Commentary
-
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Hey, everybody. Hello from California. I just want to take a couple minutes real quick to talk about the news this week. We’ve got a number of folks in the United States government who are taking a firmer stance on China on COVID-related history. Specifically, the Department of Energy is now saying with low confidence that it believes that COVID originated in a lab leak out of the Chinese system, and the director of the FBI concurred with the general statement that this is the bureau’s standing position.
A couple of things real quick. First, don’t blow it out of proportion. Low confidence means that there’s actually no smoking gun or firm evidence of any kind. It just means that this is the opinion of the agency and there’s a lot of circumstantial evidence that points in that general direction. There’s no new breakthrough, there’s been no information brought to light that indicates that the lab leak is indeed where COVID came from. And as a rule, about two-thirds of the American intelligence community officially is on the position that this is a 100% Mother Nature special that jumped from one species to humans somewhere in the Wuhan area.
So there’s really no movement in terms of policy here or in terms of information. I will outline two things. Number one, the Department of Energy and the FBI are as a rule, not known for medical expertise. So when they come out and say things like this, you should take it not so much with a grain of salt, just put it into context. Second, no one has any information or smoking gun or evidence, pointing to it not being a lab leak. So while the general position of the scientific community is that we probably jumped from animal to human, that doesn’t mean that we know that that is what happened. It could be either way.
Now, a couple things here. First of all, politics. There is now a competition across the American political spectrum as to who is going to be more anti-Chinese. And so there are resolution after law after amendment across Congress to prove that the Republicans or the Democrats happened to be the ones that hate China the most. Gone are the days that the business community was even part of this conversation, and now it’s all political, and everyone is competing to see who can beat their chests the most. That should be your first big takeaway, that relations with the Chinese on the American side of the equation are breaking down because they no longer have a defender; they only have attackers.
So whether you like Trump, or Biden, or hate Trump or Biden, everyone has decided that they don’t like the Chinese very much. That’s number one. What’s number two? Oh, yeah, there’s plenty of reasons why we should still be mad about the Chinese even if it’s not a lab leak. So the lab leak theory is based on the idea that either through carelessness and negligence or accident, it leaked out. So accidental being the key word there. And obviously if the Chinese did allow it to escape from a lab and hushed up, that is bad. But that is ultimately accidental.
What we know for sure, what there is no dispute of, what even the Chinese admit publicly, is that for the two weeks after the Chinese realized they were dealing with a respiratory pathogen in Wuhan, they banned domestic flights to and from Wuhan…but they allowed international flights to continue and spread the virus worldwide.
The lab leak would be embarrassing. But what we know for certain was that the Chinese intentionally allowed the virus to spread globally. And from my point of view, that means it’s perfectly reasonable for the Democrats and Republicans to compete as to who is more anti-Chinese these days. All right. That’s it for me. Until next time.
-
What happens to China after Xi Jinping dies?
China is arguably the world’s second most powerful country, and its leader, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping, plays a major role in many of its economic and military decisions. So, with no heir apparent, what happens to China when Xi dies? Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor… -
Impact of Italy’s older, shrinking population
Births in Italy fell by 3.6% in 2023, reaching a record low and raising concerns for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s efforts to address the country’s aging population. One senator from Meloni’s ruling party echoed Pope Francis’ call for Italians to have more children, stating that having children should be Italian women’s “main mission.” Watch the… -
Biden and Trump are both unfit to be president
According to a June pre-debate poll, a majority of Americans feel dissatisfied with having to choose between either Joe Biden or Donald Trump. The debate did little to address anxieties that voters have about these two candidates. Post-debate polls indicate that President Biden now trails former President Trump, yet many voters remain undecided. Watch the… -
Why the West can’t quit Russian oil
Oil and gas revenues have been Russia’s most important source of income, accounting for up to half of the total Russian budget over the last decade. Despite severe sanctions imposed by the West to curb Russian energy income following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s oil revenues don’t seem to have been significantly affected. Watch… -
Why Israel’s Supreme Court ended draft exemptions
On Tuesday, June 25, Israel’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down a military draft exemption privilege for members of its ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relies on the support of two ultra-Orthodox parties to maintain power, both of which oppose the court ruling. The court held, in essence, that these military draft exemptions…
Popular Opinions
-
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Latest Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum. We hope these different voices will help you reach your own conclusions.
The opinions published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Latest Commentary
We know it is important to hear from a diverse range of observers on the complex topics we face and believe our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions.
The commentaries published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Peter Zeihan
Geopolitical StrategistImpact of Italy’s older, shrinking population
Biden and Trump are both unfit to be president
Why the West can’t quit Russian oil
Dr. Frank Luntz
Pollster and Political Analyst‘Two bad choices’: Undecided voters before Biden-Trump debate
‘Money doesn’t go as far’: Americans discuss financial hardships
‘I am shocked’: Americans react to the Trump guilty verdict
Pete Ricketts
U.S. Senator for Nebraska