The Big Bad Chinese Baloon Is Watching Us … LOL

Innocent Surveillance? Secret Military Mission? Germs Aboard? Nuclear Weapon Aboard? Aliens From Outer Space Aboard? Something To Laugh About And Dismiss? Something To Worry And Lose Sleep About? Psychological Warfare? WTF Is It And Why Is It There?

It is supposed to be a high altitude weather surveillance balloon that strayed off course so that it could “Hover” high above some United States Nuclear-related sites in the state of Montana…. that is what the Chinese authorities are quoted to have been claiming about the aerial behemoth.

The whole thing reminds me of a motion picture that I might direct where some idiot tells someone else, “Pay No Attention To All Those Planes Approaching Pearl Harbor. It Is Nothing But A Harmless Training Mission.”

Pay No Attention To That Man Behind The Curtain…

Here is a quote that might shed a little light about what is going on with this thing:

QUOTE FROM MSN —- “…

A high-altitude surveillance balloon spotted over the U.S. mainland is a spy balloon launched by China, U.S. officials said Thursday, a day after the airborne vehicle was seen over Montana, home to some of the United States’ nuclear missile silos.

A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in accordance with ground rules set by the Pentagon, said Washington had “very high confidence” that this was a Chinese balloon and stressed that the United States is taking measures aimed at preventing the vehicle from obtaining sensitive information….END QUOTE.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/what-to-know-about-the-suspected-chinese-spy-balloon/ar-AA174Vqx

I am glad that the Pentagon is expressing “High Confidence” that this is a Chinese Baloon. Myself, I am wondering if it might be a Russian balloon checking out to see where we are storing the weapons we are sending to Ukraine….

What The Republicans Are Saying

The Republicans, of course, are peddling the tale that the very presence of this balloon over the United States is proof positive that the Biden administration is doing absolutely nothing to be a deterrent to China — and this is the position that I would expect the Republicans to take because, as we all know, the Republicans will grab at any straw they can find that they think can shed any kind of darkness on the Biden administration … makes them look like the “Big Boys” in the room, of you know what I mean … the same Republicans who I have always considered to be politically impotent …. “The Crazy Crowd” as I have called them on many occasions …the ones who always say that they have great plans for America but who can never seem to vocalize any details about those plans …because as I believe, they are winging their whole carnival sideshow from the wings as best they can … given the fact(A fact that is not really a fact per se but is a fact that I have created out of my frustrations with the right-wing radicals) the fact that I have made up out of an abundance of perception that none of the crazy crowd could find their own asses in a mirror and that isn’t the brainpower of half a human brain extant in the mass of them.) I am done venting now.

So now that I have vented all that, let me direct you to more information about how the Republicans and their lackluster leadership are treating this Chinese Baloon thing:

QUOTE FROM NBC NEWS —- “… By Rebecca Shabad and Julie Tsirkin

WASHINGTON — Top Republicans in Congress are demanding answers from the Biden administration over the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. over the past few days.

They lashed out directly at President Joe Biden, arguing that the incident demonstrates that U.S. posture and policies toward China are not deterring the communist nation. Many prominent Republicans also suggested the U.S. should have shot down the balloon….” END QUOTE.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-blast-biden-saying-suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-proves-us-rcna68976

In my opinion, this event seems to have taken most of the United States by something of a surprise — like a “Pearl Harbor” event only on a smaller scale … Here is some of the effect that the balloon has already had …

QUOTE FROM YAHOO SPORTS —– “…China’s foreign ministry has claimed it is a civilian balloon used for meteorological purposes, but U.S. politicians, many on the right, are already demanding President Joe Biden shoot it down….” END OF QUOTE.

https://sports.yahoo.com/china-balloon-live-updates-us-142358100.html

The Chinese appear to have solved the mystery of who owns the balloon. Still, I am dubious of their claim that it is nothing more than a weather balloon on a mission to collect meteorological data from above the United States ….I am beginning to wonder if it might not also be silently spraying some kind of germs out of onboard vents …maybe a new gift that never stops giving… a gift like some kind of improved coronavirus …. or something … Yes, I know that sounds like a conspiracy theory and you can credit me for coming up with it, but I do not trust those scoundrels any farther than I could throw them and it gives me a kind of unclean feeling to know that damned thing is up there doing whatever it is doing.

OMG! Is there any possibility that this thing could be carrying an armed nuclear weapon? Has anybody asked that question yet?

The government of the United States has, reportedly, declined to shoot it down for fear of causing damage on the ground …when I hear that argument I wonder if there are any Ukrainian officials who are afraid to shoot down a Russian missile because they fear that by doing so they might endanger the safety of somebody on the ground …

What Do We Really Know About This Baloon?

Bloomberg offers an explanation — and here is a quote from them about it:

QUOTE FROM BLOOMBERG —– “…The Biden administration disclosed the balloon’s existence Thursday, saying it was spotted earlier the week and most recently seen floating more than 40,000 feet (12,000 meters) over Montana. The location is sensitive, since the state is home to the Air Force’s 341st Missile Wing and its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. While China’s foreign ministry said Friday that the nation has “no intention to violate other countries’ sovereignty and airspace,” a Defense Department spokesman said earlier the US had high confidence it belonged to the country, without explaining why. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said later Friday that the balloon was civilian in nature, and used for meteorological and other scientific research. The ministry said it was an accident, and blamed westerly winds and the object’s lack of control for a “serious deviation” of the balloon’s path into the US…..”END QUOTE.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-03/why-didn-t-the-us-shoot-down-chinese-spy-balloon-everything-we-know-right-now?srnd=premium

Maybe it is all a lot of fluff and ballyhoo about nothing at all … or maybe it is some kind of replay of “War of The Worlds”, a radio program from a long time ago where there was a Martian invasion of the United States … and, in fact, maybe this balloon did come from another planet after all … even though China has reportedly admitted that it belongs to them …cue up the music from “Twilight Zone.”

The question remains, “Is this thing friendly or not?”