I’ve said it before but I’ll keep on saying it: Kudos to Ian Birrell, and other courageous journalists, for so doggedly pursuing this story. They’re up against the entire US and Chinese establishment who don’t want the truth to emerge.
Massive kudos to Birrell. He’s been on the money from the get-go.
FM
Francis MacGabhann
2 years ago
So, basically, the Chinese created a Frankenstein virus, were too incompetent to keep it bottled, let it escape, and every scientific, political, media and academic institution in the west conspired with them — on the taxpayer’s dime — to cover it up and brand anyone who questioned the narrative a tin-foil nutter? I hate to break it to the elite and the…sorry, I have to repress a snigger when I say this.. “intelligentsia” that the public were waaaay ahead of you on this one.
Excellent analysis. It is unfortunate though that many of the actors responsible will never bear any accountability for their actions, including directly lying to Congress several times over.
They must be held accountable or no public health figure will ever be believed again-and that would be a bad thing for the West in future scenarios. Next time there is s health event people will just say no en masse and that will be that……………Asia will be left to repopulate the planet !
Yes, but if you are being consistently lied to who do you believe or is the smart move to dis-believe everything coming out of government, and that includes health officials
Look at the disastrous years since 1900 and see who has been held accountable for their monstrous actions…. none…. from finance to war to health to hell…. etc. etc. etc. etc.
‘Third World’ feels like the wrong description for China. There are many intelligent, capable scientists in China and there is no lack of funding or equipment. They can compete with any ‘First World’ nation. The problems are with their attitudes and behaviours.
Yes, you are right – I hesitated writing that. But definitely the standards and transparency are lower than the US (or Britain, Japan, France etc) or they wouldn’t have offshored the work there. But I agree, they are not Cameroon or Mongolia. Maybe Second World?
The whole first/second/third world thing is obsolete, now that much of the old third world is doing quite fine economically. I think you wanted ‘outsource dangerous research projects to secretive closed totalitarian regimes’ but that is putting my words in your mouth, so …
Well, true to some extent and certainly that’s the image the CCP always want to put over. But virus research at lab level 2?! That is almost asking for a lab leak to occur. As I can’t believe they intended to kill their own population (if for no other reason than prestige rather than their love of humankind), it shows utter cavalier incompetence on a huge scale
pls expand your comment. do you think that research was outsourced from the NIH to China lab because using monkeys for research is very difficult in the U.S.?
LC
Laura Creighton
2 years ago
Aside from ‘steps in making a bio-weapon’, what was it that the scientists performing gain of function research into infectious diseases were hoping to learn? And why is it so hard to ban this sort of research?
Create benefits for the world population at large of course. EcoHealth Alliance is a charitable institution. And why is it so hard so ban this sort of research? Because Ignorance is Knowledge.
MK
Malcolm Knott
2 years ago
Donald Trump was cancelled for suggesting this might be a possibility.
Well, one reason might be to “weaponize” a virus for biological war. So happy to learn that NIH is funding this potential “weaponization” with our Chinese friends. Oh, wait, did I say Chinese friends–I meant to say our Chinese adversary. I think it fair to say that tons of $ goes into weapons research, writ large. Isn’t “gain of function” a type of “weaponization,” at least potentially? I’m sure the Chinese could only use it for peaceful purposes though….
DT
Diane Tasker
2 years ago
Wouldn’t it be great to have a health watchdog, benefitting from, say, a $B5.1/2 operating fund, consisting of zillions of highly qualified and rewarded scientists, to keep a nose to the ground and a finger on the scientific ‘pulse’ when it comes to what’s going on and where. A watchdog who, when our neighbours are playing around with biological fireworks that could imperil the world’s health, fearlessly, call them out? Who? Oh….do you mean that highly paid obsequious bunch who ‘inspected’ (I use the term loosely) ‘a’ lab – but not ‘the’ lab which nonetheless was good enough for them to opine that there was no monkey (or should I say Chiroptera) business going on there!
“Gain of function?” What function? Those life saving, life improving, getting better ethical functions of Hippocratic Oath Takers declared through the ages? Or have Hypo
DB
Dennis Boylon
2 years ago
Follow drastic. Their twitter feeds are very informative. I’ve learned a lot about GOF and coronavirus studies the last 18 months. Dr Baric is probably the mad genius behind this. His research papers are readily available. It is a bit hard to decipher at first but as you get informed and used to the language it starts to make sense. It is also terrifying to read. Baric, Daszak, Fauci, Zhengli, Gates are up to their necks in this. Gates’s event 201 is very fortunate timing. I honestly don’t think it was a lab leak. I think it was released on purpose. That is an impolite thing to say and nobody wants to bring it up… but it seems like the most likely scenario. This is biowarfare. https://drasticresearch.org/
I’ve said it before but I’ll keep on saying it: Kudos to Ian Birrell, and other courageous journalists, for so doggedly pursuing this story. They’re up against the entire US and Chinese establishment who don’t want the truth to emerge.
Sharri Markson, a young Aussie journalist has been leading this.
https://www.amazon.com.au/What-Really-Happened-Wuhan-Infections-ebook/dp/B094GHJK9L
Massive kudos to Birrell. He’s been on the money from the get-go.
So, basically, the Chinese created a Frankenstein virus, were too incompetent to keep it bottled, let it escape, and every scientific, political, media and academic institution in the west conspired with them — on the taxpayer’s dime — to cover it up and brand anyone who questioned the narrative a tin-foil nutter? I hate to break it to the elite and the…sorry, I have to repress a snigger when I say this.. “intelligentsia” that the public were waaaay ahead of you on this one.
Because common sense is racist…
Excellent analysis. It is unfortunate though that many of the actors responsible will never bear any accountability for their actions, including directly lying to Congress several times over.
They must be held accountable or no public health figure will ever be believed again-and that would be a bad thing for the West in future scenarios. Next time there is s health event people will just say no en masse and that will be that……………Asia will be left to repopulate the planet !
Yes, but if you are being consistently lied to who do you believe or is the smart move to dis-believe everything coming out of government, and that includes health officials
Who would hold them accountable? They’re running the show.
Look at the disastrous years since 1900 and see who has been held accountable for their monstrous actions…. none…. from finance to war to health to hell…. etc. etc. etc. etc.
Yet so many civilians must be wearing blinkers, because they still doggedly continue to believe the line taken by large, compromised organisations.
Like the Biden Administration.
Those being lied to wanted to hear lies. There can be no accountability.
Let’s hope that Fauci goes to prison. He is a lying, disgusting piece of garbage who loves the cameras way too much….
Another brilliant outcome of globalisation! Outsource dangerous research projects to the third world. What could go wrong?
‘Third World’ feels like the wrong description for China. There are many intelligent, capable scientists in China and there is no lack of funding or equipment. They can compete with any ‘First World’ nation. The problems are with their attitudes and behaviours.
Yes, you are right – I hesitated writing that. But definitely the standards and transparency are lower than the US (or Britain, Japan, France etc) or they wouldn’t have offshored the work there. But I agree, they are not Cameroon or Mongolia. Maybe Second World?
My own view is that they transcend the taxonomy…and not in a good way!
The whole first/second/third world thing is obsolete, now that much of the old third world is doing quite fine economically. I think you wanted ‘outsource dangerous research projects to secretive closed totalitarian regimes’ but that is putting my words in your mouth, so …
Well, true to some extent and certainly that’s the image the CCP always want to put over. But virus research at lab level 2?! That is almost asking for a lab leak to occur. As I can’t believe they intended to kill their own population (if for no other reason than prestige rather than their love of humankind), it shows utter cavalier incompetence on a huge scale
Or it could be a case of different priorities and different norms. Maybe they considered it an acceptable risk?
…it’s all about access to the monkeys.
pls expand your comment. do you think that research was outsourced from the NIH to China lab because using monkeys for research is very difficult in the U.S.?
Aside from ‘steps in making a bio-weapon’, what was it that the scientists performing gain of function research into infectious diseases were hoping to learn? And why is it so hard to ban this sort of research?
Create benefits for the world population at large of course. EcoHealth Alliance is a charitable institution. And why is it so hard so ban this sort of research? Because Ignorance is Knowledge.
Donald Trump was cancelled for suggesting this might be a possibility.
The Taliban can tweet but Trump cannot. As I first heard from Freddie on UnHerd, “the inconceivable has become the inevitable.” So true.
Potential conspiracies, accidents and cover-ups aside, why do scientists do this kind of stuff? Trust ‘the science’? Trust it for what? Disgusting.
Well, one reason might be to “weaponize” a virus for biological war. So happy to learn that NIH is funding this potential “weaponization” with our Chinese friends. Oh, wait, did I say Chinese friends–I meant to say our Chinese adversary. I think it fair to say that tons of $ goes into weapons research, writ large. Isn’t “gain of function” a type of “weaponization,” at least potentially? I’m sure the Chinese could only use it for peaceful purposes though….
Wouldn’t it be great to have a health watchdog, benefitting from, say, a $B5.1/2 operating fund, consisting of zillions of highly qualified and rewarded scientists, to keep a nose to the ground and a finger on the scientific ‘pulse’ when it comes to what’s going on and where. A watchdog who, when our neighbours are playing around with biological fireworks that could imperil the world’s health, fearlessly, call them out? Who? Oh….do you mean that highly paid obsequious bunch who ‘inspected’ (I use the term loosely) ‘a’ lab – but not ‘the’ lab which nonetheless was good enough for them to opine that there was no monkey (or should I say Chiroptera) business going on there!
“Gain of function?” What function? Those life saving, life improving, getting better ethical functions of Hippocratic Oath Takers declared through the ages? Or have Hypo
Follow drastic. Their twitter feeds are very informative. I’ve learned a lot about GOF and coronavirus studies the last 18 months. Dr Baric is probably the mad genius behind this. His research papers are readily available. It is a bit hard to decipher at first but as you get informed and used to the language it starts to make sense. It is also terrifying to read. Baric, Daszak, Fauci, Zhengli, Gates are up to their necks in this. Gates’s event 201 is very fortunate timing. I honestly don’t think it was a lab leak. I think it was released on purpose. That is an impolite thing to say and nobody wants to bring it up… but it seems like the most likely scenario. This is biowarfare. https://drasticresearch.org/
Ian knows drastic too… https://staging.unherd.com/2021/04/the-covid-dissidents-taking-on-china/