Turns out the Chinese are zapping surface targets with lasers. This *seems* to be a benign scientific technique, checking atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and pollution and whatnot… but this is the Chinese Communist Party we’re talking about, so…
This sort of thing would be weird as hell to see out in the wild. I’m not sure if this is naked-eye visible, however, or if it took sensitive cameras to pick this up.
Huh.
I suspect that if the political affiliations were different this would be bigger news.
… photos taken by high-altitude U-2 planes confirmed the presence of the equipment, including “multiple antennas … likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications” and “solar panels large enough to produce the requisite power to operate multiple active intelligence collection sensors.”
So, it was listening to us. Interesting to ponder just what it was listening *for.* Being a balloon, it would have had only minimal ability to target a specific site; it would have been able to scan a swathe of the country. Was it listening to cell phones? Was it listening for military-type transmissions and where they came from (looking for hidden bases/missiles/whatever)? Is the US going to start taking air defense seriously?
Sometimes you just can’t win.
And don’t forget *this* classic:
I seem to detect a few flaws in the story of how the US shot down the Chinese spy balloon…
Also to be seen here:
Chinese “version” of what happened with its balloon over US territory https://t.co/pS2GIbVCOy pic.twitter.com/PBckqy95YE
— Samuel Bendett (@SamBendett) February 7, 2023
So, what’s going on in the world? Balloon-borne Chinese spy equipment the size of regional jetliners; an earthquake in a NATO member state that has killed at least 7,000 people; awards shows supported by Pfizer with segments that are basically Satanic rituals.
Eh, nothing of any real interest, so here’s a cat on a fashion runway.
@rover_thecat Happy Lunar New Year 🎉 ngl, kind of leaning towards the Vietnamese variation – Year of the Cat 🐈⬛
As a general rule I’m not a fan of putting clothes on cats, because cats don’t *like* clothes and it freaks them out. This one, though, seems cool with it.
I don’t know what the Russian military was expecting, but being on the receiving end of the first industrial-scale use of robots to hunt down their soldiers one at a time was probably not high on their list.
Now that the Chinese “spy balloon” has crossed the entire United States, the Air Force *finally* got the order from Biden to shoot the thing down. Looks like a fighter launched a missile… a missile that doubtless cost way more than the balloon. Happened over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina… you know, the far side of the country from where it entered.
F-16s are on the case! Chinese Spy Balloon your time has come!! pic.twitter.com/ePxOLMy1tv
— Chris Combs (iterative design enjoyer) (@DrChrisCombs) February 4, 2023
— Sam Guichelaar (@SamGuichelaar) February 4, 2023
Full video pic.twitter.com/Qwq8CJbHej
— jared Stalvey (@jaredstalvey) February 4, 2023
#ChineseSpyBalloon shot down!!! pic.twitter.com/2CsMZlmZCq
— USC (@RealUSC) February 4, 2023
Increasingly, the admission “I send my kids to public school” is tantamount to “I abuse my kids.” If this sort of thing is a reasonable prospect to be inflicted upon your kid… move to a better district or homeschool. Along with getting a better, safer, less CRT-based academic education, you also have the opportunity to teach them subjects such as “basic self defense” and “how to recognize danger.”
9-year-old girl on the schoolbus in South Floridapic.twitter.com/MRRTb4F9Hf
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 3, 2023
Several of the children in this video need to be removed from not just school, but *society.* Hopefully the little girl will recover. And hopefully she’ll learn some valuable lessons.