Some people may not get this cartoon, maybe even some who understand the issue. I hate to explain cartoons and I don’t write these blogs to explain my cartoons. If my cartoons don’t stand on their own, then they shouldn’t require help. But, I’m gonna blog about the issue anyway.
For the past three years, the theory that the coronavirus leaked out of a Wuhan laboratory, whether intentionally or accidentally, was mostly regarded as a conspiracy theory. Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray (a Trump appointee) said the bureau believes Covid-19 “most likely” originated in a “Chinese government-controlled lab”. The Department of Energy has made the same assessment but with “low confidence.”
The theory that covid-19 leaked from a lab is popular with Republicans. Trump ordered an investigation, not into the cause of covid, but just to focus on the lab leak theory. It’s the belief that the virus leaked from a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan where the virus was first recorded and is 40 miles from the wet market where the first cluster of the virus emerged. The reason Republicans love the lab leak theory so much is that it allows them to pile on China and add to their outrage over TikTok and spy balloons.
China is not to be trusted with information and they haven’t been open with the investigations and studies of the virus. But I don’t believe China would inflict the world with a deadly virus intentionally. Honestly, we will never know for certain the origins of the virus, whether it came from a lab or occurred naturally and transferred from animals to humans (and Republicans).
The thing is, the leak theory is plausible but it doesn’t have a lot of support in the scientific community. The Department of Energy’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence and the FBI are two of 18 government agencies that make up the intelligence community, which are under the umbrella of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. They are the only two that’s grabbed onto the lab leak theory.
No new scientific evidence has been presented to support the lab leak theory. Is it plausible? Yes. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci says it’s plausible and should be investigated. But Republicans are using these reports as if they’re uncontested facts. Don’t listen to Republicans.
Remember, most Republicans don’t believe in climate change and believe life begins as soon as the pants are unzipped. Many believe in gay conversion therapy. One of the goons Ron DeSantis just appointed to a board that will try to direct Disney’s content believes people have been turned gay by chemicals in tap water. Republicans have used election lies to suppress voting rights which makes me believe they’ll use this information about covid to suppress something else. Republicans in Congress are already planning investigations into this. Expect more subpoenas for Dr. Anthony Fauci.
All the comments I’ve heard from Republicans about this leak have omitted the phrase, “low confidence.” Quite frankly, I have low confidence in Republicans.
Creative note: I drew most of this Thursday night, wanting to get a jump on Friday so I could spend most of the day on my CNN stuff. But come Friday morning, I thought of something else and did that. I really wasn’t sure about this cartoon but went ahead and finished it today. I wasn’t sure people would get it and sure enough, the very first comment it got on Twitter was, “Heh?”. Shit. Also, I don’t think any other liberal cartoonists have touched this subject.
Music note: I listened to The Beach Boys.
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CLAYTOONZ 
I totally get it. You’re on Target perfectly as usual! Love your work! pal
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Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
You got that right!! … “All the comments I’ve heard from Republicans about this leak have omitted the phrase, “low confidence.” Quite frankly, I have low confidence in Republicans.”
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I wish the world would get together and decide – is it Covid, covid, or COVID (which, BTW, is the only version NOT underlined in red)? Makes the life of pedants such as myself more difficult than need be. (Please note – tongue is in cheek.)
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I share your ‘low confidence’ in Republicans and think there are more important things they could be focusing their efforts on … like climate change, the debt ceiling, voting rights, education, etc. On another note, the wisest thing Dr. Fauci could do at this point would be to move to Canada where he is untouchable, for the Republicans intend to make this man — a good man who has dedicated most of his life to the health of the people in this country — a scapegoat for all their wimpiness over masks and vaccines. I have heard them call for his execution! He has earned a peaceful retirement, but he won’t find it in this country as long as the Republicans reign.
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The only leak is gray matter coming out the mouths of Republican supporters and pundits. Who the hell would .eak a virus that would kill illipns of tgeir own people.
This reminds me of tne ridiculous theory that HIV was a man-made virus intended to attack Black homosexual men. Viruses happen. They are always mutating, and luckily only a very tiny percentage of them become deadly.
Must ask yourself, “Would American scientists fool arou fd with deadly viruses in the iddle of the USA?” Of course not. They would go to Wuhan, China to play with possibly ceadly viruses.
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