3 ms·

Peter Daszak should go to prison for misleading the public at the very least.

by rcme 3y ago

HappySweeney 3y ago
I'm no lawyer, but misleading the public doesn't sound illegal. If it is, there are a lot of criminals running free right now.
- eggy 3y ago
  He conducted 'gain of function' research when it was not permitted per the funding he was given, so he did violate that contract. And if it is proven that the lab leak occurred, and the subsequent deaths are the cause of that violation, couldn't he and others be held for some form of homicide? Negligent homicide? I mean a DUI resulting in a death of someone is treated as a homicide, no?
  - afpx 3y ago
    Is that true? I seem to remember reading an RFP and a proposal from EcoHealth Alliance to do the work and it mentioned 'gain of function'
  - janalsncm 3y ago
    I sympathize with the idea that someone should be punished for the systemic failures leading to the pandemic, and additional failures that exacerbated it. Ultimately the problem is way bigger than one guy, though. My impression is that hindsight is 20:20, and even though we now know the damage that was caused, I don’t think any of the actions that led up to the disaster were criminal. It’s not illegal to have systems so precarious and yet so dangerous. Many such systems still exist (see: 2007 financial crisis). My hope is that this will serve as a correction and that virology can continue while avoiding the riskiest scenarios.
  - atoav 3y ago
    Yeah and climate change contributes to the severity and frequency of auch pandemics, so why not sue oil companies as well?
tehwebguy 3y ago
> should go to prison for misleading the public 3/4 Substack publishers are shaking in their boots
janalsncm 3y ago
“Misleading the public” is not a crime. You can’t put people in prison unless they commit a crime. The First Amendment still exists.
- rcme 3y ago
  You might be surprised to find that the first amendment isn’t blanket protection for lying. You can’t, for instance, lie to the government. You also can’t lie to cover up a crime. You also can’t lie to defraud others. In addition to criminal consequences, you can also be found civilly liable when your actions, including public disclosures, cause damage to others.
  - janalsncm 3y ago
    In none of those cases was the crime “misleading the public”. Misleading the public may or may not be a side effect of the specific circumstances where speech is not protected by the First Amendment. In other cases, misleading the public is a perfectly legal and protected activity.

Peter Daszak should go to prison for misleading the public at the very least.

by rcme 3y ago

Peter Daszak should go to prison for misleading the public at the very least.

I'm no lawyer, but misleading the public doesn't sound illegal. If it is, there are a lot of criminals running free right now.

eggy 3y ago
He conducted 'gain of function' research when it was not permitted per the funding he was given, so he did violate that contract. And if it is proven that the lab leak occurred, and the subsequent deaths are the cause of that violation, couldn't he and others be held for some form of homicide? Negligent homicide? I mean a DUI resulting in a death of someone is treated as a homicide, no?
- afpx 3y ago
  Is that true? I seem to remember reading an RFP and a proposal from EcoHealth Alliance to do the work and it mentioned 'gain of function'
- janalsncm 3y ago
  I sympathize with the idea that someone should be punished for the systemic failures leading to the pandemic, and additional failures that exacerbated it. Ultimately the problem is way bigger than one guy, though. My impression is that hindsight is 20:20, and even though we now know the damage that was caused, I don’t think any of the actions that led up to the disaster were criminal. It’s not illegal to have systems so precarious and yet so dangerous. Many such systems still exist (see: 2007 financial crisis). My hope is that this will serve as a correction and that virology can continue while avoiding the riskiest scenarios.
- atoav 3y ago
  Yeah and climate change contributes to the severity and frequency of auch pandemics, so why not sue oil companies as well?

tehwebguy 3y ago

> should go to prison for misleading the public 3/4 Substack publishers are shaking in their boots

janalsncm 3y ago

“Misleading the public” is not a crime. You can’t put people in prison unless they commit a crime. The First Amendment still exists.

rcme 3y ago
You might be surprised to find that the first amendment isn’t blanket protection for lying. You can’t, for instance, lie to the government. You also can’t lie to cover up a crime. You also can’t lie to defraud others. In addition to criminal consequences, you can also be found civilly liable when your actions, including public disclosures, cause damage to others.
- janalsncm 3y ago
  In none of those cases was the crime “misleading the public”. Misleading the public may or may not be a side effect of the specific circumstances where speech is not protected by the First Amendment. In other cases, misleading the public is a perfectly legal and protected activity.