The Bizarre Secret Behind China's Spy Balloon | Drudge Retort

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Tuesday, September 19, 2023

The Bizarre Secret Behind China's Spy Balloon

It was surely the most bizarre crisis of the Biden administration: America's top-of-the-line jet fighters being sent up to shoot down, of all things, a balloon -- a Chinese spy balloon that was floating across the United States, which had the nation and its politicians in a tizzy.

Posted by LampLighter at 02:33 PM | 12 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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... Now, seven months later, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells "CBS News Sunday Morning" the balloon wasn't spying. "The intelligence community, their assessment " and it's a high-confidence assessment " [is] that there was no intelligence collection by that balloon," he said.

So, why was it over the United States? There are various theories, with at least one leading theory that it was blown off-track.

The balloon had been headed toward Hawaii, but the winds at 60,000 feet apparently took over. "Those winds are very high," Milley said. "The particular motor on that aircraft can't go against those winds at that altitude." ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2023-09-18 02:53 PM | Reply

This case should be brought before the highest court in the land.

Yes, I'm advocating for a ..... trial balloon!

#2 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2023-09-18 03:47 PM | Reply | Funny: 2

Off track or no, it was suspicious and there were issues with aviation safety.
I am glad they shot it down, but oy vey what a circus.

#3 | Posted by e1g1 at 2023-09-19 02:49 PM | Reply

"It was surely the most bizarre crisis of the Biden administration"

Uhh, I'll see your balloon and raise you fighter jet.

#4 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2023-09-19 04:01 PM | Reply

I read about this don't remember if it was this one or in WaPo. Just weird.

#5 | Posted by GalaxiePete at 2023-09-19 04:05 PM | Reply

#6 | Posted by jpw at 2023-09-19 05:26 PM | Reply

@#6

In some respects, I do not disagree.

When I first saw this article, my thought was along the lines of, ~OK, trying to publicly tone down the China-US disagreements...~

Especially since it took until now for this ~explanation~ to occur[1], after some rather serious higher-level discussions have occurred between the two countries.

============
1 - Chinese balloon that US shot down was 'crammed' with American hardware (June 2023)
www.theregister.com

... What is new is the extent to which the balloon was driven by US hardware, which unnamed sources told the Wall Street Journal was "crammed" with off-the-shelf components that could have easily been purchased online.

In addition to US-made hardware, the balloon's gondola was also reportedly equipped with specialized Chinese-made sensors as well as equipment capable of collecting photos, videos, radar data and other info for transmission to China. If true, that means China's claims the balloon was an off-course weather monitoring device are, as many assumed, a fabrication.

In February, US officials added six Chinese companies to its trade-restricting Entity List over their work with the Chinese government to develop high-altitude balloons like the one in question. It's not clear if those companies had supplied components for this particular balloon.

But while the balloon now appears to have been a spy device, officials said it doesn't seem to have transmitted any data back to China, so whatever US secrets it managed to scrape are likely still secret. ...

#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2023-09-19 07:14 PM | Reply

Uhh, I'll see your balloon and raise you fighter jet.

#4 | Posted by lfthndthrds

I'll see your fighter jet and raise you an ex president clinging to classified documents so hard that it will land him in jail.

#8 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2023-09-19 07:17 PM | Reply

If you Liberals on here believe Millie on this you are dumber than I thought.

#9 | Posted by Claudio at 2023-09-20 03:44 AM | Reply | Funny: 1

"I'll see your fighter jet and raise you an ex president clinging to classified documents so hard that it will land him in jail.
#8 | POSTED BY SPEAKSOFTLY "

I'll see your paranoid schizophrenia and raise you a TDS calming agent.

#10 | Posted by phesterOBoyle at 2023-09-20 08:35 AM | Reply | Funny: 1

I'll see your paranoid schizophrenia and raise you a TDS calming agent.

#10 | Posted by phesterOBoyle

Where's the paranoia? Trump took documents, intentionally kept them when they were requested back, hid them from the government, and got arrested for it.

Point to the lie.

#11 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2023-09-20 03:09 PM | Reply

If you Liberals on here believe Millie on this you are dumber than I thought.

#9 | Posted by Claudio

The only people who you believe are people who said the election was stolen and there are microchips in the vaccines.

#12 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2023-09-20 03:10 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

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