BALLOON NEWS LATEST:   Much balloon talk in the media today.  Some of it must be causing high anguish in the balloon-manufacturing community, as anti-balloonism is a longstanding form of bigotry and exclusion.  

Two key questions:  What is the Chinese balloon carrying?  Not an easy question to answer.  Our government is making the assumption that this is a reconnaissance balloon, spying on American military installations, especially in our northwest.  However, it could also be part of a test run for carrying biological or chemical materials.  Or, the Chinese could be telling the truth in claiming that this is an ordinary weather balloon
off course.

Some scoff at the idea that so simple and primitive an instrument could have military value.  In fact, the atomic bomb we dropped on Hiroshima was carried to Earth by a simple parachute.  And American soldiers jumping into the Normandy night on D-Day used five-cent children's clicker toys, once they landed in the pitch dark, to signal to others around them that there were American soldiers nearby.  Amazing how simple devices have military uses. 

The second question is, what should we do about the Chinese balloon?  Being the nation of John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, many public figures argue that we should shoot it down.  I agree.  It would send a blunt message to the Chinese that we will not tolerate these illegal incursions.  But the Pentagon is apparently warning the president that a shootdown could result in dangerous debris over a large area.  The president of the United States, commander-in-chief of our now-WOKE forces, is presumably weighing his options.  The vice president has not been found, but I'd imagine she'd love to have a ride in that balloon. 

From Fox: 

A suspected Chinese spy balloon that was initially discovered over Montana has sailed across the United States and could end up over the Carolinas later this weekend, according to a report.

The Chinese balloon was discovered hovering at about 60,000 feet just north of Billings, Montana, on Thursday before it moved over Columbia, Missouri, Friday. It could make its way as far east as Raleigh, North Carolina, by Saturday afternoon, according to WNCN.

The high-altitude balloon has been the subject of international contention as its presence over Montana, home to Malmstrom Air Force Base and dozens of nuclear missile silos, caused doubt over Beijing’s claim that the balloon was gathering weather information before it went off course.

It also roiled diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Washington and abruptly broke off an upcoming trip U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to make to China.

Blinken would have been the most senior official to visit the country since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2019.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry claims the "civilian airship" is being used for "research, mainly meteorological, purposes." A spokesperson said the balloon had "limited self-steering capability" and had "deviated far from its planned course."

President Biden has, so far, decided not to bring down the balloon as it "does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday that the president is "keeping all options on the table."

"The president will always put the safety and security of the American people first," she added. "We are tracking closely and keeping all options on the table."

Members of Congress and 2024 Republican hopefuls have publicly pressured the Biden administration to bring down the balloon immediately.

"Shoot. It. Down," Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., tweeted Thursday. "The Chinese spy balloon is clear provocation. In Montana, we do not bow. We shoot it down. Take the shot."

"President Biden should stop coddling and appeasing the Chinese communists," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Neb., tweeted Friday. "Bring the balloon down now and exploit its tech package, which could be an intelligence bonanza."

COMMENT:   The whole image here is one of humiliation for the United States.  Sadly, we're getting used to it.   We watch as an air vehicle sent by a hostile nation floats over the United States, and our response so far has been lax.

February 3, 2023