Who gives a shit about a balloon?

The point is that Joe Stupid is a Chinese asset and he proved it by letting the close observation balloon finish its mission before he destroyed it

The real answer to this is that those other countries should be concerned too. IDK, it's by no means the end of the world, but it is a legitimate national security concern. We don't want them checkin' out all our air bases and nuclear sites if we can help it.

It has nothing to do with the balloon. It's about our air space. Remember when China shot down a passenger plane for entering their space? All aboard were killed.

I think it is something to worry about, it could of been carrying anything, a weapon, a virus or anything else. I think it could of been dealt with earlier but I'm sure the military and the powers took everything in to account.

A very valid point. The US spies on its allies more than it is subjected to by China, never mind actual adversaries.

But you try telling these asshats that.

Why is it called "balloon" and not surveillance apparatus ?😏

Well, not knowing what was attached to it, I can't say. I do know that during WWII the Japanese did essentially the same thing with balloons, except their had bombs attached, and I believe there were plans to send some with weaponized biologicals like plague. So, you never know what might be floating up there.

It shows weakness.

@redredred [quote]The point is that Joe Stupid is a Chinese asset and he proved it by letting the close observation balloon finish its mission before he destroyed it[/quote]
@revenant [quote]It shows weakness.[/quote]

Hmmm. And what would people say if it had happened before??

[b]China Spy Balloons Crossed Into U.S. 3 Times During Trump Administration[/b]
February 5, 2023
[quote]Suspected spy balloons from China crossed into the continental United States at least three times during the Trump administration, according to a statement Saturday by the Department of Defense citing an unnamed “senior defense officIal.”
“Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration,” the statement noted. Associated Press also reported that one other balloon crossed into the U.S. earlier in the Biden administration.[/quote]
Source: [b]https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/china-spy-balloons-crossed-u-082345593.html[/b]

DOD release mentioning 3 others [b]https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3288543/f-22-safely-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina-coast/[/b]

[quote]Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) falsely claimed that Trump would never have allowed a China spy balloon from reaching the U.S.
“Would Trump have let China fly a spy balloon over our country?” Rep. Jim Jordan asked on Twitter.
Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told AP that Chinese surveillance balloons were sighted several times in the past five years. Some of them have been spotted near U.S. military bases in Hawaii, he said, though he did not specify when.
Trump himself joined the call for the Biden administration to destroy the most recent balloon in a message Friday on Truth Social, saying: “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON.” But he did not discuss his own administration’s experience with China spy balloons.[/quote]

That's exactly what I said to my son when he asked for a Peppa Pig balloon.

We have to wait to see if the give a report on what the baloon was carrying. Weather equipment like china says or spy equipment

Funny how that works.

And since they have been left alone that also means DOD has already determined they are not a threat.

LOL. That's like saying who cares if there's a burglar in your house? No big deal while they steal your belongings. Just sit there and do nothing while they ransack your place and wait until they are done before calling the police.

What do you suppose happens when US spy craft is identified over another country's airspace? They take action to shoot it down immediately.

prob millions of them if i had to guess

I have drones, planes, and satellites all searching for that balloon I lost.

Hmmmm...there's a scene in 'Wakanda Forever' where they are discussing the implications (ie, military) for Wakanda having their precious metal all to themselves....and the Queen of Wakanda states that they're just saying that because [i]they[/i] haven't got it !

Says it all really....

To translate, sweetie, and sorry for being generalised, China and Russia always [i]pretend[/i] that something never happened...and America just get jealous of the grass being greener on the other side and play the [i]'Implications for the whole western world'[/i] trip to get some of the toys from their neighbours...

Get used to that rhetoric and you'll be fine!

😉

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow yes and in the past it was dealt with without letting it complete its mission. And, again, how was this detailed determination made? @PicturesOfABetterTomorrow @PicturesOfABetterTomorrow @PicturesOfABetterTomorrow

Point to point line of sight or IR data link is the replacement to microfilm or codex as the preferred means of unrecorded smuggling of classified information.

You just point the antenna and within a millisecond a terrabyte of data is securely sent to the recieving recording device floating above and nobody's the wiser.

No arp records. No physical contact between agencies. A perfectly safe smuggling op.

I only worry about 99 Luft balloons, Floating in the summer sky !

It was a very smexy balloon 🎈

The United States might be hypocritical in objecting to blatant foreign surveillance of it's nuclear weapons sites, but they do have the right to object to foreign air craft inside their own air space. Not all countries are blameless in their use of drones.

https://opencanada.org/surveillance-canada-who-are-watchers/

https://www.asdnews.com/news/defense/2020/08/16/uk-spending-big-migranttracking-drones-surveil-seas

So far there is absolutely no evidence that it isn’t a Weather Balloon as China claims

Well, literally everyone is spying on everyone. But, that's not the point now, is it?

I’m thinking there’s a fortune inside it that says “lol made you shoot it down!”

Shhhhhhh! It's ok when WE do it!

I am awfully sorry! i just came from Fridays and was celebrating and they tied a bunch of different colored balloons on my belt when i accidently let go of one. it had the Chinese symbol for my Chinese animal sign and woops!

And Nina !

Nobody cares. If it was related to anything important, nobody is saying that.
America has no context. Therefore you aren't at war. Just a set of unrelated Booooom noises. Huh,? Nothing. Shhhhh.

The united States doesn't watch any other countries

The 5th Dimension!

I like to be a balloon

Not me....