u/Lorem_Ipsum13

“One of them [the officers] took the time to specifically mention how scary it would be for them, because people would be able to find out where they lived, when they got on their shift and what they were doing throughout the day, and that that type of powerful information could put them personally at risk for any bad apples that might want to track them down,” Sistilli narrated. He went on to point out that these were the exact concerns ordinary citizens had about constant surveillance, suggesting there should be more policies and systems around such networks. The officers reportedly responded that there was probably no effective way to implement this without giving away details of active investigations to criminals.

From NYT:

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"A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu, defense officials said."

"The outbreak at the base in San Antonio raced through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing, where new recruits sleep on bunk beds in open bays and share meals at large communal tables"

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The article also quotes Senator Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, from when Hegseth did away with the mandate a month ago:

“The reason it was mandatory was to enhance readiness...You know, you do give up certain rights when you take the oath,” said Mr. Wicker, who is an Air Force veteran. “It’s just part of it.”

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Not sure how debilitated forces maximize readiness and lethality...The really sad thing is that we already know that influenza specifically can totally render your fighting force ineffective.

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See the lesson learned from WWI and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 before a vaccine existed.

The U.S. Military and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2862337/

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NYT:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/us/flu-outbreak-air-force-base.html#:~:text=A%20major%20flu%20outbreak%20has,the%20flu%2C%20defense%20officials%20said.