President Biden is getting the best advice in the world about the Chinese Balloon

[Botany]

Last edited Sat Feb 4, 2023, 11:24 AM - Edit history (1)

And what ever he does or does not do is fine by me. He is very good at his job and has earned
my trust. I'm sure he is getting input from the Pentagon, the CIA, and the State Department and
they know more about "things" then all these "right wing quack jockeys" combined." It could be
some might want the balloon to stay around so we can study it.

As per me I'm going to make some coffee.

BTW we are hearing more about that balloon then we have ever heard about McGonigal who helped
to throw the 2016 election to Trump as he was being paid off by Putin. "Liberal Media"

[onecaliberal]

1. Yes, they don't want to talk about Putin and pukes stealing the 2016 election for dump.

[Walleye]

2. Suddenly all these amateur epidemiologists, economists and foreign policy experts

are now munitions and weapons experts. Why does anybody bother with studying and learning when they can just repeat propaganda

[Probatim]

38. And they say education has gone down the shitter over the last 40 years.

I picked up multiple degrees from Facebook and 4chan over the last 3 years - and I didn't need no schoolin'

[Walleye]

42. And if you need medical advice you can always consult doctor google

[Probatim]

47. I always tell my PCP about my medical degree from Facebook.

And I always share my self-diagnoses from WedMD.

I'll say - Doc, it's either gas, an aortic aneurysm, or I'm pregnant.

He'll respond - we can run some tests for the aneurysm, but if you're pregnant, we're writing a journal article detailing the first middle-aged man in history to be pregnant.

Makes for fun visits.

[3auld6phart]

55. That is what I tell my wife.

“”. You can almost get a Medical degree from Google. They just didn’t offer Gross anatomy yet.
.

[Lovie777]

3. Ya know.....

anything that results in shooting guns the GQP is all for it. The balloon is very high up and the bullets can't reach it which is never explained to them by their fucked up party leaders and therefore will create a insecure environment for the general public and their fucked leaders don't give a shit.

Now a rocket type of weapon may do it tho.

[Ferrets are Cool]

4. In my opinion, a huge nothingburger.

They (the Chinese) have satellites that can see a mosquito on the arse of a squirrel in my back yard. A friggin balloon is the least of my worries.

[gfwzig]

12. The USA had satellites back in the 60's that could read license plates.....

[louis-t]

32. I used to say they can read the date on a nickel

laying on the sidewalk.

[McKim]

43. Yes, It's a Nothingburger!!!!

Yes, this is almost a non story! It is being tablodized by our hysterical media and will be pushed through the bullhorns until the next sensationalist scandal of the week. Meanwhile our hopes of diplomacy are thwarted as chest thumping a la 9/11 gives politicians a chance to look “tough on China!”. We have seen this movie before?

[maxrandb]

5. Listening to these idiot Retrumplicans

you just know this is going to be their next "Benghazi".

These unhinged asshats, and their demands that we go to war with China over a stupid fucking balloon, makes me eternally grateful that President Biden is the Commander-in-Chief.

As a 30 year Navy man, I have no doubt that we would win a war with China, but I also have no doubt that it won't be the children of these ignorant Retrumplican asspickles that will be asked to fight it.

Every "real" man knows that those Retrumplican Dipshits are like the one "friend" you have that would start a bar fight, and then turn tail and run once at starts.

[wnylib]

18. This political division over the balloon

might just be the whole point of the Chinese launching it. Something to keep the divisions in the US stirred up.

[LuckyCharms]

21. +1 n/t

[LuckyCharms]

6. Shooting down the balloon is escalatory.

Escalatory responses as the first move when trying to solve a situation are rarely smart.

We can bet that the Pentagon knows everything about that balloon and what it is doing. I also think that any surveillance electronics possibly on that balloon that are beyond the capabilities of normal spy satellites have already been jammed up.

It is most likely in our best interest that the balloon be allowed to do its thing.

Immediate escalation to destruction limits our knowledge, and also limits diplomatic pressure.

Withholding immediate escalation makes the US appear strong, not weak.

[Ligyron]

16. Our Intel agencies may well be using it to feed false data back to China.

[LuckyCharms]

17. Yes, that could certainly be true. n/t

[wnylib]

19. Crossed my mind, too.

[ms liberty]

28. This, exactly. n/t

[GreenWave]

7. What on Earth?

The show uses satellites from further up to focus in on anomalies in China, North Korea, Russia, etc. and we cry baby "oh it happened to us for a few hours".

[bronxiteforever]

8. Kick & recommend

[Walleye]

9. China probably put it up there where we could see it deliberately

To give the MAGATs something new to feign outrage about.

[smb]

31. Too Bad They Didn't Make It A Giant Trump Baby Balloon nt

[Walleye]

36. I think that's too obvious for the Chinese but the Russians might've done it

[Johnny2X2X]

10. Jobs report

Yesterday the jobs report was the most spectacular surprise maybe in our nation’s history. 517,000 new jobs created and UE down to 3.4%, lowest since 1969.

It’s no wonder Republicans wanted to talk about a balloon.

[gfwzig]

11. There is more to this than they are letting the media know....

The story about not shooting it down over Montana because of the threat to hurting civilians is hogwash... there are like about 6 people in Montana..... and open fields or forests.... The pentagon / CIA / etc. are not that stupid, they will deal with it in time.... probably would have already if the media had not made such a big deal about it.... remember the Japanese sent aerial firebombs to the US the same way during WWII and the government kept it secret to not cause panic..... Were it not for the political points that the re-pugs are trying to score it would have already been dealt with.... now everybody is watching..... during the cold war we used to snag camera pods out of the air on re-entry with planes so that they did not land in populated areas... the public did not see it happen,, or even know that it was happening.... once it crosses the 3 mile limit in the ocean (out of sight) it will be captured and taken apart....

[Walleye]

37. The thing is, people spotted it in the air. Couldn't be kept secret

I was impressed with the way they explained right away it was a Chinese balloon, because the UFO rumors would’ve been immediate. It’s possible they didn’t shoot it down because the debris field would’ve landed over sensitive territory as far as our defense secrets. Also I think they can study it closely with the long range instruments they have and get valuable technological knowledge from it

[Kid Berwyn]

13. For those interested in spreading the word about McGonigal...

…the FBI agent who covered-up Trump-Russia ties in 2016, Craig Unger:

Did the FBI’s Charles McGonigal Help Throw the 2016 Election to Trump?

The shocking indictments against the former head of counterintelligence for the FBI in New York raise many dark questions.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217613667

[McKim]

45. Thank You!!!

Thank you, this is the most important story idea of the week!

[sarge43]

14. We have spy satellites that detect a cigarette brand from low earth orbit and

the other guy is using 19th century stealth technology?

He's not spying; he's trolling.

The wind chill is minus 35F right now; another cup of coffee sounds good.

[Walleye]

40. That's it, in a word, trolling

[BlackSkimmer]

15. I just find it curious that it managed to "wander" over here without our knowledge.

I find that disturbing, and I don't see it as a partisan issue.

[Wounded Bear]

20. Who said we didn't know about it?

The media may not have known about it, but I'm sure our Intel agencies did. Not much flies in our skies without the PWB knowing about it, especially something that big.

[BlackSkimmer]

24. Well, I'd certainly hope so.

But if we did know, then why are they acting so confused? Seemed to be news to Blinken?

I just don't get it.

[myohmy2]

25. as...

...long as the balloons pose no threat leave them alone...

...don't listen to the crazy pukes looking for conspiratorial issues...listen to the boys in the Pentagon that know what they're doing...

...whatever they decide to do it'll be part of gaining knowledge and insight into Chinese capabilities...

...besides, I like balloons...

[Botany]

27. "listen to the boys in the Pentagon that know what they're doing... "

Along with the CIA, the NSA, and the State Department and those conversations are way
above my pay grade and no doubt highly classified too. I doubt that the President, the
Vice President, or the Joint Chiefs of Staff need to turn on Fox News or some right wing radio
hate talker to know what to do.

[Wounded Bear]

29. I should certainly hope not...

we had 4 years of "turn[ing] on Fox News or some right wing radio
hate talker to know what to do."

[Mr.Bill]

49. If Trump were still president

he would be on the phone getting advice from Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson. Because, you know, they're on TV.

[treestar]

54. +1

eggzacly!

[ShazzieB]

30. Listen to the people in the Pentagon.

Not just the boys. This is the 21st century after all.

[myohmy2]

53. you're right...

...I've got watch my vernacular...

...I'm old...

[JohnnyRingo]

26. We have the opportunity to show China "what we have"

At this point China has no reason to believe what results the balloon sends back. We control that.
We can make it appear we have thousand of missiles aimed right down their throats, or cover up what we do have.

We know the projected trajectory and what lies under that route.

[iluvtennis]

33. Trust President Biden - he actually listens to his knowledgeable officials unlike tfg

[calimary]

52. Yep!

[lambchopp59]

34. Cream, 2 choogers for me please.

[Torchlight]

35. I'd think recovery of components and data could be useful

Determining what the platform was specifically targeting could also provide insight into Beijing's broader goals.

[dalton99a]

46. +1. Shoot it down over the Atlantic.

[tinrobot]

50. Exactly. But how do you safely recover something floating at 60,000 feet?

I think there's at least a few brains on that problem right now.

[stopdiggin]

39. 100%. Let the people who know what they're doing

deal with it. (if indeed it needs dealt with) And similarly - you can be sure about 98% of the people 'talking' about it - don't know their arse from their elbow.

The U.S. government has expressed its severe 'displeasure' to the Chinese - and that's about the response this 'incident' deserves. Take a deep breath. Then give it a rest.

[Walleye]

41. Reactionaries that are so quick to shoot off their mouth and know absolutely nothing about the situa

I used to like to go to the track and bet on the horses. I discovered that it is real easy to pick the winning horse if you don’t put any money down. When you actually make the bet, with your own money, it’s a little more difficult.

[SKKY]

44. We know what this balloon is doing, and what its purpose is...

...and I doubt it is weather-related. But the fact they haven't shot it down means it's probably nothing we should be too worried about.

[yaesu]

48. I kind of wish I had some big hobby balloons and let them fly over my rightwing community

Just to watch their heads explode

[Disaffected]

51. This whole thing is just plain weird.

Pentagon claims that it is a maneuverable spy device seem far fetched as a balloon cannot be "steered" (it is distinctly different than a blimp). It may have limited ability to change altitude (by releasing gas to descend and ballast to ascend) but direction of travel is determined solely by wind direction (with the huge balloon itself acting as a sail). Photographs additionally show no apparent means of propulsion.

As for not wanting to shoot it down for fear of it landing on someone, do it when it drifts over a sparsely inhabited area with maybe even with some evacuation to be extra careful.

It doesn't compute IMO...