This is interesting. Someone did an assessment of the mitochondrial DNA in the sample from the racoon dog stall. The racoon dogs had the highest readings. However, they found readings of some coronaviruses that infect humans and cause colds. Basically that comes from people who have colds. But those...

Well, they're getting Leopard & Abrams Tanks, MIG-29, etc while Russia is frittering away troops on an offensive that is stalling around Bakhmut. Can't imagine Russian troops morale is that great right now. And Ukraine is talking about it. It would seem to be an opportune time to counter-attack....

The most probable origin--before China and gain-of-function scientists muddied the waters--is that it came from bats with SARs like viruses that were located nearby in the Wuhan lab and where gain-in--function research was going on. The odds that the pandemic would have just happened to have occurre...

Guess what? Dr. Woreby essentially concedes that the study is a nothing burger. From his Twitter account: "The virus in these samples may not have come from the animals. The possibility that it originated in humans is very real, and we found samples from other stalls that had lots of animal seq...

Scientists can have biases due to self-interest financially/professionally. Or even based on their ego. They don't have to be crazy. Reputable scientists don't release their results to be blown up in the Atlantic before they've even released a preprint so that other scientists can critique their wor...

Some of the usual suspects (scientists pushing zoonotic origins) at it again. They didn't make their pre-print available-so other scientists could critique it--before throwing this out there...

Putin's whole plan was for Trump to win reelection in 2020 and then not support Ukraine. Without US support Germany would have completely, folded, having been made dependent on gas by really bad decisions on Nordstream. No way other European nations would have funded Ukraine if US disengaged. It's n...

Well I was the one making such a fuss about it back then so I wouldnt know!

Not sure why everyone is making a particularly big deal of that. It was with a "low degree of confidence" so they and the FBI think it was likely a lab leak, 4 other agencies believe it came from nature and two others are decided. Now, have they found more evidence that changed their mind?...

You do realize that without Biden's strong leadership the West would have abandoned Ukraine? If the US withdraws support for Ukraine then Western Europe will fold, too. That's why it is vitally important to push to support Ukraine as much as possible so that Russia is forced out of Ukraine territory...

Yeah, and not changed for the better...

And you're right--they may be few in number. However other Repubs in power are not calling them out on it. And their visibility and perhaps influence is outsized.

If Russia can undermine US support for Ukraine then they'll win. But it will be at least until 2025 to do that. I still find it shocking that there are so many Repubs willing to be shills for Russia to gain money and power.

Status quo ante is the goal--no more, no less. That would be my goal. Anything beyond that is not worth the risk.

It ends when we win...

I just don't think abandoning Ukraine is in our best interests. Russia needs to leave Ukraine. That's how it ends.

Thanks for the recommendation, George.