Pair that possibility with the so far unexplained loss of up to 70% of commercial bees. Some bee keepers here in Texas have lost 90%. They can’t recover from that.
The decline of the bee population has been a worsening crisis for years. I'm not sure China is behind that, but the bee crisis would make any fungal blight attacking US agriculture multiple orders of magnitude worse. Of that there is no doubt.
Tempting as that might be, with no declared war between the US and China, executing two Chinese nationals with the evidence thus far made public would precipitate the mother of all diplomatic crises.
It could even provoke an actual declared war.
Send them back to China and let Xi execute them for failing. Let China pay for the firing squad.
Very disturbing. Top-level U.S. people need to act on this. Are there more of these pathogens being smuggled in elsewhere? Is there some kind of coordinated attack going on? This needs to be determined quickly!
American agriculture is not merely a mainstay of the US economy. It is the guarantor of relative food security for the whole of the American population.
Smuggling deadly pathogens into the US with the potential to devastate major crops goes way beyond disturbing into the realm of downright scary.
This may not have been an actual bioterrorist attack, but it takes no great stretch of imagination to see how it could have become one.
I’m trying to think of how Trump will respond to this. If it is a deliberate attack by the CCP, he must respond - but what’s both appropriate and effective?
President Trump will have something to say, but short of a smoking gun text message showing Beijing's clear involvement, this is not (yet) at the level of an actual act of war--although it is several uncomfortable steps in that direction.
Hopefully this can translate into leverage in the ongoing trade talks. That would be the realm where the most advantage can be gained.
Pair that possibility with the so far unexplained loss of up to 70% of commercial bees. Some bee keepers here in Texas have lost 90%. They can’t recover from that.
Current loss since January is the largest in recorded history. Everyone needs to take up back yard bee keeping.
The decline of the bee population has been a worsening crisis for years. I'm not sure China is behind that, but the bee crisis would make any fungal blight attacking US agriculture multiple orders of magnitude worse. Of that there is no doubt.
Detain, investigate, deport if intentional. (Probably was.)
I’m not suggesting it happen now with the existing evidence. Investigate, build a case, try them and execute them if found guilty.
No, no, no deportation. Execution as a spy. What else would you label them?
Tempting as that might be, with no declared war between the US and China, executing two Chinese nationals with the evidence thus far made public would precipitate the mother of all diplomatic crises.
It could even provoke an actual declared war.
Send them back to China and let Xi execute them for failing. Let China pay for the firing squad.
Intentional or not, deportation is warranted.
Why take chances?
Very disturbing. Top-level U.S. people need to act on this. Are there more of these pathogens being smuggled in elsewhere? Is there some kind of coordinated attack going on? This needs to be determined quickly!
American agriculture is not merely a mainstay of the US economy. It is the guarantor of relative food security for the whole of the American population.
Smuggling deadly pathogens into the US with the potential to devastate major crops goes way beyond disturbing into the realm of downright scary.
This may not have been an actual bioterrorist attack, but it takes no great stretch of imagination to see how it could have become one.
I’m trying to think of how Trump will respond to this. If it is a deliberate attack by the CCP, he must respond - but what’s both appropriate and effective?
President Trump will have something to say, but short of a smoking gun text message showing Beijing's clear involvement, this is not (yet) at the level of an actual act of war--although it is several uncomfortable steps in that direction.
Hopefully this can translate into leverage in the ongoing trade talks. That would be the realm where the most advantage can be gained.