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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Well about all I can say without breaking site rules is I guess this counts as an October surprise
Edited by TheAirman on Oct 2nd 2020 at 2:03:47 PM
PSN ID: FateSeraph | Switch friendcode: SW-0145-8835-0610 Congratulations! She/TheyIt's not what happens to Trump. It's the message it sends. With maybe the exception of some crackpots, literally everyone in the world believes the US president to be the most powerful man on earth. If the US president was a teddybear and you asked 7 billion people who was more powerful, the teddy or the Pope (IE god's replacement on earth), most would go with the teddybear.
The fact that the most powerful, well-equipped, well-guarded man on earth with literally the power to eradicate mankind from the face of the earth can get the virus... that's an image that is hard to counter with any narrative. Any downplaying is damage mitigation.
You know those zombie apocalypse stories where the elites attempt to hide from the situation in a bunker complex, only for one of their own to turn out having the virus?
This kinda feels like one of those situations.
Edited by DrunkenNordmann on Oct 1st 2020 at 8:43:04 PM
We learn from history that we do not learn from history
It does kind of have vibes of The Masque of the Red Death.
Edited by M84 on Oct 2nd 2020 at 2:45:20 AM
Disgusted, but not surprised![]()
The US is also accounts for 20% of all virus deaths globally. It's not the worst case scenario, but it's not anywhere close to the good side of line.
And I doubt Trump turning around and being super onboard with preventing the virus this late stage in the game is going to happen and if it did it's not going to win the election for him. Too many people have died and suffered for that to happen.
We'll have to wait and see. People as old and unhealthy as him have caught the virus and survived, and he has access to enough quality healthcare to do their best to keep him alive.
Although my thoughts now turn to all the people who have been infected by Hope and Trump. That includes the SC nominee, that includes Senators, that includes evil turtle himself. At the very least this could throw a temporary delay into the SC hearings. As low as the Evil Turtle is I don't see him forcing through a vote for someone whose currently sick with a virus and I don't see the Republicans pulling it together if Mitch gets sick.
Edited by Shaoken on Oct 3rd 2020 at 5:08:24 AM
RT There's an E-6B Mercury off the east coast near DC. I looked because I would expect them to pop up if he tests positive. It's a message to the small group of adversaries with SLBMs and ICBMs.
Here's another E6-B that just popped up visible on MLAT on the west coast. IMO Stratcom wants them to be seen.
A reply to another tweet asking about this:
It's the plane that has the ability to order the killing of everyone on earth if someone attacks the US with nukes in a first strike. It can talk to our missile subs under water even if DC is gone.
Edited by AngrokVa on Oct 2nd 2020 at 3:08:45 PM
Edited by CharlesPhipps on Oct 2nd 2020 at 12:16:28 PM
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.There's a somewhat reassuring Twitter thread that explains what's up with the E-6Bs right now.
Just to bring attention to an interesting discussion thread happening with @jonostrower
@Oriana0214
@mgerrydoyle
@TimInHonolulu . #OSINT is showing some air traffic related military preparedness in the US. 1/
@TimInHonolulu saw that E-6B's are showing up. Onn the East coast
https://twitter.com/TimInHonolulu/status/1311883569086623744
2/
... and also on the West coast. https://twitter.com/TimInHonolulu/status/1311885172862668801
3/
An E6-B conveys instructions from the National Command Authority to fleet ballistic missile submarines and Minuteman ICBMs using the Airborne Launch Control System. /4
Given #POTUS announced he has #COVID19 its possible the US is making its nuclear posture more assertive or at least demonstrating that they can. 5/
However,
@Oriana0214
made the excellent point that E6 activity has been quite busy this year. https://twitter.com/Oriana0214/status/1311915659157176321
6/
For several years the DOD has been working on the concept of being "strategically predictable, but operationally unpredictable."
https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf
7/
All of this is to say that when it comes to US nukes, there is a plan for everything. Don't duck and cover yet. /end
Edited by AngrokVa on Oct 2nd 2020 at 3:57:10 PM

In case anyone is wondering what happens if a presidential candidate dies, I looked it up and it depends in part on when.
If they die before the election, their party selects a new candidate, likely but not necessarily their running mate (in this case, I believe both parties would most likely select the current running mates) who can also select their own new running mate. This also happens if a candidate dies after the election but before the Electoral College meets, but in this case, a lot of uncertainty because nothing says the Electors have to vote for the new candidate and you may see defections.
If they die after the Electoral College meets but before Congress formally counts the votes (between Dec 14 and Jan 6 this cycle), the party no longer selects a replacement and there would be the question of whether Congress would validate the votes for the dead candidate as electing their running mate. If Congress for whatever reason decides not to validate these votes, Congress can then decide the election under the 12th Amendment, with the House selecting the president and the Senate selecting the vice president. If they do validate the votes, the dead winner's running mate becomes president-elect (or arguably vice-president-elect which then automatically promotes to president-elect).
If the candidate dies after formally becoming president-elect (this is technically only after Congress counts the votes from the Electoral College), their running mate, as vice-president-elect automatically takes over as president-elect.