Sen. Cotton repeats coronavirus origins conspiracy theory

[JasperL]

He listed 4 options to choose from, when looking at how it came to be, he didn't say it was any of those.

It's reckless to throw out baseless speculation, when those four options are four out of hundreds or thousands of "options." Again, there's exactly as much evidence that Trump ordered the CIA to release the virus to cripple Chinese manufacturing as options 2, 3 and 4 thrown out by Cotton.

I don't know why you're defending this. Seems to me we ought to expect more from a U.S. Senator than that kind of bull****. But that's the GOP in the Trump era where one man's ignorant opinion is just as believable as the scientists and others who have, you know, actually researched this virus.

 

[Tangmo]

I'm just poking fun at your stupid comments, Fletch. Of course you haven't commented on the thread because derailing it with BUTWHATABOUT is the point of your trolling, it's why you're making arguments fit for a spoiled, dumb child. What I don't get is why you're not embarrassed by them.

He's posting from study hall where he's simply bored so we might cut him some slack cause we remember how dreadful study hall is.

Cotton is a restless redneck Republican conservative crackpot and nothing more.

China GDP for the 1Q and the entire 1H is in the tank severely which is not anything the Party leaders in Beijing and throughout the vast country can afford or risk. Factories and the vast majority of shops remain closed from the lunar new year holiday that began in mid January while online shopping is moribund because there isn't anyone to deliver items (I'm still waiting myself for items I've ordered online and I'll have to continue to wait....and wait...).

So yes and yes indeed, this is not anything CCP Boyz in Beijing would do to themselves nor is it anything that even the lunatic Trump would do to China to include the global economy which is going to have a very rough ride once the grim China GDP data comes out for Q1 and assessments are made for H1 which will be catastrophic for China, the regional economy and globally to include of course the USA.

The impact on the USA of the China economy coming to a complete stop will be felt most acutely after June and right when the campaign for Potus gets focused on the nominees of each party. One consequence is that the D nominee is going to hang Trump's trade war around Trump's neck as Trump's proverbial collar right up to election day as the China economy continues to whimper belly up.

 

[American]

Even better - send that moron to the source in Wuhan if he wants to spread dangerous conspiracy theories as a U.S. Senator. Take a team over there and investigate all he wants.

Goodness, the GOP is just a wasteland of reckless and aggressively stupid these days.

He might be wrong, but he's not stupid. Have you ever looked at his resume? You'd be golden if you could accomplish just half of what he has.

 

[American]

Sen. Tom Cotton stands by startling theory on coronavirus origins: '''We need to be open to all possibilities''' | Fox News

Here we have Cotton saying that the Wuhan facility needs to be considered as the source of the outbreak. Show where he said they invented it there, or they were working on a bio-weapon.

Was the Coronavirus Outbreak Caused by a Lab Accident? - TheStreet

Here we have the professor saying that it could have been an accident at the Wuhan lab.

Thus, this thread is bull****. I have looked at a handful of different sources, and couldn't find one time where Cotton says the virus originated at the lab for sure; that there was evidence to it. Not one time. Please find the quote and source it for me please.

 

[JasperL]

He might be wrong, but he's not stupid. Have you ever looked at his resume? You'd be golden if you could accomplish just half of what he has.

I don't care what his resume looks like. Stupid is as stupid does.

And what does it say about the GOP in this era where acting LIKE a moron is a political winner?

 

[cabse5]

LOL. It's fine for you to advance evidence free CT's but U.S. Senators have an obligation to the public to not do so IMO.

Why? I dont recall you criticizing democrat politicians for running their mouths about idiotic Russian CT's for the last three years.

And the idiotic phone call impeachment based on a CT which followed.:roll:

 

[Thoreau72]

LOL. It's fine for you to advance evidence free CT's but U.S. Senators have an obligation to the public to not do so IMO.

LOL. Sure Jasper. That's why Congress gave a standing ovation to Juan Guaido last month. That's why Congress passed the USA Patriot Act and the AUMF, because of their "obligation to the public." :lamo

You seem very naïve sir.

 

[Tangmo]

He might be wrong, but he's not stupid. Have you ever looked at his resume? You'd be golden if you could accomplish just half of what he has.

Tom Cotton the R senator from the Ozarks was a 1Lt in the unit I was in -- 3rd Inf Regiment The Old Guard of the Army at Ft. Myer next to the Penagon -- his tour in 3 IR TOG being sandwiched between his two tours in Iraq. This was well after I had served in the regiment.

Still the word on Cotton among we members of The Old Guard Association of former members -- officer and enlisted together -- is that Cotton was the kind of officer in 3 IR TOG the rest of we officers and and also NCO laughed at. In short, 1LT Tom Cotton was a "****ing moron" same as the then SecState Tillerson spoke of Trump after Trump's super classified briefing at Pentagon in which Trump carried on as if he were Vladimir Putin's active KGB agent and representative.

Cotton has become the enemy we once fought against throughout the 20th century and he and all of his Republican Party comrades who are likewise the same need to be dealt with accordingly to include by the loyal to the Constitution the 3 IR TOG of the Army in the Military District of Washington DC.

 

[Fishking]

It's reckless to throw out baseless speculation, when those four options are four out of hundreds or thousands of "options." Again, there's exactly as much evidence that Trump ordered the CIA to release the virus to cripple Chinese manufacturing as options 2, 3 and 4 thrown out by Cotton.

I don't know why you're defending this. Seems to me we ought to expect more from a U.S. Senator than that kind of bull****. But that's the GOP in the Trump era where one man's ignorant opinion is just as believable as the scientists and others who have, you know, actually researched this virus.

No...it isn't as valid to say that Trump ordered the CIA to release the virus and, no, there aren't hundreds or thousands of options. The 4 he put out are basically it. Those were things he said pretty early so it seems only 1 of them is off the table.

I guess I'll turn it back over to you, why are you defending China so much? As if any information from them is worth more than the toilet paper I use.

 

[JasperL]

LOL. Sure Jasper. That's why Congress gave a standing ovation to Juan Guaido last month. That's why Congress passed the USA Patriot Act and the AUMF, because of their "obligation to the public." :lamo

You seem very naïve sir.

Surely you're smart enough to recognize the difference between commenting on what should happen versus what DOES happen, right? So tell me where I suggested Congress is infallible, does fulfill its obligations without fail, or similar? Oh, yeah, I didn't - I was commenting only on what should happen. That doesn't make one naive, just one with standards, however infrequently they're met.

 

[JasperL]

No...it isn't as valid to say that Trump ordered the CIA to release the virus and, no, there aren't hundreds or thousands of options. The 4 he put out are basically it. Those were things he said pretty early so it seems only 1 of them is off the table.

Sure it is as valid, because there's no evidence for any of those last three options, which is the same amount of evidence there is for the CIA doing it. Zero = zero.

Wilbur Ross explained the reason WHY we'd do this on TV - to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. China is too risky, etc. So the virus arguably serves the Trump administration's goals perfectly. It actually makes sense strategically for the CIA to undermine China this way.

I guess I'll turn it back over to you, why are you defending China so much? As if any information from them is worth more than the toilet paper I use.

I'm not defending China. What I expect is our Senators should have a higher standard of behavior when they comment on big issues like this than some dumbass drunk perched on a stool at the end of your local dive bar. And the reason for it is very simple and obvious to me - when the truth doesn't matter, which is the case with Sen. Cotton, how can we believe people like Sen. Cotton when they ARE backed by evidence.

Trump is the perfect example. He lies so often about so many things that the only rational way to evaluate any of his statements is to assume he's lying unless and until we can verify his statement with other evidence. That's actually dangerous when POTUS and U.S. Senators have the credibility of ignoramus drunks. Any information from Trump has the same worth as used toilet paper.

 

[JasperL]

And the idiotic phone call impeachment based on a CT which followed.:roll:

Nice job. Another one who didn't learn as a child that, BUT MOOMMMMMM!!!! HE DID IT TOO/FIRST!!!! isn't a defense.

I'm a little worried about parenting these days. Maybe that worked for you guys as children. It didn't for me. If I tried it it made things worse, not better, and yet as adults you guys make sure this pathetic defense pops up on almost every thread....

Any comment on the OP, Cotton's statements?

 

[mike2810]

There is a 50-50 chance that Cotton is correct. That it is the result of biological weapons research is most plausible.

Using your odds then it is also just as likely ("50-50 chance") that the virus developed/mutated on its own in nature and is not the result of military bio weapon research.


Always looking to see what evil lurks from the dark side of the force you are. :lamo

 

[Sampson Simpson]

There is a 50-50 chance that Cotton is correct. That it is the result of biological weapons research is most plausible.

Whole genome of the Wuhan coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, sequenced -- ScienceDaily

There is zero chance. The virus has been sequenced. If it was man made, it would be known as the signs of human manipulation would be all over the sequence

 

[Moon]

Tom Cotton the R senator from the Ozarks was a 1Lt in the unit I was in -- 3rd Inf Regiment The Old Guard of the Army at Ft. Myer next to the Penagon -- his tour in 3 IR TOG being sandwiched between his two tours in Iraq. This was well after I had served in the regiment.

Still the word on Cotton among we members of The Old Guard Association of former members -- officer and enlisted together -- is that Cotton was the kind of officer in 3 IR TOG the rest of we officers and and also NCO laughed at. In short, 1LT Tom Cotton was a "****ing moron" same as the then SecState Tillerson spoke of Trump after Trump's super classified briefing at Pentagon in which Trump carried on as if he were Vladimir Putin's active KGB agent and representative.

Cotton has become the enemy we once fought against throughout the 20th century and he and all of his Republican Party comrades who are likewise the same need to be dealt with accordingly to include by the loyal to the Constitution the 3 IR TOG of the Army in the Military District of Washington DC.

Yeah, sure.

 

[American]

Tom Cotton the R senator from the Ozarks was a 1Lt in the unit I was in -- 3rd Inf Regiment The Old Guard of the Army at Ft. Myer next to the Penagon -- his tour in 3 IR TOG being sandwiched between his two tours in Iraq. This was well after I had served in the regiment.

Still the word on Cotton among we members of The Old Guard Association of former members -- officer and enlisted together -- is that Cotton was the kind of officer in 3 IR TOG the rest of we officers and and also NCO laughed at. In short, 1LT Tom Cotton was a "****ing moron" same as the then SecState Tillerson spoke of Trump after Trump's super classified briefing at Pentagon in which Trump carried on as if he were Vladimir Putin's active KGB agent and representative.

Cotton has become the enemy we once fought against throughout the 20th century and he and all of his Republican Party comrades who are likewise the same need to be dealt with accordingly to include by the loyal to the Constitution the 3 IR TOG of the Army in the Military District of Washington DC.

Internet claims like this don't mean squat!

 

[Gina]

Why? I dont recall you criticizing democrat politicians for running their mouths about idiotic Russian CT's for the last three years.

Oh, great, I was worried there for a minute we might have an entire thread without, BUT MOM HE DID IT FIRST/TOO!!@!

Thank you for saving the thread. I should have known we could count on you. :applaud

Moderator's Warning:

You guys disrupted the thread with this back and forth. It looks like it came to an end, please leave it that way. Personally directed whataboutism to the exclusion of the topic, is not the topic. To the rest of you, knock of the snarking and stick to debating the topic. *Moderation is still possible on post made before this warning.

 

[Rogue Valley]

I believe Cotton was also repeating the Kremlin propaganda that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 US election.

 

[Tangmo]

Tom Cotton the R senator from the Ozarks was a 1Lt in the unit I was in -- 3rd Inf Regiment The Old Guard of the Army at Ft. Myer next to the Penagon -- his tour in 3 IR TOG being sandwiched between his two tours in Iraq. This was well after I had served in the regiment.

Still the word on Cotton among we members of The Old Guard Association of former members -- officer and enlisted together -- is that Cotton was the kind of officer in 3 IR TOG the rest of we officers and and also NCO laughed at. In short, 1LT Tom Cotton was a "****ing moron" same as the then SecState Tillerson spoke of Trump after Trump's super classified briefing at Pentagon in which Trump carried on as if he were Vladimir Putin's active KGB agent and representative.

Cotton has become the enemy we once fought against throughout the 20th century and he and all of his Republican Party comrades who are likewise the same need to be dealt with accordingly to include by the loyal to the Constitution the 3 IR TOG of the Army in the Military District of Washington DC.

Yeah, sure.

Internet claims like this don't mean squat!

De Nile is more than a river in Egypt.

And denial is more than a fever.

Denial in this instance is a symptom of the uniquely American fascism the Putin-Trump Rowers are hauling in the early 21st century USA.

My DD 214 is true while your guy Trump is a lying sack of **** who is a draft dodging and yellow belly coward *****. All the same while I respect Cotton for his service his politics and his statements in this matter of the coronavirus make him just another Republican right wing conservative "****ing moron" which is as we've seen a contagion over there.

 

[Thoreau72]

Surely you're smart enough to recognize the difference between commenting on what should happen versus what DOES happen, right? So tell me where I suggested Congress is infallible, does fulfill its obligations without fail, or similar? Oh, yeah, I didn't - I was commenting only on what should happen. That doesn't make one naive, just one with standards, however infrequently they're met.

It makes one idealistic, maybe to a fault.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda. We all do that, and I am just as guilty as you.

 

[Thoreau72]

Using your odds then it is also just as likely ("50-50 chance") that the virus developed/mutated on its own in nature and is not the result of military bio weapon research.


Always looking to see what evil lurks from the dark side of the force you are. :lamo

I am simply aware of human behavior Michael. Extremely well documented human behavior. Patterns of human behavior. :mrgreen:

 

[mike2810]

I am simply aware of human behavior Michael. Extremely well documented human behavior. Patterns of human behavior. :mrgreen:

Just quoting the stats you put out there.
True. There is a great deal of documentation and research dealing with human behavior.
That said, please provide the sources that indicate China developed the virus as a biological weapon. Your claim, yours to prove.

 

[Thoreau72]

Just quoting the stats you put out there.
True. There is a great deal of documentation and research dealing with human behavior.
That said, please provide the sources that indicate China developed the virus as a biological weapon. Your claim, yours to prove.

C'mon man, be honest.

I did not claim China developed the virus as a biological weapon. I said that there is a 50/50 chance that Cotton could be correct in his claim. That's all I said.

What governments do in their many biological labs, like Fort Detrick and other locations, is NOT research for the benefit of mankind. They work on biological and chemical weapons of war.

 

[mike2810]

C'mon man, be honest.

I did not claim China developed the virus as a biological weapon. I said that there is a 50/50 chance that Cotton could be correct in his claim. That's all I said.

What governments do in their many biological labs, like Fort Detrick and other locations, is NOT research for the benefit of mankind. They work on biological and chemical weapons of war.

Yes. Lets.
Context is everything T72. Yes, you stated that there was a 50/50 chance Cotton was correct. Cotton mentioned the China lab.
When I challenged and stated there is then a 50% chance (using your analysis) that the virus in naturally occurring and not made in a lab.
You didn't agree or disagree. You came back with some general statement which basically dismisses what I stated and supports Cotton in your non committal style of posting.

So are you saying you do not believe Cotton?

 

[Barnacle]

There is a 50-50 chance that Cotton is correct. That it is the result of biological weapons research is most plausible.

... and the chance that he's correct has just increased.

2/23/2020 - "A new study by Chinese researchers indicates the novel coronavirus may have begun human-to-human transmission in late November from a place other than the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan.

... The study believes that patient zero transmitted the virus to workers or sellers at the Huanan seafood market. The crowded market facilitated the further transmission of the virus to buyers, which caused a wider spread in early December 2019. ..."

New Chinese study indicates novel coronavirus did not originate in Huanan seafood market - Global Times