Bwahahaha! Bring the officer class together during a pandemic to have a bozo who doesn’t believe in the germ theory of disease to lecture at them! Trump has recalled the graduating class of West Point to stand before him in some kind of formation. Why? I don’t know. He just needs the ego boost, I guess.
It remains unclear how the graduation ceremony will actually look. The Naval Academy decided against holding an in-person ceremony at its campus in Annapolis, Md., and opted to hold a virtual event instead, according to The New York Times. The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. held a ceremony with cadets sitting eight feet apart from each other, with Vice President Mike Pence as its commencement speaker.
Three sources told The Times that West Point still hadn’t made its decision on how to conduct the ceremony, originally planned for late May, when Trump surprised officials there by saying he would speak in person.
I’m amused that they have no idea how best to do this. We’re struggling with it here at UMM, too, but we decided to do an entirely online ceremony, because we’d rather not risk the health of our students. That’s a trifle Trump does not worry about.
I would hope that all the graduates at that ceremony are seated a safe distance apart, and that they all wear masks, because you know no one in the Trump administration will wear them. It makes for great optics to see the disregard Trumpkins have for the safety of others.
Well, alas, he figured out that the military has to do whatever he says that is legal. It’s legal for him to order them to their deaths.
Still, it is a military group, on a military installation. I see no reason, graduation or not, for them to not be training to task standards.
Graduation will be conducted in full MOPP-4.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOPP_(protective_gear)
Full mask, gloves, chemical protective suit and boots.
Perhaps a confidence test during the speech via a popped CS grenade…
and the disregard the Mayo Clinic had/has for its staff and patients to allow goddamn Pence into the place without wearing a mask on his dead face. I hope they get reamed for that. Shame on them. They never should have let him in.
Also in today’s news, Cheetolini wants to waste millions flying planes in “tribute” to workers instead of paying them more money.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pentagon-planning-flyovers-in-dozens-of-us-cities-as-a-tribute-to-frontline-workers-battling-coronavirus/ar-BB139WDJ
Intransitive@#3:
Also in today’s news, Cheetolini wants to waste millions flying planes in “tribute” to workers instead of paying them more money.
That’s just a cover – they’ll actually be spraying another dose of the coronavirus.
@1: You beat me to it. But then, I’ve participated in an actual military-school graduation that was interrupted by a CW alert called by a higher headquarters…
It’s actually more likely that the Army was too technically challenged to arrange a virtual graduation. (Hey, a little interservice rivalry never really hurt anybody, did it?)
@4: The planes will actually be spraying a solution of swimming-pool “chlorine” dissolved in 70% isopropyl alcohol because that’s all that’s available. Those two chemicals have been hoarded for two months by rich white Rethuglicans in SoCal, Arizona, and Nevada for their pools, and this donation is their entire contribution to the effort against a public health disaster. Well, except that they’re continuing to (under)pay housekeeping staff and gardeners — which is slightly better than some major employers have managed, who are continuing to pay only the C-suite — while simultaneously railing against illegal immigration.
Oooh, maybe that’s an opportunity for the entire graduating class to earn their purple hearts. I’m not entirely sure how the whole medal thing works, but I seem to recall you have to be injured in service to your country. So, “diesease sweeping the country caught at graduation ceremony” should qualifiy. There’ll even be an implacable enemy bent on destroying the country there. He’ll be giving a speech. Or at least a ramble.
If I was a Westpoint grad, I’d call in sick. Granted, I don’t pay much service to “ceremony” (I skipped prom to work a shift at Pizza Hut), but I’m sure there are a few grads who either don’t give a shit about DJT or are legitimately scared of catching the virus. We can call them the survivors. The USA USA USA MFs who are going to turn up are more likely to be exposed and more likely to get sick and die. Weird to see Darwiniasm in action in real time in my own species.
you know no one in the Trump administration will wear them. It makes </>
I have been getting a kick out of this
/ Vladimir Putin wears hazmat suit to visit coronavirus patients in Russia
Of course, all the indications are that Putin is smarter than a sea slug and, apparently, Mike Pence.
Perhaps West Point could have cardboard cutouts of the graduates, the way that Taiwan is doing for baseball audiences. Trump might not be able to tell the difference.
Maybe he wants the cadets to join his new Covid Space Force
https://vvattsupwiththat.blogspot.com/2020/04/white-house-launches-strategic-virus.html
Intransitive@#3:
Marcus Ranum@#4:
Chemtrails!!!! I knew it.
#11 @Kreator
Nope.
Biotrails!
There is apparently some expert(TM) disagreement on whether the Coronavirus conspiracy is biological, chemical, radiological, spiritual or sociological (ie. media hoax).
Pence: A face mask would get in the way of the ass-kissing.
West Point: They need protective gear that will completely block out the noise coming from the crazy guy.
.
OT. Who would have thunk it? New Scientist accepted my letter:
”Deliberate infection to test possible vaccines” https://www.newscientist.com/letter/mg24632800-200-deliberate-infection-to-test-possible-vaccines/
But I cannot take credit -the basic idea comes from Plotkin, the rubella vaccine guy. He is going strong despite his high age (hint to PZ -you have a lot of mileage left).
Seated apart: Not if Trump can help it, he wants them nice and tight together (see link bit later).
So according to the New York Times it is give COVID-19 test to all of them while they are not yet called back, get the graduates that pass back 14 days before the ceremony, keep the quarantined as best as possible for 14 days and then have a nice PR shot for Trump.
“It makes for great optics to see the disregard Trumpkins have for the safety of others.”
Seen online…. too bad none of the TrumpBots have had this conversation:
“Every time you break isolation, someone will die,” said the djinn. “But it will be a person you do not know.”
“Harsh, but I have work to do.” said the man.
“Done,” said the djinn. “By the way, I am granting this wish to ten thousand people who do not know you. Good luck!”