Chinese Spy Balloon Shot Down

[King Dan of Great the 1st]

A foreign object just roaming around the country for a whole week. Who knows what it had in it or could have dropped.

 

[miamited]

Hi wondering

What took so long?!

Safety. Look, I don't know how much you know about this balloon, but it was said to be as large as three school buses in one report that I read. It also had some equipment dangling from it. Now, how are you going to shoot something that large down, and control where all the debris goes? I mean even after it was shot down, the debris field is said to be several miles in area.

Would you want to be the one responsible for that balloon coming down in taters on some semi traveling at 75 miles down the interstate and it wraps itself around his cab in a moment? How about that fairly good sized piece of equipment that could fall on your grandmother's head and kill her instantly. Or maybe it will fall on your children out playing in the back yard and suddenly one of your children is laying on the ground...dead? Is that what you'd have done?

On no, I would have blown it out of the sky before it got here. Really, you think the Canadians would have been more understanding that we caused a major accident on one of their highways or killed some Canadians grandmother or children?

The truth seems to be that this event actually happens pretty regularly. Yes, we should make it clear to China that we do intend to destroy any such device that invades our airspace without permission to do so. But to blow them out of the sky over our own country just puts our own people at risk of pretty serious injury or death. It was done for safety.

God bless,
Ted

 

[GodsGrace]

Hi wondering

Safety. Look, I don't know how much you know about this balloon, but it was said to be as large as three school buses in one report that I read. It also had some equipment dangling from it. Now, how are you going to shoot something that large down, and control where all the debris goes? I mean even after it was shot down, the debris field is said to be several miles in area.

Would you want to be the one responsible for that balloon coming down in taters on some semi traveling at 75 miles down the interstate and it wraps itself around his cab in a moment? How about that fairly good sized piece of equipment that could fall on your grandmother's head and kill her instantly. Or maybe it will fall on your children out playing in the back yard and suddenly one of your children is laying on the ground...dead? Is that what you'd have done?

On no, I would have blown it out of the sky before it got here. Really, you think the Canadians would have been more understanding that we caused a major accident on one of their highways or killed some Canadians grandmother or children?

The truth seems to be that this event actually happens pretty regularly. Yes, we should make it clear to China that we do intend to destroy any such device that invades our airspace without permission to do so. But to blow them out of the sky over our own country just puts our own people at risk of pretty serious injury or death. It was done for safety.

God bless,
Ted

I happen to agree with everything you've said.
Except it was spotted over the Northern part of Alaska, if I remember, anyway a deserted place, and it should have been done right away. What was it doing over US airspace??

First because we don't know what's in it and it could be something dangerous.
Second because of the reason you stated --- it acts as a deterrent.

I think there's a second one over South Carolina.
Not sure, the Italian news barely mentioned it, and I was in the kitchen having my coffee.
If you care to let us know...

 

[miamited]

Hi wondering

I happen to agree with everything you've said.
Except it was spotted over the Northern part of Alaska, if I remember, anyway a deserted place, and it should have been done right away. What was it doing over US airspace??

Well, I'm not going to try and second guess the military on this. It may turn out that the device is exactly what China said it was. If so, yes, they should be more careful with their equipment in these uses, but no real harm done. As I say, and possibly this is something to bring out at the next United Nations meeting. Have an agreed policy on how these issues will be handled.

I believe that a performance policy established through the UN should include that any nation that sees this happening, that some device of theirs is going to invade the air space of another nation, they should be required to notify the other nation immediately and abide by whatever the other nation might want to do. After all, technically, once the device is in another nation's airspace, then the device is breaking nation sovereignty.

However, as far as my comment about second guessing the military. I'm going to assume that we knew this was floating around up there before it entered the air space over Alaska. But, even if you see it coming, you can't do anything about it until it gets into your airspace, technically, unless you know that the device is a warhead or something. Now you could shoot it down outside of our airspace, of course, but then you open up a whole can of worms, that might also find its way to the UN for resolution as to whether or not the destroying nation did have the 'legal' right to destroy the device before it entered our airspace.

So, I'm going to assume, that once they saw it, they first had to discuss the importance and significance of the issue. Should they destroy it or not? Well, there have been previous such flights, and as far as anyone knows, when it was first spotted over the Alaskan airspace, everyone may have assumed that it was going to go up and across the more northern areas and then back to China. I'm just saying that I would imagine that the first response was to wait and see where this thing is going. I mean, it's not like China filed a flight plan.

However, once it was determined that it was going into Canada, well, let's tell the Canadians about it and let them deal with it. Apparently it didn't bother Canada at all. I haven't seen or heard a peep about it on the other side of the border. And then once it was determined that it was going to leave Canada and head to our northern border, it was too late to destroy it without consideration for where the remnants were going to land.

That's my two cents on it. I mean, personally, I'm not particularly worked up about it and I'm willing now to wait and see who was right about the purpose of the satellite and then decide what to do for this event. But yes, it would seem that some international agreements are in order here.

God bless.
Ted

 

[ezrider]

I think there's a second one over South Carolina.
Not sure, the Italian news barely mentioned it, and I was in the kitchen having my coffee.
If you care to let us know...

No, the one over South Carolina where it was shot down is the same balloon that crossed over Alaska, Canada, dropping into Montana, then through Missouri before exiting over SC. Following basically the path of the polar jet stream.

The second balloon report was said from Latin America, but haven't heard anything more about that one. If true, then that one would have been following the sub-tropical jet stream.

Weather balloons? Who knows? But a balloon's rudimentary navigation system is still dependent upon the weather systems, and where the wind blows.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Maybe not now that you mention it. Trump had a lot more respect from world leaders than biden does.

And I don't buy bidens, its for the children on the ground that we didn't shoot it down sooner. Like they care about children. So China must've got a lot of good pictures from Montana to South Carolina.

Biden is the laughing stock of the world. Australien news just has to show real clips of his speeches or falling down stairs and it’s hilarious.

 

[miamited]

Hi Dorothy Mae

Biden is the laughing stock of the world. Australien news just has to show real clips of his speeches or falling down stairs and it’s hilarious.

Yes, he's a funny guy. I always enjoyed President Obama's antics also. He could really keep a lively group humored. It's good that the Aussie's are enjoying them. I think a little humor and light heartedness between the nations and the leaders of said nations is a good thing.

God bless,
Ted

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Hi Dorothy Mae

Yes, he's a funny guy. I always enjoyed President Obama's antics also. He could really keep a lively group humored. It's good that the Aussie's are enjoying them. I think a little humor and light heartedness between the nations and the leaders of said nations is a good thing.

God bless,
Ted

They’re not laughing with him as Biden was making serious speeches. He wasn’t being humorous. He was displaying signs of dementia. It’s really embarrassing.

 

[King Dan of Great the 1st]

Every excuse is always in the name of safety. The USA is spacious and there is lots of barron area for miles. Towns and cities are all spread apart. What's the odds out in the country debris would have hit a farm house or someone driving?

 

[miamited]

HI Dorothy Mae

They’re not laughing with him as Biden was making serious speeches. He wasn’t being humorous. He was displaying signs of dementia. It’s really embarrassing.

Ohhhhh. I see. You get off on mocking and ridiculing others. Yeah that's getting to be a big problem over on this side of the pond, too. I try not to, but I must admit, I do enjoy a good blooper video compilation.

Got it!

God bless,
Ted

 

[King Dan of Great the 1st]

Over a whole week roaming around surely it went over some baron desert land or mountains or something?.

 

[King Dan of Great the 1st]

In the name of safety Biden didn't want to take down a ballon, what if it was a foreign drone flying around for a week?.

 

[miamited]

Here's an article that I found to be a pretty good synopsis of the event and that, certainly at this point, we shouldn't be making too big of an issue over it. Thankfully though, now that Pres. Biden has encouraged the military to develop the techniques and processes that led to this find, and hence many others, we should be well placed for any future such incursions.

White House: Improved surveillance caught Chinese balloon

God bless,
Ted

 

[miamited]

And the administrations position on 'why' it was not shot down before entering U.S. airspace around Alaska.

NORAD detected Chinese spy flight before it reached US, but 'could not' take action, general says

God bless,
Ted

 

[King Dan of Great the 1st]

I think the general public just want to be reassured there was no risk because everyones asking questions.. I mean to the regular person a foreign object that could have had anything inside it or attached or dropped was allow3d to travel the country for a week.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

HI Dorothy Mae

Ohhhhh. I see. You get off on mocking and ridiculing others. Yeah that's getting to be a big problem over on this side of the pond, too. I try not to, but I must admit, I do enjoy a good blooper video compilation.

Got it!

God bless,
Ted

Ah yes, the typical ad hominem response. Sigh! I said it is embarrassing to have a senile president who cannot make coherent sentences in official speeches and needs notes to tell him to shake hands and then sit down. I do not enjoy it. I am sorry the Americans were so foolish as to elect a man who is senile.

 

[King Dan of Great the 1st]

Ah yes, the typical ad hominem response. Sigh! I said it is embarrassing to have a senile president who cannot make coherent sentences in official speeches and needs notes to tell him to shake hands and then sit down. I do not enjoy it. I am sorry the Americans were so foolish as to elect a man who is senile.

And I remember people saying Trump was unfit.

It's not Bidens fault himself if his brain can't function properly but it's true that he struggles to even put a sentence together and looks like he doesn't now where he is or what he's doing half the time. A president that peopel can't even understand what he's saying and makes word salads, I mean, the people need to understand what thee Leader is saying, at least that's a start.

 

[King Dan of Great the 1st]

I would have thought the USA would have zero tolerance for anything unauthorized in its air space. I mean a foreign military spy craft just floating past having a good time for a week.

 

[King Dan of Great the 1st]

Who knows. I mean there are things the military can say and things they probably can't say, it's a military situation and information is classified, so I guess they ain't going to get into much detail and start talking if they dont need to.

It's just a trust thing, you just have to trust and have confidence in your countries security that they know what they doing and made the right decisions sometimes.

I don't know, it's kind of dangerous territory for people to start talking and accusing or this or that. Everyone's got questions and that's cool, but you only going to get what they want to tell you, and I'm sure they do there best to make sure everyone feels comfortable like there was nothing to worry about but can't say anything more. That's security.

 

[miamited]

Ah yes, the typical ad hominem response. Sigh! I said it is embarrassing to have a senile president who cannot make coherent sentences in official speeches and needs notes to tell him to shake hands and then sit down. I do not enjoy it. I am sorry the Americans were so foolish as to elect a man who is senile.

Hi Dorothy Mae

Look, just as we have over here, there are people who have opposite feelings and understandings of others in this issue of 'who' is the better of the two choices that were presented to the American people on the day of voting. Now, you may not be familiar with the day to day activities of any presidential administration, but for me, it's hands down no brainer, that while President Joe Biden is somewhat as you see him, he's the much better choice for nation leader.

I mean, that should make people, who really don't believe all the bull crap about the last presidential election being somehow stolen and the final vote count not being accurate somehow, see just how much Donald Trump is not wanted as our leader. He lost to an old decrepit granddaddy that seems to offer about as much evidence as having some sort of mental clarity problems, but honestly, so does Trump, and his bouts of forgetism and mispeakism are generally much worse as they are revealed in their actions.

But that's my opinion and understanding of 'who', 'I' believe is the best person for the job, of the two choices that were allowed as the chosen candidate of the two major parties. Personally, I find it refreshing that there's someone in the leadership position in our nation who doesn't feel that he has to attack everyone who doesn't agree with him. Now that's not to say that President Biden hasn't ever shown his consternation regarding the issue, but I lived through the four years of the Trump administration, and that was just a circus constantly. I now appreciate the calm, measured, maturity that the older guy has over the slap-dash, hate-filled angry personal attacks that were the hallmark of the Trump administration.

The two men are just worlds apart in their moral values. And for me, President Biden is just so much more mature in his actions and words. Yes, I agree that he's old. Yes, I agree that I'd rather have someone else represent both parties. Someone younger and with vision and maturity to run the nation. But the way our elections are set up, when it comes down to the general election, we only have the very, very limited choice of picking one person who the parties have chosen as their representative. Last cycle, that was either Biden or Trump. I gladly and wholeheartedly pick Biden in that choice.

God bless,
Ted