Lab Leak: The conspiracy theory is shaping up to look like real possibility

[Juvenal]

So we're just not going to talk about this?

Mike Pompeo: 'enormous evidence' coronavirus came from Chinese lab

Nice sig.

He says there's evidence. He's not providing it. Doesn't leave much to discuss.

[shunyadragon]

So we're just not going to talk about this?

Mike Pompeo: 'enormous evidence' coronavirus came from Chinese lab

Of course, let's talk about it. What credibility, qualifications and 'enormous evidence' does Mike Pompeo have?

[seanD]

Nice sig.

He says there's evidence. He's not providing it. Doesn't leave much to discuss.

Just for the record, I'm not saying this confirms it. In fact, I'm even less persuaded to believe it now because of this. I was just curious no one brought it up, being that it's a political section and we have a million threads about the subject here.

[shunyadragon]

Just for the record, I'm not saying this confirms it. In fact, I'm even less persuaded to believe it now because of this. I was just curious no one brought it up, being that it's a political section and we have a million threads about the subject here.

Actually I have brought this up in the past.

[oxmixmudd]

Actually I have brought this up in the past.

Today Fauci, discussing the issue with national geographic, made clear that the genetic evidence says this virus is not man made, not a lab escapee

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/s...inese-lab-cvd/

[Juvenal]

Today Fauci, discussing the issue with national geographic, made clear that the genetic evidence says this virus is not man made, not a lab escapee

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/s...inese-lab-cvd/

My take is that he hasn't considered the lab escape scenario carefully because he considers it a circular argument.

Sure, but what if scientists found the virus outside the lab, brought it back, and then it escaped?

But that means it was in the wild to begin with. That's why I don't get what they're talking about [and] why I don't spend a lot of time going in on this circular argument.

He's ridiculously busy trying to cope with the disease, too busy to read relevant papers his staff hasn't vetted, too busy to spend time fixing blame that could be spent fixing the crisis. As he should be.

[Sparko]

Today Fauci, discussing the issue with national geographic, made clear that the genetic evidence says this virus is not man made, not a lab escapee

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/s...inese-lab-cvd/

What he said was:



Q. Sure, but what if scientists found the virus outside the lab, brought it back, and then it escaped?

A. But that means it was in the wild to begin with. That's why I don't get what they're talking about [and] why I don't spend a lot of time going in on this circular argument.

-
but that isn't necessarily so. If they brought it in from the wild, then started playing with it by injecting the virus from the bats into human tissue, it could have evolved to infect humans, then jumped species, where it would not have in the wild.

[Cerebrum123]

What he said was:



Q. Sure, but what if scientists found the virus outside the lab, brought it back, and then it escaped?

A. But that means it was in the wild to begin with. That's why I don't get what they're talking about [and] why I don't spend a lot of time going in on this circular argument.

-
but that isn't necessarily so. If they brought it in from the wild, then started playing with it by injecting the virus from the bats into human tissue, it could have evolved to infect humans, then jumped species, where it would not have in the wild.

Yeah, a wild virus getting a mutation in the lab after being brought there, and not elsewhere is entirely possible.

[oxmixmudd]

What he said was:



Q. Sure, but what if scientists found the virus outside the lab, brought it back, and then it escaped?

A. But that means it was in the wild to begin with. That's why I don't get what they're talking about [and] why I don't spend a lot of time going in on this circular argument.

-
but that isn't necessarily so. If they brought it in from the wild, then started playing with it by injecting the virus from the bats into human tissue, it could have evolved to infect humans, then jumped species, where it would not have in the wild.

Sparko, fauci is on record multiple times saying evidence points to a natural origin. Indeed, that research has been out for a while now and nothing has contradicted it yet.

Yesterdays comment simply confirms he has not seen anything new that changes that opinion. Which means if such evidence exists, he has not been shown it. Which means Trump is at the very least not engaging the white house's own experts in vetting whatever is driving his push towards blaming the Chinese for the virus' origin. And that means we are likely not dealing with real evidence but sonething fauci would not find convincing at all, like Trump's gut or Trump's scheming, not hard evidence.

Trump is trying to shift blame for his own mistakes. He knows the chinese are an easy target (because they did try to hide important data about the virus early on). But this is about creating anger against someone else to deflect legitimate criticism of the fact he ignored the data presented to him early on, and how he tried to play this thing down for two months, and how he did not and still has not set up a viable strategy for testing and tracking cases in this nation.

[oxmixmudd]

Yeah, a wild virus getting a mutation in the lab after being brought there, and not elsewhere is entirely possible.

According to the available research, it is NOT what the evidence indicates happened. You would risk continued escalation of tensions between the US and China over a 'hunch' not supported by the evidence? Is that how important excusing Trump's shoddy handling of this pandemic is to you?

[Cerebrum123]

According to the available research, it is NOT what the evidence indicates happened. You would risk continued escalation of tensions between the US and China over a 'hunch' not supported by the evidence? Is that how important excusing Trump's shoddy handling of this pandemic is to you?

It has nothing to do with Trump, as I personally do not like him. I don't care what he thinks about the virus. Again, you complained about me seeing you in the worst possible light, while you read my post in the worst possible light you can come up with in your Trump obsessed mind.

[Sparko]

Sparko, fauci is on record multiple times saying evidence points to a natural origin. Indeed, that research has been out for a while now and nothing has contradicted it yet.

letting the virus evolve by injecting it into human flesh is still natural Ox. He was saying nobody artificially modified it.

[Sparko]

According to the available research, it is NOT what the evidence indicates happened. You would risk continued escalation of tensions between the US and China over a 'hunch' not supported by the evidence? Is that how important excusing Trump's shoddy handling of this pandemic is to you?

And yet the paper trail points to exactly that happening. Escaping from a lab. Even if the virus was human transmissible in the the wild, that doesn't excuse the lab if they brought it into the lab and was careless with it, letting it escape. It might never have come into contact with people otherwise.

[oxmixmudd]

It has nothing to do with Trump, as I personally do not like him. I don't care what he thinks about the virus. Again, you complained about me seeing you in the worst possible light, while you read my post in the worst possible light you can come up with in your Trump obsessed mind.

It has everything to do with Trump! Trump is the source of the disinformation on the virus origin being discussed here. He and Pompeo have made bold assertions that they have evidence the virus originated in the wuhan lab. To respond to that is the topic of this thread, and to call responding to those facts "trump obsession' points to your own bias, not mine.

So perhaps the fact you would characterize my response as 'Trump obsession' is just your ignorance as to the source of the current attempts by the administration to claim the lab as the source w/o supporting those accusations and contrary to the existing research?

[Sparko]

It has everything to do with Trump! Trump is the source of the disinformation on the virus origin being discussed here. He and Pompeo have made bold assertions that they have evidence the virus originated in the wuhan lab. To respond to that is the topic of this thread, and to call responding to those facts "trump obsession' points to your own bias, not mine.

So perhaps the fact you would characterize my response as 'Trump obsession' is just your ignorance as to the source of the current attempts by the administration to claimvtge when lab as the source w/o supporting those accusations and contrary to the existing research?

The reports that the lab was not secure came long before Trump was President. And all of the evidence in the OP has nothing to do with Trump. In fact, when all this was breaking, Trump was reticent to even give it any credence, saying he saw some reports about it but had no comments and he hopes that it wasn't the case.