4 flying objects have been shot down over North America: “Spy balloons and UFOs up to no good” (1 Viewer)

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Stolen:

Pop two more balloons and we win a stuffed animal which, ironically, is also made in China.

 

[sho nuff]

Could be a test by China to see what our response would be and how quick. They just keep gathering information.

And you don't think we're also doing the same??

Apparently we did. Reports that we were “jamming” its signal (however that really works) and were monitoring this thing the whole time. Who knows how true that is.

 

[the moops]

Why wasn’t this taken care of over the Bering sea

Leave it to our leadership to wait until it reaches the East Coast to take it down.

Official Pentagon statment contained this

Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years.

 

[massraider]

should have been done in Alaska.

It was.
This is the imposter balloon. Pretty obvious when you see it up close.

 

[glvsav37]

Could be a test by China to see what our response would be and how quick. They just keep gathering information.

And you don't think we're also doing the same??

Apparently we did. Reports that we were “jamming” its signal (however that really works) and were monitoring this thing the whole time. Who knows how true that is.

Raspberry? Because there's only one man who would dare give me the raspberry: Lone Star!

 

[Runkle]

Why wasn’t this taken care of over the Bering sea

If we knew it was there, but China didn't know we knew, we could stage all sorts of misinformation in its flight path and control what it saw and what China believed

 

[Doug B]

Why wasn’t this taken care of over the Bering sea

If we knew it was there, but China didn't know we knew, we could stage all sorts of misinformation in its flight path and control what it saw and what China believed

Yes.

Again — this only ever made news because civilians saw it in Montana. It’s been a cat & mouse game between China and the US (and China’s neighbors) for a while now.

 

[Doug B]

I would bet a big reason to not take the balloon down over land was to better control the collection of debris.

 

[jamny]

This is a conspiracists dream. Can't imagine all that will come from this.

 

[The Kerminator]

Why wasn’t this taken care of over the Bering sea

If we knew it was there, but China didn't know we knew, we could stage all sorts of misinformation in its flight path and control what it saw and what China believed

Yes.

Again — this only ever made news because civilians saw it in Montana. It’s been a cat & mouse game between China and the US (and China’s neighbors) for a while now.

It would have gone unnoticed in Montana had the Chinese made it look like a runaway Bullwinkle balloon from the Macy's parade

 

[CGRdrJoe]

if we couldn’t jam it from the time it hit radar then we have bigger problems

 

[jobarules]

Now China says there may be retaliation for shooting down their balloon. Can't make this **** up.

 

[Galileo]

What is the appropriate retaliatory response for some one who shoots your balloon? Steal their bag of marbles?

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Stolen:

Pop two more balloons and we win a stuffed animal which, ironically, is also made in China.

The prize:

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.65c15e9c01cb5dbbae5f698dbe576243?rik=ZO8cwwHbZxgDJQ&pid=ImgRaw&r=0&sres=1&sresct=1

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Now China says there may be retaliation for shooting down their balloon. Can't make this **** up.

What, they won't invite us to their NEXT birthday party? Ooohhhh...we're really gonna miss doing a three legged race with Kim Jong-IL again.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Now China says there may be retaliation for shooting down their balloon. Can't make this **** up.

What are they going to do? Release a previously unknown virus that kills millions and paralyzes the world economy? We've already taken their best punch.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I just don’t understand why we keep working with them. We’ve set them up to be our number 1 competitor all by ourselves.

It’s like I’m watching a real life Mars Attacks and we keep trying to make peace with an enemy that lies to our face and we keep falling for it

 

[rockaction]

t’s like I’m watching a real life Mars Attacks and we keep trying to make peace with an enemy that lies to our face and we keep falling for it

Nobody is falling for anything with the PRC. They pose an economic and nuclear threat to us. An existential one. That's why they get treated with kid gloves. One horrible decision can escalate into a fully-blown WWIII. That's why we use diplomacy. To a man and woman in either the Trump or Biden administration you'd probably hear the same honest truth if they had a lie detector on them: We're just hoping that a duct-tape foreign policy lasts until the people there rebel and overthrow the government or somebody of a peaceful nature rises to a leadership position in the PRC.

Because right now, they're armed to the teeth and belligerent (and they hold a lot of our debt, if I'm not mistaken). There's really not much a country that accepts no civilian casualties or inconvenience (like our country does) can do about them. Or Russia, for that matter.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

t’s like I’m watching a real life Mars Attacks and we keep trying to make peace with an enemy that lies to our face and we keep falling for it

Nobody is falling for anything with the PRC. They pose an economic and nuclear threat to us. An existential one. That's why they get treated with kid gloves. One horrible decision can escalate into a fully-blown WWIII. That's why we use diplomacy. To a man and woman in either the Trump or Biden administration you'd probably hear the same honest truth if they had a lie detector on them: We're just hoping that a duct-tape foreign policy lasts until the people there rebel and overthrow the government or somebody of a peaceful nature rises to a leadership position in the PRC.

Because right now, they're armed to the teeth and belligerent (and they hold a lot of our debt, if I'm not mistaken). There's really not much a country that accepts no civilian casualties or inconvenience (like our country does) can do about them. Or Russia, for that matter.

Interesting. I’ve got some friends that travel there and they say the whole thing is a house of cards. Nothing but extreme poverty outside the cities, like Stone Age poverty. It’s all bluster in their opinion.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I just don’t understand why we keep working with them. We’ve set them up to be our number 1 competitor all by ourselves.

It’s like I’m watching a real life Mars Attacks and we keep trying to make peace with an enemy that lies to our face and we keep falling for it

Back in the 1990s or so, we decided that engaging with China was in our interests. The theory was that our cultural power would be liberalizing if we could bring China into our orbit. Instead, our exposure to China just made us more censorious and backwards. Lesson learned.

Obviously that doesn't mean that we abandon diplomacy or anything like that. But we do need to approach China with a clear-eyed understanding of how the last few decades have played out.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Without China all of our dollar stores would close.

 

[Dezbelief]

Without China all of our dollar stores would close.

And Walmart.

 

[fatness]

This is at least the 4th Chinese balloon to fly over part of the Continental US. No word on any of the others being shot down.

The debris is spread over 7 miles, after landing in 47-foot-deep water.

 

[fatness]

I'd like to see the math on the chances of it hitting a house or person in Montana.

Greater than the chances of it hitting a house or person in the ocean.

 

[Doug B]

This is at least the 4th Chinese balloon to fly over part of the Continental US. No word on any of the others being shot down.

Plus at least one over Hawaii (linked upthread).

 

[Doug B]

Back in the 1990s or so, we decided that engaging with China was in our interests.

MADE IN CHINA has been a thing for what? Around 50 years now? I cop to not knowing if there were a lot of cheap Chinese goods being sold in the U.S. before Nixon's famous 1972 trip ... but had always thought "cheap Chinese goods" started in earnest in the 1970s.

 

[The General]

This is at least the 4th Chinese balloon to fly over part of the Continental US. No word on any of the others being shot down.

The debris is spread over 7 miles, after landing in 47-foot-deep water.

Where were all the balloon experts when this happened!?

 

[jamny]

This is at least the 4th Chinese balloon to fly over part of the Continental US. No word on any of the others being shot down.

wrong link?

 

[fatness]

This is at least the 4th Chinese balloon to fly over part of the Continental US. No word on any of the others being shot down.

wrong link?

No.

The balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. Still its intrusion into American airspace over several days was an unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty. The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration.

 

[Doug B]

This is at least the 4th Chinese balloon to fly over part of the Continental US. No word on any of the others being shot down.

wrong link?

It's in there, in the paragraph after the aerial photo of the Pentagon (reading on a laptop, not a phone):

The balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. Still its intrusion into American airspace over several days was an unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty. The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration.

 

[jamny]

ok...thx. Thought it might be something with some more details.

 

[Doug B]

My favorite part of that article ... not sure if this had been posted in this thread or not:

Long before the shoot down, U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon's collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. analysts to examine sensitive Chinese equipment. "I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon's collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon's overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us," the official said. "I can't go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable."

 

[GoBirds]

I'd like to see the math on the chances of it hitting a house or person in Montana.

Greater than the chances of it hitting a house or person in the ocean.

Sure, as long as you are willing to let them gather whatever intel they want across the country before doing anything.

If you haven’t been to Montana there are plenty of places where the odds would be no worse.

 

[The General]

This is at least the 4th Chinese balloon to fly over part of the Continental US. No word on any of the others being shot down.

The debris is spread over 7 miles, after landing in 47-foot-deep water.

We should trust and respect military leader‘s opinions and expertise…except in certain circumstances

 

[Juxtatarot]

Back in the 1990s or so, we decided that engaging with China was in our interests.

MADE IN CHINA has been a thing for what? Around 50 years now? I cop to not knowing if there were a lot of cheap Chinese goods being sold in the U.S. before Nixon's famous 1972 trip ... but had always thought "cheap Chinese goods" started in earnest in the 1970s.

MADE IN JAPAN was a thing before.

 

[fatness]

My favorite part of that article ... not sure if this had been posted in this thread or not:

Long before the shoot down, U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon's collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. analysts to examine sensitive Chinese equipment. "I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon's collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon's overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us," the official said. "I can't go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable."

In a couple months of some reverse engineering on our end, the only intelligence that Chinese surveillance equipment will be able to pick up is reruns of Laverne and Shirley.

 

[gianmarco]

This is at least the 4th Chinese balloon to fly over part of the Continental US. No word on any of the others being shot down.

The debris is spread over 7 miles, after landing in 47-foot-deep water.

We should trust and respect military leader‘s opinions and expertise…except in certain circumstances

Username checks out.

 

[fatness]

Several bits of new information here.

Military did an analysis of possible debris fields and decided there was nowhere over the US to bring it down without risk to people and property.
President requested military bring it down where there was maximum chance for equipment recovery.
Government cut down on military activity and unencrypted communications in areas the balloon's vicinity

 

[the moops]

I'd like to see the math on the chances of it hitting a house or person in Montana.

Greater than the chances of it hitting a house or person in the ocean.

Sure, as long as you are willing to let them gather whatever intel they want across the country before doing anything.

If you haven’t been to Montana there are plenty of places where the odds would be no worse.

Did you not read the numerous reports that the US was able to jam their capabilities?

But maybe you know more about this than the military experts.

 

[massraider]

Let's take this to the Balloon Sub Forum please

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I'd like to see the math on the chances of it hitting a house or person in Montana.

Greater than the chances of it hitting a house or person in the ocean.

Sure, as long as you are willing to let them gather whatever intel they want across the country before doing anything.

If you haven’t been to Montana there are plenty of places where the odds would be no worse.

Did you not read the numerous reports that the US was able to jam their capabilities?

But maybe you know more about this than the military experts.

It's probably true that they can jam this sort of thing, but don't you think it's a little naive to take "military experts" at their word here? This is the exact sort of thing that they absolutely would lie about.

 

[ghostguy123]

I'd like to see the math on the chances of it hitting a house or person in Montana.

Greater than the chances of it hitting a house or person in the ocean.

Sure, as long as you are willing to let them gather whatever intel they want across the country before doing anything.

If you haven’t been to Montana there are plenty of places where the odds would be no worse.

Did you not read the numerous reports that the US was able to jam their capabilities?

But maybe you know more about this than the military experts.

It's probably true that they can jam this sort of thing, but don't you think it's a little naive to take "military experts" at their word here? This is the exact sort of thing that they absolutely would lie about.

Do you think we can't??

 

[fatness]

Navy ships and divers are already working. https://wpde.com/news/local/navy-sh...ely-short-chinese-spy-balloon-debris-recovery

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

I have no idea what the deal with the balloon is, but I found this theory to be plausible: the balloons are meant to hang out off the coast gathering intel, and this one got away from them. The notion that China came up with an ingenious spy plan to fly a balloon over our air space, which would somehow allow it to capture secrets its satellites can’t, has always sounded far fetched to me

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

My favorite part of that article ... not sure if this had been posted in this thread or not:

Long before the shoot down, U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon's collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. analysts to examine sensitive Chinese equipment. "I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon's collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon's overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us," the official said. "I can't go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable."

In a couple months of some reverse engineering on our end, the only intelligence that Chinese surveillance equipment will be able to pick up is reruns of Laverne and Shirley.

“Who are these Schlemiel and Schlamazel fellows? American spies? And get me everything you can on this front company Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!”

 

[massraider]

Hasenpfeffer Incorporated

When you put it that way, this company DOES sound really shady

 

[eoMMan]

Interesting that this thread is still alive.

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

Has this happened before this incident?

 

[jamny]

Has this happened before this incident?

Pentagon never told Trump national security about Chinese spy balloons: GOP congressman

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) revealed that the spy balloons that happened under Donald Trump were never discussed outside of the Pentagon. Fox reported that the former president and his national security officials never had spy balloons that came over the United States under his administration...

www.rawstory.com

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Has this happened before this incident?

Sounds like it's happened 3 other times, but not all the way across the country like that.