Thank you for displaying the integrity to retract your earlier assertion. That is the kind of commentary and commenting that makes Neo’s blog such a (generally) valuable site to review. And a credit to the usual commenters, as well.

“””One wonders if Russia is “doomed to repeat it” since their general outlook and strategic analysis owes much to the “we’re perennial victims” mindset and “but-they-made-me-do-it” defense.”””

You mean to say that the Russian Cries Out in Pain as He Strikes You ™?

Goddam copycat Russians… Shouldn’t they be paying royalties to the entire Brill Building for that one?

Yesterday I smoked out an Anti-Sinite, today an Anti-Rus-ite.

Anyone care to malign the Hittites?

https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2021/06/04/exclusive-high-ranking-chinese-defector-has-direct-knowledge-of-several-chinese-special-weapons-programs-n391238

Alleged that DIA kept informant away from FBI and CIA out of concern that those agencies were/are compromised with Can Do!

That precedent was tried in 1939. To be sure, it worked out pretty well…until it didn’t.

One wonders if Russia is “doomed to repeat it” since their general outlook and strategic analysis owes much to the “we’re perennial victims” mindset and “but-they-made-me-do-it” defense.

But seeing as there’s not a whole lotta love between those two neighbors one would have to stay tuned. (On the other hand, a “superpower” led by a gang of preening, prevaricating criminals, whose putative figurehead is a stumbling infomercial for dementia and schizophasia, and whose military policy seems to be “let’s gut the armed forces”, would seem to offer a potentially tempting target…)

Geoffrey B., My readings suggest that the first labs outside China that got the full virus genome were in Germany and they got it early in the timeline. I believe Germany had the first PCR infection tests. The VF story says that Dr. Shi had the genome mapped at some very early date.

AesopFan, The whole TDS mindset of the VF author is rather incredible. A complete lack of self-awareness.

Especially this section:
IV. An “Antibody Response” (What could that mean?)

Trump’s premature statement poisoned the waters for anyone seeking an honest answer to the question of where COVID-19 came from. According to Pottinger, there was an “antibody response” within the government, in which any discussion of a possible lab origin was linked to destructive nativist posturing.

Oohh. So there is a deep state and it had a unified hostile reaction to the President. Good to know.

I will have to take that back as I can’t find what I thought I had to back it up.

A plan, after an accidental release, to spread the virus to other countries as fast as possible, so the whole world would have to suffer, not just China? That I can believe – the PRC’s behavior in early 2020 is quite consistent with such a plan. It’d take a miracle to prove it at this point, though.

Virus origin – likely man made

Initial infection source – Wuhan Institute of Virology

Accidental or intentional – needs investigated (I’d give odds of 9 to 1 accident/intentional)

I think it was much more likely that several lab workers were accidentally infected, and the virus spread unnoticed for several weeks, well beyond the vicinity of Wuhan and China. Mismanagement and CYA by China made the situation worse. Lack of transparency on many institutions parts made it worse still.