I remember last year that there were indications that COVID-19 evolved (naturedly) in India before migrating to China. The Q-publicans ignore any science which doesn’t support their agenda. Instead they come up with conspiracy theories, such as their claim that the virus was created in a Chinese lab to be used as germ warfare. It is possible that they were trying to get a handle on a naturedly occurring disease. It is a shame (something they know nothing about) that they are now showing their fear of Fu Manchu now that their idol Trump is no longer worshipping Xi.
Can someone please explain Lisa’s point? Because it seems as if she’s trying to claim that it’s the media who is making up wild, squirrely conspiracy theories regarding the origin of Covid. I’m sure I’ve read this wrong, somehow.
Yeah! Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! The Tulsa riots 100 years ago? Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! Jan. 6 riots? Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! L B & her minions are just basically dishonest.
I’ve read several thoughtful analyses of the whole “we should demand more open investigation” thing. They differ in detail, but all of them agree that:
> There is no sign that the virus had any “human created component”. Genetic changes done the way we know how (CRISPR) leave clear evidence of their use, and scientists have looked for those marker in Covid-19 and found NOTHING
> China is not going to open their records (if they even have them) so the the chance of knowing exactly what happened is effectively zero. But (see below)
> It’s possible that there was a “virus spill” event of some kind, and IF SO it was probably an internal breach followed by an infected person leaving the lab. But (see below)
> It’s even possible that the leak, IF ANY was from research into how / whether to weaponize a virus that they had already discovered. But (see below)
This is Below: Whether the given scenario is true or not should change our behavior in no noticeable way. We need to have better warning systems in place. We need to negotiate with other nations to create “lab exchange scholarships” so everybody eventually ends up having personal connections, trust… and a common understanding of how to go on. And we need to spend time and money developing a STANDARD for how to “emergency create and release” antiviral (and maybe antibiotic) vaccines. As well as spend real effort on dealing with anti-vaxxers in particular and other forms of potentially lethal stupidity in our own populations.
Right On, Lisa! The media is the lapdog of the Democrat party (or the Democrat party is the lapdog of the media). Mutual admiration society, You might say.
It has been stated again and again that this virus is a zoonotic disease. A zoonosis (plural zoonoses, or zoonotic diseases) is an infectious disease caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, such as a bacterium, virus, parasite or prion) that has jumped from an animal (usually a vertebrate) to a human. Now, having got that out of the way, it matters not if it ‘escaped from a lab’ (highly unlikely), or more likely, is a natural jump from animals to humans Lisa. What matters most now is that we practice those things the conspiracy theorists such as Qanon, Trump and the extreme right wing that has hijacked the Republican Party, don’t like, or throw scorn upon. Wash your bloody hands, stay a reasonable distance from others, wear a mask, get tested if you have symptoms and get the bloody vaccine. All this other junk is merely distraction and BS.
I want to know one thing: Say they catch China red handed? China responds with “Okay, yeah. It was us.” Then what? Does the rest of the world have the metaphorical balls to actually punish the Great Red Dragon (and its vast ocean of consumers)?
The mere fact that the “escaped from the Wuhan virology Institute” theory is widely accepted by those who want very much to believe it is no reason to accept it as true. It may be true, or we may never know. The Chinese Communist Party certainly hasn’t made it any easier to find out, and probably never will.
Lisa the Shill doesn’t comment positively or negatively on the plausibility of a Wuhan leak, but she does comment NEGATIVELY on the persistence of the media (à la the same First Amendment that PROTECTS HER NONSENSE!) to determine whether or not Wuhan is to blame and whether or not the release of the Covid-19 virus was accidental or deliberate. By implying that the media’s persistence to answer those crucial questions is an unwarranted waste of time, Lisa the Shill promotes ignorant speculation. That’s her métier, that’s the corrupt meat of her strategy and today’s cartoon is just another tactic furthering that strategy. Lisa the Shill doesn’t want to resolve an issue, she wants to poke the fire. She RELIES ON CHAOS, not on resolution. To take her seriously is no different than embracing the notion of a flat Earth and arguing with anyone who doesn’t accept that Earth is flat. From the standpoint of our nation’s intellectual life, our nation’s knowledge, and our nation’s perceptiveness, Lisa the Shill is DELIBERATELY an utter waste of time.
Only an idiot would think China or Russia would not develop a device to be able to wipe out the world. That is why our troops practice war in those hot bulky chem suits…..
I wouldn’t rule out an accidental release from a bioweapons lab. But if it was, what do we do about it? If we ramp up hostilities, that will only motivate China (& our other adversaries) to take more defensive measures against a possible war with us, including bioweapons. If we’re going to pressure China for more info, we need to think first about how to respond, with the long view in mind. Of course, China already has plenty of motivation not to let another accidental release happen: They lost plenty from this one.
1) Even if it could be “proven” that the virus was an escapee from a “weapons lab”, that cannot prevent it from having appeared. It cannot change what has already happened since it first affected humans. Assigning blame cannot change what has already happened… in particular, any measures taken — or not taken — to limit its spread.
2) Doesn’t the US (among many other countries) have similar labs? What are we doing to insure that such an escape doesn’t occur from our labs? (Simply saying repeatedly that “we’re being extra careful” doesn’t quench my uneasiness.)
To which conspiracy theory is ms. Benson referring, if it isn’t the “lab leak theory”? The theory that it was zoonotic in origin is about as mainstream as it gets.
Have I missed something? I don’t recall the covid19 origin being the issue of Donnie’s deadly response to a pandemic. I’m I wrong, or did he not encourage people to ignore the dangers of the pandemic? Covid19 was Trumps chance to be a hero and win a second term, but he is so ignorant his ego wouldn’t allow him to take solid advice. I love Republicans, they are so stupid and easily manipulated. That’s how joe won the election. The democrats used a diabolical plan to steal the election. And republican’s are so ignorant they can’t figure out how we did it.deep state lol
Vidrinath Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Lisa, aren’t conspiracy theories your religion?
superposition almost 3 years ago
Is QAnon a reliable, consistently honest, consistently accurate, consistently verifiable, source of factual information, Lisa?
Radish the wordsmith almost 3 years ago
More crazy right wing conspiracies.
Michael Flynn suggests USA should have a Myanmar-style coup
Michael Flynn denies calling for a coup (despite video of him doing it)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/michael-flynn-coup-video-b1857488.html
GiantShetlandPony almost 3 years ago
I think the cartoonist is barking up the wrong tree. If I remember right, she often prefers conspiracy theories over facts and reality.
ferddo almost 3 years ago
LOL, if the media didn’t cover GQP conspiracy theories then there would be nothing about the GQP to cover at all…
DrDon1 almost 3 years ago
Leave it to Benson to “speak” out of both sides of her mouth!
Alberta Oil Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Like the big steal.. climate change.. Wuhan.. Get it repeated often enough and folk will start believing it.
RAGs almost 3 years ago
I remember last year that there were indications that COVID-19 evolved (naturedly) in India before migrating to China. The Q-publicans ignore any science which doesn’t support their agenda. Instead they come up with conspiracy theories, such as their claim that the virus was created in a Chinese lab to be used as germ warfare. It is possible that they were trying to get a handle on a naturedly occurring disease. It is a shame (something they know nothing about) that they are now showing their fear of Fu Manchu now that their idol Trump is no longer worshipping Xi.
Durak Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Can someone please explain Lisa’s point? Because it seems as if she’s trying to claim that it’s the media who is making up wild, squirrely conspiracy theories regarding the origin of Covid. I’m sure I’ve read this wrong, somehow.
wsedrel Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Yeah! Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! The Tulsa riots 100 years ago? Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! Jan. 6 riots? Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! L B & her minions are just basically dishonest.
dnie1951 almost 3 years ago
“examined” by ????
martens almost 3 years ago
A general perspective on the emergence of zoonotic diseases and how they happen, including SARS-CoV-2:
https://theconversation.com/the-next-pandemic-is-already-happening-targeted-disease-surveillance-can-help-prevent-it-160429
And two scientific papers on the origins of SARS-CoV-2:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32937441/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41594-020-0468-7
Concretionist almost 3 years ago
I’ve read several thoughtful analyses of the whole “we should demand more open investigation” thing. They differ in detail, but all of them agree that:
> There is no sign that the virus had any “human created component”. Genetic changes done the way we know how (CRISPR) leave clear evidence of their use, and scientists have looked for those marker in Covid-19 and found NOTHING
> China is not going to open their records (if they even have them) so the the chance of knowing exactly what happened is effectively zero. But (see below)
> It’s possible that there was a “virus spill” event of some kind, and IF SO it was probably an internal breach followed by an infected person leaving the lab. But (see below)
> It’s even possible that the leak, IF ANY was from research into how / whether to weaponize a virus that they had already discovered. But (see below)
This is Below: Whether the given scenario is true or not should change our behavior in no noticeable way. We need to have better warning systems in place. We need to negotiate with other nations to create “lab exchange scholarships” so everybody eventually ends up having personal connections, trust… and a common understanding of how to go on. And we need to spend time and money developing a STANDARD for how to “emergency create and release” antiviral (and maybe antibiotic) vaccines. As well as spend real effort on dealing with anti-vaxxers in particular and other forms of potentially lethal stupidity in our own populations.
1BlackLivesMatter Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Right On, Lisa! The media is the lapdog of the Democrat party (or the Democrat party is the lapdog of the media). Mutual admiration society, You might say.
grumpypophobart almost 3 years ago
It has been stated again and again that this virus is a zoonotic disease. A zoonosis (plural zoonoses, or zoonotic diseases) is an infectious disease caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, such as a bacterium, virus, parasite or prion) that has jumped from an animal (usually a vertebrate) to a human. Now, having got that out of the way, it matters not if it ‘escaped from a lab’ (highly unlikely), or more likely, is a natural jump from animals to humans Lisa. What matters most now is that we practice those things the conspiracy theorists such as Qanon, Trump and the extreme right wing that has hijacked the Republican Party, don’t like, or throw scorn upon. Wash your bloody hands, stay a reasonable distance from others, wear a mask, get tested if you have symptoms and get the bloody vaccine. All this other junk is merely distraction and BS.
mysterysciencefreezer almost 3 years ago
I want to know one thing: Say they catch China red handed? China responds with “Okay, yeah. It was us.” Then what? Does the rest of the world have the metaphorical balls to actually punish the Great Red Dragon (and its vast ocean of consumers)?
apfelzra Premium Member almost 3 years ago
The mere fact that the “escaped from the Wuhan virology Institute” theory is widely accepted by those who want very much to believe it is no reason to accept it as true. It may be true, or we may never know. The Chinese Communist Party certainly hasn’t made it any easier to find out, and probably never will.
FrankErnesto almost 3 years ago
Nothing subtle about our Lisa, is there.
cocavan11 almost 3 years ago
Lisa the Shill doesn’t comment positively or negatively on the plausibility of a Wuhan leak, but she does comment NEGATIVELY on the persistence of the media (à la the same First Amendment that PROTECTS HER NONSENSE!) to determine whether or not Wuhan is to blame and whether or not the release of the Covid-19 virus was accidental or deliberate. By implying that the media’s persistence to answer those crucial questions is an unwarranted waste of time, Lisa the Shill promotes ignorant speculation. That’s her métier, that’s the corrupt meat of her strategy and today’s cartoon is just another tactic furthering that strategy. Lisa the Shill doesn’t want to resolve an issue, she wants to poke the fire. She RELIES ON CHAOS, not on resolution. To take her seriously is no different than embracing the notion of a flat Earth and arguing with anyone who doesn’t accept that Earth is flat. From the standpoint of our nation’s intellectual life, our nation’s knowledge, and our nation’s perceptiveness, Lisa the Shill is DELIBERATELY an utter waste of time.
MuddyUSA Premium Member almost 3 years ago
The fake media has now CONFESSED they were incorrect in their decisions regarding the Wuhan virus. Trump was right they now say!
GregSearcy almost 3 years ago
Only an idiot would think China or Russia would not develop a device to be able to wipe out the world. That is why our troops practice war in those hot bulky chem suits…..
dipierro Premium Member almost 3 years ago
I wouldn’t rule out an accidental release from a bioweapons lab. But if it was, what do we do about it? If we ramp up hostilities, that will only motivate China (& our other adversaries) to take more defensive measures against a possible war with us, including bioweapons. If we’re going to pressure China for more info, we need to think first about how to respond, with the long view in mind. Of course, China already has plenty of motivation not to let another accidental release happen: They lost plenty from this one.
MuddyUSA Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Hmmm, Benghazi investigation…not a bad idea!
gammaguy almost 3 years ago
1) Even if it could be “proven” that the virus was an escapee from a “weapons lab”, that cannot prevent it from having appeared. It cannot change what has already happened since it first affected humans. Assigning blame cannot change what has already happened… in particular, any measures taken — or not taken — to limit its spread.
2) Doesn’t the US (among many other countries) have similar labs? What are we doing to insure that such an escape doesn’t occur from our labs? (Simply saying repeatedly that “we’re being extra careful” doesn’t quench my uneasiness.)
quixotic3 almost 3 years ago
To which conspiracy theory is ms. Benson referring, if it isn’t the “lab leak theory”? The theory that it was zoonotic in origin is about as mainstream as it gets.
AllenHudsonVeasman Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Ever hear about the conspiracies the Democrats had about Trump doing something bad?
kratos1963 almost 3 years ago
Have I missed something? I don’t recall the covid19 origin being the issue of Donnie’s deadly response to a pandemic. I’m I wrong, or did he not encourage people to ignore the dangers of the pandemic? Covid19 was Trumps chance to be a hero and win a second term, but he is so ignorant his ego wouldn’t allow him to take solid advice. I love Republicans, they are so stupid and easily manipulated. That’s how joe won the election. The democrats used a diabolical plan to steal the election. And republican’s are so ignorant they can’t figure out how we did it.deep state lol