McMillan’s rhetoric is making COVID fight harder

Herb McMillan’s Jan. 20 commentary and the supportive responses to it are troubling in many ways. Generally speaking, his entire narrative and the logic he uses to support it, are in a parallel universe to the global health problem that has taken, at this writing, over 866,000 American souls from us. Therefore, asking McMillan if he knows personally of someone who has passed away, or someone who is currently on a ventilator, or someone who has waited two hours in the ER because of a lack of emergency care workers . ... I could go on, but it would be in vain and frankly disrespectful using these deaths as a way to reach McMillan and his supporters.

Perhaps it would be best if McMillan would use his naval experience and apply it constructively in addressing this virus. For example, he flew a plane designed by scientists. He probably knew something about the technology, but he had trust in the experts or he wouldn’t have flown it. He also took all prescribed necessary safety precautions, without arguing about democratic values, knowing those precautions could save his life. He also knows from historic military victories that it is teamwork, not ego, that is needed to address a common threat.

Living in Annapolis you can’t help but learn from and respect this military culture. I’m just asking McMillan to do the same in the fight against the virus, and not enable the behavior that has made the fight so difficult. I know we would be in a better place if he had taken that stance of respect and teamwork long ago.