I do have one question that hasn’t been addressed in any of the stories: just when did the U.S. military notice the balloon?
U.S. Military Monitoring Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon
The U.S. military is currently monitoring a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been hovering for several days over the northern United States.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement on Thursday that the “high-altitude surveillance balloon” poses no immediate threat to the United States and will be monitored for the time-being.
“The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” said Ryder, adding:
The U.S. government, including NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.
According to NBC News, the balloon was initially spotted over Billings, Montana, after it had flown over the Aleutian Islands and through Canada. The exact whereabouts of the balloon remains unknown to the public at this time.
Billings, Montana was the first time? It apparently, they think, floated down over Alaska then Canada, and none of our military assets, all our radars and such, noticed it? That does not provide confidence in the military’s ability to detect anything else, like, say, ICMBs, coming towards the U.S.
The leaders reviewed the threat profile of the Chinese stratospheric balloon and possible response options, and ultimately decided not to recommend taking it out kinetically, because of the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field. Pentagon leaders presented the options to President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
President Biden was reportedly briefed on the matter and advised not to order the balloon be shot down.
There are no dumb questions, right? What is the balloon made of that if it were shot down it could pose such a risk? Wondering when we could consider that collateral damage “worth it”?
What’s the point of China using it if it can’t bring much “additive value”?
— Waiting4theTrumpet (@Waiting4Trumpet) February 2, 2023
It’s not like there’s much out there in Montana. The population density is 7 people per square mile, and most are in towns. Not shooting it down shows weakness.
(Fox News) China has announced its government is looking into reports that a suspected Chinese spy balloon was discovered flying in U.S. airspace over Montana.
“China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international laws, and China has no intention to violate the territory and airspace of any sovereign countries,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning during a daily briefing on Friday.
She also urged U.S. officials and Chinese authorities to proceed “calmly and carefully” amid the investigation.
Yes, stay calm, just let the spy balloon fly over the U.S., capture its data, and fly away. Just like when the Soviets were able to get a lock on the U-2 flown by Gary Powers. Oh, right. That’s the game. If it gets noticed, it gets shot down. Biden’s weakness will further embolden China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, etc.
Probably they chose to observe do they could gather more intelligence on it. What is the purpose ? What signals are they transmitting?
Generally when a “spy” is first detected it is NOT immediately neutralized. Can it be turned into an asset ? What are the Chinese interested in?
It’s simple: the balloon’s mission was to make Joe Biden look bad, and it’s sure accomplished that!
It was probably studying global climate. Just a weather balloon. Nothing to see here.
As for Hairy’s opinion about turning the “spy”, that is the sort of thing one does before it is announced in the popular media to the general public.
Joey likes balloons.
Joey likes choo-choos.
Joey likes ice cream.
Joey likes little girls.
#HeckuvaJobJoey
Bwaha! Lolgf
Meh. Balloons, especially ad very high altitudes are very hard to “shoot” down. Our air defenses are geared to shooting at things with engines. Might have a specialty aircraft that can go that high to “nudge” it.
Our coolest-looking interceptor ever, the F-104A Starfighter, would have been the perfect platform to shoot it down.
The F-104 was a great plane, but, as Tom Wolfe put it in The Right Stuff, it was more an interceptor than an air-superiority fighter, and when you tried to use it for other things, it was rather “unforgiving”.
It was known as The Widow Maker but sure looked pretty.
Ya know, back in WWII, the Japanese used these sort of balloons to attack the continental US with incendiary bombs. Not to much effect, but there was a case where some folks accidentally set off a crashed one and were killed. Think about one carrying Wuhan MkII…. although with as much crap that’s shipped here from China, there’s much easier ways to do it.
I think it’s Hunter’s mother ship here to take him home.
Teach:
LOL. What might embolden them even more is caving to Putin’s threats. Or Chinese agents mucking around Mar-a-Lagos. Or Trump greenlighting Iran’s nuclear deal or his love affair with Kim.
But what is the threat of a balloon one can see from the ground? Not very clandestine, is it?
Babylon Bee- “Biden says he’ll shoot down Chinese spy ballon as soon as he’s done letting it spy”.
Maybe the balloon is spreading psychoactive substances to immobilize Americans! Or Covid-23!!
Maybe the PRC WANT us to shoot it down and spread the contagion!
No worries. Joey’s at the top of his game.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/watch-biden-says-more-half-women-my-administration-are-women
#LetsGoBrandon
#TrustUs
Bwaha! Lolgf
According to nuCons the USA must immediately stop funding Ukraine so as not to offend Putin but must shoot down a balloon over Montana.
Not one of your “nuCons” you are so afraid of and think live under your bed with white supremist Qanon freaks ever said anything like that. Stop making shit up.
Real patriotic Americans (the ones who do not think we need a “fundamental change”) believe we need to stop funding the Ukraine because:
1. ZZelenskyyy is a dictator (mostly the dic part).
2. The Ukraine is just about the most corrupt country in Europe.
3. Ukraine is not our ally and we have no obligation to finance their wars.
4. It’s none of our business.
5. Our border needs protection for America, not the Ukraine’s border.
6. We can end up in a nuclear war which is plain STUPID.
7. ZZelenskyyy is a thug, a nazi lover, and a criminal.
8. So far all we’ve been told by the “media” are lies from the “Ghost of Ukraine” to the casualty reports.
Those mythical “nuCons” you’re always blabbing about see no value for America in fighting Russia. If there is one please explain what that is.
Why are you suddenly the big war hawk?
Commenter typed:
Um, TTeachh. Several Representatives of the MAGAt strain.
Ukraine is a nascent democratic nation next door to NATO member nations. PPutinn invaded Ukraine without provocation because 1) almost certainly to start rebuilding the USSR, 2) to distract the Russian people from the failed state over which Putin reigns, 3) and to capitalize on the value of Ukraine (especially agriculture and ports).
If the world looks the other way now, why not look the other way when China invades Taiwan, or when Kim invades South Korea. And if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, why not the Baltics, Poland, Turkey?
If you don’t like nuCons, howsabout MAGAts? Same thing.
nuCons are that strain of conservative defined by hatred, cruelty, ignorance and belligerence. Prime examples are Gosar, Jordan, Traitor-Greene, Boebert, TTrumpp leads them for now, but a more popular leader who uses also hatred, cruelty, ignorance and belligerence to guide the TTrumpp flock could still emerge, e.g, DeSantis, Abbott, Pompeo, and the usual Senate suspects, Cruz, Cotton, Hawley, R Scott, Rubio, Lee.
They will have to be able to withstand the Trump vitriol (it’s all he has). GOPhers are walking a fine line – dumping loser Trump without dumping Trump loyalists.
Rimjob does love him some strawman arguments doesn’t he?
#LosingTheNarrative
#BelieveTheLie
Bwaha! Lolgf
[…] Also see: William Teach, “China Sends Spy Balloon Over U.S., Biden Admin Doesn’t Shoot It Down“ […]
From Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene:
Bwaha! Lolgf
Why do the Chinese need to spy on us? After all, they own Biden and his crime family and the Dems are trying as hard as possible to make us like the Chinese communist. Doesn’t make sense.
Confederate tweeter twits claim if it flies over Alabama etc they’ll shoot ‘er down! As if Montana doesn’t have any rednecks (although they are smarter than southerners).
One nut said he’ll take it down with a well-placed 7mm round!
Over 60,000 feet up. A 12 mile shot. Good luck, Festus.