> The aide said that guys like me were 'in what we call the reality-based community,' which he defined as people who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.' [...] 'That's not the way the world really works anymore,' he continued. 'We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors...and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do'.
pixelpoet 11 minutes ago [-]
"It is a well-known fact that reality has liberal bias." - Stephen Colbert
javascriptfan69 31 minutes ago [-]
"Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is paid."
zephen 49 minutes ago [-]
In Soviet Russia, reality deal with you!
SecretDreams 1 hours ago [-]
Sadly, all the time spent deferring reality ends up hurting a lot of bystanders. The debt they've run up is going to be painful, maybe moreso than the damages incurred from the anti-science and anti-transparency policies.
vkou 1 hours ago [-]
The debt would be less painful if the pricks that were responsible for this mess would be billed for the consequences of their poor king-making.
We can start with whomever showed up to that inauguration, and expand from there. If they could afford that bribe, they can certainly afford to pay for repairing the damage their golden boy has caused.
redsocksfan45 1 hours ago [-]
[dead]
bko 1 hours ago [-]
What does this mean
nolok 44 minutes ago [-]
The vaccine was mandatory, like in pretty much every army base of every half developed country, because not having it mandatory led to infection waves and in the army that's even worse than in genpop.
The reasons for not doing the vaccine anymore were, essentially, "the vaccine is more dangerous than the sickness" and "the vaccine is not necessary to avoid the sickness".
Both of those statement are, factually, scientifically, not true. That's reality. Which is what parent meant, no matter the deep conviction and the political innuendo, ultimately reality is you either do the vaccine and are safe for no risk or you don't and you get infection waves.
krapp 48 minutes ago [-]
Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
See: viruses and the efficacy of vaccines thereupon.
wrs 2 hours ago [-]
>"The decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments..."
Both decisions? Or just the walkback one?
beart 2 hours ago [-]
I have a close friend who is an officer nearing twenty years. He has not had a tendency to criticize his job. However, he has been adamant that vaccines are incredibly important for the military and the policy changes have really angered him, specifically because of the damage it does to readiness.
shagie 3 minutes ago [-]
> However, he has been adamant that vaccines are incredibly important for the military ...
> During the 1700s, smallpox raged through the American colonies and the Continental Army. Smallpox impacted the Continental Army severely during the Revolutionary War, so much so that George Washington mandated inoculation for all Continental soldiers in 1777. Just fifty-six years earlier, in 1721, Bostonian doctors and clergy introduced the procedure to the American colonies. Without the vision and determination of these early Bostonians in normalizing inoculation, Washington may not have made the decision to mandate inoculation for the Continental Army. Though it was a controversial action, many historians credit the medical mandate with the colonists’ victory in the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States of America.
> You are hereby required immediately to send me an exact return of your regiment, and to send all your recruits, who have had the small pox to join the Army. Those, who have not, are to be sent to Philadelphia, and put under the direction of the commanding officer there, who will have them inoculated.
sandworm101 1 hours ago [-]
The covid refusal also became a scam. If you refused then you couldnt be deployed. But it tool months to kick people out. So people who didnt want to deploy would refuse and then agree to get the shot at the last minute. So it kept them home for up to six months while thier buddies went overseas..
actionfromafar 12 minutes ago [-]
This gets downvoted every time, maybe someone doesn't like truth because it's woke or something.
actionfromafar 1 hours ago [-]
Can't you just drink raw milk instead? - RFK Jr
grizmaldi 16 minutes ago [-]
Because freedom!
hammock 2 hours ago [-]
This administration might be the exception, but it is actually normal for the US military to be getting more vaccines than average, even when their effectiveness is suspect (some past flu vaccines) or side effects are moderate to severe (e.g. anthrax vaccines).
Readiness - a matter of national security - tends to trump most concerns that, in civilian populations, might warrant greater choice and debate.
lokar 2 hours ago [-]
It’s common sense for any congregate housing arrangement
DaSHacka 8 minutes ago [-]
You'd think other aspects of health, like general fitness and mental well-being would be factored in too, but strangely, the only requirement they seemed to take a hard stance on previously was over-vaccination.
Almost like it was politically-motivated and it's not truthfully a "matter of national security"
0cf8612b2e1e 2 hours ago [-]
There is (was?) a mandatory list of vaccines all military had to receive upon enlisting.
jimjimjim 2 hours ago [-]
You've got to be able to deploy. Simple as that.
dqv 2 hours ago [-]
> Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the Pentagon had granted exceptions to Hegseth’s optional flu shot policy to the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Security Agency, and the Defense Health Agency.
So which ones are still exempt from the vaccines? Space Force, USMC, Coast Guard, who else?
annzabelle 2 hours ago [-]
There are a few obscure ones.
Uniformed Health Service (the reason the Surgeon General is a General), which I'm certain is vaccinated.
NOAA also has uniformed personnel.
2 hours ago [-]
Arodex 2 hours ago [-]
Absolutely none of this should have happened. None.
The 1918 "Spanish flu" was cultivated in the trenches and spread through military camps and demobilization.
Hesgeth should be removed from his position ASAP.
Edit:
>Around 60% of previously unvaccinated trainees at Lackland initially declined the flu shot during the vaccine requirement’s lapse, according to the defense official.
Forget about Hesgeth. The USA is completely effed up.
egl2020 7 minutes ago [-]
Origins of the 1918 flu are unclear, but there is evidence that it started in Haskell County, Kansas, and spread to Camp Funston, Kansas. As a consequence, many of the trainees became non-functional.
ourmandave 54 minutes ago [-]
Meanwhile, down the street, you've got RFK and POTUS making measles and polio great again.
While also lying about taking Tylenol during pregnancy causing autism. They've done more studies since that misinformation to prove once again there's no connection.
RFK should be removed along with the POTUS who put him there.
greenavocado 2 hours ago [-]
Back in 2010 the situation was already extremely grim. Yes, they did test for tuberculosis upon intake and took blood samples for many hepatitis variants and possible a few other things. However, they let severe respiratory viruses run through everyone like wildfire for weeks without the slightest effort to prevent disease. They purposely let people get extremely cold and wet and didn't give a damn if people got sick. This is NOT new.
stevenwoo 2 hours ago [-]
[dead]
Hikikomori 2 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
wrs 2 hours ago [-]
They're also anti-"freedom". (Individual freedom being one of the paramount values of the military.) (edit: Sorry, thought the sarcasm would be obvious…)
BLKNSLVR 2 hours ago [-]
> Individual freedom being one of the paramount values of the military
I'm assuming sarcasm, my understanding is that the literal opposite is true.
jqpabc123 2 hours ago [-]
Yes, nothing says "freedom" quite like having virtually every aspect of your life dictated and strictly controlled by the military establishment.
But fortunately, "leadership" decided to allow recruits the freedom to be stupid and contagious and ultimately detrimental to the military mission and readiness.
BLKNSLVR 2 hours ago [-]
But no beards, they're as dangerous as vaccines!
georgemcbay 2 hours ago [-]
> Aren't flu shots woke stuff?
Sure are, but unfortunately it turns out that reality still has a strong liberal bias.
DaSHacka 5 minutes ago [-]
> turns out that reality still has a strong liberal bias.
i love when people say this unironically and don't see the issue with it
robwwilliams 2 hours ago [-]
Genius comment. Thanks for the belly laugh.
ngai_aku 2 hours ago [-]
“not rational” and freedom-restricting.
Lasted two months lol
jqpabc123 2 hours ago [-]
Stupid is as stupid does.
crunchiepooker 26 minutes ago [-]
[flagged]
ElProlactin 35 minutes ago [-]
As reported by The Onion, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered all of the individuals who became ill to be dishonorably discharged.
"Our armed forces need warriors, not weak losers who can't fight off a little virus," he stated. "You should be able to do 70 pull-ups in a minute and to never succumb to the so-called flu."
IAmGraydon 13 minutes ago [-]
I assume you don’t know what The Onion is. I suppose I can hardly blame you as the Onion struggles to write satire as absurd as reality these days.
We can start with whomever showed up to that inauguration, and expand from there. If they could afford that bribe, they can certainly afford to pay for repairing the damage their golden boy has caused.
The reasons for not doing the vaccine anymore were, essentially, "the vaccine is more dangerous than the sickness" and "the vaccine is not necessary to avoid the sickness".
Both of those statement are, factually, scientifically, not true. That's reality. Which is what parent meant, no matter the deep conviction and the political innuendo, ultimately reality is you either do the vaccine and are safe for no risk or you don't and you get infection waves.
See: viruses and the efficacy of vaccines thereupon.
Both decisions? Or just the walkback one?
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/smallpox-inoculation-revolu...
> During the 1700s, smallpox raged through the American colonies and the Continental Army. Smallpox impacted the Continental Army severely during the Revolutionary War, so much so that George Washington mandated inoculation for all Continental soldiers in 1777. Just fifty-six years earlier, in 1721, Bostonian doctors and clergy introduced the procedure to the American colonies. Without the vision and determination of these early Bostonians in normalizing inoculation, Washington may not have made the decision to mandate inoculation for the Continental Army. Though it was a controversial action, many historians credit the medical mandate with the colonists’ victory in the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States of America.
https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-source-collect...
> HEAD QUARTERS MORRIS TOWN 12TH MARCH 1777
> Sir
> You are hereby required immediately to send me an exact return of your regiment, and to send all your recruits, who have had the small pox to join the Army. Those, who have not, are to be sent to Philadelphia, and put under the direction of the commanding officer there, who will have them inoculated.
Readiness - a matter of national security - tends to trump most concerns that, in civilian populations, might warrant greater choice and debate.
Almost like it was politically-motivated and it's not truthfully a "matter of national security"
So which ones are still exempt from the vaccines? Space Force, USMC, Coast Guard, who else?
Uniformed Health Service (the reason the Surgeon General is a General), which I'm certain is vaccinated.
NOAA also has uniformed personnel.
The 1918 "Spanish flu" was cultivated in the trenches and spread through military camps and demobilization.
Hesgeth should be removed from his position ASAP.
Edit:
>Around 60% of previously unvaccinated trainees at Lackland initially declined the flu shot during the vaccine requirement’s lapse, according to the defense official.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/24/politics/flu-shot-outbrea...
Forget about Hesgeth. The USA is completely effed up.
While also lying about taking Tylenol during pregnancy causing autism. They've done more studies since that misinformation to prove once again there's no connection.
RFK should be removed along with the POTUS who put him there.
I'm assuming sarcasm, my understanding is that the literal opposite is true.
But fortunately, "leadership" decided to allow recruits the freedom to be stupid and contagious and ultimately detrimental to the military mission and readiness.
Sure are, but unfortunately it turns out that reality still has a strong liberal bias.
i love when people say this unironically and don't see the issue with it
Lasted two months lol
"Our armed forces need warriors, not weak losers who can't fight off a little virus," he stated. "You should be able to do 70 pull-ups in a minute and to never succumb to the so-called flu."