1. Madcow…..

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2. The press conference yesterday was gold–constant expressions of thanks to medical workers, the military, private industry all working together to battle this, sprinkled with disparaging responses to reporters who brought agendas, Trump telling them how to better do _their_ jobs.

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3. It’s shit like this that makes me think that there should be professional licenses for journalists.

   If I were that wrong about something, as a PE, I’d get fired. If an MD were that wrong, they’d be guilty of malpractice. If a talking head is that wrong, they keep talking on.

   The media’s mishandling of this crisis is a bigger attack on the First Amendment than anything else I’ve ever seen.

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   1. The only problem with licensing journalists is that the licensing board(s) would be comprised professors from the journalism schools, and thus any enforcement action would be against Fox News reporters not the fake news talking heads of CNN, MSNBC, etc.

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   2. “The media’s mishandling of this crisis is a bigger attack on the First Amendment than anything else I’ve ever seen.”

      This major truth needs emphasizing more and more.

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4. Also, Ronald Reagan ran for President with part of his platform on making the US Navy the best in the world to take on the Russians.

   I would totally run with a platform of making a fleet of hospital ships to tackle the threat of epidemics, pandemics, and natural disasters.

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   1. Cmdr. Salamander of the eponymous blog said something similar recently

5. It was cool to learn that the Mercy and Comfort were converted from SuperTankers.

   How many hospital ships we really need is an interesting question. The Mercy class of hospital ships has 1000 beds.

   The comfort was docked in Baltimore for 25 years or so. I use to drive by it multiple times per week. It only deployed once that I can remember. A ship is an expensive thing to keep functioning if all it is doing is sitting at a dock.

   Personally, I think we need 5 of them. One for the NE (docked near Boston), one for the SE (docked in Norfolk), one for the gulf cost (near the Mississippi), one for the SW (docked in San Diego), one for the NW (docked in OR).

   Regardless, this is a great visible example of what preparation looks like. 76 hours to activate and then cruise at 17.5 knots to where it is needed. Amazing.

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   1. That’s the problem with the Mercy and Comfort. As converted tankers they have limitations in their design. I’m thinking of something built to be a hospital ship from the keel up. A nuclear powered cruise ship is a first basic idea, lots of rooms for patients. But it would need a large flight deck in back for a small fleet of V22s converted into long range air ambulances. The Mercy and Comfort have to dock to effectively transport patients. That is another limitation. A fleet of high capacity VTOL air ambulances would allow the ship to be more effective when it can’t dock and has to anchor offshore.

      But yes, I want a fleet of 6 to 8 purpose built nuclear (clean power, no need for fuel, can be used to power on shore services with a cable, 35+ knot top speed) hospital ships for rapid deployment around the world. Even some smaller ones that could pass through the The Saint Lawrence Seaway to help places like Chicago and Milwaukee or up the Thames to London.

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6. St Lawrence capable +++

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7. Soooo …which Corrupt News Network “reporter” physically trotted xir happy ass to the shipyard, where the hospital ship is docked, to verify the “several weeks” malarkey?

   And, how come a hick, flyover country, country cow nurse, such as myself, could have that thought, but, apparently, not ONE of my “betters” at the Corrupt News Network, could formulate that question?

   “The MOAR! You Know!!!”

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