this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
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Note: He's a guy who refuses to so much as wash his hands

Modern influenza originated in Kansas, and was spread significantly by US troop deployments in WWI. It also killed tens of thousands of US soliders

Edit: now points to AP and not CBS.

top 37 comments
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[–] WesternInfidels@feddit.online 6 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Imagine for a moment, that we were living in some crazy mirror-universe, where the regime's explicit goal was to sabotage America's capacity to project its will into the larger world.

In that scenario, what would we expect Hegseth to do differently?

[–] null@lemmy.org 4 points 59 minutes ago

Be a bit more subtle about it.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

The stupid drunk is listening to the nutter, RFK.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 8 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Well, that's very fucking stupid.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 hours ago

Like giving Hegseth an axe.

[–] Eric@lemmy.blahaj.zone 73 points 4 hours ago (5 children)

Imagine a 5000 person aircraft carrier crew fighting the flu while trying to work.

[–] akilou@sh.itjust.works 21 points 4 hours ago

We won't have to imagine for long. Don't let your dreams be dreams

Don't forget about the nuclear subs.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 hours ago

I hear going to war with a sick army is a great idea.

[–] DevDave@piefed.social 4 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Well there was that time an aircraft carrier was taken off the line because of rona, so not too hard to imagine how it would go.

Also the whole "man flu" thing is actually real. Testosterone has been shown to weaken parts of the immune system - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5075254/

[–] Eric@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

Even just cruise ships, which are much less crowded, get ravaged by things like norovirus. Navy ships are packed with shit and people

[–] DevDave@piefed.social 2 points 1 hour ago

Ugh, I don't even want to imagine what it's like being on a cruise ship full of norovirus.

While I am not a big fan of sailing and such, I am one of those rare assholes that absolutely doesn't get sea sick. That said, being surrounded by vomit and shit everywhere would probably be enough to overcome that mild superpower.

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 1 points 53 minutes ago

Much like this administration is packed with shit people.

[–] Ithral@lemmy.blahaj.zone -1 points 1 hour ago

Ship crud is just a fact of life, perpetually not quite sick not quite well while your stuck on them. It wouldn't make much difference

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 37 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

It's kind of crazy how they just continually do the worst possible thing and in the worst possible way. Always. Even basic common sense shit like we shouldn't let the flu decimate our military overnight. Even fucking George Washington required soldiers to be innoculared for smallpox. Just regression, bigotry, stupidity, and corruption at every single turn. Giving broken clocks a good look.

[–] ech@lemmy.ca 6 points 3 hours ago

Frustrating waiting for people to realize it's all intentional.

[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 42 points 4 hours ago (3 children)

“because your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable.”

LOL fucking assholes.

what was roe vs wade again

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 19 points 4 hours ago

George Washington inoculated the army against smallpox in the revolutionary war.

These idiots don’t realize vaccinating the military is as American as it gets.

[–] FartMaster69@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 hours ago

Well yeah but that only affected women.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

Except your exposure to burn pits.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 19 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

From that 2019 article:

Fox News host Pete Hegseth has said on air that he has not washed his hands for 10 years because "germs are not a real thing".

Speaking on Fox and Friends, Hegseth said the infectious micro-organisms did not exist because they could not be seen with the naked eye.

This is a man who attended more than one very expensive university and didn't learn a thing, then said this idiocy, immediately after which the world was hit by a pandemic, and again Hegseth didn't learn a thing. The guy must be terminally stupid.

Anyway, if you ever have the misfortune to meet Pete Hegseth, don't shake his shit-covered hand. Although he probably doesn't believe in wiping his ass or showering either. After all, a dirty butthole isn't real because you can't see it without using one of these new-fangled "mirror" gadgets.

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 8 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

The guy must be terminally stupid.

I think the preferred term is "Proudly Ignorant"

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Wilful ignorance was a key element in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theory of stupidity. It was the aggressive resistance to learning that he thought made the stupid person especially dangerous. And we see this characteristic in Trump, his sycophants like Hegseth, and his followers.

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago
[–] TryingToBeGood@reddthat.com 16 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

pete has the IQ of a potted palm.

[–] Sabin10@lemmy.world 10 points 4 hours ago

But not the plant, just the pot

[–] greatbigmodernmess@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

Reminds me of that Golden Girls episode where Sofia refers to mistaking two potted palms for the bathroom.

[–] datendefekt@feddit.org 2 points 2 hours ago

Soon to learn what "seasoned" troops means.

[–] Zedstrian@sopuli.xyz 14 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Alternative to CBS.

Edit: Switched source to AP original per reply.

[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 12 points 5 hours ago

Original Associated Press article instead of the syndication to the Connecticut Post.

[–] bradinutah@thelemmy.club 5 points 3 hours ago

Shouldn't this fall into the category of not telling the enemy your strategy or weaknesses? Pete's not very bright.

George Washington wished he could have had an easy vaccination solution like the military has today. Pete doesn't understand that historically disease often killed more troops than enemy attacks. Good defense starts with a healthy, immune fighting force.

[–] _druid@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 hours ago

"So how much are they spending on vaccines? Yeah, no, drop that significantly, we'll get a bigger piece of the pie." -Lockheed CEO

[–] modestmeme@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

That headline stating “modern influenza originated in Kansas” is bullshit. That is NOT what the article says. The so-called Spanish Flu of 1918 indeed is thought to have crossed over from birds in Kansas. But that is one flu, not the entirety of “modern” flu. Influenza can cross over anywhere at any time from most species. Ascribing human ethnicity or geographical locators associated with human populations is ridiculous.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 hours ago

Even the German Nazis supported vaccination (of "worthy" people only), for crying out loud!

[–] dizzle18@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 hours ago

Iran is about to be the first country on earth to weaponize influenza A.

[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 hours ago
[–] Ilixtze@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

I support counter attacking aggressions by the american terrorist military with canisters full of some kind of flu or coronavirus.