline, and good order and that Trump hit the worst challenge of his leadership at a deficit.
“There was already discomfort in the military and throughout the active corps about whether we have a competent commander-in-chief,” the official said. “And that was the opening frame through which we entered into this crisis.”
General Michael Hayden, a four-star general who served as director of both the CIA and the NSA, was willing to say what few others will: That this was all predictable.
In Hayden’s book, The Assault on Intelligence, he wrote:
[T]he president’s instinct toward action, his impatience with process, his lack of interest in history, his focus on “winning,” his obsession with protecting the Trump brand (in this case toughness)—all that could conspire to create a very bad decision.
Hayden told me last week: “Sadly, it turns out that passage was absolutely descriptive, prophetic to our current situation, and dishearteningly true.”
Moulton agrees that we should have expected this sort of response from Trump in a crisis, because “every step of the way he’s done the precise opposite of what principled leaders do. That’s why he’s so dangerous for our troops and our vets.”
“He shirks responsibility rather than accept it, he hoards credit rather than praise his troops, he cares about his own image rather than the success of the mission,” Moulton said. “It’s literally the opposite of everything we learn in military training.”
Unlike white evangelical voters, whom Trump works hard to please and dares not cross, the president panders to, but ultimately takes for granted, the political support of veterans and those serving in uniform. A Military Times poll shows that, despite military voters leaning more conservative and Republican, this is a mistake: The month before the outbreak, Trump’s approval was at 42 percent among active military, with disapproval at 50 percent—a net swing of -17 points since his election.
So Trump isn’t just underwater with the general public. He’s underwater with the military, too.
Ohio Representative Tim Ryan, who sits on the Appropriations subcommittee for Veterans Affairs told me:
There are a lot of Veterans I meet with who voted for Donald Trump that will never vote for him again. His complete disregard for the chain of command, cutting out local Veteran Service officers from decision making and insulting noble, long serving soldiers and sailors. This is a group that Trump and failed and insulted in the process. They won’t stand for his bullshit anymore.
None of this would surprise anyone who has been paying attention, inside and out of the military and veteran community.
For starters, there’s Trump policies: The withdrawal of troops from Syria after multiple threats and retreats; the abandonment of the Kurds; and the announced withdrawal from Afghanistan (accompanied by a deal with the Taliban that strengthens their hand and releases their prisoners without a pledge to cease hostilities toward allied forces).
But there’s also his offenses: For a man who was lucky enough to be diagnosed with bone spurs just in time to avoid Vietnam, Trump has been hostile toward a number of veterans and active-duty soldiers.
There are his repeated attacks against Sen. John McCain—both in life and after death. There was his ugly campaign against a Gold Star family in the summer of 2016. He has trashed decorated war veterans serving his own administration—from Bill Taylor (Purple Heart) to Alexander Vindman (Purple Heart) to John Kelly (four-star general and father of a fallen soldier) and Robert Mueller (Bronze Star, Purple Heart). The most audacious was his belittling of Jim Mattis, a four-star revered in the military whom Trump hailed as “a true general’s general” when he appointed him as defense secretary, but later dismissed as “the world’s most overrated general” after Mattis resigned in protest.
When Trump pardoned three war criminals, impeding the ability to prosecute future war crimes, he then publicly attacked the military leadership which had objected to the pardons, boasting at one of his rallies, “Just this week, I stuck up for three great warriors against the Deep State.”
Trump has refused to help save the USPS, which is the second-largest employer of veterans in the nation and which needs emergency funding to survive. In January the Veterans of Foreign Wars asked that he apologize for dismissing traumatic brain injuries as “headaches” and “nothing too serious.” He refused. Last year he boasted that he rented out U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia for $1 billion, as if they were mercenaries for hire.
In all of this, Trump has brought the same strategy to managing the military as he has to domestic politics: Polarize the landscape and keep his side loyal and energized.
The problem is that the American military, as an institution, is not designed to be aggressively politicized and doing so tears at the cohesion that keeps it strong.
As Cedric Leighton, a retired Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst, puts it:
The effect of the Trump presidency on the military and on veterans has been exceptionally divisive. You have both active-duty and veterans groups who are now split in pro-Trump and anti-Trump factions. Senior leaders once revered by their troops are now often disinvited from organizational events just because they’ve publicly questioned President Trump’s policies or actions. Servicemen and -women are trained to follow orders, but sometimes their unquestioning fealty to Trump administration policies or to the president himself has been downright dangerous. The development of any personality cult around a president, no matter who it is or what party they represent, is antithetical to the democratic values we veterans and service members have sworn to uphold.
Our men and women in uniform and in harm’s way—and our veterans—deserve better.


thebulwark--2020-04-22--Antigone, Heroes, and COVID-19

Antigone, Heroes, and COVID-19

A mood of decline has settled on America .
COVID-19 is filling our hospitals and emptying our coffers .
America is weaker , poorer , and still vulnerable .
Disagreements persist as to the nature and the needed response to the pandemic .
It would be easy to conclude that America ’ s best days are behind us .
Perhaps this pessimism is misplaced .
Years ago I had the privilege of being taught by University of Chicago ’ s David Tracy .
In his extensive work on religion and literature and cosmology , Professor Tracy introduced his students to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking about Athens because we were reading Greek tragedians , including Aeschylus , Sophocles , and Euripides .
His view was that those who produced the philosophy , arts and politics of Aeschylus ’ time were truly history ’ s greatest generation : They defined a good life , set the standards of truth and beauty , and emphasized how suffering may be ultimately transformed .
And they fought to preserve Athens as a place where their ideas would be lived not just in words , but in deeds One of the subjects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time exploring was heroism .
For the Greeks , heroism was not principally about self-sacrifice , but rather about the individual ’ s personal growth .
One who engages in a heroic act is , simply put , a fuller and more complete person than one who does not .
Or , at least that ’ s what they believed in Athens .
Professor Tracy talked about the choice of Sophocles ’ Antigone , who must bury her brother to achieve justice—despite the risk she takes to her own life .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Euripides , an arc of just under two centuries , Professor Tracy described an Athens that steadily lost its will to define moral greatness and champion heroes .
My college notebook recorded this with epigrammatic brevity : In that triptych you can see the decline of moral objectivity in Athens .
The Greatest Generation had faded away , and the lessons they taught were steadily dismissed , with new habits of mind taking hold .
By the time Euripides was writing , Athens had begun to crumble in self-doubt—and as a society as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tracy stopped and turned to us : It strikes me that this statement in a college classroom 15 years ago would very well be talking about American society today .
Because it is clear that the celebrities of our culture dominate our attention today and determine much of what we think and discuss .
In this moment , however , the public has turned its attention and honor elsewhere .
Thousands of patients are at this moment in distress in ICUs .
Doctors and nursing teams are intubating new patients .
Researchers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Social workers are consoling patients .
These heroes do their jobs not because they are seeking glory or celebrity , but because they were trained for them .
Because they live for them .
And it is in the struggle and the sacrifice where life itself is lived .
They have no want for recognition and in this they stands in explicit contrast to the celebrity culture , which we see preening and mugging for the cameras nightly .
The Greeks knew the difference between these two types of “ heroes.
” So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praise , honor , respect , and most of all , imitation .
It ’ s how we renew ourselves and our nation , affirm our values and demonstrate to those who will follow us that we value certain truths over all other things .
That was the lesson of Athens that Professor Tracy taught me .
Every society chooses what to be by what it affirms and celebrates .
America is no different .
We need not follow the path of Athens .
And by the evidence around us in this moment @ @ @ @ @ @

A mood of decline has settled on America. COVID-19 is filling our hospitals and emptying our coffers. America is weaker, poorer, and still vulnerable. Disagreements persist as to the nature and the needed response to the pandemic. It would be easy to conclude that America’s best days are behind us.
Perhaps this pessimism is misplaced. Years ago I had the privilege of being taught by the University of Chicago’s David Tracy. In his extensive work on religion and literature and cosmology, Professor Tracy introduced his students to classical concepts of heroism.
Tracy was talking about Athens because we were reading Greek tragedians, including Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. His view was that those who produced the philosophy, arts, and politics of Aeschylus’ time were truly history’s greatest generation: They defined a good life, set the standards of truth and beauty, and emphasized how suffering may be ultimately transformed. And they fought to preserve Athens as a place where their ideas would be lived not just in words, but in deeds.
One of the subjects the Greek thinkers spent a great deal of time exploring was heroism.
For the Greeks, heroism was not principally about self-sacrifice, but rather about the individual’s personal growth. One who engages in a heroic act is, simply put, a fuller and more complete person than one who does not. Or at least that’s what they believed in Athens.
Professor Tracy talked about the choice of Sophocles’ Antigone, who must bury her brother to achieve justice—despite the risk she takes to her own life.
But using the historical period from Aeschylus to Euripides, an arc of just under two centuries, Professor Tracy described an Athens that steadily lost its will to define moral greatness and champion heroes. My college notebook recorded this with epigrammatic brevity:
Aeschylus: “Zeus is just.” Sophocles: “Maybe Zeus is just.” Euripides: “Maybe there is no Zeus?”
In that triptych you can see the decline of moral objectivity in Athens. The Greatest Generation had faded away and the lessons they taught were steadily dismissed, with new habits of mind taking hold. By the time Euripides was writing, Athens had begun to crumble in self-doubt—and as a society as well.
At this point, Professor Tracy stopped and turned to us:
If you look at many societies that come and go—and even ours to a degree—you will find that a strong society is able to identify its true heroes. We erode when we choose to abandon this practice and we fall into nothing more than a society that worships celebrity.
It strikes me that this statement in a college classroom 15 years ago could very well be talking about American society today.
Because it is clear that the celebrities of our culture dominate our attention today and determine much of what we think and discuss.
Podcast · August 15 2023 A.B. Stoddard: All the Ex-President’s Conspirators Donald Trump has been a low-rent mobster for his entire career, and now he’s getting…
In this moment, however, the public has turned its attention and honor elsewhere. Thousands of patients are at this moment in distress in ICUs. Doctors and nursing teams are intubating new patients. Researchers are racing the clock for a vaccine. Social workers are consoling patients.
These heroes do their jobs not because they are seeking glory or celebrity but because they were trained for them. Because they live for them. And it is in the struggle and the sacrifice where life itself is lived.
They have no want for recognition and in this they stands in explicit contrast to the celebrity culture, which we see preening and mugging for the cameras nightly.
The Greeks knew the difference between these two types of “heroes.” So do we.
We owe our heroes praise, honor, respect, and most of all, imitation. It’s how we renew ourselves and our nation, affirm our values and demonstrate to those who will follow us that we value certain truths over all other things.
That was the lesson of Athens that Professor Tracy taught me.
Every society chooses what to be by what it affirms and celebrates. America is no different. We need not follow the path of Athens. And by the evidence around us in this moment, we aren’t.