... are you serious? You're going to use an argument over definitions to discredit germ theory. That this shocked you shows astounding ignorance on your part. What, did you think that a thorough understanding of biology would not reveal more shades of nuance than a 5-year-old's?
The life/non-life queering was one of the first things I learned about viruses, wtf were you reading?! The disagreement is rarely on what viruses are or what they do, it's on where to draw the technical line in a philosophical gray area. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it mean that professional musicians don't know anything about sound? Is a chicken a dinosaur? Is taxation theft? Is a tomato a fruit?
Also, consider including years on your quotes. Science doesn't stand still and it's hard to tell what context any of these claims were made in.