Mea culpa. In "Coronavirus Lays Low the Military" (Antiwar.com, Apr. 2), I wrote that "its taken the military several weeks to realize whats going on" with Covid-19, and that "judging from the mixed messages sent by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, it still hasnt figured it all out."
This was way too kind since it implies that Esper was honestly wrestling with the problem when, as is now clear, hes not honestly wrestling with anything at all. Along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser Robert C. OBrien, rather, hes part of a spooky cabal that is in full-scale denial about Covid-19 and, whats worse, sees it as an opportunity to take out longtime foes. In recent weeks, these mini-Dr. Strangeloves have:
In the 1340s, Mongols used catapults to hurl diseased cadavers into the besieged Crimean city of Caffa, now known as Feodosia, in order to spread bubonic plague. Today, the US blocks money for ventilators and prevents the import of lifesaving pharmaceuticals in order to spread Covid-19.
Strangelovian as all this is, we now have the curious example of an attack dog in human form named Thomas Modly, who has just gotten the ax for calling an aircraft-carrier skipper "stupid" and "nave" for trying to safeguard the health of his crew. A former Pentagon business consultant who was named acting Navy secretary last November, Modley is the best example in years of why the scariest people among us are not the toughest but the most cowardly. A relentless self-promoter, he was reportedly terrified of suffering the same fate as his predecessor, Richard V. Spencer, who wound up on the sidewalk after daring to oppose Trumps decision to let accused Navy SEAL murderer Eddie Gallagher off with a slap on the wrist. So when it came to a skipper who didnt mind sticking his neck out in behalf of his crew, Modly figured that the only way to deal with him was to go after him the way Trump would, only worse.
So he pilloried Brett Crozier, captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, as "too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this" because he didnt realize that a four-page memo he wrote calling for quarantining the crew to combat a corona outbreak would likely be leaked. He called him disloyal for blabbing to the press, even though theres no evidence that Crozier sought to do so. And he described him as self-promoting even though theres zero evidence of that as well.
"I understand you love the guy," Modly acknowledged in the course of an unhinged fifteen-minute rant over the TR intercom on Monday. "Its good that you love him." But Crozier was guilty of a "betrayal" because he allowed his concerns to be "put it in the publics forum, and its now become a big controversy in Washington, DC, and across the country about a martyr CO [i.e. commanding officer] who wasnt getting the help he needed."
"I expect you never to do that to your shipmates either," he went on, "the ones on the shore right now who told me that when Captain Croziers email made it to the San Francisco Chronicle after working fifteen-hour days, they were demoralized because they knew what they had been doing for you guys since the 25th of March to get you guys what you need."
So thousands of sailors shown cheering Crozier in videos that quickly went viral werent cheering him at all, you see. All that lusty applause aside, they were actually complaining that that he was throwing them overboard and that real heroes like Modly werent getting the thanks they deserved.
"If I could offer you a glimpse of the level of hatred and pure evil that has been thrown my way, my familys way, over this decision [to fire Crozier]," the Navy secretary said, "I would. But it doesnt matter. Its not about me."
No, of course not, even though Modly or "Moldy," as hes known onboard the TR was really trying to save the day.
This is pure stomach-turning nonsense, of course, which is why Modly deserved the Order of the Boot more than anyone in recent history. But before we allow this creep to slink off into the sunset, we should give his Apr. 6 comments a bit more attention because of what they say about the uber-hawks who now dominate foreign policy.
One is that they dont just regard the press as biased, but as an outright hostile force. As Modly put it: "the media has an agenda. And the agenda that they have depends on which side of the political aisle they sit. And Im sorry thats the way the country is now, but its the truth. And so they use it to divide us. They use it to embarrass the Navy. They use it to embarrass you."
Which suggests what? That the press is the enemy, that the military and the media are on opposite sides of the battlefield, and that one will have to suppress the other if a real emergency arises, like the one were in now?
A second is that anti-Chinese rhetoric has reached levels that are truly dangerous. "One of the things about his [Croziers] email that bothered me the most was saying that we are not at war," Modly declared. "Well, were not technically at war. But let me tell you something. The only reason we are dealing with this right now is because a big authoritarian regime called China was not forthcoming about what was happening with this virus. And they put the world at risk to protect themselves and to protect their reputations."
So were not at war, except that Chinas behavior is so derelict that we might as well be. A seemingly passing comment about hypersonic missiles suggest that Pentagon fears about growing Chinese military prowess is not the least bit theoretical or abstract. "I tell you something," Modly said at one point, "if this ship was in combat and there were hypersonic missiles coming at it, youd be pretty fucking scared too." It was a Freudian slip that suggests that top brass is indeed "pretty fucking scared" about the threat that such weapons pose, especially to Americas eleven aircraft carriers, which are now as obsolete as a World War I-era dreadnought.
Finally, theres the suggestion that merely by disclosing a problem, Crozier "compromised critical information about your status intentionally to draw greater attention to your situation."
This is pure authoritarianism. Its the belief that merely airing a problem is disloyal because it provides the enemy with information he shouldnt have. "Loose lips sink ships" may be warranted in wartime. But thats not the case now, as Crozier pointed out in his Mar. 30 memo, and any suggestion to the contrary represents an effort to impose strict martial values in a time of peace.
This should be reason to pour yourself another scotch. Modly deserves to get the ax since hes a danger not only to the crew of the Teddy Roosevelt but to US naval personnel in general. But Pompeo, Esper, and other latter-day advocates of germ warfare are threats to the world at large and should not only be canned, but forced to stand before an international tribunal for crimes against humanity. As for Trump, not only has he thoroughly blown the anti-corona effort here in the US, but hes now pushing the same misbegotten policies on other countries as well. The world has a problem, and its not Covid-19. Its the United States.
Daniel Lazare is the author of The Frozen Republic: How the Constitution Is Paralyzing Democracy (Harcourt Brace, 1996) and other books about American politics. He writes a weekly column for Antiwar.com. He has written for a wide variety of publications from The Nation to Le Monde Diplomatique and blogs about the Constitution and related matters at Daniellazare.com.
Read the original post:
Mad Man Modly: The Secretary of the Navy Gets the Boot - Antiwar.com
- Xinhua Headlines: In Harbin's icy embrace, tourists flock to offer condolences, cherish memories - Xinhua - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Empires of lies The China Project - The China Project - October 22nd, 2023 [October 22nd, 2023]
- Official records on Japanese Imperial Army unit unearthed | NHK ... - NHK WORLD - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Today's Nuclear Balance of Power: The Wells of Doom - Executive Intelligence Review (EIR) - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- People thought the Beatles were God. That's not correct: the ... - Louder - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- The startling role that disease played in human evolution - Sydney Morning Herald - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Celebrate Mothers Day With These 15 Stuntcasted Sitcom Moms - Cracked.com - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Smallpox in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- Microorganism - Wikipedia - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Andrew Kaufman on the false germ paradigm - Jerm Warfare - November 16th, 2022 [November 16th, 2022]
- The Strategic National Stockpile failed during COVID and monkeypox. Will it come through next time? - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The SKELP Directives: U.S. Secret Financing of Germ Warfare during the ... - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Germ Warfare: GSA Supports Rapid Deployment of Xenex LightStrike Germ ... - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- You need to watch the most underrated apocalypse movie before it leaves HBO Max this week - Inverse - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Allegations of biological warfare in the Korean War - Wikipedia - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- The deadly germ warfare island abandoned by the Soviets - BBC - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- The Terrifying Cherry Blossoms at Night of the Japanese Military - SOFREP - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Avoid Chinas stockmarket heres what to invest in instead - MoneyWeek - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- A Perfect Storm Could Make Measles a Nightmare in 2022, WHO and UNICEF Warn - Gizmodo Australia - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Colwell: Things would surely be different in Ukraine if Trump were president - South Bend Tribune - April 9th, 2022 [April 9th, 2022]
- Patriotic Propaganda: Staying silent as a choice when what is seen does not match with what is believed - Milwaukee Independent - April 9th, 2022 [April 9th, 2022]
- Germ warfare: Saginaw hospital becomes battleground in U.S ... - March 15th, 2022 [March 15th, 2022]
- U.S. Biological Weapons in UkraineSeparating the Facts From the Fiction - Newsweek - March 15th, 2022 [March 15th, 2022]
- Wanted: A rallying cry to hold back the coming 'Dark... - Daily Maverick - March 15th, 2022 [March 15th, 2022]
- Putin's Apocalypse: How Far Is the Russian President Willing To Go? - DER SPIEGEL International Edition - March 15th, 2022 [March 15th, 2022]
- Yamashita: The pandemic generation will learn to succeed - Guam Pacific Daily News - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Bill M. McClure Obituary - Times Record - Times Record - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Urban explorer sneaks on to top secret germ warfare base known as UKs Area 51 exposing security ris... - The Sun - February 5th, 2022 [February 5th, 2022]
- Modern warfare - Wikipedia - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- US Military Released Bacteria to Test Biological Warfare - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- This week in Texas History: Spanish flu, our ancestors' pandemic - Hays Free Press - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- Yamashita: Boundaries should be respected | Opinion | guampdn.com - Guam Pacific Daily News - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- The Army tested 'germ warfare' on the NYC subway by ... - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- Biological Warfare: Infectious Disease and Bioterrorism - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- Opinion: Vaccines are a tool, not a silver bullet. If we'd allowed more scientific debate, we would have realized this earlier - The Globe and Mail - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- SARS: A Mystery Illness To Impact Air Travel - Aviation Week - December 10th, 2021 [December 10th, 2021]
- We Need To Protect Earth (And Space) From Interplanetary Invaders - IFLScience - November 21st, 2021 [November 21st, 2021]
- Louis Pasteur | Science History Institute - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Pontiac's War - Wikipedia - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Japan and weapons of mass destruction - Wikipedia - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Andreas Kluth - The War of Nerves on Europe's Border Could Turn Hot - Asharq Al-awsat - English - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- Microorganisms as potent biological weapons The National - The National - November 15th, 2021 [November 15th, 2021]
- Who is and what does the playwright Yunior Garca Aguilera think, the promoter of the new protests in Cuba - Market Research Telecast - November 15th, 2021 [November 15th, 2021]
- Terrorists will wage terrifying new biowar as Wuhan lab leak chaos shows they could get away with mur... - The Sun - November 9th, 2021 [November 9th, 2021]
- US vicious slanders on China over COVID-19 origins tracing and the truth (Part 7) - China.org.cn - November 9th, 2021 [November 9th, 2021]
- Scientists, Emergency Planners Conducting Air Flow Study In NYC This Week To Improve Response Protocols - CBS New York - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- Letter to the Editor - Masks: one of the three best defenses in modern germ warfare - The Havre Daily News - September 27th, 2021 [September 27th, 2021]
- Ancient Greek Medicine: Who Was Hippocrates And What Was The Hippocratic Oath? - BBC History Magazine - September 27th, 2021 [September 27th, 2021]
- The US government's comic approach to information warfare - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - September 20th, 2021 [September 20th, 2021]
- The enduring appeal of the Bond villain - Spectator.co.uk - September 4th, 2021 [September 4th, 2021]
- Letters To The Editor Week of 8/16/2021 | The Press - Press Publications Inc. - August 14th, 2021 [August 14th, 2021]
- Talk of the Town: | Blowing Rocket | wataugademocrat.com - Watauga Democrat - July 29th, 2021 [July 29th, 2021]
- Letter to the Editor: Joe Bialek - Atlanta Jewish Times - July 18th, 2021 [July 18th, 2021]
- America's Impressive History of Bioweapons Attacks Against Its Own People - CounterPunch.org - CounterPunch - July 10th, 2021 [July 10th, 2021]
- Lee Camp: Americas impressive history of bioweapons attacks against its own people - RT - July 10th, 2021 [July 10th, 2021]
- Laboratory leaks have happened before more frequently than we would like to believe - Yahoo Eurosport UK - June 4th, 2021 [June 4th, 2021]
- Biden's Renewed Interest in COVID Lab Leak Theory Likely to Worsen Anti-Asian Sentiment - UrduPoint News - June 4th, 2021 [June 4th, 2021]
- 10 Fascinating Facts About The US Army - War History Online - June 4th, 2021 [June 4th, 2021]
- US targeting China to hide its own past: expert - Chinadaily USA - May 31st, 2021 [May 31st, 2021]
- Dr. Fauci Just Discovered What Rush Told Us Last Year - Rush Limbaugh - May 31st, 2021 [May 31st, 2021]
- Everything is reopening. But lets not bring back the handshake, OK? - The Boston Globe - May 20th, 2021 [May 20th, 2021]
- Fake news, conspiracy theories and a deadly global pandemic and that was in 1918 - Salon - May 9th, 2021 [May 9th, 2021]
- North Korea and China Accused America of Biowarfare During the Korean War - The National Interest - April 21st, 2021 [April 21st, 2021]
- Top Secret: Russia Had a Military Accident With Anthrax in 1979 - The National Interest - March 26th, 2021 [March 26th, 2021]
- Chaos Walking: Wanna Hear What Tom Hollands Thinking? Think Again - Rolling Stone - March 7th, 2021 [March 7th, 2021]
- Josh Freed: COVID has robbed us of small talk, and that's a big deal - Montreal Gazette - February 21st, 2021 [February 21st, 2021]
- Letter to Editor | Letters to the Editor - Hermann Advertiser Courier - February 8th, 2021 [February 8th, 2021]
- Letter: Need to return to united, not divided states - Whidbey News-Times - February 8th, 2021 [February 8th, 2021]
- Whats Keeping the Vaccine From Getting to Those Who Need it Most? - The Nation - February 8th, 2021 [February 8th, 2021]
- Letter: Need to return to united, not divided states - South Whidbey Record - February 2nd, 2021 [February 2nd, 2021]
- Bill Gates: 3 innovations that will help America get ahead of the next pandemic - CNBC - February 2nd, 2021 [February 2nd, 2021]
- 1887: The invasion of the rabbit - Stuff.co.nz - February 2nd, 2021 [February 2nd, 2021]
- The Recorder - My Turn: Germ warfare - The Recorder - January 25th, 2021 [January 25th, 2021]
- Paul Kaufman on Trump and nuclear weapons - Newham Recorder - January 25th, 2021 [January 25th, 2021]
- Biological warfare experiment in India and the curious case of yellow fever mosquitoes - Frontline - January 21st, 2021 [January 21st, 2021]
- How the KGB convinced the world that AIDS was a Pentagon invention - Russia Beyond - January 21st, 2021 [January 21st, 2021]
- South African Doctor Who Tried to Wipe Out Black People Still Practising - iAfrica.com - January 21st, 2021 [January 21st, 2021]
- The militarization of American democracy | TheHill - The Hill - January 21st, 2021 [January 21st, 2021]
- The BroadsheetDAILY ~ 1/14/21 ~ State Extends, Expands Eviction and Foreclosure Bans Credited with Saving Thousands of Lives - ebroadsheet.com - January 15th, 2021 [January 15th, 2021]
- Measuring Impact in a Complex and Interconnected World - Chief Executive Group - January 15th, 2021 [January 15th, 2021]