Good article, which makes clear that "escaped from the lab" does not mean "engineered in the lab". What the article doesn't address is that the possibilities of "escaped from the lab" and "came from the wet market" are not mutually exclusive.
I think it's very likely that some of the lab workers, and family members that may have been exposed to a virus a lab worker accidentally brought home, also shop at the wet market. The wet markets obviously provide tremendous opportunity for transmission of viruses between people, between animals, and between people and animals. They also provide tremendous opportunity for viruses to share bits of genetic material with each other, and mutate more quickly and broadly than would occur in any natural setting.
Long story short, even if we establish with certainty that the initial human infections were with virus that "escaped" from the Wuhan virology lab, that doesn't prove that the wet markets didn't play a role in the spread and mutation of the virus, and isn't a reason not to continue pushing to have these markets shut down.
In addition to providing a perfect venue for viruses and other infectious microorganisms to mutate and spread, the mentality associated with public acceptance of this kind of food markets is also dangerous and contagious. It's extra-hard to get lab workers to internalize and practice proper containment procedures for dangerous microorganisms, while living in a community where most people think it's perfectly fine and normal to buy their food in places like this. And it only takes one lab worker to provide a mircoorganism with an escape route from the lab.
Well put. I had read early on when information was just starting to come out about this virology lab that some of the workers occasionally sold test animals to this "wet market" to make extra money. This article I read brought forth the possibility that the transmission of this virus originally occurred from this. I haven't read that hypothesis since then but it seems believable enough.
I'm sure as our government and intelligence agencies, as well as others around the world, delve into this pandemic deeper the truth or something close will come out. However it originated, the fact that China drug their feet and made a bad situation worse is beyond dispute. The real question on that front is whether or not it was intentional.
the workers occasionally sold test animals to this "wet market" to make extra money
Holy crap! I hadn't heard that before, but it's certainly plausible. Underpaid, overworked slaves to a communist regime tend to find ways to beat the system, at least in small ways. Usually without catastrophic consequences.
I very much doubt the "escape" was intentional, though it may well have involved an intentional act, such as intending to make some extra cash by sneaking a few lab animals out the wet market, instead of killing and incinerating all of them per instructions. The concealment of the beginnings of the human outbreak was clearly intentional, though it's less clear at what level the early rounds of concealment occurred. The late rounds were clearly at the Xi Jinping level, but the early rounds may well have been at the local officials level.
Our intel people will definitely get the truth, though that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be willing to share it with us, which is fine with me. Protecting our intel assets is a much higher priority than satiating the curiosity of the peanut gallery. I certainly hope that our intel and foreign policy people, working with Trump's team, will craft and implement a plan to exploit Xi's sociopathic concealment of the early outbreaks, to ensure a much-needed regime change in China.
It also occurs to me that very soon might be an ideal time for Trump to take the super-Trumpish step of announcing that henceforth the US will recognize Taiwan as an independent sovereign nation and have full diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and will not give another dime to the UN until Taiwan is granted membership. Remember how leftists and Foggy Bottom protocol wonks howled when Trump took a congratulatory call from Taiwan's president after his 2016 victory. I don't think Trump is done with the Taiwan issue, and the best opportunity to make a bold move is while Xi is heavily engaged in a struggle to save face and hold on to power.
Yeah, I don't even remember where I read that stuff about the wet market. I'm pretty sure at the time I read it, all hell was breaking loose and everyone was speculating. I do think the true good that comes out of all this will be the United States reclaiming industries that are related to our strategic needs like pharmaceuticals and medical PPE. Sad that it took something like this to break that spell but at least something positive will come out of all this tragedy.
As far as Taiwan goes, I think that whole thing hinges on whether or not Xi honors the trade deal he agreed with earlier...which is a bit of a stretch considering all of the consequences they are going to have to suffer as a result of COVID-19. But if there's a prez that can orchestrate that little bomb, it's Trump.
We should have pulled out of the UN long ago IMO.
** Found the article I read back in February that talked about the wet markets.
Article
It's a good thing Trump is President. With any of the alternatives we had (including Republicans), I doubt there would be any major silver linings to the pandemic.
And yes, I've wanted us out of the UN for a loooonnng time. When they started demanding a new headquarters building in NYC, my reaction was they should be told it's time to grace another country with their presence -- like maybe Ethiopia or Somalia or some similar hellhole. Tip the old building into the East River and be done with them. Most of the UN representatives and staff working in NYC are only there because they want the NYC lifestyle -- they couldn't care less about helping desperately poor/war-torn countries, and they'd all quit if they were told they had to move to one of them.
Good article, which makes clear that "escaped from the lab" does not mean "engineered in the lab". What the article doesn't address is that the possibilities of "escaped from the lab" and "came from the wet market" are not mutually exclusive.
I think it's very likely that some of the lab workers, and family members that may have been exposed to a virus a lab worker accidentally brought home, also shop at the wet market. The wet markets obviously provide tremendous opportunity for transmission of viruses between people, between animals, and between people and animals. They also provide tremendous opportunity for viruses to share bits of genetic material with each other, and mutate more quickly and broadly than would occur in any natural setting.
Long story short, even if we establish with certainty that the initial human infections were with virus that "escaped" from the Wuhan virology lab, that doesn't prove that the wet markets didn't play a role in the spread and mutation of the virus, and isn't a reason not to continue pushing to have these markets shut down.
In addition to providing a perfect venue for viruses and other infectious microorganisms to mutate and spread, the mentality associated with public acceptance of this kind of food markets is also dangerous and contagious. It's extra-hard to get lab workers to internalize and practice proper containment procedures for dangerous microorganisms, while living in a community where most people think it's perfectly fine and normal to buy their food in places like this. And it only takes one lab worker to provide a mircoorganism with an escape route from the lab.
Well put. I had read early on when information was just starting to come out about this virology lab that some of the workers occasionally sold test animals to this "wet market" to make extra money. This article I read brought forth the possibility that the transmission of this virus originally occurred from this. I haven't read that hypothesis since then but it seems believable enough.
I'm sure as our government and intelligence agencies, as well as others around the world, delve into this pandemic deeper the truth or something close will come out. However it originated, the fact that China drug their feet and made a bad situation worse is beyond dispute. The real question on that front is whether or not it was intentional.
Holy crap! I hadn't heard that before, but it's certainly plausible. Underpaid, overworked slaves to a communist regime tend to find ways to beat the system, at least in small ways. Usually without catastrophic consequences.
I very much doubt the "escape" was intentional, though it may well have involved an intentional act, such as intending to make some extra cash by sneaking a few lab animals out the wet market, instead of killing and incinerating all of them per instructions. The concealment of the beginnings of the human outbreak was clearly intentional, though it's less clear at what level the early rounds of concealment occurred. The late rounds were clearly at the Xi Jinping level, but the early rounds may well have been at the local officials level.
Our intel people will definitely get the truth, though that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be willing to share it with us, which is fine with me. Protecting our intel assets is a much higher priority than satiating the curiosity of the peanut gallery. I certainly hope that our intel and foreign policy people, working with Trump's team, will craft and implement a plan to exploit Xi's sociopathic concealment of the early outbreaks, to ensure a much-needed regime change in China.
It also occurs to me that very soon might be an ideal time for Trump to take the super-Trumpish step of announcing that henceforth the US will recognize Taiwan as an independent sovereign nation and have full diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and will not give another dime to the UN until Taiwan is granted membership. Remember how leftists and Foggy Bottom protocol wonks howled when Trump took a congratulatory call from Taiwan's president after his 2016 victory. I don't think Trump is done with the Taiwan issue, and the best opportunity to make a bold move is while Xi is heavily engaged in a struggle to save face and hold on to power.
Yeah, I don't even remember where I read that stuff about the wet market. I'm pretty sure at the time I read it, all hell was breaking loose and everyone was speculating. I do think the true good that comes out of all this will be the United States reclaiming industries that are related to our strategic needs like pharmaceuticals and medical PPE. Sad that it took something like this to break that spell but at least something positive will come out of all this tragedy.
As far as Taiwan goes, I think that whole thing hinges on whether or not Xi honors the trade deal he agreed with earlier...which is a bit of a stretch considering all of the consequences they are going to have to suffer as a result of COVID-19. But if there's a prez that can orchestrate that little bomb, it's Trump.
We should have pulled out of the UN long ago IMO.
** Found the article I read back in February that talked about the wet markets. Article
It's a good thing Trump is President. With any of the alternatives we had (including Republicans), I doubt there would be any major silver linings to the pandemic.
And yes, I've wanted us out of the UN for a loooonnng time. When they started demanding a new headquarters building in NYC, my reaction was they should be told it's time to grace another country with their presence -- like maybe Ethiopia or Somalia or some similar hellhole. Tip the old building into the East River and be done with them. Most of the UN representatives and staff working in NYC are only there because they want the NYC lifestyle -- they couldn't care less about helping desperately poor/war-torn countries, and they'd all quit if they were told they had to move to one of them.