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Large Chinese reconnaissance balloon spotted over the US, officials say
Yahoo News ^ | 2/2/23 | MARTHA RADDATZ and LUIS MARTINEZ

Posted on 02/02/2023 5:49:33 PM PST by rod5591

A massive spy balloon believed to be from China was seen above Montana on Thursday and is being tracked as it flies across the continental United States, with President Joe Biden ultimately deciding against "military options" because of the risk to civilians, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 202302; aerospace; airsamples; airsampling; balloon; china; chinesespies; isotopes; montana; nationaldefense; russia; russianspies; skyevent; spies; spyballoon; spying
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To: luvie

What if the Chinese told the U.S. there was a virus in the balloon and if shot down we would have another epidemic.


81 posted on 02/02/2023 9:02:42 PM PST by taxesareforever (Islam is an ideology. It is NOT a religion.)
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To: plain talk
We have deteriorated a lot since 1960

It could be full of COVID-23.
82 posted on 02/02/2023 9:05:20 PM PST by Antoninus (Republicans are all honorable men.)
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To: rod5591

I was asked by ATC to look for a balloon while over Canada on my flight from anchorage. No details given when I asked.


83 posted on 02/02/2023 9:09:58 PM PST by Bigbrown
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To: rod5591

Something like this happened toward the end of WWII. Incendiary bombs sent into the jet stream from Japan fell in Colorado and a few other states in 1945:

https://www.deseret.com/1995/3/24/19165866/no-hot-air-balloons-once-bombed-colorado


84 posted on 02/02/2023 9:10:41 PM PST by Tellurian (Your phone is your cattle tag.)
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To: rod5591

And Russian spy satellites are watching the whole fiasco, with both Xi and Putin giggling.


85 posted on 02/02/2023 9:55:02 PM PST by Thunder90 (All posts soley represent my own opinions)
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To: taxesareforever

Who’s to say that they haven’t rigged it to explode over a highly populated area. I don’t trust them. At all!

Also, people are discounting Montana, but there is a AF base in Cheyenne that monitors all the underground missile silos in that area...and into Nebraska. I know that for a fact, unless it’s been deactivated in the past few years. Even they could be a target.


86 posted on 02/02/2023 10:08:36 PM PST by luvie (🇺🇸The bravery/dedication of our troops keeping us safe & free make me proud to be an American.🇺🇸)
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To: jeffersondem
I'm starting to have questions about the President's thought process.

You're somewhat late to this party.

87 posted on 02/02/2023 10:30:54 PM PST by Nachoman
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To: rod5591

What would keep this balloon afloat this long? Wouldn’t it need more fuel at some point?


88 posted on 02/02/2023 10:43:12 PM PST by jy8z (i)
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To: rod5591

Doesn’t google earth work in China?


89 posted on 02/02/2023 10:48:05 PM PST by keving (We the government )
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To: rod5591; All

If this are anything like the recce balloons we used to send over the Soviet Union during the Cold War, it would be not that easy to bring down and might reveal too much about our capabilities to the adversary if we did.

They drift in the stratosphere and the baloon has multiple cells/sections. The Soviets tried shooting them down, as they drifted from one air defence site to another, took multiple proximity detonations by SAMs.

By Soviet accounts some American balloons contained legit weather payloads, some recce payloads and some - an empty container and a thank you note with a smiley face.

It was part reconnaisance, part psychological warfare just to eff with them.

Made them waste missiles, always be on the edge and also reveal something about the characteristics and placement of their radars.

So shooting one down would be a good PR stunt for the US, but might be detrimental in other ways.


90 posted on 02/02/2023 10:50:04 PM PST by JadeEmperor ( )
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To: jy8z

If its helium it just floats.


91 posted on 02/02/2023 10:50:31 PM PST by JadeEmperor ( )
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To: luvie

>> Who’s to say that they haven’t rigged it to explode

An isolated attack would be no point. Will just piss the nation off an wake up the sleeping giant.

If there ever comes a surprise attack, it will be debilitating and massive.


92 posted on 02/02/2023 10:52:34 PM PST by JadeEmperor ( )
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To: JadeEmperor

You don’t think another “pandemic” would be debilitating?

Remember the havoc the last one caused? All the panic, fear, fake news, rush to isolate our nation and scare us into complying with their useless shots? There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

So, I guess they’ll just let it float around picking up what it can. Unless we have some kind of transmission blockers that no one is talking about.


93 posted on 02/02/2023 11:34:45 PM PST by luvie (🇺🇸The bravery/dedication of our troops keeping us safe & free make me proud to be an American.🇺🇸)
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To: Thunder90

And Russian spy satellites are watching the whole fiasco, with both Xi and Putin giggling.

***************************

Neither man giggled at President Trump.


94 posted on 02/02/2023 11:58:33 PM PST by BarbM (Men who look at porn are impotent to God.)
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What a novel way the Chinese now have of spreading the next wave of even more deadly corona virus! As soon as it entered our air space it should have been taken down.
95 posted on 02/03/2023 1:38:57 AM PST by Plumberman27
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To: rod5591

It’s a “Trial Balloon”.


96 posted on 02/03/2023 5:41:39 AM PST by Neverlift (When someone says "you just can't make this stuff up" odds are good, somebody did.)
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To: smokingfrog; Chode; SkyDancer; Salamander; Carriage Hill; Lockbox; MtnClimber; nascarnation; ...

Can’t do that. It’s carrying the “big guy’s cut” of the latest deal. Must be shot down over Camp David for full recovery.


97 posted on 02/03/2023 6:42:04 AM PST by mabarker1 ( (Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress !7)
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To: jeffersondem

“I’m starting to have questions about the President’s thought process.”

Starting???


98 posted on 02/03/2023 6:56:46 AM PST by rod5591
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To: rod5591

Its beyond belief that they haven’t shot this balloon down. The fact that satellites can likely obtain the same intelligence has nothing to do with allowing enemy surveillance to intrude our sovereign air space. Its a deliberate pro vacation that needs immediate action.

Trump and the GOP are calling for it to be shot down.


99 posted on 02/03/2023 7:11:43 AM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: mabarker1

If I could get the shot, I’d take it, regardless of where it is overhead.


100 posted on 02/03/2023 8:01:14 AM PST by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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