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BULLETIN ON FEBRUARY 4th, 3:44 P.M. ET:   The Chinese spy balloon that has traversed the United States mainland this week was shot down by a US Air Force fighter as the balloon left the air space over South Carolina and entered into American territorial air space over the Atlantic.  Our territorial space, under international law, extends 12 miles from shore.

President Biden gave the order to take down the balloon on Wednesday, with the proviso that every precaution be taken to avoid civilian casualties below.  Thus the decision was made to wait until the balloon was over water.  This presents a major problem for us, since recovering the balloon's instrument package is far more difficult if it is hundreds of feet under the sea.  We may get nothing.

The balloon was hit while Fox News had a camera on it, giving that network a major jump on coverage.  And its coverage has been significantly more authoritative than CNN's.  We note that the three "major" networks, CBS, NBC and ABC, didn't even bother to interrupt their sports programming for the important bulletin, an absolute disgrace.  In a better time, those outlets would have broken into programs immediately, and covered the story nonstop, even if the picture was black-and-white. 

We're getting a flood of speculative journalism, of course.  But please be cautious.  We don't yet actually know what the balloon was carrying.  The assumption that it was hauling major surveillance equipment seems reasonable as it conveniently flew over some of the most top-secret military installations in the United States.

Stand by.

We've just been told, at 4:05 p.m. ET, that the balloon's instrument package came down in only 47 feet of water.  That's a break for us.  We also now know that the air action was taken by an F-22 Raptor fighter out of Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

More later.

FEBRUARY 2-3,  2023

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       Permalink 

EGG ROLLS OVER AMERICA:  We are attacked by Chinese balloons.  Do we have anti-balloon technology?  From Fox: 

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.

"As for the balloon, as I’ve mentioned just now, we are looking into and verifying the situation and hope that both sides can handle this together calmly and carefully," Mao added.

Somehow I don't see the words "not guilty."

The foreign minister said judgment should be withheld "before we have a clear understanding of the facts."

Which we'll always get from China.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to visit China on Friday, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

His visit comes amid months of tense relations between Beijing and Washington over trade, Taiwan, human rights issues and China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

"What I want to emphasize is that before we have a clear understanding of the facts, speculation and sensationalizing will be unhelpful to the proper handling of the issue. As for Blinken’s visit to China, I have no information," Mao said.

Senior U.S. defense officials said the government is closely monitoring the high-altitude surveillance balloon.

"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," said Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a briefing on Thursday afternoon.

He added: "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."

The U.S. government is "confident" the surveillance balloon belongs to the People's Republic of China, a defense official told Fox News. It is also considering bringing it down using military assets.

I'd love to see that.  Watch MSNBC ask for volunteers to fight the American warmongers.

It is not immediately clear how long the balloon has been in U.S. airspace. The senior defense official said the government has been tracking it for "some time" and that it entered U.S. airspace a "couple of days ago."

COMMENT:  I know nothing about this, although I plainly saw the words "We love you Hunter" painted on the balloon.  Can't place the reference.

February 2,  2023     Permalink

JANUARY 31-FEBRUARY 1

AND IN THE REAL WORLD:  International tensions are growing, especially in the Pacific, as China builds a huge military force.  Will they use it?  That is the question of the decade.  From Fox:   

The United States intends to ramp up its military presence in the Philippines amid escalating tensions between China and the island of Taiwan, authorities for the U.S. and the Philippines announced Thursday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has agreed to allow American military troops to be stationed at several bases on the Philippine islands to expand its presence in the region to ensure stability and to increase "interoperability" with regional allies.

Under the agreement, which was announced by the senior leaders at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Manila, Philippines, U.S. forces will be granted access to four more Philippine military camps, giving them areas to provide troops, training and military resources as the countries look to deter an increasingly aggressive China. 

During a joint press conference, Marcos commented on the "complicated" situation in the Pacific and said his country was reliant on the strength of the U.S. and the partnership between the two countries to prevent tensions from escalating into a potential military conflict.

It is "something we can only navigate properly with the help our allies and partners," he said.

Austin echoed these remarks, calling the Philippines "a key and an important ally" and said the American global policy was to continue strengthening this relationship in every way possible.

"And so from the defense perspective, we will continue to work together with our great partners to build and modernize your capability as well as increase our interoperability. So we are very, very happy to be here once again, and I look forward to a great discussion," the defense secretary said.

The Philippines and the U.S. also said in a joint statement that "substantial" progress has been made in projects at five Philippine military camps, where U.S. military personnel were earlier granted access by Filipino officials under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA.

COMMENT:  Ah, back in the Philippines, as in the old days.  All we need now are John Wayne and Paulette Goddard.

February 1, 2023       Permalink

BRAVE WOMEN:  Amidst the darkness on college campuses, there are rays of light – brave women who are bucking the system.  FROM COLLEGE FIX:  

The demands of social justice at many universities nationwide impose intolerable limits on a scholar, who must be free to pursue knowledge unfettered by groupthink or political dogma. 

Contrarian thinkers at universities are few and far between. We also may have heard from fewer women with unpopular opinions, in part because women are more likely to hold progressive views, polls find.

Nonetheless, many female academics still hold to the ideals of their profession and refuse to be silenced in their pursuit of truth and intellectual freedom. These scholars represent a wide range of views, but each woman has argued, often at great personal cost, against one or more of the dominant perspectives in academia.

We should watch their future work for reasoned critiques of ideas that may be erroneous but have hardened into dogma. We should also emulate them as exemplars of independence and intellectual integrity in a climate that discourages both.

COMMENT:  Please read this piece.  It's inspiring, even though we must be apprehensive about the academic future of brave female scholars.  The odds are against them getting anywhere, which is why we must applaud them whenever we can.

February 1,  2023     Permalink

ANOTHER SINKING SHIP:  The State University of New York system is one of the best college systems in the nation...or at least it was.   The low-standards WOKE crowd took dead aim at these schools, and has apparently won.  From the New York Post: 

The 64-campus SUNY college system is turning into the Woke University of New York — ordering incoming freshman at all of its colleges they will have to pass a new “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice”-themed class to earn a diploma.

The new college racial equity courses must, according to State University of New York documents:

• Describe the historical and contemporary societal factors that shape the development of individual and group identity involving race, class and gender.

• Analyze the role that complex networks of social structures and systems play in the creation and perpetuation of the dynamics of power, privilege, oppression and opportunity.

• Apply the principles of rights, access, equity, and autonomous participation to past, current, or future social justice action.

While the primary focus is on equity and social justice in the US, courses can also look at what has happened or is currently happening in other countries for comparison, the mandate reads.

Critics say such mandated “equity” training actually flies in the face of goals for racial “equality.”

“This is nuts,” Nicholas Giordano, a political science professor at SUNY’s Suffolk Community College told The Post. “SUNY is one of the best university systems in the country. Why are they doing this?!

“DEISJ is a cultural movement, not based on academics. Unfortunately, SUNY responded to the mob.”

Giordano, a fellow at the conservative watchdog group Campus Reform, said the new DEISJ coursework seeks to portray the US as “inherently racist” and tries to undermine the American identity that unifies all citizens by “creating groups and pitting them against each other.”

He said the curriculum seeks to have students “defined by the color of their skin.

“To tell [minority students] they can’t compete with a white person is insulting and racist.”

And...

The diversity and equity curriculum was approved by SUNY under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s then hand-picked chancellor James Malatras, a former aide.

COMMENT:   Wow, what a recommendation.  Andy Cuomo's guy.  This is a disaster for SUNY, and will only lead to conflict, hatred and mediocrity.  But, of course, that's the objective, isn't it?

New York is now experiencing a stunning outmigration of its citizens to other states.  New Yorkers are fed up with high taxes, high crime, and ridiculous expenses.  The capture of SUNY by the WOKESTERS will simply increase the flow, to places like Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.

January 31-February 1, 2023       Permalink