pawnman

Eh...could also mean we stop training to skills we don't need. For example, do we need to teach marching in our commissioning sources? When was the last time anyone here marched anywhere? That said...this specific case definitely sounds like lowering the bar for a political outcome, not a military readiness outcome.

But health insurance does cost more for smokers...? But putting that aside, someone overdosing on drugs can't make me sick. Someone shoveling down Big Macs can't make me fat. Someone smoking can't give me lung cancer (despite all the screaming about second-hand smoke). Unvaccinated people who refuse to wear masks absolutely increase the probability that those around them get infected. See the difference? It's not a choice about your individual health...it's a choice that affects everyone around you. Which is usually the bar for mandates - government doesn't care if you get drunk, because that won't affect anyone else. But they care if you drive drunk, because your decision now increases the risk for others on the road.

Deaths look like they are hovering at about half to maybe alightly less than half of what they were during last winter's Delta surge. Do we have data that shows the majority of current deaths are the unvaccinated? We do, in fact, have that data. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#rates-by-vaccine-status

Just wait until people decline ADSCs for instructor upgrade or requal. That'll REALLY help the manning.

Looks like Dogfish is back

Why would we do this to ourselves? Make them due in June, match them up to PCS cycles, and don't have to worry about every support office and exec being on leave while you try to submit your OPR. Edit: nevermind, just saw Genie's post. Doesn't look terrible.

I think we're going to have to resign ourselves to living with Covid forever because people are simply unwilling to do anything to mitigate it. People who happily do things to mitigate smaller risks balk at doing anything for Covid. Because somehow they've made Covid response a political issue instead of a public health issue. It's sad that a bunch of whiny assholes are going to be able to hold the rest of the country hostage, but here we are. At least you assholes won't be in yhe military.

So 100 million are unvaccinated, while we've removed all social distancing and most places have removed mask mandates, and we're supposed to view the rise in infections as a failure of the vaccines?

The small changes would make a difference if ignorant assholes would stop making "I refuse to get vaccinated" their whole personality. You know why breakthrough infections are rare for measles? Because the vaccination rate is really close to 100%. You know why Covid continues to spread? Because we're nowhere near 100%.

Please, for the love of God, stop with this false nonsense. If you want to argue on the merits, please do but the vaccines lower the chances you get it. If you don't get it, you can't spread it. No vaccine stops transmission to unvaccinated people...that's why California had an outbreak of measles not that long ago. The Covid vaccines are about as effective at stopping Covid as flu vaccines are for stopping flu, and we in the military line up every year for the flu vaccine...which is an even LOWER risk category than Covid.

In your opinion, does this mean we should lift all the other health mandates? Polio, MMR, etc vaccines? Would you go further... no FDA did inspections. If a company makes tainted goods, people just won't buy them?

And yet I've never seen medical professionals or the military protest flu vaccine requirements...

Wild, considering we've got people who draw airplanes in ASCII characters as part of their signature block.

"Gives permission"... has ANYONE ever been coached up on an email signature not being the Tongue & Quill standard? Pretty sure people could have just put pronouns in their signature and no one would have batted an eye.

No doubt. We've moved from vaccines to just debating the merits of religion as a whole. Bottom line: I honestly don't believe anyone who got all the other vaccines we get when they claim that ONLY the Covid vaccine violates their religious beliefs. Just like I didn't buy the "I don't know what's in it" argument from people who eagerly await the McRib and drink a Monster for breakfast.

I'd argue the puritan stance against birth control and teaching teens to use it probably creates more abortions than it prevents. The huge pushback against legalizing gay marriage, marginalizing a chunk of the population. Constant covering up of abuses in large faith organizations. The Catholic Church is the most visible example, but definitely not the only one. There's a ton of things the religious right supports that I think are at odds with what Jesus teaches... but there's a Bible verse for everything. It is always fun to watch someone quote a Bible verse as support, then clearly ignore the verses before and after it.

I'm curious which denomination of Christianity is telling people not to get the vaccine. i know it isnt Catholics, Southern Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Assemblies of God, or Methodist. And a Christian Scientist would have objections to ALL vaccines, not just Covid. Or are y'all asserting a singular personal belief that puts you at odds with the doctrine of your chosen faith?

My kid in Gen Z. I assure you, they are not fans of mindless obedience. Also, my daughter is way more conservative than most of her teachers.

Pretty sure it's sarcasm given his post history.

Don't confuse "death" with "effect". You don't have to die to be rendered ineffective by Covid. Not to mention every base has a boatload of DoD civilians who ARE in the high-risk demographics.

Or... and follow with me here...seatbelts and airbags. It's like a pillow that's only there when you need it. Want to try a different analogy?

Yep. I wonder if he's got a religious accommodation for the flu shot. Since it was developed using that same fetal cell line. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20347632/

Enjoy your civilian job. None of us are irreplaceable. The Air Force will, without a doubt, find a way to continue without your leadership and aviation experience.

What people often miss is that accommodation may well be separating from the service.

Pretty sure this is EXACTLY what the Kentucky study found. Infection + vaccine is better immunity than infection or vaccine alone.