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When those that are correct are silenced

What about the person whose "negligence and incompetency" allowed the Chinese to commit either the crime of deliberately releasing the virus or hiding the fact that the virus had emerged?

The CDC/US starting in the Bush Admin had established an on ground presence in China to MONITOR the Chinese research community and INSURE that nothing like Covid happened. Or at the very least, to provide first hand knowledge to the US to prevent us from being blindsided in the event of a breakout.

The system worked perfectly thruout both the Bush and Obama Admins, until in the summer of 2019 the Trump Admin cut off the funding (because he wanted to use the funds elsewhere), and the virologist who had manned the role saw her position eliminated and was forced to return to the US.

Again it was the RESPONSIBILITY of the scientist stationed in China to monitor any possible hot spots, and it's no coincidence that after she returned to the US in July 2019, the virus emerged around Nov 2019. Dr Quick may not have been able to prevent the original outbreak. But she sure as hell would have been able to advise US officials as soon as it occurred in Nov, rather than us finding out second hand in Jan 2020.

Trump apologists will resist accepting his culpability, but this aspect of the catastrophe is strictly on him...

"The American disease expert, a medical epidemiologist embedded in China’s disease control agency, left her post in July, according to four sources with knowledge of the issue. The first cases of the new coronavirus may have emerged as early as November, and as cases exploded, the Trump administration in February chastised China for censoring information about the outbreak and keeping U.S. experts from entering the country to help."

"Zhu and the other sources said the American expert, Dr. Linda Quick, was a trainer of Chinese field epidemiologists who were deployed to the epicenter of outbreaks to help track, investigate and contain diseases.

As an American CDC employee, they said, Quick was in an ideal position to be the eyes and ears on the ground for the United States and other countries on the coronavirus outbreak, and might have alerted them to the growing threat weeks earlier."

You’re blaming the cops instead of the criminal again.
 
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Are you suggesting it originated in other countries?

Also, can you clarify why Ranger’s post is wrong given this from the Senate report?


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Color me shocked that they seem to go out of their way to emphasize "of the PUBLICLY available information". Then go on to say that "New information, MADE publicly available" could change everything later.
That sure makes me wonder what the Not publicly available info says.
 
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that’s quite a false equivalency. It may have happened, but attempts to cover up the origins and timing are pretty important facets of the circumstances.

For example Milan:

But that doesn't mean the Chinese knew about it earlier, right? I agree the Chinese have not been forthcoming to the extent that any responsible government should have been. Not even close. But, is there evidence the Chinese knew about it earlier than they claim?
 
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A few random thoughts, with little organization:

1. The wet market theory and the lab leak theory are not mutually exclusive. The evidence strongly suggests that the first wave of the virus came from the market. But it had to get to the market first. The first explanation most would think of for a wet market would obviously be infected bush meat, but it's perfectly possible that someone working at the lab got infected and then went shopping. Not recognizing this simple fact made some too quickly dismissive of one or the other of those two theories. Critically-thinking people happen to exist on all sides of the debate.

2. I'm sure there are people who were defensively reticent to give the lab leak theory any credence, but those people weren't involved in any of the discussions I remember being a part of. Rather, what I remember people being dismissive of were claims that it was likely leaked on purpose.

3. I don't know why people are so invested in the answer to this question. We don't know the ultimate source of any disease. We think ebola reservoirs in caves filled with fruit-eating bats in central Africa. But we don't know for sure. The fact that we can trace this coronavirus all the way back to the wet market is actually pretty damn good. If we can trace it even further to the lab, that's an insane accomplishment, that would probably only be possible because the ultimate source would be a human mistake (and may be impossible due to China's infamous lack of cooperation and transparency). But strategies for fighting and treating the disease don't really care where it came from.

4. On the other side of coin #3, I think most people worked up over this are betraying political rather than intellectual concerns. It's important (or useful) for some people to blame China for anything they can, while it's important (or useful) for others to deflect from China. Although, at least here in America, I don't think the second group cares so much about deflecting from China as much as they felt they were responding to perceived xenophobia among the first group.
1. True
2. Outside Shooter absolutely insisted that the disease was naturally occurring, a prior thread was linked recently. OS, unsurprisingly, won’t own up to this. Several other posters have thrown rocks at that suggestion as well.
3. The simple premise of learning from mistakes should be the impetus to investigate to conclusion what happened here. If US taxpayer money is involved, we should know how it contributed. Overall, I find the “oh well, what’s done is done” you portray astonishing. While treatments etc don’t care where it came from, prevention is the best cure. If you don’t know how it originated, how can you do so? This must be understood, & clearly your partisanship is clouding your thoughts on this.
4. See above.
 
But that doesn't mean the Chinese knew about it earlier, right? I agree the Chinese have not been forthcoming to the extent that any responsible government should have been. Not even close. But, is there evidence the Chinese knew about it earlier than they claim?
Yes. Do some homework.
 
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it’s not a conservative position, it’s literally from the senate HELP report

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"reasonable to conclude," "more likely than not," and "New information...could change this assessment" - quite the word salad of hedging in a partisan report that seems to be light on science.

Oh, and that HELP report was not an official report of the entire HELP committee. Rather, it was an interim report by Republican oversight staff, signed by one Republican senator (Burr).

And there's more hedging in the report itself:

Based on precedent and genomics, the most likely scenario for a zoonotic origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is that SARS-CoV-2 crossed over the species barrier from an intermediate host to humans.75 However, the available evidence is also consistent, perhaps more so, with a direct bat-to-human spillover. Both scenarios remain plausible and, in the absence of additional information, should be considered equally valid hypotheses.​

And while "reasonable to conclude that... more likely than not" is an acceptable measuring stick to declare that Covid resulted from a lab leak, the Republicans on the HELP committee want the alternative held to a much higher standard:

"Advocates of a zoonotic origin theory must provide clear and convincing evidence that a natural zoonotic spillover is the source of the pandemic, as was demonstrated for the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak."​
 
A few random thoughts, with little organization:

1. The wet market theory and the lab leak theory are not mutually exclusive. The evidence strongly suggests that the first wave of the virus came from the market. But it had to get to the market first. The first explanation most would think of for a wet market would obviously be infected bush meat, but it's perfectly possible that someone working at the lab got infected and then went shopping. Not recognizing this simple fact made some too quickly dismissive of one or the other of those two theories. Critically-thinking people happen to exist on all sides of the debate.

2. I'm sure there are people who were defensively reticent to give the lab leak theory any credence, but those people weren't involved in any of the discussions I remember being a part of. Rather, what I remember people being dismissive of were claims that it was likely leaked on purpose.

3. I don't know why people are so invested in the answer to this question. We don't know the ultimate source of any disease. We think ebola reservoirs in caves filled with fruit-eating bats in central Africa. But we don't know for sure. The fact that we can trace this coronavirus all the way back to the wet market is actually pretty damn good. If we can trace it even further to the lab, that's an insane accomplishment, that would probably only be possible because the ultimate source would be a human mistake (and may be impossible due to China's infamous lack of cooperation and transparency). But strategies for fighting and treating the disease don't really care where it came from.

4. On the other side of coin #3, I think most people worked up over this are betraying political rather than intellectual concerns. It's important (or useful) for some people to blame China for anything they can, while it's important (or useful) for others to deflect from China. Although, at least here in America, I don't think the second group cares so much about deflecting from China as much as they felt they were responding to perceived xenophobia among the first group.
(3) isVERY important. We now have the tech and know-how allowing us to make viruses that could kill us all. We need to be hyper aware of safety protocols, etc.
 
Rather, what I remember people being dismissive of were claims that it was likely leaked on purpose.

Or incompetence or carelessness. In any event, that allows people to place blame. That's what is driving all the contentiousness. Those damn Chinese unleashed this on the world, goddammit.
 
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Or incompetence or carelessness. In any event, that allows people to place blame. That's what is driving all the contentiousness. Those damn Chinese unleashed this on the world, goddammit.
The virus was released to destroy Trump, because they couldn’t defeat him without destroying his economy! There were plenty of republicans in on it too.
 
You seem to be assuming the lab leak origin is confirmed. That's not the case. The article itself doesn't even claim that. They offer a lot of "reading between the lines" (the authors use that phrasing themselves) when looking at the Chinese communications, and point out a bunch of process concerns with the lab's operation. There's no smoking gun. Maybe some smoke, but no fire.

Ranger's thread title is incorrect. This article doesn't make the lab leak origin explanation the correct explanation.

It's human nature to want to be able to point fingers, to blame, and to vilify "whoever" causes a calamity. It can't just be a "shit happens" situation, which is what the wet market origin explanation would amount to. We just have to be able to pin this on somebody, anybody. And it's possible that some day that very well may be possible. It hasn't happened yet. We just don't know.
Or incompetence or carelessness. In any event, that allows people to place blame. That's what is driving all the contentiousness. Those damn Chinese unleashed this on the world, goddammit.
No. Spoliation. Lack of transparency. Refusal to allow timely investigation. That is what should drive contentiousness.
 

Sorry, I should have recognized as a PU guy you’d need clear direction. My engineers are the same way. Pretty easy to google…
Um, the article you linked to does not say the anything about the China knowing about it prior to December of 2019. In fact, everything in that article was generally known more or less contemporaneous with the end of December 2019 - January 2020. Also, that article suggests there was only a 4-day delay (still too long) between Chinese authorities (i.e., other than doctors, etc.) knowing about the outbreak and Chine then reporting it to the WHO:

27 December - Chinese authorities are told about a Sars-like disease by a doctor in a provincial hospital in Hubei province.​
By this point, cases are multiplying.​
31 December - Chinese officials confirm they are investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia and dispatch a team of health experts to the region.​
Authorities say seven are in a critical condition yet no human-to-human transmission has been identified.
The authorities alert the World Health Organization (WHO).​

By no means was China forthcoming. Not even slightly. But what I was asking about was evidence that they knew about Covid prior to December of 2019. Would not surprise me at all if they did.
 
No. Spoliation. Lack of transparency. Refusal to allow timely investigation. That is what should drive contentiousness.
...with the Chinese government. For whatever reason people want to make this a Dem vs GOP issue. Its not at all. Its a Chinese Government vs the world issue. And unfortunately like all land wars in Asia, its not winnable.
 
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Or incompetence or carelessness. In any event, that allows people to place blame. That's what is driving all the contentiousness. Those damn Chinese unleashed this on the world, goddammit.
There are many people, who "china" was not the center of concern. The center of concern, still, is that the research being conducted was made illegal on US dirt, so our gov simply uses multiple levels of intermediaries to launder the fact that we are paying for the research, that we are not supposed to do here. And of all people, who do they go to, China. Typical Sciop.
 
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You’re blaming the cops instead of the criminal again.
I think this (cosmic's post) is actually a valid criticism.

It doesn't mean that Trump is responsible for all COVID deaths in the U.S.--as Biden cynically argued in the 2020 debates--but it is worth considering, going forward.
 
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...it's perfectly possible that someone working at the lab got infected and then went shopping.
That is possible, but it would be very difficult to explain the spread of the infection.

By my earlier analogy, say I live and work in Columbus Indiana. I spend 10 hr. days at work, and some of that is in the lab and suited up, but there are a host of people interactions at work... in meetings, cafeteria, getting coffee, bathroom... times where I am clocked out of the BSL4 space suit lab and interacting with people.

So, I got sick mishandling a bat. One day after work I travelled 20 miles to Seymour, Indiana.

Then a whole host of infections radiated out in concentric circles from Seymour Indiana. The one mile radius was highest, then 3, then 5, then 10, then 15, then 20 (but a huge drop-off in each circle as you go out). By contrast, no infections at all radiated out from the place where I worked and interacted, most of the day, every day that I was infected. Columbus stayed relatively clean, until later.

Simply put, you would have to be able explain that very focused viral spread, centered nowhere near the lab that supposedly leaked. Experts in infectious diseases say it doesn't fit and is impossible.
 
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I think this is actually a valid criticism.

It doesn't mean that Trump is responsible for all COVID deaths in the U.S.--as Biden cynically argued in the 2020 debates--but it is worth considering, going forward.
The cops here(US and the rest of the world governments) owe the criminals(China) a boat load of money. And how we got there is as bipartisan as anything could be.
 
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The virus was released to destroy Trump, because they couldn’t defeat him without destroying his economy! There were plenty of republicans in on it too.
You actually believe that it wasn't merely a coincidence how this was unleashed on the world heading into the 2020 election that other countries and interests in the left wing of the USA knew they would lose .

How can anyone be so insanely stupid to think that this was all some kind plan to make sure Trump wouldnt win the election ?

You aren't very bright are you?
 
You actually believe that it wasn't merely a coincidence how this was unleashed on the world heading into the 2020 election that other countries and interests in the left wing of the USA knew they would lose .

How can anyone be so insanely stupid to think that this was all some kind plan to make sure Trump wouldnt win the election ?

You aren't very bright are you?
WTF are you talking about?
 
But that doesn't mean the Chinese knew about it earlier, right? I agree the Chinese have not been forthcoming to the extent that any responsible government should have been. Not even close. But, is there evidence the Chinese knew about it earlier than they claim?
IIRC from reportage around the time? Yes. Am I going to go and try and track that down now? No. There was so much throttling of information that occurred around that time that I doubt you could trust any internet search that goes back.
 
That is possible, but it would be very difficult to explain the spread of the infection.

By my earlier analogy, say I live and work in Columbus Indiana. I spend 10 hr. days at work, and some of that is in the lab and suited up, but there are a host of people interactions at work... in meetings, cafeteria, getting coffee, bathroom... times where I am clocked out of the BSL4 space suit lab and interacting with people.

So, I got sick mishandling a bat. One day after work I travelled 20 miles to Seymour, Indiana.

Then a whole host of infections radiated out in concentric circles from Seymour Indiana. The one mile radius was highest, then 3, then 5, then 10, then 15, then 20 (but a huge drop-off in each circle as you go out). By contrast, no infections at all radiated out from the place where I worked and interacted, most of the day, every day that I was infected. Columbus stayed relatively clean, until later.

Simply put, you would have to be able explain that very focused viral spread, centered nowhere near the lab that supposedly leaked. Experts in infectious diseases say it doesn't fit and is impossible.
That analogy doesn't work when the 2 places being talked about are blocks away from each other as opposed to 20 miles.
 
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