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National security at heart of USS Theodore Roosevelt probe

Capt. Brett Crozier should be reinstated to his command of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy’s top brass have said. His removal in the first place raises questions about what led to his removal — and whether the military did an acceptable job of protecting service men and women in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crozier’s offense several weeks ago was to send emails to several Navy officers, warning that a COVID-19 outbreak was spreading through his ship. The captain was seeking permission to take the Roosevelt to a port where sailors could be ...

No to taxpayer-funded pension fund bailouts

Within a month, Congress and President Donald Trump have increased the national debt by more than 10% by enacting about $2.7 trillion in bailouts related to the COVID-19 outbreak. American families, businesses, hospitals and local and state governments are among the beneficiaries. That is entirely appropriate. The coronavirus pandemic is the first true global emergency in most of our memories. But should U.S. taxpayers — and, through increased debt, our children and grandchildren — be on the hook for even more because of an unrelated sickness? No. That malady is purely ...

World War II slogan ‘We can do it’ resurrected during pandemic

We Americans have paid a high price — more than 56,000 deaths as of Tuesday — for not stockpiling enough medical equipment and personal protective devices to cope with the COVID-19 onslaught. But here, some states seem to have begun flattening that a statistical curve you read so much about. A few are relaxing personal and business restrictions. What now? Do we just begin the process of getting back to “normal?” We can’t do that. We are Americans. We are renowned for rushing to the aid of those in other countries during their times of need. COVID-19 has become a crisis ...

Country needs to get back to made in USA

COVID-19 has reaffirmed two things Americans ought to have reflected upon previously about China: First, relying on the veracity of China’s government is foolish. We know Beijing has lied about various aspects of the coronavirus epidemic. Second, this country is far too reliant on China for certain critical goods, including medicines and, to a lesser extent, health care equipment. Obviously, the first issue needs to be resolved first. All the U.S. government demands for candor in the world will make no difference to leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. Only a concentrated ...

More investigation needed in USS Roosevelt incident

Following the chain of command can be imperative in the military. Failure to do so can have both fatal and national security implications. Navy Capt. Brett Crozier is a hero to many sailors about the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which he captained earlier this year. After the Navy removed him from command, his crew gathered to cheer him. Crozier’s offense was to bypass the chain of command, through at least one email pleading for help in battling COVID-19 aboard his ship. At this writing, more than 660 of the 5,000 or so crew members have tested positive for the ...

Educators cannot go at it alone

An early step most states took in dealing with the coronavirus epidemic was closing public schools. That was wise for the good of both students and those to whom the children, perhaps not showing symptoms, might have transmitted COVID-19. Many, probably most, school systems already had in place plans for distance learning. They are used from time to time when inclement weather forces closures. But such plans were intended for short-term use, in most cases. We are learning that for many students, there is no substitute for classroom exposure to teachers and, for those with special ...