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Victor Davis Hanson: Dronomania
American Greatness ^ | 19 Dec, 2024 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 12/19/2024 5:40:55 AM PST by MtnClimber

Drone swarms over American cities spark frustration as a distrustful public suspects the Biden administration knows more than it admits.

New Jersey is now subject to nonstop and often sensational civilian reports of swarms of nocturnal drones crossing city skies and violating the airspace of airports and military bases.

Terrified thousands demand to know what these drones are doing and to whom they belong.

In response, the Biden administration had initially kept mum.

Then, under mounting public pressure, it assured the public to be calm, given that most of the drones were likely launched by hobbyists and private citizens.

When that narrative failed to convince many, spokespeople pivoted to claims of mass hysteria and mistaken identity.

Amateur sightseers, they inferred, were subject to panic and hallucinations—supposedly wrongly confusing normal civilian and airline planes with drones.

Perhaps.

But as the sightings continued, more government narratives followed that the drones were unidentified but assuredly still harmless and certainly not foreign-operated.

Still, the mysterious sightings continued.

And the public’s initial curiosity soon turned to fear and finally to anger at their government’s silence, subsequent gaslighting, and final mendacity.

In its characteristic stonewalling, the Biden administration has only fueled speculations and occasional conspiracy theories when it could have at least reviewed logical theories and welcomed legitimate questions.

Is a controversial government agency—perhaps the CIA or the EPA—surveilling installations, areas, or people that would either be too embarrassing to be revealed or otherwise might set off panic? And for the public good or consistent with this administration’s weaponization of government?

Or are these drones the work of foreign surveillance in the mode of the 2023 Chinese spy balloon?

A government that long ago lost all its credibility could not reassure the people of the truth even if it wished to.

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


TOPICS: Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: aviation; drones; newsfromgroversmill; njdrones; vdh; victordavishanson
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1 posted on 12/19/2024 5:40:55 AM PST by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

Weaponized government is not something anyone should trust so why do they bother saying things that no one will believe?


2 posted on 12/19/2024 5:41:06 AM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Don’t trust anything the Biden administration says. That is the first rule.


3 posted on 12/19/2024 5:43:03 AM PST by oldtech
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To: MtnClimber

The website it takes you to is almost useless. Pages are covered almost 100% with intrusive ads.


4 posted on 12/19/2024 5:45:37 AM PST by I want the USA back (Voltaire: To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.)
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To: MtnClimber

As long as the drones stay 6 feet apart we’ll all be safe. follow the science!


5 posted on 12/19/2024 5:47:35 AM PST by posterchild
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To: I want the USA back

Seems to be the norm for any website you visit.


6 posted on 12/19/2024 5:51:44 AM PST by Fungi
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To: oldtech

Don’t trust anything the Biden administration says. That is the first rule.
*****
The Democrats’ lips are moving so you know they’re lying.

The Democrats have decided they don’t give a hoot what the will of the people is, the Democrats are going to do what the Democrats want.


7 posted on 12/19/2024 5:53:30 AM PST by yldstrk
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To: MtnClimber

Doesn’t anyone in New Jersey have a DSLR and a telephoto lens?

I have yet to see a clear picture of one of the drones.


8 posted on 12/19/2024 5:57:48 AM PST by Brian Griffin
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To: I want the USA back

This is why I rarely click through to american greatness. It’s one of the WORST sites out there with all the ads. Annoying AF!


9 posted on 12/19/2024 6:03:48 AM PST by Mama Shawna
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To: I want the USA back

“Pages are covered almost 100% with intrusive ads.”

There ought to be a Laffer Curve for webpage advertising.

I generally try to avoid newspaper websites because their pages are excessively filled with advertising or paywalled.

Paywalls might work well for the WSJ and Financial Times because they are mainly read to make money off stocks.

I can’t make money reading about drones or politics.


10 posted on 12/19/2024 6:03:52 AM PST by Brian Griffin
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To: texas booster

VDH ping


11 posted on 12/19/2024 6:05:43 AM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: Mama Shawna

“This is why I rarely click through to american greatness. It’s one of the WORST sites out there with all the ads.”

Conservative talk radio tends to be excessively ad laced based on my very limited experience with it.

The counties that voted for Clinton had something like 64% of the income. The counties that voted for Trump in 2016 therefore had something like 36% of the income. Be sensible - annoy leftists with ads.


12 posted on 12/19/2024 6:10:21 AM PST by Brian Griffin
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To: posterchild

Wear your mask.

10 days to stop the invasion.


13 posted on 12/19/2024 6:10:53 AM PST by Salamander (Please visit my profile page to help me go home again . Nope. https://www.givesendgo.com/GCRRD)
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To: Forgiven_Sinner; 5th MEB; 6ppc; agondonter; Alberta's Child; AndyJackson; Aria; artichokegrower; ...
Ping! Out to the Victor Davis Hanson list

This administration knows that anytime there is a scandal or embarrassment on team Biden’s watch, it wheels out megaphones that ignore inquiries, gaslight critics by claiming they are hallucinatory, defame them as conspiratorial, or simply flat-out lie and stonewall.

Yes, even Prof Hanson writes that the Biden admin doesn't know how to tell the truth. Shocking!

FR Index of his articles: Victor Davis Hanson on FR

Town Hall: Victor Davis Hanson on Town Hall

American Greatness: Victor Davis Hanson on American Greatness

His website: Victor Davis Hanson

Please let me know if you want on or off this new VDH ping list.

As a reminder, Professor Hanson has asked that we do not post the full article of his writings. Thank you for following the link to finish his article.

Content created by the Center for American Greatness, Inc. is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a significant audience.

https://freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index

14 posted on 12/19/2024 6:10:57 AM PST by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: MtnClimber
Life imitates Plan Nine from Outer Space . . . who'd a thought?


15 posted on 12/19/2024 6:13:13 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: MtnClimber
unidentified but assuredly still harmless and certainly not foreign-operated.

How to say you know what is going on without saying you are a lying sack of dog waste.

16 posted on 12/19/2024 6:14:27 AM PST by AndyJackson
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To: MtnClimber

We’re two days away from the darkest day of the year, December 21. It gets dark very early - at times when people are still out and about after work. It’s not that we’re seeing more lights in the sky than usual, we’re looking at the sky at more times that these lights are visible. That’s particularly true now that a large number of people are Christmas shopping after work. I suspect that a good number of these lights in the sky are typical, we’re just spending more time outside in the dark where we can see them.


17 posted on 12/19/2024 6:41:18 AM PST by norwaypinesavage (Freud: projection is a defense mechanism of those struggling with inferiority complexes)
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To: MtnClimber

“”why do they bother saying things that no one will believe?””

Excellent question - even tho’ there’s no answer.


18 posted on 12/19/2024 6:48:04 AM PST by Thank You Rush
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To: MtnClimber

I still bet my $2.00 at the show window the drones are decoys for something they don’t want us to look at?.


19 posted on 12/19/2024 6:53:49 AM PST by Vaduz
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To: norwaypinesavage
I was very open minded about these phenomena on NJ drones when it first started, back in late November.

But in every picture or video I have seen they look exactly like aircraft at night, down to the navigation lights. In fact, I've been going outside a lot myself at night. I'm about 100 miles away from Atlanta and planes going there will start their descent over my area on approach.

I have two apps on my phone that prove invaluable. One is Star Tracker, which shows all the stars and planets that will line up exactly where you point it—I can even see the Southern Cross when I point it down, as if the Earth itself was transparent, and the other being FlightRadar24.

When I see a stationary light, I use the Star Tracker to confirm whether it is a normal star or planet (it always is) and if it's moving, check FlightRadar24, and it is always a plane.

I've been tempted to also video all these planes and post them on TikTok as “Alabama Drone wave” sightings.

I'd imagine in these times that would make the news, too.

20 posted on 12/19/2024 6:57:59 AM PST by Alas Babylon! (Repeal the Patriot Act; Abolish the DHS; reform FBI top to bottom!)
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