5 ms·

The most impressive part of this for me is that there is international law and oversight which was immediately brought into play. WHO representatives being invi

The most impressive part of this for me is that there is international law and oversight which was immediately brought into play. WHO representatives being invited to watch the destruction? That is both extremely responsible and acknowledges an authority outside of the US government. That mindset is far too rare in this country.

PeterGriffin 12y ago
If you think about it, this falls firmly into the "symbolic gestures" category. They had nothing to gain or lose from making this into a political statement, so they invited them. You learn about responsibility and authority when there is something to gain or lose.
- refurb 12y ago
  Excellent observation. Whenever you see international power acquiesce to an international power (the UN is a great example), it's because it's political expedient to do so, not because they stand in awe of the international body.
mikecb 12y ago
Technocrats tend to work well with other technocrats.
- niels_olson 12y ago
  To be fair, anyone who's ever been in a biologic lab setting is probably interested in this stuff enough to know about smallpox being held exclusively in Atlanta and VECTOR, and know enough to immediately cover those with every covering available and, at the same time, calling for help to everyone who could help until help arrived. Can you imagine the consequences?! Ms Dumblefoot, would you tell us the story of Steve Campbell again? Well children, he was a researcher at NIH who found smallpox and dumped it in the trash. It was scattered to the winds from the top of Fort Totten and that's ultimately how, after a few cycles of unexplained seasons of worsening local outbreaks, 10% of the greater DC metro population, and half the healthcare workers, died in the great 2023 outbreak just before vaccination was back in full swing. It should be contained in another 30 to 40 years, assuming the Chinese haven't weaponized it.
munificent 12y ago
> immediately brought into play Actually, we have no idea how quickly things were brought into play. The article is carefully worded to note the date when the virus discovery was announced, not when the vials were actually found. For all we know, this was could have been bouncing around between departments for weeks, months, etc.
- aroch 12y ago
  Its unlikely it was bouncing around for long. Both NIH and CDC have long standing, and rehearsed, plans for the discovery of select agents and toxins, including dealing with sample discovery in less-than-appropriate containment. I work with a few select agents and while there's a ton of bureaucracy around it (Forms in not just triplicate but quadruplicate), that bureaucracy is both for the safety of everyone and for quick reaction to hazards. For examples, every log for our BSL-3's is reviewed within a few hours of modification. If a question comes up, users have 4 hours to respond to them. If they fail to do so certain containment procedures go into effect. The entirety of the discovery, initial testing and planning phase likely took less than 2 days. If there's one thing either organization doesn't fucked with, it is select agents and toxins.

PeterGriffin 12y ago

If you think about it, this falls firmly into the "symbolic gestures" category. They had nothing to gain or lose from making this into a political statement, so they invited them. You learn about responsibility and authority when there is something to gain or lose.

refurb 12y ago
Excellent observation. Whenever you see international power acquiesce to an international power (the UN is a great example), it's because it's political expedient to do so, not because they stand in awe of the international body.

mikecb 12y ago

Technocrats tend to work well with other technocrats.

niels_olson 12y ago
To be fair, anyone who's ever been in a biologic lab setting is probably interested in this stuff enough to know about smallpox being held exclusively in Atlanta and VECTOR, and know enough to immediately cover those with every covering available and, at the same time, calling for help to everyone who could help until help arrived. Can you imagine the consequences?! Ms Dumblefoot, would you tell us the story of Steve Campbell again? Well children, he was a researcher at NIH who found smallpox and dumped it in the trash. It was scattered to the winds from the top of Fort Totten and that's ultimately how, after a few cycles of unexplained seasons of worsening local outbreaks, 10% of the greater DC metro population, and half the healthcare workers, died in the great 2023 outbreak just before vaccination was back in full swing. It should be contained in another 30 to 40 years, assuming the Chinese haven't weaponized it.

munificent 12y ago

> immediately brought into play Actually, we have no idea how quickly things were brought into play. The article is carefully worded to note the date when the virus discovery was announced, not when the vials were actually found. For all we know, this was could have been bouncing around between departments for weeks, months, etc.

aroch 12y ago
Its unlikely it was bouncing around for long. Both NIH and CDC have long standing, and rehearsed, plans for the discovery of select agents and toxins, including dealing with sample discovery in less-than-appropriate containment. I work with a few select agents and while there's a ton of bureaucracy around it (Forms in not just triplicate but quadruplicate), that bureaucracy is both for the safety of everyone and for quick reaction to hazards. For examples, every log for our BSL-3's is reviewed within a few hours of modification. If a question comes up, users have 4 hours to respond to them. If they fail to do so certain containment procedures go into effect. The entirety of the discovery, initial testing and planning phase likely took less than 2 days. If there's one thing either organization doesn't fucked with, it is select agents and toxins.